1. Shrimp with White Cocktail Sauce
We’ve replaced the classic red sauce served with shrimp cocktail with a happy mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish and tarragon. Super easy to make, this white sauce can be prepared up to five days in advance, which leaves you plenty of time to take care of other things for your Christmas Eve feast. As for the shrimp, they’ll remain nicely tender once poached in water, a proven method to ensure a perfect cook. We don’t know why we never thought of this combo before!
HOLIDAY STARTERS AND SIDES
Shrimp with White Cocktail Sauce
2. Revisited Sandwich Loaf
The sandwich loaf can admittedly be an ordeal to prepare. So why not take this opportunity to revisit it? We chose to add fresh, whimsical layers to this renewed classic. Omit the traditional orange cheese spread to make space for delicate toppings like ham and dried cranberries, arugula and pumpkin seed pesto, as well as pickled beets. Whipped cream cheese and cucumber strips complete this dish set to holiday colours.
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS
Sandwich Loaf Revisited
3. Crunchy Marinated Vegetable Salad
Every self-respecting holiday table has to include a small green salad. But forget any memories you have of delicate leaves coated in a heavy dressing thanks to this recipe that favours finesse and texture. Mix crunchy veggies with a light marinade made from cider vinegar, dill and mustard. Serve the salad in a flat dish highlighting lettuce and radicchio leaves on which the marinated vegetables will never get soft or drenched.
VEGETARIAN HOLIDAY RECIPES
Crunchy Marinated Vegetable Salad
4. Stuffing Meatballs
This year, let’s reinvent a tradition: stuffing! Skip the step that consists of stuffing the turkey by making these ultra moist and fragrant stuffing meatballs instead. Plus, you can make them in advance! The ingredients may be surprising, but go wonderfully together: Pork is combined with shallot, garam masala and Parmesan. A creamy mushroom sauce coats the dish, for festive and familiar aromas wafting through the house. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your bird.
PORK
Stuffing Meatballs
5. Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Gruyère and Bacon
Can’t choose between mashed and baked potatoes? Then pick a dish that’s in between the two! These stuffed spuds are filled with an exquisite velvety mixture of aromatics—garlic, shallots, Gruyère and diced bacon—combined with mashed potatoes. This way, you’ll get the best of both worlds in terms of carbs: the baked skin, whole, and the generous flesh, full of flavour.
GOURMET CHRISTMAS
Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Gruyère and Bacon
6. Roasted Turkey with Pears and Ginger
Each year, we look to make the perfect turkey, one that’s absolutely golden and juicy. But everything that used to be complicated with this traditional dish is now simplified: By separating the legs from the breasts, you’ll reduce the marinating time while making the roasting easier to control. And there’s also something to be said about the pear and ginger chutney with its aroma reminiscent of cranberries. Say “yes” to this turkey that’s ready in no time!
HOLIDAY MAIN DISHES
Roasted Turkey with Pears and Ginger
7. Linzer Cookies
The holidays just aren’t the same without pretty cookies. And if there’s a variety that perfectly represents this, it’s the Austrian Linzer cookie. Made with roasted hazelnuts and cinnamon, the bottom cookie is covered with raspberry jam, then topped with a second cookie featuring a hole in the centre cut with a cookie cutter. A sprinkling of icing sugar brings the finishing touch. If you bake and serve them on the same day, they’ll have a shortbread texture; the following day, they’ll be a bit chewier. In either case, they’ll taste of Christmas with every bite.
HOLIDAY DESSERTS
Linzer Cookies
Looking for more ideas for the holidays? Be sure to consult our selection of festive recipes: