I’m going to sound cliché, especially in this period when you’re overrun with crappy Christmas TV movies (I say that but love it) but it’s been my favorite time of year since I was little. No it’s not because of the freebies but I like the fact that everyone is more or less racking their brains trying to please their loved ones. This spirit touches me enormously and I try to keep it all year round.

Last year I was locked up at home all alone, this year I intend to make up for it.

To please your loved ones, I am sharing my menu for this year with you, hoping that it will give you some ideas. This will save you the hassle of searching for a full menu if you prefer to focus on other details of this wonderful holiday.

(Not having made my menu yet, the photos in this article will be taken from Google image)

The Drink

Moscow Mule

I don’t drink a lot other than beer when I’m with my friends but this one is my little darling for the holidays!

Per glass all you need:

• 60 ml of vodka
• 15 ml lime
• 120 ml of ginger beer
• Ice cubes

For the decoration:

• A slice of lime
• 1 sprig of fresh mint

for an alcohol-free version, replace vodka and ginger beer with ginger ale.

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The entrees :

Mini onion puff pastry, goat cheese and figs

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Ingredients (for 6 persons):

• Store-bought puff pastry
• Onion confis
• 3 figs
• 1 log of goat cheese
• Thyme
• 1 egg yolk.

Preperation:

1. Cut a thin round of goat cheese
2. Using a glass or a cookie cutter about 8 cm in diameter, cut circles of puff pastry
3. In the center place a teaspoon of onion confis, a slice of cheese and a slice of fig.
4. Brush the outline of the puff pastry with egg yolk
5. Bake for 25 minutes at 180 ° c
6. Sprinkle with thyme.

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Crunchy salmon verrine:

A small, lighter starter in the middle of all that fat.

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Ingredients (for 6 persons):

• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch of dill
• 6 salted crackers
• 250 g smoked salmon
• 500 ml of very cold liquid cream
• Lump Eggs

Preperation:

1. Place the bowl that will be used for the whipped cream in the freezer
2. Crumble crackers at the bottom of each jack
3. Arrange diced cucumber
4. Reserve two slices of salmon, cut the rest into small pieces and mix with the chopped dill.
5. Beat the whipped cream and stir in the salmon
6. Using a pastry bag, garnish your verrines with whipped cream
7. A few lump eggs on top
8. Finally, prick a slice of salmon on a wooden pick so as to form a serpentine and place across each verrine.

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The sides for the main course

I’m very fond of mashed potatoes, but this year I wanted to change things up a bit, so I’m offering you a festive salad and mini-gratins dauphinois (a French dish that consists of a potato gratin).

Waldorf salad

Considering the number of preparations, I wanted something lighter while remaining in the festive side so I suggest this small salad, very simple and yet grandiose.

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Ingredients(for 6 persons):

• 30 g of butter
• 75 g of chopped walnuts
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 2 green Granny Smith apples, with the skin, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 2 stalks of celery cut into 1 cm dice
• 75 g of minced shallots
• A few leaves of romaine lettuce
• Raisins dry or fresh (My little addition to this recipe)

Sauce:

• 2 tsp. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper from the mill

Preperation:

1. Over medium heat, brown the nuts in the butter. When they are well coated, add the sugar and lightly caramelize. To book.
2. In a bowl, combine all the other salad ingredients.
3. Prepare the vinaigrette by incorporating all the ingredients and mix. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce

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Mini gratin Dauphinois

One day I will share with you the real recipe for this divine dish, but for the moment I am offering you a simple version to enjoy with your guests.

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Ingredients(for 6 persons):

• Spray oil
• 1.2 kg of long and wide potato
• 30g butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 125 g heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
• 75 g slice of Gruyère or counted cheese
• 75 g of gruyère or grated counted cheese
• Salt pepper

Preperation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° c
2. Melt the butter and butter muffin cups with
3. In the rest of the melted butter, add the squeezed garlic and cook for 20 seconds then add the cream and the salt and after 30 seconds turn off the heat.
4. Cut the potato slices into thin slices to the diameter of a muffin tin using a mandolin (be careful with your fingers).
5. Place potato slices halfway up the mussels
6. Top with a slice of cheese and continue to top with slices of potatoes.
7. Sprinkle with thyme and pour in the cream.
8. Bake for 40 minutes
9. Add grated cheese on top and brown for 10 min
10. Leave them on for 5 minutes before serving.

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The main course

It’s time to talk about the star of the night:

Here in Denmark we traditionally eat goose stuffed with prunes and pears, but I’m allergic to prunes so instead I’ll share with you the recipe my mom made for me and hope you like it. (it will work very well for a turkey, a capon, or why not chicken thighs by stuffing them under the skin of these if you prefer).
Yes looking at it like that the recipe can be scary because of the number of ingredients, but it’s very simple, I assure you.
Let’s go!

Christmas goose (or turkey)

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Ingredients:

• A farm goose (or a turkey)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt pepper

Fine stuffing:

• 120g semi-cooked foie gras
• 120g unsalted roasted hazelnuts
• 120g cooked chestnuts
• 1 apple
• 300g of port sauté
• 400g ground beef
• 3 shallots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 250g mushrooms
• 5cl of cognac or armagnac
• 1 egg
• 10g butter
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 2 tablespoons of fine breadcrumbs.
• Salt pepper

Preperation:

1. Wash the mushrooms by drying them well (do not run them under water so that they do not become full) and sweat them in the 10g butter for 5 min. Mix them with the meats, the ai and the shallots
2. Peel and rap the apple
3. Mix the hazelnuts for a long time until you obtain a paste
   Roughly chop the chestnuts
4. Mix all the ingredients
5. Now let’s deal with the poultry.
6. If you haven’t already, empty it
   Melt the honey and butter with a micron wave
   Add the pressed garlic
   Brush the goose with the preparation.
   Salt and pepper the outside and inside of the critter, then stuff and flange there.
7. Ideally, prepare the day before or the day before so that the filling diffuses its flavors in the meat before cooking.
8. For cooking:
9. Bake for 2 hours at 180 ° C, watering it and turning it every 30 minutes.

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Dessert

Before (or during) the dessert itself, I offer you a coffee, but a coffee that is a bit peculiar to me that I have been told to find in Korea, Dalgona coffee. To drink very cold.

Dalgona coffee (per glass):

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Ingredients:

• 1 and a half tablespoons of instant coffee
• 1 and a half tablespoons of sugar
• 1 and a half tablespoons of hot water
• Milk
• Unlimited ice cubes (or ice cream for something more delicious)

Preperation:

1. Beat sugar, coffee and hot water with an electric mixer until you get (after 30 seconds) a relatively thick foam. As if by magic, the mixture becomes creamy and smooth.
2. In a glass, pour ice cubes, milk and topez with the coffee foam!

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Yule log in French toast style:

We can not finish a good meal without a fabulous dessert let’s stay in our ancestral traditions with the Yule log. It is often boring to do and we have already worked well so I offer you a very simple recipe that will always be better than an industrial log.

Ingredients (for 6 persons):

• 450 g of cream cheese (Philadelphia)
• 120 g of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 10 slices of brioches
• 3 or 4 eggs
• 450g of strawberries or other red fruits (if you are allergic, it is very good with diced cooked apples), cut into pieces
• 80 ml of milk
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 40 g of icing sugar for the finish

Preperation:

1. Mix the cream cheese with the icing sugar and the vanilla extract
2. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and arrange 4 rows of 2 whole slices of brioche bread. Cut 2 pieces of brioche bread in half and add to the end of each row.
3. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Brush egg wash on the left side of each piece of bread, except for the farthest left pieces in each row. Overlap the right edges over the egg wash and press to adhere. Brush egg was along the bottom of each row of bread, except for the bottom row. Overlap the top edges of each row over the egg wash and press to adhere.
4. Use a spatula to spread an even layer of the filling over the bread. Distribute the strawberries over the filling.
5. Using the plastic wrap for help, roll up the bread. Twist the ends of the plastic to seal.
6. Place the 1 hour in the freezer
7. Combine 3 eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
8. Brush the log and bake in a hot oven at 220 ° C for 12 min (until the brioche is golden)
9. Sprinkle with icing sugar just before presenting it on the table.

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Yes in all there are a lot of preparations, but I do not intend to do everything in one day. To make this feast, I plan to make my log, my starters, my salad and my gratins in advance. The same day I will only keep cooking my turkey, my puffs and my coffees which will be minute.
With a little organization there are ways to do it all, but if that scares you, you don’t have to do it all. 😉

I hope you have a good holiday and that you will blow your belly up. For me, as you can see, it’s off to a good start.

Good luck with the preparations and see you soon!