Best Christmas recipes

[christmas2022]

What do you always love to make over Christmas and what's your recipe?

Looking for some ideas. Could be any type of food for any time of the day.

What are yours?

I'm actually rubbish at stuff like this, so would buy frozen honey parnips, ready made pigs in blankets, a bit of meat in those tin foil trays.

You see the level I'm at hence the ask on here.

Is that ok?

Trying to gauge your level. If you're a confident cook or a newbie, you'll need different recipes!

Personally, I find Delia's Christmas book a source of lovely recipes.

I like shredded brussel sprouts, shredded red onions, fried in butter with garlic, sage and Worcestershire sauce. And I don't even like brussel sprouts!

Best roast potatoes: choose floury potatoes like red Duke of York or King Edwards. Peel and halve. Boil for 10 mins then drain and dry. Shake the pan so the edges scuff. Put on a preheated roasting tray with a good slick of oil (about 0.5 cm) Shake garlic granules, flaky seasalt and fresh rosemary over them. Toss gently until completely covered in oil and then roast until golden. The rosemary and garlic make them extra delicious.

Very easy praline nuts recipe: Put any shelled nuts you like (pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts) into a non stcik frying pan with a tablespoon of soft brown sugar, a tablespoon of maple syrup (optional), a teapsoon of vanilla essence and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Drizzle with freshly boiled water until the nuts are about half coated. Cook on high, stirring the nuts frequently. They smell a bit funny at first biut as the water evaporates and the melted sugar caramelises they start to toast. Once the wate ris gone and there's just a sticky bubbling mass in the pan, turn the heat off and keep stirring then transfer the nuts to a baking paper sheet and tease them apart with a fork so they don't cluster too much. Wash the pan while it's still warm so the sugar comes off easily. When the nuts are cool they are crispy and shiny and Christmassy.

I swear by Delia's 18th Century Chestnut Stuffing recipe

I like Delos's Christmas cake recipe for ingredients but I use my own method.

Instead of soaking the dried fruit for ages I put all the dried fruit, nuts, sugar and butter in a pan and cook it gently. Leave it with a lid on to cool. Then add the eggs and the flour and mix really well.

Cook low and slow but needs much less time than the recipe says in my experience. You want it moist not over dry.

Tom Parker Bowles Yule log www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/tom-parker-bowles-black-forest-log

Mince pies affogato realfood.tesco.com/recipes/mince-pie-affogato.html

Paul Hollywood’s mince pies www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mince-pies

I make these they are known as Santa cookies in our house. The dough freezes really well, so I usually make a batch and freeze half to then bake on Xmas Eve.

Jamie's braised red cabbage. Goes down a treat with all my family. www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/must-try-red-cabbage-braised-with-apple-bacon-and-balsamic-vinegar/

Not especially Christmassy, but for some reason we always make these over Christmas. Easy to make, and yum. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/amarettibistcuits_67183

For left overs we all like a big bubble and squeak for Boxing Day brunch. Chop up (or blitz in a food processor if you can’t be bothered with a load of chopping) a good bit of all the leftovers (sprouts and spuds, obviously, but also a few pigs in blankets, yorkshires, stuffing, parsnips, maybe some Turkey), add some chopped spring onions, stir through an egg to bind it a bit, and then we usually fry it in a cast iron pan to get it going, then Chuck it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Great with a fried egg.

The other left over big hit is Turkey, brie and cranberry quesadillas.

Delia's chocolate log. Made every year in my family since about 1986!

Simon Hopkinson's Sticky Toffee Pudding is a real favourite here. I serve it with my own, home-made vanilla ice-cream.

Mary Berry and Delia Smith were both early pioneers of the idea that if you can read, you can cook. They both put a lot of detail in their recipes and are actually hard to get wrong ( my disasters come when I think I know the recipe because I made it before). If you aren’t an experienced cook, stick to recipes published in actual books rather than internet blogs and the like, to begin with. BBC food is a good website as it often has recipes that have been published if you don’t want to buy a book.

Onto favourites: I make stained glass cookies every year.

I always aspire to make a gingerbread house from scratch but usually use the excellent ikea kit instead. But I use the icing and boiled sweet windows from that recipe.

I modify Gordon Ramsey’s Christmas turkey and also his gravy recipe. Highly recommend!

And I make a chocolate biscuit pudding (equal amounts of whatever your idea of nice chocolate (half on mine is terrys choc orange) is and condensed milk, biscuits and crushed crunchie bars. Refrigerate in a pudding bowl. Turn out and stick maltesers all over with melted chocolate (this bit is hard because you don’t want to smudge the Maltesers) then drizzle melted white chocolate on top and a sprig of holly.

Nigella's Hettie Potter's Mincemeat for mince pies with this orange pastry from BBC Good Food. The most delicious thing ever!

This vanilla vodka Christmas cake from Good Housekeeping

I always brine my turkey, obeying Nigella's instructions. Makes all the difference to the turkey's flavour

Leftover Christmas pudding gets turned into these muffins - so delicious I now set aside some specially!

This is my favourite Christmas dessert, is easy and keeps a few days.

037james.blogspot.com/2013/12/snowball-pudding.html?m=1

The year I was on my own I made it in portions in muffin tins with a view to freezing some.....still don't know how it would freeze!

I love red cabbage and only have it at Christmas.

Not sure why I don't have it at other times if the year as I like it so much.

Home made sausage rolls with proper sausage meat has been a gorgeous game changer

... and Delia has a fantastic recipe for vegetarian sausage rolls in her Christmas book and on her website

Delia really is the queen of Christmas isn't she 😁

Mince pie pastry made with lard, stork and self raising flour.

Homemade Baileys.

@BuryingAcorns
Thank you so much for your nut recipe, I always have leftover nuts and never know what to do with them, last year I gave them to the squirrels!
I will definitely use this receipe.

Mrs Hanrahan’s sauce, from Darina Allen, Ballymaloe.

It is bloody delicious - it’s a boozy mixture you add to whipped cream, and is hands down the best accompaniment to Christmas pud….and mince pies…or just to eat on its own!!

will copy and paste below….

Mrs Hanrahan, was Darina Allen’s sister-in-law Una's mother, and although she has long since passed to her eternal reward, but we will be eternally grateful to her for sharing this recipe with Darina and which the Allen family relish even more than brandy butter with plum pudding and mince pies.

Ingredients
110g (4oz) butter
200g (7oz) Barbados sugar * (moist, soft, dark-brown sugar)
1 organic free-range egg
62ml (2 1/2 fl oz) medium sherry
2 1/2 fl oz (62ml/generous 1/4 cup) port
1.3 - 1.4 litres (2 1/4-2 1/2 pints) lightly whipped cream

This recipe is so delicious that people ask to have more Plum Pudding just so that they can have an excuse to eat lots of sauce.

This makes a large quantity but the base will keep for several weeks in the fridge, so you can use a little at a time, adding whipped cream to taste. Darina also advises that leftover Mrs Hanrahan's sauce freezes brilliantly and makes the most divine and indulgent boozy ice-cream!
Melt the butter, stir in the sugar and allow to cool slightly.
Whisk the egg and add to the butter and sugar with the sherry and port. Refrigerate.
When needed, add the lightly whipped cream to taste.
This sauce is also very good with mince pies and other tarts.
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@Pollymollydolly ooo, I'm going to make that. Thank you!

Anyone have a good red cabbage recipe please?