Christmas tea flavored Christmas dishes
Christmas is on its way and so are the preparations for Christmas Eve. Easy preparations and delicious tastes are very important when planning the menu. What about Christmas tea flavored dishes? I’m sure your guests will be delighted! The most work can be done in advance, so there will be more time for the host to spend with the guests. Easy and smooth through the evening is the motto. Right! Below you will find our favorite recipes.
The Chef’s Handyman kitchen will be closed over Christmas. We will be back at the 6th of January with new recipes, new kitchen stories and travelogues.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Take care and all the best for 2017.
Yours, Chef’s Handyman Team.
Christmas Menu
Hot wine punch flavored pears
To make pear compote, peel pears, Place them into a pan. Add 1 bottle of white wine. Add 4 Christmas tea bags. Sprinkle with 3 tbsp. lemon juice. Add lemon rind. Cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes or cooked through. Remove from heat and cool.
Shopping list for the pear compote: 8 pears, 1 bottle white wine, 4 Christmas tea bags, 1 Lemon.
Chef’s Handyman tip: Prepare more pears, they will be used in each dish.
Crunchy aperitif with cheese & pears or sweet peppers
For the vegetarian aperitif with cheese and pears, combine 200 g grated hard cheese, 6 tbsp. of cream, 2 eggs, spices, chives, salt and black pepper. Roll the dough sheets out. Place them into a rectangle baking tin. Fill in the cheese mixture. Cut 2 pears in half. Place the halves on top of the cheese.
Chef’s Handyman, Crispy Aperitif
For the vegan aperitif with bell pepper. Bake the sweet peppers in the oven at 200°C or 400F for 25 minutes. Thake them out and cool. Remove the skin and cut the bell pepper into stripes. Roll the dough sheets out. Place them into a rectangle baking tin. Add the stripes.
Bake both pies in the oven at 200°C or 400°F for 30-40 minutes until golden and baked through. Take them out and cool on a wire rack. Serve the aperitif lukewarm.
Shopping list for the aperitif for 4 serves: 2 rolled dough sheets, 5 sweet peppers, salt, black pepper, 1 bunch chives, 200-300g or 7-10 oz. hard cheese, 2 eggs, 6 tbsp. cream, mixed pepper spices, in addition 2 compote pears .
Sweet potato soup
Directions to make the soup, peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into cubes. Place the pieces into a pan. Add 2 cups of vegetable stock, laurel leaves and lemon grass. Cook on medium heat until cooked through. Take the spices out. Blend the sweet potatoes. Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Season the soup to taste with salt, black pepper and ras el hanout. If the soup is too thick add more vegetable stock. Before intent to serve the soup, flavor the dish with the pear compote water.
Chef’s Handyman, Sweet Potato Soup
Shopping list for the sweet potato soup for 4 serves: 5 sweet potatoes, 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1 cup of coconut milk, laurel leaves, lemon grass, salt, black pepper, ras el hanout.
Christmas tea flavored risotto
Directions, chop onions. Heat olive oil in a pan. Glaze the onions. Add 220 g or 7 oz. of rice. Deglaze the rice with white wine. Add 1.5 cups of lukewarm Christmas tea at time, stirring continuously, until each portion of liquid is absorbed. Then add 1-2 cups of vegetable stock and the rice is al dente.
Reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cut 50 g or 1.5 oz. of taleggio cheese in pieces. Fold the cheese in. Season the risotto rice to taste with salt and black pepper. To finish, fold in 0.5 cups of cream fraiche. If the risotto is too dry, add more vegetable stock or in addition liquid cream.
Chef’s Handyman, Christmas tea flavored risotto with pears
For the vegan-friendly version, substitute cheese for 0.75 cup of soy cream, to finish fold in 3-4 tbsp. of whipped soy cream. If too dry add more liquids. The vegan version needs more vegetable stock and soy cream.
Serve on plates, garnish with the compote pears.
Shopping list for the Christmas risotto for 4 serves: 1 onion, olive oil, 200 g or 7 oz. risotto rice, 0.5 cups white wine, 1.5 cups Christmas spiced tea, 1-2 cups vegetable stock, 3-4 tbsp. whipped soy cream, for the vegetarian version, 1.5 oz. taleggio cheese, 3.5 fl. oz. cream, in addition 2 compote pears.
Fruity dessert
For the trifle, place roughly chopped Christmas cookies into glasses. Cook 1 cup of berries with vanilla sugar and agave syrup on low heat for 5 minutes. Whip soy cream. Add vanilla sugar. Cut compote pears into slices. Add berries, soy cream and pears into glasses by layers. Cool in fridge for some hours.
Shopping list for the dessert for 4 serves: 1 – 2 cups of berries, whipped soy cream, vanilla sugar, agave syrup, 16 Christmas cookies, in addition 2 compote pears.
Chef’s Handyman, Fruity Trifle
