Browsing Tag

christmas recipes

Lifestyle

My Christmas Honey Glazed Ham Recipe

23rd December, 2023

Christmas is weeks away so I’m already thinking about what I’m going to be cooking over the festive season. This year, I’m teaming up with Sydney’s Macquarie Centre to share my favourite entertaining recipes for Christmas. I have a few up my sleeve which are fan favourites whenever I make them, but they’re also really easy to make because I would definitely rather spend time with my nearest and dearest than spend ages in the kitchen cooking.

One dish I make which is a guaranteed winner with my family is honey glazed ham. It’s absolutely delicious and it’s so simple to cook! We’re kicking things off with this beauty because who can resist the sweet and savoury taste sensation of a baked ham at Christmas time. Plus it has a slightly retro vibe which makes it so very Insta-worthy too!

 

Total Cooking Time

Prep: 20 minutes

Cooking: 1.5 hours

 

Ingredients 

1 FULL leg ham

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup Dijon

500ml honey

2 onions

 

To decorate:

pineapple rings

maraschino cherries

  

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 180c.

2. To prepare the ham, strip the skin off but leave the fat. Score the skin into diamond shapes.

2. Cut onions into thick rings and place in large roasting pan. Place ham on top

3. Smear Dijon mustard over the entire surface of the ham.

4. Pack brown sugar over the top firmly. Make sure all the fat is covered. (You may find that you need a little extra sugar to over the top depending on the size of your ham).

5. Drizzle all over with honey.

6. Pour water in the baking tray to cover the bottom of the pan.

7. Put the ham in the oven and bake for 30 minutes then baste with the juices. Keep basting every 30 minutes until golden brown and the top is starting to caramelise. This will take approximately 1.5 hours.

8. Once the ham is cooked transfer to a serving platter.

9. You can serve the ham as is or for a more decorative, and slightly retro feel decorate it with baked pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. To do this, brush the pineapple rings with ham glaze and bake in the oven on baking paper until golden brown.

10. Once pineapple is nice and golden, spread out on the surface of the ham, and put cherries in the centre of each ring. Secure with toothpicks.

11. Serve honey glazed ham at room temperature. Carve and enjoy!

 

Be generous with the honey!

Prepping to get the skin toasty and caramelised.

The finished product! This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

 

This post was produced in collaboration with Macquarie Centre

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Lifestyle

My chocolate raspberry/cherry pavlova recipe

30th November, 2021

What would a Christmas menu be without a delicious dessert? While I’ve shared a few of my fave recipes over the past few weeks including this baked ham, roast turkey breast and prawn, mango and avocado salad, we need to turn our attention to the most important part of the meal: dessert!

There’s nothing like a pavlova as the perfect ending to a Christmas feast! While I love the traditional version, in this recipe I’ve given it a chocolate-y twist for the ultimate sugar hit at the end of a meal. It still has the undone, rustic texture of a pav, but with the chocolate meringue based and topped with seasonal fruits like raspberries (or cherries if you want a decadent touch) it’s a modern take on this Aussie fave. Enjoy!

 

Total Time

Cooking: 1.5 hours

Cooling: 4 hours (preferably overnight)

 

Ingredients

 

Meringue base

6 egg whites

300g caster sugar

3 tbsp cocoa    sifted

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

5Og dark chocolate, finely chopped

 

Topping

500ml thickened cream

500g raspberries or cherries

100g dark chocolate, shaved

 

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven at 180c.

2. Beat egg whites till satiny peaks form – approx  5mins.

3. Beat in the sugar 1 spoonful at a time till meringue is stiff and shiny. Sift cocoa over the mixture. Add vinegar and chopped chocolate.

4. Gently fold ingredients together with a large spoon.

5. Cover baking sheet with baking paper. Dollop meringue on sheet creating a large high circle approximately 20cm wide. Smooth sides and peak the top.

6. Place in oven, turn temperature down to 150 c. Cook for 80 minutes.

7. Turn off oven and cool completely in oven*.

*best to make it the night before to allow for necessary cooling time.

8. Prior to serving, whip cream until it has thickened up enough to be able to spread. Spread over the pavlova then decorate with berries/cherries and shaved chocolate.

 

This post was produced in collaboration with Macquarie Centre

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Lifestyle

My Rolled Turkey Breast With Cranberry Pistachio Stuffing Recipe

24th November, 2021

I’ve so been enjoying sharing all my fave Christmas recipes with all of you over the last few weeks, and this week it’s my take on an iconic dish but with a twist. Roast turkey is one of those iconic dishes that goes hand in hand with Christmas but sometimes it can be a little cumbersome trying to cook a whole bird, particularly when you’re playing host and have so many other things to prep on the day. So, why not opt for a tender, packed-full-of-flavour turkey breast instead? This recipe is so delicious, and doesn’t take that long to prepare. It’s a very festive dish and looks great on any table, plus the stuffing is almost a dish unto itself! In other words: it’s a winner. I love preparing this dish for my family to enjoy during a festive gathering and hope you enjoy it.

 

Total Cooking Time

Prep: 20 mins

Cooking: 60 mins

 

Ingredients

1kg Turkey breast with skin on (you can ask your butcher for this cut)

Olive oil for drizzling

Note: you’ll need kitchen twine to wrap the turkey breast

 

Stuffing

40g unsalted butter

2 onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 sourdough loaf, torn into small pieces

2 tsp orange zest

1 tbs chopped sage leaves

150g dried cranberries

1/3 cup (50g) pistachio kernels, roughly chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

 

Gravy (optional)

40g unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tbs plain flour

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock, heated

1 tbs Marsala* or brandy (optional)

2 tbs thickened cream

*Marsala is a Sicilian fortified wine available from bottle shops

 

Directions

1.Heat butter in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for a further 1 minute or until fragrant.

2. Tip the onion mixture into a large bowl with the bread, orange zest, sage, dried cranberries and pistachios. Season well, then stir in the beaten egg.

3. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the turkey breast, skin-side down, on a board. Spoon half the cooled stuffing down the middle of the breast, then roll up the turkey to enclose the stuffing. Tie with kitchen string at 2cm intervals to secure, then place in a large roasting pan. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil.

4. Roast for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and scatter the remaining stuffing mixture around the turkey. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until turkey is golden brown and the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part with a skewer. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes

5. To prepare the gravy (if you choose to serve this dish with it), melt butter in a frypan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until golden and caramelised. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the stock and Marsala, if using. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until thickened.

6. Season, then stir in the cream and any resting juices from the meat then gently reheat before serving, adding more stock or water if it is too thick. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy and the extra stuffing.

 

This post was produced in collaboration with Macquarie Centre

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Fashion, Lifestyle

My recipe for Prawn And Mango Salad With Avocado

17th November, 2021

I have said before that while I love nothing more than sitting down to a delicious spread, I also don’t want to spend ages cooking. So, I’ve embraced a number of things in my repertoire that are easy to make yet still tastes delicious and looks impressive. This is definitely the case when it comes to Christmas!

Last week I shared the fact that I’m going to be posting my go-to recipes for the festive season and I’m particularly excited to share this one because it’s just perfect for summer. I think nothing says Aussie Christmas quite like mangoes and prawns. This salad is a staple in our household during warmer months and is the perfect addition to any Christmas feast. With the taste of succulent prawns, crunchy salad and sweet mangoes, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.

 

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 4 handfuls mixed lettuce leaves
  • 2 mangoes, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 20 cooked prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 2 avocados, cut into cubes
  • 1 handful coriander leaves, chopped
  • 1 long red chilli, chopped (optional)

 

  • DRESSING:
  • 2 Tbsp white condiment (white balsamic vinegar)
  • 6 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard

 

Method

  1. In a large bowl or on a platter, arrange lettuce, mango, onion, prawns and avocado.
  2. To make the dressing, shake ingredients in a jar until combined. Taste and adjust to your liking. Pour over salad, and sprinkle with coriander leaves and chilli.

 

This post was produced in collaboration with Macquarie Centre