The Best Christmas Recipes of 2011
Cooking for Christmas often means dusting off the same recipes you were using last year, the year before, and most of the years going back as far as you can remember. We all love the traditional Christmas dishes, but it’s never inappropriate to try something new. There are some great options for taking those traditional dishes and putting a modern spin on them.
The main course of a Christmas dinner should balance tradition with trend. You can go more cutting edge with some of the side courses, but the main course should at least recall the dishes you and your guests remember from your childhoods. Of course there is always room for a modern twist. Ham, for example, is always a popular Christmas choice, so why not whip up a special glaze that will add unexpected flavors to this familiar Christmas staple. A champagne based glaze is one option that is sure to wow your guests. It is tasty and easy to prepare with only a few ingredients like champagne, honey, brown sugar, ground ginger, and ground mustard. After baking the ham for about an hour and a half, just spread the glaze over it and bake for another 30 minutes. You could also try a more traditional apple cider glazed ham. Or what about ham with an apple cranberry relish?
Turkey is, of course, a staple at the Christmas table, but it can often be an intimidating job to tackle. There are some easy turkey recipes with a modern sensibility. First there is an apple glazed turkey. There are only four ingredients (apple jelly, ground cinnamon, ground red pepper, and salt) and has a prep time of a mere 10 minutes. After its four hour cooking time you and your guests will be treated to a traditional Christmas dish with an unexpected modern twist. Another turkey option is a rosemary garlic roast turkey. Like the apple glazed turkey there are only a handful of ingredients, making for a limited prep time, something you will be happy for on that busy day. Or if you want to really change up the traditional main course, you could substitute the turkey with delicious Cornish game hens.
Pumpkin pie is a traditional Christmas dessert and as delicious as it is, you might be hungry for something different. You could opt to go with a smooth, creamy pumpkin cheese cake. This dessert is rich and scrumptious but still evokes the traditional flavors of the pumpkin pie. It will be a welcome addition to the Christmas feast. Or if you want something even more non-traditional, you could try an eggnog pie. This is an easy recipe that doesn’t require any cooking time. Just combine the ingredients and pop it in the freezer.
Increasingly, vegetarian and vegan recipes are becoming important. Some of your friends or family might not eat meat or other animal products so it’s always a good idea to have some vegan option on hand. If you want to do this, or want to try an entire vegan menu yourself, you could substitute the meat with a vegan spicy shepherd’s pie or pumpkin seed ravioli, both of which are hearty mouth-watering options.
The best Christmas recipes of 2011 include modern twists on traditional dishes. Choose some of your favorite recipes and spice things up a bit by adding a new spin to them for a refreshing and satisfying Christmas dinner.
