2 weeks Ago By Katrina Meynink
Hosting Christmas Day is often an arduous task. Sure, there is all the frivolity and goodwill and an opportunity to catch up with the people you love most, but it still comes with planning and cooking, and more cooking, and the clean-up, and then more cleaning, usually with a hangover in various stages of severity. So instead, I plan for the do-ahead spread.
It’s life-changing – and you get to enjoy Christmas Day just as much as your guests because the frazzled cooking and oven-time co-ordinating is done and dusted. All that is required on the day is a whisk of this or that, some mild assembly, and serve and done. I promise you it’s the absolute best way to spend Christmas Day, and that’s coming from someone who loves to cook so very, very much.
Salmon gravlax with pink peppercorns, gin and lavender cure and a very lazy horseradish cream I’m a bit of a weirdo, I love the herby salty fragrant cure that sits atop salmon as it is “buried and cured”. Most recipes call for this to be scraped off prior to serving, but everyone who comes past my table knows I am not opposed to a bit of DIY, and people can do as they please – on or off. Just like the skin.
To that end, I use about half the amount of salt than traditional gravlax recipes, with the idea in mind that the crust-like mixture is staying put. Please scrape off thoroughly if you prefer your fish to be crust-free. Speaking of crust, the second herb and peppercorn topping can be added up to 3 hours before serving, provided the salmon is kept in the fridge.
Start this recipe 2-3 days ahead. INGREDIENTS Curing mix Lazy horseradish cream Herb and peppercorn topping METHOD Serves 10-12 Burrata with cucumber and cumin herb oil This is the easiest side dish in all the land, yet it has so much oomph for such little effort – and that, my friends, is the key to a happy Christmas Day. Make sure your burrata isn’t fridge-cold when ready to serve, this is best when it’s oozing and soft.
INGREDIENTS Herb oil METHOD Serves about 6, as part of a spread Green beans with toasted almonds and spiced preserved lemon dressing Beans served cold are delicious. Amazing, in fact. There should be more cold bean salads in the world.
While I love to blanch them, do so ever so briefly for this recipe. The blanching will preserve their glorious colour, but the raw state is what gives this salad its crunch and staying power. INGREDIENTS Dressing METHOD Serves 6-8 as part of a spread Overnight spiced lamb shoulder with an almond pomegranate crust Heads-up: tossing the crust mixture with orange blossom water may seem strange, but it lifts and invigorates this dish, and gives the lamb an entirely different dimension.
Given the variability in strength across brands, add the floral water slowly and taste-check before adding more. It should taste fragrant and alive, not like you’re eating your grandmother’s doily. The lamb goes in the oven the day before, and it will just need to be reheated to serve.
If you have all the crust elements ready to go, but not combined, it’s a quick, low-effort assembly job. INGREDIENTS Spice mix For the crust METHOD Serves 8-10 as part of a spread Raspberry, moscato and elderflower jelly with yoghurt and white chocolate panna cotta I do understand that this quivering dessert of festive goodness is the culinary equivalent of a trust fall, but it does work, and it’s so, so delightful to look at and to eat. On our hot Christmas days, this is the kind of dessert we all need.
It’s light and refreshing, with enough heft to call it a “cold pudding”. A few key tips: INGREDIENTS Raspberry layer Vanilla layer To decorate METHOD Serves 12 * Note: Gelatin comes in five strengths: titanium, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Titanium gives the softest set.
“Bloom” the leaves by soaking them in cold water for at least 4 minutes to soften and dissolve. Panna cotta with limoncello curd and berries for a crowd.
