Kate’s Top 10 Festive Foods!
One of my favorite things about Christmas is over-indulging with no one judging you, because everyone is over-indulging with you! I am so fortunate to have lovely family and friends that I can share a huge Christmas feast with – below you will find my top 10 festive foods, these are ALWAYS on my Christmas table!
10. Turkey
My favorite form of cooked bird. I love duck, and chicken is a good old faithful, but nothing says Christmas to me like a huge Turkey with roast veggies and gravy!! Unfortunately in Australia our Christmas Days are usually very hot, 38 degrees Celsius plus – that’s about 100F for our American friends!! If It’s too hot we have cold ham and salad instead…. but nothing beats Turkey!!
9. Candy Canes
Savor it slowly or crunch and munch quickly, the classic Candy Cane is a Christmas staple! I remember the days of sucking it down to a fine point then having Candy Cane sword fights with the cousins. Good times.
8. Cheese, cabanossi and fruit/nut platters
Jatz and cheese squares? Salted cashews? Cabanossi cut into thick chunks? Oh yeah, no Christmas table in Australia is complete without one of these babies. Chances are by the time you get to dinner you will be totally full from gorging on this platter…but its Christmas and our stomachs have a strange way of expanding on Christmas Day to fit it all in, so go for it!
7. Christmas pudding and custard
Bonus points if it’s home made by a Grandmother. Do they go to a special school to learn how to make epic Christmas pudding? Is there a secret Gran-Only recipe that gets delivered upon the birth of the first grandchild? Who knows!
6. Mulled wine
For when all the egg nog has run out…
5. Shortbread
Buttery, crumbly, melt in your mouth amazingness. My second favourite Christmas cookie.
4. Gingerbread
Gingerbread tastes better in shapes. I don’t know why, but it does! Gingerbread men, trees, houses, give me all the gingerbread!! Nom nom nom. Homemade gingerbread should keep up to 7 days in an airtight container…but it never lasts that long for me!
3. Pavlova
This diabetes inducing delight isn’t that well known outside Australia or New Zealand… us Aussies seem to like pinching things from New Zealand and calling them our own, and ‘Pav’ as it affectionately known is no exception! This foodstuff is basically egg white and sugar whipped together and baked, forming a crusty exterior with a marshmallow fluff style interior. Then you smother the top in fresh whipped cream and seasonal fruit (strawberries, banana and passion fruit are my picks!) and if there isn’t enough sugar for you already you can sprinkle chocolate chips or flakes over the top as well! It’s amazing guys… if you don’t want your share then I’ll gladly take it off your hands!!
2. Mince pies
Flaky pastry and fruit mince filling…yum!! The best thing about these is my husband hates them which means I don’t have to share!!! My absolute favourite ones to buy are the ones from Baker’s Delight here in Australia, they are a bit more $$ than the supermarket brands but soooo worth it!!
1. Egg Nog
With extra brandy. I loved this when I was a kid (without the booze of course). I didn’t even know it was meant to be alcoholic, then I grew up and tried the adult version and love it even more! Getting tipsy and feeling Christmassy? My kind of drink! Just don’t make it for your sister in law, or she’ll beg you all year to make it even when it’s not Christmas (Just kidding, Love you Jessie!). Can’t say I blame her, I do make a pretty darn good Nog! None of this carton stuff either, I make it from scratch with eggs and milk and cream and love! Add a sprinkle of nutmeg on top using a Christmas coffee froth stencil for extra Christmasness!