Christmas day cooking is like the culinary equivalent of Mount Everest. There’s so much to conquer: the turkey, the roast potatoes, the gravy, the starter, the dessert… it’s enough to make even a seasoned chef break out in a cold sweat. To make your Christmas Day as stress free as possible, we asked around our pool of Glasgow and Edinburgh chefs for their top Christmas Day cooking tips. Time to take notes.
1. Overnight turkey
“Cook the turkey on a low heat in an oven overnight.”
Chef Eddie Shaw, The Pipers’ Tryst
2. Delicious Brussel sprouts
“To cook Brussel sprouts so everyone will eat them, simply shred the sprouts to about 2-mm thick and blanch in boiling, salted water for one minute. Meanwhile, get some bacon lardons sizzling and browning in butter with some sliced chestnuts and orange zest. Add the sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Finally add a pinch of chopped tarragon, or parsley if tarragon is not your thing.”
Chef Neil Forbes, Cafe St Honore.
3. Keep a timeline
“It’s all about the planning. Get your veggies prepared a day in advance and do a time line of what you need to do and when. Keep the pickers out of the kitchen!”
Chef Tony Sarton, Twenty Princes Street
4. No harm in cheating
“Cheat and buy cranberry sauce, gravy and custard.”
Chef Eddie Shaw, The Pipers’ Tryst
5. No smelly cauliflower
“Want to cook cauliflower but it smells too much? Adding a bit of milk should sort it.”
Chef Alfons Jurado, Websters Bistro
6. Salmon starter with a twist
“Scottish smoked salmon is a traditional starter at Christmas but we like to cure our own salmon and make Gravlax (a nordic dish) so why not try that for a change instead? It is easy to make if you search online for a recipe and then in the restaurant I like to serve with a little potato salad and a sweet mustard and dill vinaigrette – delicious!”
Chef Jason Gallagher, The Stockbridge Restaurant
7. Vegetable prep
“Prep all the veg on Christmas eve. And roasties and gravy can be frozen weeks before.”
Chef Eddie Shaw, The Pipers’ Tryst
8. Keep vegetarians happy
“Keep away from risotto, most vegetarians are bored with this. A great alternative is a nice roasted fig and blue cheese tart, or a winter squash, chestnut and sage pithivier.”
Chef Tony Sarton, Twenty Princes Street
9. Simple desserts
“When it comes to desserts, be organised and keep it simple! For example, if you want to make profiteroles, make the choux pastry and pipe them on a baking tray and freeze them raw. Once frozen, they can be tubbed up and taken out the freezer just before you plan to bake them and all you have to do on the big day is make a filling such as chantilly cream. Things like mousses in a glass can be prepared the day before and taken out on Christmas Day and all that needs to be done is garnish it with whatever you want. Don’t overcomplicate things so you can enjoy time with your family and friends.”
Pastry Chef Helen Vass, Number 16
10. Simple starters
“Make an easy cold starter or soup to start.”
Chef Eddie Shaw, The Pipers’ Tryst
11. Stuff the turkey
“Avoid turkey at all costs. What other time of the year do you eat turkey? I find turkey really dry. I would recommend going for goose or duck.”
Chef Gerry Mulholland Number 16
12. The best roast potatoes
“Use King Edward potatoes for roast potatoes as they are the best. Par boil them for approximately 3-5 minutes, depending on the size. Strain into colander and toss to roughing up the edges. Then cook in duck fat for 30-40 minutes, moving around every so often to ensure they are covered – but be careful of the hot duck fat.”
Willie Loney, 11 Brasserie @ Number 11
13. Maybe the most useful advice
“Stay off the booze before lunch.”
Chef Eddie Shaw, The Pipers’ Tryst