The Ultimate Guide To A Merry Christmas: From Dishes To Décor

HO-HO Holiday season is finally here! What better joy than sitting with friends and family, cooking and feasting on holiday dinner together and decorating the house during the festive season? Elevate your holiday experience this year with Farmison&Co from cooking delicious dinners using our Executive expert chef's cooking tips and tricks to decorating your dinner tables. It doesn't matter if you are experienced at cooking or just starting if you have decorated something before or not or just simply want to set your dinner table, we've got you covered. This article walks you through everything holiday-related. So, fasten your seat belts, grab your note pads and ready your ingredients to make the most out of this holiday season.

COOKING TIPS AND TRICKS

Let's start with the easiest thing- choosing the right cut. Every Christmas dinner's true success depends on how well the roast is. Everything else comes secondary. We suggest sticking to the originals, like the whole duck or the whole turkey, the fore rib of beef, or the whole chicken. Advisably, choose a meat that has been raised freely on a range, or fed an organic diet, as the quality and taste of that meat is far better than the usual meat we get at supermarkets. Each of these meats has a different style of preparation, unique tastes and flavours and different cooking methods, so we suggest choosing the one that suits your family's taste and isn't too complicated for you to cook.

Once you have chosen your preferred cut, next in line comes how to properly roast your meat. Below is a step-by-step process on how to roast your meat correctly: -

Whether you have bought your meat fresh a couple of days ago, or got it frozen, the first step towards roasting is to let it come down to room temperature. This allows the meat to cook evenly. Usually, it takes about 4-12 hours per pound of frozen meat to be defrosted completely. So, to give a reference, a 22 lbs turkey would take about 4-5 days to thaw completely.

Once your meat is thawed completely, you'll have to season it. Even though the meat has its flavours, using the right seasonings before roasting it only enhances the flavours. Usually, almost every meat has a similar seasoning of salt and pepper, herbs of your choice, garlic and butter. But when it comes to beef and turkey, we have some expert advice. For beef, it is recommended to season the cut with rosemary and thyme to get the full flavour out. For turkey, our chef says to season it with a mix of rosemary, lemon and sage.

After you have seasoned your meat properly, now is the time for some roasting. To get that crisp and flavourful golden crust, start by roasting your meat at a high temperature. Once you see it get crisp on the outside, lower the heat and let it cook for about 2-3 hours for that melt-in-the-mouth texture from within.

Finally, when the meat is fully roasted, take it out of the oven and cover it loosely with some foil. Let it rest for about 20-30 minutes, as this allows the juice in the meat to spread evenly, which ensures that the meat is going to be tender and super juicy.

You might think this is the end of it. But hold on. It is very important to check if the internal temperature of the meat is appropriate, or else it might affect the taste of the meat to a great extent. It is advised that you should get a good quality meat thermometer that tells you about the temperature with the highest accuracy. For reference, here are the appropriate temperatures for various meat cuts:

Beef: 130°F to 140°F

Turkey: The thickest part of the cut should be around 165°F.

Ham: 145°F

Chicken: 165°F

Duck: 165°F

Bore: 165°F

ROASTED MEAT COMPLEMENTING SIDE DISHES

Let's be honest. A dish without a side is just not as fun. We believe every main course dish should have a complementary side to it. Here's a list of some amazing sides put together by our very own Jeff Baker to make your meals even better:

Bacon jam: This unique, out-of-the-world savoury-sweet recipe can complement any and every roast. Though it is meant to be enjoyed the most with bacon, but we think nothing should be limited. Check out our recipe and try it with your Christmas duck or turkey.

Homemade baked beans: one could not go wrong with baked beans. Slow-cook the beans with some tomato sauce, garlic and onions to get that rich flavour out. Whether you serve it during a Sunday BBQ or a Christmas dinner, these beans are meant to make you feel the warmth of nostalgia. Give our baked beans recipe a go and pair it as a side with your favourite roasted meat this festive season.

Root Vegetables with Goose Fat, Garlic and Thyme: think of a dish that looks all shining gold and glazed with some goose fat, smelling like freshly fried garlic with thyme. Bet it made your mouth water, didn't it? Well, why just imagine when you can make it in no time? Simply select your favourite root vegetables and roast them with cloves of garlic. As the garlic softens, it releases its flavours that are infused with the vegetables. It is truly a dish to savour with roasted meats, especially whole chicken and turkey. Learn more about what else you could add to this to make it even better, by following our recipe guide.

Classic Roast Potatoes: The key to perfecting the favourite side of all time, is to boil them only to a point where the edges get roughed up so that they can get that lovely crispiness, and then toss them up in some oil and duck or goose fat and let them roast at a high temperature until they are beautifully golden-brown. To pair them with the best combinations, refer to the recipe card by our expert chef.

FESTIVE DECORATIONS

Dinner table setting: a lot of people think just decorating their house with lights and Christmas trees is everything. But no, as one of the main areas where the gatherings occur is the dinner table. Although it might not seem as important to decorate as other parts of the house, it makes quite a big impact on people who visit your place. Besides, it also gets those extra festive vibes out. Try putting out tablecloths, napkins and mats in festive colours of red, green and golden. It looks subtle but does a good job of creating a better holiday environment. Apart from that, a beautiful centrepiece goes a long way. Nothing fancy is needed, just a vase with a couple of fresh flowers or Christmas wreaths is all that it takes.

Lighting: lights create the kind of ambience that nothing else can. And the best part is that you don't always have to go extra with lights. A couple of candles placed around the house or a bunch of fairy lights spread out just does the magic.

Theme setting: Adding ornaments to your décor list could make the place look even more vibrant. Nothing much, just a couple of small and medium-sized ornaments casually placed on your dinner table or hung outside the main door of the house does the job.

Christmas is way more than just a festival or a holiday. It's a precious time to re-live some of the best moments of your life with some of your most loved people. With these tips and tricks in mind, you can elevate this experience to another level and create a feast that brings families and friends even closer than before. So, here's to a merry Christmas from us to you!