Recipes  

10 Dishes for a Perfectly Imperfect Holiday

Here are 10 dishes designed to lighten your workload in the kitchen. With these Christmas recipes that feature traditional holiday flavours, you won’t even have to spend time plating—your guests simply serve themselves.

1. Mashed Potatoes with Brussels Sprouts and Green Onions

No more sweating over the lumps: Shaved Brussels sprouts and sliced green onions give this mash a new dimension of taste and texture. The two varieties of potatoes create a rich and inviting consistency, and very little butter is required.

2. Ginger and Honey-Roasted Carrots

With this recipe, the oven does all the work. Just leave the tops on the carrots for a rustic presentation, place the bunch on a baking sheet with shallots, garlic, honey, ginger and some olive oil—and roast. The result? A tender, slightly sweet side dish.

3. Root Vegetable and White Fish Cream Soup

Root vegetables are the star of this soup. Once puréed, it’s topped with white fish, radish slices and fresh chives. For a simpler version, skip the fish and top with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

4. Chicken Liver Mousse with Sautéed Apples

Chicken liver mousse is one of the simplest charcuterie recipes you can make. And not only is this mousse sure to impress, it’s quick, too, with just a sear in the pan, a dash of sherry, a buzz in the food processor and chilling in the fridge. No fussy presentation necessary: Serve in a ramekin with bread or crackers and slices of caramelized apples.

 

5. Mini Bell Peppers Stuffed with Bulgur and Pine Nuts

Each of these mini bell peppers counts as a serving of vegetables, and they bring a burst of colour and a scent of spices to the table. The filling is cooked in carrot juice for added flavour. These bundles look their best when they’re overflowing with stuffing.

6. Turkey in Gravy with Chestnuts

This recipe is the ideal solution for reducing your kitchen workload. You don’t even have to carve the turkey when serving. The bird, cut into pieces, is cooked in a large ovenproof Dutch oven. The cooking liquid, boosted with wine, cognac and mushrooms, becomes your gravy, while the chestnut, hazelnut, shallot and panko topping replaces the stuffing.

7. Crunchy Green Salad with Pear, Pomegranate and Spiced Croutons

A fresh, crisp salad is an essential component of a holiday menu, thanks to bitter and sharp elements to help cut the richer flavours of more traditional dishes. Our salad boasts homemade croutons coated with garam masala, thin slices of pear, pomegranate seeds and roasted walnuts.

8. Rustic Meat Pie

For this one, we took inspiration and flavours from the traditional meat pie. But pastry skills and pie moulds are not required. The crust’s centre is piled with ground pork, onion and celeriac, and the edge of the crust is folded up. The rustic pie is then topped with diced celery and parsley.

9. Endive and Bacon Gratin

This braised endive dish is easy to prepare, and it can hang out in an oven that’s off or at low temperature while you tend to other dishes. The leaves are coated in a béchamel sauce and grated Emmental—then baked until the cheese is crisped and slightly browned. Garnish with bacon and chives, and treat your guests to a gratin.

10. Eggnog Madeleines

With these pastry-cream-filled madeleines, you won’t be needing cutlery or plates. Once the mini cakes have finished baking, they’re hollowed out in the centre for the filling. Your guests will wonder how it’s possible to pack so many festive flavours into such small bites!