We asked a professional chef what she cooks for Christmas...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and the busiest! We've asked a few of our favourite ‘industry insiders’ – people well-practised in the art of making the festive season truly special – for their pearls of wisdom to help you get Christmas sorted.
Here we talk to Rupa Bodhani (@rupabodhani_) a professional cook, table stylist and co-founder of the female-focused dining experience, Resonate, about some easy-to-prepare Christmas dishes, the best nibbles to serve at a party and her table styling tricks to tie the whole thing together...
What do you like to wake up to on Christmas morning?
RB: For a few years now, I have been making breakfast canapés for Christmas morning. I top blinis and rye bread with different toppings like traditional salmon and horseradish cream, smoked mackerel with pickled beetroot, quail eggs on a creamy crème fraiche topped with a crispy sage leaf, or if we are getting fancy, some caviar.
I make two or three platters of them so that we can nibble while we open our presents and sip our breakfast cocktails.
What's in your breakfast cocktail?
RB: I make clementine and cranberry mimosas – some fizz is a must! You can easily make it a mocktail by replacing the champagne with some non-alcoholic Prosecco.
For festive parties, I love making sours. I change the alcohol for whatever I fancy in the moment – amaretto sour is delicious topped with a maraschino cherry, and it always looks beautiful – or for something more zingy, I opt for tequila.
Nell Stemless Champagne Flutes Set of Two
Miranda Coupe Glasses, Set of Four
$70.00 at anthropologie.com.uk
Set Of Six Ribbed Glass Champagne Flutes
$55.00 at rockettstgeorge.co.uk
For those of us trying to avoid pre-packaged party food, what are some failsafe things to prepare for a crowd?
RB: We throw an annual cheese and wine Christmas open house, and I usually rustle up some nibbles. Think something sweet, something salty, and something herbaceous, and you will have a winning flavour combo.
My go-to are devilled eggs. I love that this retro canapé has made a comeback. I often opt for Asian flavours like gochujang and honey or tamarind and curry leaf. They are great because you can prep most of it the day before. I like to make a few crostini too – again, you can slice and toast the baguette the day before. I load them up with cooling burrata or ricotta and top with grapes roasted in some marsala or vinegar and crispy sage.
I make some simple cheese boards with crackers and fruit because you have to have cheese at Christmas and they take minutes to prepare. Finally, I love making gildas – they are a Spanish pintxos on a cocktail stick, traditionally with an olive, anchovy, and pepper. They are quite the little flavour bomb and go down surprisingly well!
I like to use beautiful platters and boards scattered around – silverware has made a big comeback and looks very elegant. I put some boards on the kitchen island and some on the dining room table to encourage people to move about and create little social pockets around the house.
Bistro Tile Fromage Platter
$38.00 at anthropologie.com.uk
Tasty AF Serving Dish
Splatter Enamel Platter
If you had total freedom to design a Christmas menu, from starters to dessert, what would it look like?
RB: On Christmas day itself, I think a lot of people find cooking the turkey and all the trimmings quite stressful, so I would simplify it to just two or three dishes. I would go with a fish starter – I often make a miso cod with pickled cucumbers. It’s nice to start with something punchy and flavoursome.
For the centrepiece, a beautiful piece of meat; either a turkey, capon or lamb, or for veggies, the failsafe whole roasted cauliflower – I marinate it in spiced herby butter; think warming cardamom, cloves, black pepper, lots of herbs, and some citrus.
I would make a roast potato dish, perhaps some sort of gratin, and throw in some other seasonal vegetables, some onions, and lots of herbs, so it’s one tasty tray. And a fresh and zingy sauce like salsa verde or zhug to lift everything, because for me, gravy and bread sauce can be a bit heavy.
Then for dessert, I would make a Christmas spiced pavlova tower – layers of meringue, cardamom spiked cream, and a spiced berry coulis. It’s light, airy, and looks and tastes pretty special too.
And what are your go-to table styling tricks?
RB: I try to stay away from anything too traditional, but I want it to still have a Christmassy feel. I usually opt for a plain white tablecloth so I can play up all the accessories. I like to use foliage down the centre of the table and scatter with fruits like cranberries, red currents, figs, pears, and clementines, or pile them high in a bowl.
Be generous with the candles, and tie velvet bows around the candlesticks and napkins with the length of the bow left long and trailing over the table. It's a simple way to make the table look styled and a bit luxurious. A final, personal touch is to display handwritten menu cards – it just brings everything together.
Decorative Hanging Fabric Door Bow
£37.99 at notonthehighstreet.com
Velvet Napkin Bows - Moss Green
Pink Velvet Bow Christmas Decoration
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