Make your Christmas Stress free, affordable and absolutely gorgeous with our easy ideas
 
I’ve already spotted packages being smuggled down the hall, and the sellotape is vanishing at an alarming rate, a sure sign something Christmassy is happening. Personally I’ve never been as good at the advance present shopping as I’d like, in truth I’m more of a last minute scramble kind of girl than one of those ferociously well organised “ I did all my Christmas shopping in the January sales” types. How do they do it? I can barely remember my own age from one year to the next let alone what various husbands, children and nephews want for the following Christmas, so each year it’s a bit of a shambles towards the big day but I love it.
 
Family traditions help form the framework for our events so we don’t have to re-invent Christmas each year.  The details may change but the main things – Christmas Eve service, Christmas brekky fry up, the great unwrapping, the great over eating …we don’t mess with those.
 
If you are struggling to get excited about Christmas, or stuck for ideas for food or gifts, check out our Christmas pages, there are loads of suggestions for good- as-a-bought-one gifts, treats and goodies you can make at home.
 
The recipes this issue are festive but family friendly – and as always, affordable.  I’ve included a few basic cooking tips if you find yourself responsible for the big feast and haven’t done it before.
 
We’ve had some great discussions in the forum through the year and some delicious recipes swapped back and forward.  Check out the thread on Big Balls for Christmas truffle ideas or add your own favourite or browse through some of the other great Christmas ideas.
 
The best of the forum award: goes to Richierich for his Cheesy-mite scrolls which have spawned loads of delicious and inexpensive variations.  Check out the forum thread and try the recipes. Thanks to our friends at Foodtown, Countdown and Woolworths we’re pleased to send Richierich $100 worth of grocery vouchers for his Christmas stocking.

Recipes
  
Talking Turkey
Turkey is very lean so basting with pan juices and covering with sliced bacon and a layer of foil is the usual method employed to keep the meat moist and succulent while imparting flavour into the flesh.  Frequent opening of the oven will slow the cooking due to heat loss, so if you want to guarantee a moist tender bird then the Tegel Tender Basted turkeys are a good option. You’ll get succulent turkey and you can just pop it into the oven and cook as you would a roast chicken.
Always defrost a frozen turkey in the fridge, not in the sink or on the bench as it can take two - three days to completely defrost.  If it's still partially frozen, recommended cooking times won't be long enough to cook it thoroughly.  This means bacteria that cause food poisoning could survive the cooking process. Food Standards U.K suggests the following defrosting guide time.
 
In a fridge at 4ºC (39ºF), allow about 10 to 12 hours per kg, but remember not all fridges will be this temperature.
When your turkey is fully defrosted, put it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.  If this isn't possible make sure you cook it immediately.
Make the stuffing but store in a bowl in the fridge and stuff the turkey just before you cook it.
Roast the turkey according to the time stated on the back of the packet or by using the following table as a guide:
 

Remember some ovens, such as fan-assisted ovens, might cook the bird more quickly, these times are a guide only. Always check that the meat is cooked thoroughly before serving by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh, if the juices run clear the turkey is cooked.  Rest the meat for 10 minutes before carving.  
For a quick & easy stuffing, combine chopped onion, parsley, a pinch of dried herbs, breadcrumbs and a beaten egg & season with salt & pepper.
As an alternate to stuffing the turkey, you could make individual stuffing balls: simply roll the stuffing into ping pong sized balls and keep refrigerated until the turkey is nearly cooked.  Place the balls in to a lightly oiled roasting tin and cook for approximately 15 minutes at 180 C, turning once during cooking.
For the veggies, if you find that you do not have room in your oven to cook both the turkey and veggies at the same time, cook the vege first and then set aside to be re heated once the turkey is cooked.
It’s very important to keep cooked meat and poultry in the fridge.  After you have carved your turkey, cool any leftovers, cover and refrigerate.  If you're reheating leftover turkey, or other food, always make sure it's piping hot all the way through before you eat it, and don't reheat more than once.  Ideally, try to use leftovers within 48 hours.
 
Roast Turkey

Basic method summarised:
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Prepare the stuffing – Remove the neck and giblet packs from the body and cavity of the turkey. Wipe the cavity and skin with paper towels.
Stuff the turkey with the prepared stuffing if using, tie the legs together and fold under the wing tips.  Place the turkey, breast side up onto a rack in a roasting dish.  Pour in some chicken stock and cover the breast with bacon strips. Cover the turkey with a layer of baking paper followed by a layer of tin foil and roast for 1 hour.
Lift the baking paper and foil and baste with the juices in the dish. Continue cooking, following the recommended cooking times, or until the turkey is golden brown and the juices run clear when the turkey is pierced through the thickest part of the thigh. The foil can be removed in the last ½ hr of cooking to allow the breast to brown and crisp.
 
Glazing a ham
 
Calculate the cooking time allowing 20 minutes per kg.
 
Pre heat the oven to 160°.  Peel the skin off the ham taking care not to remove the fat. Score the fat using a sharp knife into a diamond pattern.  Press a whole clove into the centre of each diamond.
 
Bake the ham according to your calculations. Combine the glaze ingredients and 40 minutes before the completion of cooking liberally brush the ham with glaze, speedily repeating the process at regular intervals, sloshing on some of the pan drippings as you go. For a darker glaze increase the oven temperature to 180º for the final 10 minutes or so.
 
 
 

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary
 
Serves 8
 
450 g red skinned potatoes
450 g golden kumara
450 g peeled pumpkin
2 big parsnips
2 large carrots
2 red skinned onions
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 fat cloves garlic chopped
2 large sprigs rosemary
Salt
 
Pre heat the oven to 200º.
 
Clean the potatoes but leave the skins on and cut into 2- 2 ½ cm cubes.  Cut the kumara and pumpkin to approximately the same size chunks as the potatoes.  Peel the parsnips and carrots, cut in half long wise then into quarters long wise then cut each strip in half forming long chunky wedges. Peel the onions leaving the stalk end in tact and cut into 8 wedges.
Place the prepared vegetables in a large roasting pan, sprinkle on the garlic then drizzle over the oil and balsamic vinegar, toss well before adding the rosemary and a sprinkle of salt.
Roast the vegetables, turning them frequently until golden and tender.
Serve piping hot with roast meats or use in salads, open sandwiches or with couscous as a side dish.
 
 
Rocky Road Christmas tree
 
These funky edible Christmas trees are a treat strait out of a Dr Seuss story book. They’re fun to make and you don’t need any decorating skills to get a great result.  Make up as one big one or make several littlies to give away.
 
For the rocky road
270 g good quality dark chocolate – or chocolate melts
2 tbsp Kopha or Kremelta
1 ½ cups unsalted nuts, coarsely chopped
180 g marshmallows cut in chunks –use mini marshmallows if you prefer
1/3 cup red glace cherries halved
 
To make the mould
Non stick baking paper
Craft paper
Stapler
Vase or jar to hold the cone while the chocolate sets
 
White chocolate and silver balls to decorate
 
Make a cone from the baking paper stapling it to hold it in place. Make a cone of the same size from the craft paper – this sturdier cone will support the baking paper one. Both can be re used.
Put the chocolate and Kremelta into a heat proof bowl, place over a pan of simmering water and gently melt, stirring frequently until the chocolate becomes liquid.
Stir in the nuts and cherries and lastly the marshmallows, handling the mixture as little as possible so as to not melt or squash the marshmallows.
Stand the craft paper cone, point down, in a vase. Slip the baking paper cone inside and fill with the rocky road mixture. Set aside or refrigerate till firm.
Remove from the mould and carefully, using a serrated knife, slice off the bottom so the “tree” stands straight. Decorate by drizzling with melted white chocolate or pipe white chocolate swags around the       tree. Add silver balls and other decorations if desired.
To get decorations to stick to the tree, simply warm the tip of a knife on an element and touch it onto the chocolate then apply the decoration to the melted spot.
Place the finished tree on a small paper plate and wrap well in cellophane.

                  
 
Cool Yule Flaming Baked Alaska
 
I used to think my mum was so clever when she made baked Alaska. Putting ice cream in the oven then setting it alight was culinary alchemy.  Now my kids gasp with amazement as the golden tipped meringue covered “Bombe” emerges from the oven.  This one is filled will Christmas cake ice cream, festive and refreshing at the same time. It’s dead easy, quick to make and can be made and frozen a day ahead.
 
Time to make: 25 minutes plus freezing
Serves: 8-10
Costs per serve:
 
1 litre reduced fat vanilla ice-cream
200 g Christmas cake or pudding
1 thick trifle sponge
3 egg whites
¾ cup caster sugar
40 ml brandy- optional
 
A 1 litre - 1.2 litre capacity bowl
Cling film
 
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften but not melt.
Tear off a long piece of cling film and lay it inside the bowl covering the base of the bowl with the excess length hanging over the sides. Spread it to line the sides of the bowl as best you can.
Slice the sponge in half horizontally to make two sponge sheets. Cut one of the sheets into triangles and arrange the triangles in the base of the bowl, cutting and trimming (and squashing if needed) to completely cover the base of the bowl. Cut the remaining sheet of sponge into strips to cover the sides of the bowl, again trimming and packing so there are no gaps. It’s easy and quick to do.
Crumble the Christmas cake or pudding, and using a large spoon, fold it into the softened ice cream.
Pack the ice cream into the sponge lined bowl and fold the excess cling film over the top. Place into the freezer to re freeze.
When the ice cream is frozen again prepare the meringue.  Place the egg whites in a clean bowl completely free from any grease.  Beat with an electric beater until it forms firm peaks, then beat in the caster sugar a spoonful at a time. When all the sugar is incorporated and the ice cream has frozen solid, remove the bowl from the freezer and invert the bowl over a heat proof plate or platter. Using the cling film to gently pull, easing the “bombe” out of the bowl.
Using a spatula, pile the meringue onto the bombe, working from the top down, quickly cover it in a thick layer of meringue. Take a bread and butter knife and use the tip to make swirls of meringue all over the bombe- this all only takes a few minutes.
The bombe can now be re frozen for use the following day or it can be baked.
To bake the bombe pre heat the oven to 220°.  When the oven is hot take the bombe from the freezer and place directly into the oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes until golden. To flame the bomb, heat the brandy in a small saucepan then set it alight and pour over the cooked meringue bombe.