17 November 2013
| Last updated on 16 November 2015Prepare Ahead and Keep Stress at Bay This Christmas
Christmas dinner is the one annual meal that will create a stir in your world. With the multicultural mix of residents in Dubai this task is just as daunting, especially because we may not get the entire holiday off from work, only individual days. So how can one make this day special and family orientated and stress free at the same time? EW has created a fool-proof plan for a stress free holiday, with an enormous meal and time to spend with the family opening gifts and sipping on champagne.
If you tend to be disorganized create a Christmas planning calendar that can go two weeks in advance of the actual day. That way lists can be made and ticked off. This may seem rather a military way to go about the whole affair but it will minimize stress. Whilst on the subject of planning, it is also a great idea to plan the menu and go out and get all the ingredients well in advance, the last thing that a turkey day needs is its cook running amuck in the supermarket. Also ensure that everything on the menu is something that is traditional and easy to make. The actual day is not for experiments, and a cooking experiment gone wrong is one of the most stressful events that can take place in a Christmas kitchen.
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It is a plus to get as many of the dishes made before the actual day, this way the cook will feel prepared for family time and juggling the time in the kitchen will be easy and manageable. Remember that many dishes will actually taste better if left in the fridge for a few days so the flavours can develop. Here is a list of dishes that can be made in advance and just heated up or finished off the day before.
- Red cabbage: This can be made a week before that day. Just cook some red cabbage, apples, butter, spices, onion, vinegar and sugar. Simmer it for an hour, than allow it to cool. Put this in a jar and refrigerate it. This is one dish that will benefit from being refrigerated as the flavours develop with each other making it really tasty on the day.
- Cranberry sauce: This sauce is another one that will benefit being made in advance. Make it a week in advance and just store it in a jar in the fridge until it is needed.
- Brandy butter: Any special butter can be made in advance and rolled into a sausage shape, wrapped in cling film and frozen, also a week in advance.
- Vegetables: Blanche carrots and parsnips for 12 minutes and brussles sprouts for 8 minutes. Then dunk the vegetables into iced water to stop the cooking process. Once the vegetables are dried off they can be covered with cling film and refrigerated for 3 days. The idea is to panfry them simply on the day.
- Potatoes: The potatoes need to be crisp and hot when served. Two days before the dinner peel and parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Freeze them on a tray; ensure that they are spaced well apart. Once frozen they can be transferred to a Ziploc bag. On the day, once the turkey has been removed from the oven, bake to potatoes in a pan of fat until they are crisp and delicious.
- Gravy: The stock for the gravy can be made from the turkey giblets the night before and the stock can be made after the turkey has been removed from the oven.
- Pudding: In this day and age Christmas pudding can be microwaved in minutes before serving. Serve it with the premade brandy butter and you are set to go. Traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie can be prepared the night before or on the morning of Thanksgiving. If preparing it the night before, allow it to cool on a wire rack and refrigerate until serving. On the day of it can just be left at room temperature.
Now that most of the meal has been prepared over a week all that has to be done on the actual day is the turkey and the veggies, which will not take too long. Most of the other sides can be heated up and served. This will ensure that the whole family enjoys the day, even the cook. For even less stress serve everything in its baking dish, this will keep the food warm for longer and it will look homey and authentic. Rustic service is en vogue so the best service china need not be brought out, unless it’s something that the host would like to do.
The table should be set a day in advance, this way it will not weigh heavily on the mind of the host and it will ensure fun for everyone on the day, with no one having the huge responsibility of the table setting.
Now that EW has given you all the advice for a stress free turkey day, use it and have a wonderful holiday this year, and the next and the next.
