Vanilla custard
Custard is a very versatile sauce to match with many desserts, but when it comes to Christmas, it is the flavour that bring it all together.
Prep 15 mins
Cook 20 mins
Makes 1.5 litres
Wildflower beer and honey glaze for Christmas ham
The finishing touches are what really makes a festive meal truly memorable. Make your Christmas centrepiece one your guests will never forget with our honey glaze.
Prep 15 mins
Cook 15 mins
Makes enough for 1 ham
Nigel Slater's pork with figs
When it comes to Nigel Slater’s pork chops, a splash of cider and ripe figs lead the charge on the flavour front, you won’t be disappointed - from A Cook’s Book.
Prep 15 mins
Cook 15 mins
Serves 2
Dry-brined pork with green peppercorn sauce
We’re huge fans of brining meat, whether in a traditional wet brine or this super-simple dry version. For flavour and succulence, the technique is unsurpassed. Bonus: this recipe produces the best crackling you’ve ever tasted.
Prep 30 mins
Cook 2 hrs
Serves 4
Salt-baked mud crab
A whole mud crab served in its shell – big, bold and red – is an absolute showstopper, and the salt-baking technique enhances the drama even further. If you want to start your Christmas meal with a bang, this is how to do it.
Prep 10 mins
Cook 40 mins
Serves 2-4 as a shared dish
Bill Granger's pink grapefruit crème caramels with grapefruit & raspberry granita
What’s summer’s version of comfort food? Wobbly, creamy custards served chilled. Granita is an icy counterpoint to the crème caramel, which is made luscious with three different dairy ingredients. This is from Bill Granger’s book, Australian Food.
Prep 25 mins (plus freezing, chilling)
Cook 5 mins
Serves 8
Dressed peas with garden herbs
In springtime, fresh peas have their moment in the sun. Elevate them from everyday side-dish to superstar status with a jumble of bright petals, leaves and herbs, and a zippy dressing.
Prep 15 mins
Cook 5 mins
Serves 6 as a side
Grilled flat iron with pebre sauce
When it comes to grilled meats and what to serve with them, Chileans are among the world’s authorities. Pebre salsa is Chile’s answer to Argentina’s chimichurri – fresh and zingy to cut through the fattiness of great steak.
Prep 5 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 4
Wildflower honey ice cream
Honey and ice cream have a special affinity, with the sugars in the honey helping to keep the frozen mixture soft. Capture the unique flavour of honey from your own local area with Aaron Turner’s recipe.
Cook -
Peach melba
Duncan Welgemoed’s version of this famous dessert, from his book Africola, couldn’t be easier. The most important thing is to start with juicy, ripe, fragrant peaches, and the rest will almost take care of itself.
Prep 20 mins
Cook 5 mins
Serves 4
Danielle Alvarez's almond and cherry custard ice-cream
Almond and cherry custard ice cream makes a festive finale for any meal. In Australia, fresh sour cherries ripen just in time for summer entertaining, but frozen ones will work very well too.
Prep 15 mins (plus freezing)
Cook 15 mins
Makes 1 litre
Sgroppino
Boozy, chilled, super-simple – we’re talking about our plans for New Year’s, but we could equally be describing this grown-up answer to an ice-cream spider. Frozen vodka + Prosecco + lemon sorbet = good times.
Prep time 5 mins
Cook -
Serves 6-8
Lobster with pink grapefruit and fennel fronds
Lobster is essentially culinary perfection in a very hard shell, so the secret to highlighting its excellence is to intervene as little as possible. Four other ingredients are all you need for this summer-by-the-ocean recipe.
Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 2-4
Belinda Jeffery's flourless almond, coconut and vanilla cake
This elegant, versatile cake from Belinda Jeffery may be quick and easy to make, but its flavour is delicious and the texture the perfect contrast between chewy and buttery.
Prep 15 mins
40 mins (plus cooling)
Serves 8-10
Oysters with yuzu kosho vinaigrette
Some consider it madness to meddle with oysters au naturale – but they haven’t tried this yuzu mix, which amps the wow factor off the charts. Make it your go-to dressing this summer.
Prep 5 mins
-
Serves 6-8 as an appetiser
Ricotta tart with blueberries and hazelnuts
Cooking blueberries briefly with plenty of sugar intensifies their flavour and creates a jewel-coloured syrup to spark joy. Is this one of the all-time great cheesecake toppings? We vote yes.
Prep 30 mins
Cook 45 mins
Serves 10
Prawn skewers with togarashi
It might sound like a paradox, but precise Japanese-inspired shellfish recipes are perfectly suited to easygoing entertaining. These prawns are a breeze to prepare – the secret is in the seasoning.
Prep 15 mins
Cook 5 mins
Serves 6-8 as an appetiser
Strawberry and fennel seed trifle with almond-vanilla sponge
If your Christmas crew demands trifle because ‘it’s tradition’, wow them with this strawberries-and-cream version, which elevates sponge, berries and cream to a whole new level. Fresh, juicy, boozy fun – it’s a party in your mouth!
Prep 15 mins
Cook 5 mins
Serves 8
Tarte tropézienne
Travelling to France for Christmas is out, so bring a little of France to your festive table in the form of this beautiful brioche sweet, filled with creamy orange-blossom and vanilla custard.
Prep 20 mins (plus chilling, proving)
Cook 25 mins
Serves 8-10
Cured ocean trout
The vibrant colour and prep-ahead features of home-cured ocean trout make for easy festive entertaining. Garnish it with something bright and beautiful to set the scene for Christmas lunch – redcurrants perhaps, or a jumble of edible flowers. This recipe is from Eatable's food and drinks director, Lisa Featherby.
Prep 10 mins
3 days curing
Serves 10
Rum savarin
A European classic, this rum savarin combines booze-soaked yeast cake, vanilla whipped cream and juicy blackberries. Keep things simple with a plain ring tin, or bake it in your fanciest Bundt pan for a showstopping finale.
Prep 15 mins (plus proving, cooling, soaking)
Cook 30 mins
Serves 6-8
Cardamom, orange, almond and pear tart
This frangipane-based tart takes a little work, but the result is exquisite elegance itself.
Prep 40 mins (plus 3-4 hours resting, 1-2 hours cooling)
Cook 1 hour 40 mins
Serves 8
Stir-fried crab with fried garlic, fish sauce and lime
Crab is a messy business – and that’s half the fun here. You’ll want finger bowls and napkins at hand.
Prep 20 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 4
A citrus pavlova
Exotic oranges lend fragrance and colour to this late-winter take on a traditional summer sweet.
Prep 40 mins
Cook 45 mins (plus cooling & chilling)
Serves 10