This is how we do Christmas feasting Down Under.
Update: In the years since I first shared this, Ive added ourSeafood Platterto the Christmas recipe collection!
A very Aussie summer Christmas
Its hot.
The sun is out in full force, the sky is a pristine, postcard perfect blue.
Christmas jingles are playing in the background.
Glasses are instantly frosted with condensation the moment chilled wine is poured in.
Our Christmas are the polar opposite of the traditional White Christmas.
Its smack bang in the middle of summer.
Its basically un-Australian to spend Christmas Day holed up in the kitchen with the oven going all day.
A consequence of which is that its usually very seafood heavy.
- Do you have Stubby Holders where you are??
Its un-Australian if you dont have a selection of stubby holders with tacky / inappropriate prints.
The official definition is an insulated sleeve into which a beer bottle may be inserted to be kept cool.
A very (easy) Aussie Christmas feast
1.
Piles and Piles of Prawnswith Sauces Buy em freshly cooked, loads and loads of em.
Otherwise,order in advance at your local seafood store.
Around Christmas, the prawns at Woolies and Coles are good quality too.
And pick up no earlier than the day before!!
Getting your hands dirty peeling the prawns is all part of the experience.
Here are my5 favourite Prawn Dipping Sauces.coming to you next week.
For Christmas Day, it is worth spending 5 minutes to make a couple of sauces!).
2.That Maple Glazed Ham Always steals the show.
I wont dribble on any more about the ham.
I did plenty of that on Friday when I shared this recipe.
Make it the day before or even 2 days before.
Or fully prep ahead and just bake on day (this is what I do).
Serve at room temp or reheat.
Oh and the pan juices make the most awesome sauce.
Oysters I contemplated sharing some Oyster recipes, like Kilpatrick and Mornay.
But the truth is, my favourite is plain jane all the way.
Little squeeze of lemon, thats all.
then slurp it down.
4.Side of Salmon This is my thing.
I just adore making sides of salmon for gatherings.
Ask my friends, Ive been doing it ever since I started hosting gatherings.
For festive feasting, this is truly my favourite Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce.
Everybody loves the sauce!!
Bake the salmon and crumb separately, take to picnic with a jar of mustard.
This salmon is truly so great at room temperature when assembled like that.
This has become an undisputed Christmas favourite amongst readers!
Heres a run down of the turkey recipes on my site.
Ideal for those less confident in the kitchen OR if you oughta free up your oven for other things.
*Very popular recipe!
Dry Brined Whole Roasted Turkey Forget wet brining a whole turkey.
THIS is the best way to brine and roast a whole turkey by rubbing with salt and dry brining.
It works so well, its practical, its sensational!
Dowsing the hot potatoes withFrench Dressing.
I never make potato salad any other way.
Thank you Mrs Brodie!
(The mother of a good friend)
Festive Wild Rice Salad Bugger.
Realised this is out of frame in every single photo of the feast!!
I just adore this salad, Ive made it way too many times in recent months.
and it can be assembled the day before then just tossed on the day.
All my boxes ticked!!
All prepare ahead;
Lemon Parmesan Cabbage Salad skip the chicken.
Pasta Salads try thisItalian one,Greek one, or a classicMacaroni Salad.
Hummus Dipwith Cruditeswhich is a fancy way of saying veggie sticks.
(I love how they have a British and American pronunciation!
Ba ha ha!!)
If you want to get real fancy, try your hand at it with aFrench accent.
Crudites with a dip are great because it’s possible for you to prep it all the day before.
Also I find that at large gatherings, theres alwayssomeonepretending to be healthy.All bases covered!!
AND TO FINISH….
Christmas Trifle!!
!It took me years until I was happy with my trifle.
I dont do flavoured aeroplane jelly but I dont do gelatine leaves.
Recipe coming your way on Friday.
All essential food groups, covered!
Never Ending Meringue Tart Woah, the dark horse!!!
I promise, you will get it.
PS Its named as such because you’re able to make it as long as you want.
Make the meringue days and days in advance, this is super easy to make.
The hardest part is making sure you have a table long enough to assemble and serve it!
The Great Aussie Pav A staple summer dessert, firm favourite, with good reason!
Read my tips to make your Pav life easier, I promise you wont regret it.
Or just follow the recipe exactly.
PS New Zealanders, we can battle it out next year about who created the Pav!
Ive created a recipe collection for Christmas recipes, find them all here!
Shes pretty much making this exact menu!
!
