Favourite Christmas Recipes (including the cake)

[NigelSlatersXmasTaters]

It'll soon be time to dust off the cookbooks and I'm also considering doing 2 different cakes!

I need a boozy one for me and a booze free for the kids.

What are your favourite festive recipes?

These choc orange tarts are amazing. Easy to make but very impressive www.effortlessfoodie.com/no-bake-terrys-chocolate-orange-tarts/

That chilli recipe looks lovely, will trial run next week.

Ooh Jamie Oliver's gravy. Bit of a faff but so worth it!

www.seriouseats.com/construction-gingerbread-recipe

This is the best construction gingerbread I've tried - tastes good (I expect I upped the spice amount.. I normally do), doesn't shatter into 1000s of pieces when the youngest decides to get started gluing his house together before I've finished helping the eldest etc. and doesn't puff out of shape and so require all that shaving and re-cutting they do on bakeoff.

I did Jamie's gravy a couple of years ago. Massive disappointment. If anyone has any other gravy recipes, would love to hear!

I love Delia’s classic cake. I made ours two weeks ago and gave it its first feed last week.

I like making lebkuchen with the DC with a recipe I got from a Bake Off calendar one year.

Nigella’s pistachio and cranberry biscotti from Nigellissima - it tastes divine. I’m also a fan of her pancetta sprouts.

I wasn't gone on Jamie's gravy either. I tried it twice and it just wasn't that flavoursome. I was probably doing it wrong, somehow, but it and I just aren't friends. Or maybe I've been ruined by years of lazy Bisto Sundays I actually just buy M&S turkey gravy for Christmas these days.

Feck it, that's making me want to try Jamie's again, and get it right. Any tips from anyone who made it and liked it?

I seem to remember from a previous thread that some people made it without the star anise and preferred it.

We’ve done it a few times and always think it’s a lot of effort for something that is just ok. My sis and BIL love it though. Different strokes I suppose.

I’ve just bought M&S the last few years too.

Ive been making delias creole cake for over 20 years and its wonderful. I just use the alcohol i have in my cupboard which is usually port, brandy and sherry. I use waitrose luxury dried fruit mix and cherries rather than weighing different types of dried fruit. I never feed it and make it at the beginning of december.

I’m getting tempted to try the Creole cake, but I don’t need more puddings to add to the list!

For gravy, a really simple veggie version (in case anyone’s interested!) is a vegetable stock, spoonful of brown miso paste, small spoonful of marmite and thicken with cornflour. Can also add soy. It’s very tasty!

I don't do Jamie's gravy either (a waste of chicken wings - they should be eaten, hot and crispy and spicy with crispy stringy chips and blue cheese dip!!).

My gravy is bisto powder, mixed with a good glass of white wine and poured into the roasting tin (after turkey is taken out and excess ft strained off the top). Extra liquid is added so its not too thick (and if I am organised enough, that's chicken stock, turkey stock, or the water from boiling carrots earlier, or leftover turkey gravy from Thanksgiving that I froze - it's just as likely to be water though). Once the gravy has cooked and thickened, I pour it into a pot (to save space) and wash the tin. It sits for the hour while potatoes roast, and just before serving, I pour in the juices from the turkey that have collected in the carving tray and reheat it all.

Every year i make Antonio Carluccios Italian Festive Stuffing. Its in Good Food Christmas made easy book from 2004.

140g/5oz soft breadcrumbs, i use ciabatta
3 tbsp raisins or currants
2 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
3 tbsp pine nuts
100g/4oz grated parmesan or pecorino
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 eggs, beaten
50g/2oz butter, melted

Preheat oven 190c/gas 5/fan oven 170c

Line a 450g loaf tin with baking parchment
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper
Lightly spoon the stuffing into loaf tin ( do not pack it in with a heavy hand as it comes out like a brick)
Bake for 20-30 mins until crispy and golden
Turn it out onto a chopping board, slice and serve.

You can also use this stuffed inside chicken/turkey or lamb

I make this, cool, slice and freeze with parchment paper between each slice.
It`s also lovely in sandwiches.

For using up leftover Turkey I heartily recommend Delia’s “colonial curry”, it uses grated apple and is sweet and delicious:

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/english-colonial-curry-with-turkey

I’m also not a fan of Jamie’s gravy - it seemed like a lot of effort for a very average gravy. But like others have said, I’m possibly ruined by being raised on Bisto…

BuntyCarmichael that Italian stuffing looks delicious. Would work shaped into balls, do you think?

fretnot I'm not sure as it's a light mix and if you were to roll it into balls it would compress , might be worth a go. I make it a month in advance, freeze it then reheat it when needed. I might try to do this over the next few days and let you know how I get on.

Pre-made slices also sound good tbh.

It sounds absolutely delicious. Will give it a go!

I didn’t make a Christmas cake one year so tried this marzipan and mincemeat tea loaf. It’s a favourite here. The origins recipe seems to have gone from bbc good food but this is essentially the same.

lucylovesuk.com/recipes/mincemeat-and-marzipan-cake/

@fretnot I made the stuffing into 12 balls and cooked them for 12 minutes, they look fine and taste great too. I will freeze them in a rigid container.

Thanks so much - nothing like a festive stuffing ball!

If anyone is in need of a vegan Christmas cake, I’ve had great success with this one

domesticgothess.com/blog/2018/11/10/vegan-christmas-cake/

I made one for my parents too, they really enjoyed it and are not vegan

[quote PurpleDaisies]I didn’t make a Christmas cake one year so tried this marzipan and mincemeat tea loaf. It’s a favourite here. The origins recipe seems to have gone from bbc good food but this is essentially the same.

lucylovesuk.com/recipes/mincemeat-and-marzipan-cake/[/quote]
I've done this one a few times, and it's been very popular. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/christmas-white-chocolate-traybake

I have been using this recipe for turkey and gravy for years now. The brined turkey is famous in our family now.

www.finecooking.com/recipe/herb-butter-roasted-turkey-with-pinot-noir-gravy

The nigella Lawson turkey brine recipe is great as is her Christmas cake recipe. A lot of faff for both but worth the hard work.