I have put together a series of answers to the questions
I get asked most at this time of year about serving a successful
Christmas dinner. This is not a guide to cook your turkey because there are
plenty of those already on the Internet. This is a chef's insight into
making the day work for you.
Cooking for large numbers
Try not to invite more people for dinner than you can cope with.
Make sure you have the china, glassware and cutlery for your guests
by checking at least 10 days before. If not hire extra pieces
but try to keep the hire period as short as possible. Hiring sometimes is
preferable to borrowing Nana Smith’s antique china and then trying to
explain how one of your kids broke something that is irreplaceable.
Menu
However good a cook you are don’t plan a complete menu of dishes
you have never cooked before, that is a recipe for a stress-filled day.
Accept offers of help by letting people do the simple stuff…the
chopping the peeling, remember good chefs know when to ask for help.
Sometimes young adult guests have a habit of bringing the new girlfriend or
boyfriend often not announcing this change in the guest list until you meet them
at the door… “By the way mom this is my new girlfriend Simona and she is a
Fruitarian”. So make sure you know all your guests and whether they are vegetarian
or not. Make sure you have a proper veggie option to offer not just “Well help yourself to extra vegetables".
In my youth I used to throw the most outrageous dinner parties when I lived in Bermuda constantly trying to produce meals too complicated for the space and equipment I had at home. Each time I would just about pull it off but in the process stress myself out to the point where I did not enjoy the evening. Don’t do this, remember to enjoy the day yourself and if your are not enjoying the day perhaps your menu needs to be less ambitious.
Once you have a rough idea of your menu remember to be flexible, in other words if you planned to cook broccoli and the only broccoli you can find looks stale, yellow and limp…don’t use broccoli…buy something that looks fresh.
Organising
Write your menu down to help break the jobs down.
Make a list of the things you hope to get done the day before such as peeling potatoes (cover them in cold water) and preparing all the other vegetables.
If your Turkey is frozen remember to allow enough time for the bird to defrost.
Sit Down
Work out what time you are planning to eat (Lunch or Dinner) and work backwards so you can allow enough to time for the Turkey to cook and rest.
Hot Plates and Serving Dishes
Make sure the dinner plates and also the serving dishes are hot because often getting people seated and served takes longer than you thing. Crispy items like roast potatoes should be brought to the table last so they are hot and crisp where as other vegetables can be placed on the table in serving dishes that have lids. Pour boiling water into your gravy boats/sauce boats to heat them up a few minutes before you use them so you are not pouring hot gravy into a cold gravy boat.
Timing is in your hands
A good chef knows when to adjust the flow of the day to suit him, in other words if you are planning to eat at say 3pm never tell your guests 3pm….tell them 2pm to ensure they are all there for 3pm. Don’t forget a good dinner host knows when to use psychology. For example when I was a restaurant owner during a packed Saturday night my best customers arrived without a reservation, of course I wanted to fit them in as soon as I could. So I sat them in the bar gave them a complimentary drink and told them I would have a table free in 30 minutes. When I went back to them after 20 minutes and told them their table was now ready they were convinced we had once again provided excellent service by getting the table ready quicker than we had promised.
To make sure your vegetables are not over done particularly green vegetables I always blanch them in boiling salted water then chill quickly under cold running water and drain them. Then reheat them in boiling water or in the microwave (cling wrapped) to finish them off when needed. This stops them getting overcooked if your guests are delayed, don’t reheat the vegetables until you have cleared the starters (if you are serving starters).
Spouses and Older Children
Should definitely be roped into to help at some stage or another. Spouses can act as the sommelier and make sure everyone has a drink. Older children can lay the table to earn their lunch/dinner.
Ice Water
Don’t forget to have a jug/pitcher or two of water on the table to stop your guests from getting too dehydrated.
Don’t Make the Table Groan
Too often people choose to cook way too many side dishes to the main meal for various reasons,either to accommodate different tastes or tradition or worried about running out. Having been to more than my fair share of Christmas dinners in various western countries I have never seen anyone run out of food…only dinner tables that look in danger of collapse due to being over loaded. For a change try cooking fewer side dishes, which might give you more time to make them extra special.
Walk and Talk
I always take a short break between the main course and the dessert at Christmas time. Or better still, segments of my family like to go for a walk for 30 minutes which gives others chance to clear the table and get the dessert choice/s ready together with coffee. The fresh air will do you good and the exercise will lift your mood. And maybe stop some people snoring in-front of the TV (I'm sure there not talking about me).
The Christmas Spirit
Particularly this year you might know a neighbour who has in this recession lost their job or even their home so perhaps if you can find it in your heart to invite them to dinner you might just find that it turns out to be the best Christmas you have had in quite a while….An act of kindness can touch everyone’s heart.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from my family to yours
Nice to hear these tips and I feel lucky to be the fist person to post.
Rose.