11 unbeatable Christmas recipes, whether you’re cooking for two or 20
Senior food and wine editor Susan Jung offers some ideas, and tips, for home cooks hosting parties and dinners over the holidays
With the holiday season fast approaching, fans of home cooking will be finalising their menus for the festive season. We thought we’d give you some food for thought with a selection of Christmas recipes.
See my recipe for deep-fried Cornish hens
See my recipe for roast guinea fowl
After making one enormous gingerbread house to be displayed in the hotel lobby, we’d make smaller ones for VIP guests and gingerbread men and women to serve on the Christmas buffet. Making gingerbread at home is a fun project that children may enjoy.
See my recipe for Gingerbread people
Although winters in Hong Kong are fairly mild - we don’t have to wade through waist-high snow drifts, thank goodness, or worry about slipping on icy streets - the lack of indoor heating can make it seem a lot colder than it is. With warming winter drinks, we can take refuge from the bitter elements outside.
See my recipes for mulled wine, New Year’s eggnog, and hot chocolate
Finally, here is some advice for occasional cooks who are putting on a holiday spread.
Preparing dishes you’ve never tried out before can be risky - if it doesn’t come off, you have a tableful of disappointed diners, and you cannot simply order up a roast turkey with all the trimmings from Food by Fone or Cuisine Courier on Christmas Day (or any other day, for that matter). On the other hand, if you hit the jackpot with a fantastically delicious dish, you’ve just made a lot of people happy.
If you’re cooking a casual weekday meal for family, it’s worth experimenting - it alleviates the tedium of making the same thing time and time again and if it turns out well, you’ve added to your culinary repertoire. When it comes to experimenting for holiday meals, though, it is wise to tread carefully. Traditional dishes (although “traditional” can be a highly personal concept) are popular during the holidays.
NOTE: Apologies to anyone who clicked on hyperlinks and got nothing. The problem has been fixed