Festive Feast: 7 Recipes To Brighten Your Christmas

The spirited Christmas season is just around the corner, bringing with it a wide array of culinary delights: cakes, turkey, pudding, and all sorts of festive cheer. If you are planning a hearty Christmas feast this year, complete with all the sweet treats and roast, we've got seven recipes that will impress everybody around the dining table:

Plum Cake

Ingredients:    

• Flour: 500 gm

• Butter: 300 gm

• Eggs: 6 gm

• Brown Sugar: 300 gm

• Garam Masala: 20 gm

• Soaked fruits: 520 gm

• Milk: 120 gm

• Baking Powder: 12 gm

Method:

• Preheat the oven to a temperature of 145℃.

• Scale the flour, baking powder, and spices and mix them. 

• Mix the butter and sugar in the mixer until it looks pale and fluffy. 

• Gradually add the eggs and the milk.

• Add in the dry ingredients and soaked fruits and mix well. 

• Line the bottom of the cake ring with aluminium foil. Put 800 gm of the plum cake mix and bake at 145℃ for 35 minutes. 

Recipe courtesy: Amit Kumar From L'Opéra

Hot Chocolate Bomb

Ingredients:

• Cocoa syrup: 45 ml 

• Cool cream: 70 ml  

• Milk: 150 ml

Method:

• Add all ingredients to a milk frothing pot; boil over medium-high heat, and keep the mixture on a low boil for one minute. Stir in the milk.

• Remove from the heat and stir. Put one chocolate bomb into the cup and slowly pour on top into a chocolate bomb and garnish with cocoa powder and chocolate sauce.

Recipe courtesy: Ashish Singh From Cafe Delhi Heights

Gingerbread Men Biscuits

Recipe for 500 biscuits

Ingredients:                

• Flour: 2100 gm

• Baking Powder: 60 gm

• Brown Sugar: 1020 gm

• Garam Masala: 9 gm

• Ginger Powder: 5 gm

• Eggs: 300 gm

• Honey: 600 gm

• Butter: 600 gm

Method:

• Take a bowl and mix well with butter and brown sugar.

• Add eggs and honey little by little. 

• Add flour, baking powder,garam masala and ginger powder and mix all the ingredients for 1 minute. 

• Put it to rest at a temperature of 4℃ for 10 hours.

• Preheat the oven to a temperature of 160℃.

• Cut the biscuits into a shape.

• Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes.

• Leave the biscuits to cool down for 30 minutes.

• Finish by decorating with royal icing.

Recipe courtesy: Amit Kumar From L'Opéra

Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:                   

• Boiling water: 150 gm

• Rum: 170 gm

• Black Currants: 240 gm

• Black Raisins: 185 gm

• Sultanas: 185 gm

• Prunes: 150 gm

• Figs: 200 gm

• Brown Sugar: 50 gm

• Red Cherries: 150 gm

• Butter: 250 gm

• Brown Sugar: 300 gm

• Chocolate 72 per cent: 100 gm

• Vanilla Extract: 10 gm

• Chopped Dates: 150 gm

• Flour: 320 gm

• Cocoa Powder: 20 gm

• Eggs: 180 gm

• Baking Powder: 2 gm

• Cinnamon Powder: 2.5 gm

• Garam Masala: 2.5 gm

• Cardamom Powder: 3 gm

Method:

• Combine the black currants, raisins, sultanas, prunes, figs, brown sugar and rum in a mixing bowl. Stir well to mix, cover and leave for 24 hours to soak.

• After 24 hours, mix the flour, dates, cocoa powder, baking powder, butter, spices, eggs, and the soaked fruit mixture in a large mixing bowl. 

• Grease pudding mould with butter. Pour the pudding mixture into the moulds.

• Bake in a double boiler at 140℃ for 60 minutes. 

• Once the pudding is cooked, please remove it from the pan and set it aside to cool.

• Cover with cling wrap to keep it soft. 

Recipe courtesy: Amit Kumar From L'Opéra 

Christmas Turkey Marinated In Garlic Butter

Ingredients:

Roasted Turkey

• One whole turkey weight about 6kg, skin on (fully defrosted, washed, giblets and neck removed)

•  3 heads garlic cut in half horizontally divided

•  3 slices lemon divided

•  6 sprigs of thyme divided

•  6 sprigs of rosemary divided

• Olive oil divided: 118 ml 

Herb Butter

• Unsalted butter: 125 gm 

• Chopped fresh thyme leaves: 5 gm 

• Minced garlic: 4 teaspoons 

•  Salt

•  Cracked Pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220°C. 

• Combine the herb butter ingredients in a bowl and mix well—reserve half of the herb butter in the refrigerator for later. 

• Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper. Arrange the 4 halves of garlic cut-side down on the bottom of the pan with 4 sprigs each of thyme and rosemary, half of the olive oil and 1 slice of lemon. 

• Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Stuff with the remaining heads of garlic halves, lemon slice, a squeeze of lemon from the remaining slice, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

• Melt the butter and rub all over the turkey, including under the skin—season generously with salt and pepper. Place turkey on top of the garlic and herbs in the pan (breast-side down). Drizzle with the remaining oil. 

• Roast uncovered for 30 minutes for a small turkey under 6.5 kg or 45 minutes for a larger turkey over 7 kg. 

• Turn turkey over (breast-side up) with tongs, a clean tea towel, oven mitts (heat-proof gloves), and baste with pan juices. 

• Spread half of the reserved herb butter over the top of your turkey with a spoon or brush (be careful; the turkey will be hot, and the butter will melt nicely over the skin). Pour any remaining juices over your turkey. 

• Reduce heat to 165°C (for standard ovens) or 150°C (fan-forced). Roast, uncovered, for an hour. 

• Slather the turkey generously with the remaining butter and roast it for 30 minutes. Baste again, then continue roasting for 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of your bird. (For an extra large turkey, you may need an additional half hour to an hour.) 

• Tent turkey with foil and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipe courtesy: Dipender From Parra, Khubani

Chicken Pistachio Terrine By Himmat Rautela From Molecule

Ingredients: 

• Minced Chicken: 700 gm

•  Large onion: 1

•  Eggs: 2

•  Blanched leaves of spinach

•  50 gm pistachio: 50 gm

•  Teaspoon salt: 1 tsp

• 50 ml of milk: 50 ml

•  5 teaspoon butter: 5 tsp

•  Salt and pepper

•  Cayenne pepper

•  Pistachio

•  Sprigs of fresh parsley: 5

Method:

• Add milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to the bowl.

• Chop fresh parsley, pour into a bowl with minced meat, and remix everything.

• Cover the baking dish with foil and brush it with butter. Then, in a form, layout spinach strips with an overlap on a mould.

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the form with the future terrine there. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and allow it to brown for another 20 minutes.

• Serve with foam and chutney.

Recipe courtesy: Himmat Rautela From Molecule