Holy moly, it’s time for Christmas! It’s the season of gingerbread houses and jingle bell carols. Christmas flavours are full of sweet and spice and we are so ready for some jolly good festive fun! Raise your holiday spirit and be the ultimate Christmas party host with your kickstarter 5 course Christmas menu.
1. Cranberry, Fresh Pear & Cinnamon Bubbles
This season calls for champagne dreams and caviar wishes! This Christmas scented glass of bubbly is the perfect way to get the party started. Serve this fizzy holiday drink with some fresh strawberries to delight your palette with an explosion of fruity flavours.
Ingredients
• 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored
• 100ml of cranberry juice
• 2 tsp. cinnamon powder
• 1 bottle of cava
Instructions
1. In a blender, purée the pears until they smoothen up. Pour this mixture into a jug, then add a small splash of cranberry juice to stop the pear from discolouring.
2. When your guests arrive, put a few tsps. purée in the bottom of each glass, then add a splash more juice. Add a pinch of cinnamon, then top up with chilled Cava. Serve immediately.
2. Pita Chips With Lemon-Goat Cheese Dip
Christmas or not, we bet you are going to have a house full of hungry guests this holiday season. This creamy lemon and goat cheese dip, served with a side of crispy pita chips, is going to be your go-to quick fix appetizer.
Ingredients
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 goat-cheese log
• 2 tbsp. Healthy Alternatives Pure Olive Oil
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• salt
• Healthy Alternatives Organic Black Pepper Whole, freshly ground
• L’Exclusif Multigrain Pita
Instructions
1.In a food processor, combine the first 6 ingredients, plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper; blend this mixture until it turns smooth.
2.Transfer it to a bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Serve the dip with the pita chips.
3. Bacon, Sausage And Prunes Rolls
Succulent, juicy and so mouth-watering! These bacon-wrapped, honey-drenched sausages are sure to blow your taste buds away, this Christmas.
Ingredients
• 12 cocktail sausages
• 1 tbsp. Healthy Alternatives Floral Blend Honey
• 12 Healthy Alternatives Prunes
• 24 streaky bacon slices
Instructions
1.Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the sausages in a bowl with the honey until they are well coated.
2.Wrap each sausage and prune in a piece of bacon, then skewer them with a cocktail stick. Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes.
4. Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Your Christmas dinner is incomplete without that gourmet masterpiece of an entrée. These tender pork tenderloins may just be the dish that could light up your dinner table.
Ingredients
• 8 slices of bacon
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 Tsp. dried basil
• 1 Tsp. dried oregano
• 2 pounds of pork tenderloin
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. Healthy Alternatives Pure Olive Oil
Instructions
1.Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Place the bacon in a large, oven-safe skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and still flexible, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove any excess bacon grease from the skillet. Combine garlic powder, seasoning salt, basil, and oregano in a small bowl. Set aside.
3.Wrap the pork tenderloin with the bacon strips securing with 1 or 2 toothpicks per strip of bacon. Slice the tenderloin between each bacon strip to create the medallions. Dip both sides of the medallions in the seasoning mix. Melt the butter and the oil together in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each medallion for 4 minutes on each side.
4.Place the skillet into the preheated oven and bake it until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 17 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
5. Skillet S’mores
There’s something about warm, gooey s’mores that just makes you go “Aaah, Christmas is here!”. These skillet s’more cookies will make the perfect end to the perfect night.
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup of Healthy Alternatives Organic Wheat Maida, spooned and leveled, plus more for working
• 1/3 cup of Healthy Alternatives Organic Whole Wheat Flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Healthy Alternatives Floral Blend Honey
• 1 large Healthy Alternatives Free Range Country Egg
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c. L’Exclusif chocolate chips
• 6 marshmallows
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the racks in the middle and top positions. Line two baking sheets with some parchment paper. Whisk together the flours, the cinnamon, the salt, and the baking soda in a bowl.
2. Beat the butter and the sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until they turn light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the honey until it is combined. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until they are combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly beat in the flour mixture.
3. Scoop the dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each), 2 inches apart, on prepared baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time on the middle rack, until golden brown around the edges, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool the baking sheets on a wire rack for 5 minutes; remove to the racks to cool completely.
4. Place 1 (9-inch) cast-iron skillet or 12 (3.5 inch) cast-iron skillets on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill them with the chocolate chips, dividing evenly. Top with the cookies.
5. Use a serrated knife to cut the marshmallows in half crosswise; use a 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Top the cookies with the marshmallow stars.
6. Bake, on the top rack, until the chocolate has melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Switch the oven to broil. Broil until the marshmallows are golden brown, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
Is your kitchen Christmas-ready? Get all your holiday essentials at Nature’s Basket.
Drink to an egg-cellent Christmas with this simple eggnog recipe.
