insideKENT Magazine Issue 33 - December 2014 | Page 94

FOOD+DRINK

Christmas Recipes
The house is decorated with reds and greens, silvers and golds. There is tinsel on the mantel and a
wreath on the door. On every available surface, there are Christmas-themed coasters and knick-knacks.
And, of course, there’s the tree, standing resplendent, the star or angel balanced on the top, and the
perfectly wrapped presents waiting patiently beneath. It looks stunning, and everyone who arrives,
chilled and red cheeked, is impressed. So far so good. However, what about lunch?
You shouldn’t feel pressured by the idea that your Christmas dinner needs to go perfectly (it doesn’t,
by the way), but if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the prospect, then insideKENT's useful guide
to planning and cooking your complete Christmas meal should help.

Gluhwein
First thing’s first, the welcome drink.
It’s cold at Christmas time, and your
guests will certainly welcome a
warming drink on arrival. If it’s a boozy,
festive one as well, then even better.
Gluhwein is the German version of
mulled wine (translated it means ‘glow
wine’), but the spicing and flavour is
more intense.

Starter

To make six mugs you will need:
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 120ml rum or brandy
• 240ml water
• 1 large orange
• 1 lemon
• 115g sugar
• 6 cloves
• 1 nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 star anise
Pour the sugar and water into a medium-sized
saucepan, and add chunks of the orange and
lemon peel, as well as the juice from the orange.
Add the vanilla pod, the close, the star anise,
the cinnamon stick, and the nutmeg (grated
over the top). Bring the whole lot to the boil and
leave to simmer for around an hour. If the liquid
starts to reduce too much, add some wine to
bring it back to life.
After an hour, turn the heat down to low and
pour in the rest of the wine, and the rum or
brandy. Stir, turn the heat up just a little to get
it simmering, and after another 5 minutes it’s
ready to serve.

Not everyone starts their Christmas meal this way, preferring to go straight for the
main course, but a starter can be a great way to get everyone around the table. The
starter shouldn’t be too heavy since the rest of the meal will most likely be rather
filling. A lovely, light Christmas starter is smoked salmon soufflés; they are much
easier to make than you might think, and can be made in advance and frozen,
ready to be cooked just before serving.

To make six soufflés you will need:
• 40g butter
• 25g pl