While Christmas is a wonderful time of year to get festive and spend time with your loved ones, if you’ve been asked to bring a dish to the party, and you’re not much of a cook, the thought can be terrifying! But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with three of the easiest dishes you can make that your loved ones will adore.
Starter
Everyone loves a cheese and dips platter and with no cooking required and just a quick trip to the shops, you can still impress your family or friends with your presentation skills! For extra effort, make your own dips in less than five minutes too!
For the perfect platter, you will need:
Two - three cheeses
A dip or two. (For added credit, make this hummus or beetroot dip!)
a pâté or terrine and other cold meats
Fresh veggies including chopped carrot and cucumber into sticks and cherry tomatoes
Preserved veggies like olives, pickles or dolmades.
Fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and pear sliced
Dried fruit
Crackers, sliced bread etc.
To create a platter with impact, start by placing the cheeses and terrines/pate around the dish. Then group fruit and veggies together and spread out the colours across the platter. Fill in the spaces with break and crackers and then finally, sprinkle dried fruit or nuts into the little spaces. To have the biggest impact, make sure you are generous with your servings and really pack your platter to the edges!
Salad
While green salads are easy to make with a few ingredients. It’s tricky at parties when lots of people are bringing a salad and you want to make sure yours is different but still easy and delicious!
This is Peach, feta and walnut Arugula salad is a favourite of mine and I’m often asked for the recipe afterwards - which really is the greatest compliment you can give a ‘non-cook’ like myself!
You will need:
A large bag of baby spinach leaves
3 - 4 fresh peaches
100g of goat’s cheese
1/2 cup of walnuts
For the dressing:
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs white wine vinegar
a little black pepper
This salad really does make itself! To start with, wash and pat dry the baby spinach leaves and tip them into the bowl. I like to use a shallow bowl or a platter with edges for serving. Slice the peaches into about 8-12 pieces each, and share it around on top of the spinach. Scatter the walnuts on top and crumble the goat’s cheese. To make the dressing, use a small jar or sealable container, tip in the ingredients and give it a shake. Leave the dressing in the container until you are ready to serve.
Dessert
While the idea of amazing desserts and pastries sounds incredibly appetising, the idea of creating them does not! With forecast hot days around the country predicted for Christmas, a family favourite of ours is raspberry jelly. Suitably festive, summery and it tastes amazing with plum pudding or a little brandy custard too, just remember to make it the night before and pop it in the fridge so you’re not stressed about the setting time! This also goes well served with frozen yoghurt bark on a hot day!
You will need:
2 packets of raspberry jelly crystals,
400g-500g of fresh raspberries (frozen raspberries will not set properly!)
To create this dish, simply follow the instructions on the packet to make the raspberry jelly. Using either a large glass bowl, or in 6-8 small individual glasses, divide the raspberries amongst the glasses or empty into the bowl. (Make sure you have washed them first!) then simply pour the jelly into the dish(es). The raspberries will float to the top. Place in the fridge and serve once it is set. It best made the day before!
Drinks
And if you’re asked to bring the drinks and wine is not your thing, get a Rosé, a bottle of Tasmanian Sparkling or a delicious Syrah.
What’s your favourite festive dish that you like to share on Christmas Day? Let us know in the comments below!
