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Don your best kitchen apparel and invite a few loved ones over because the time has come to plan the ultimate festive menu. For many, this is a once-a-year opportunity to go all out with the culinary action.
The name of the game when preparing an epic holiday meal is choosing dishes that look tasty and award-winning, but actually are super simple and quick to pull together.
Beef Wellington, for example, is a showstopper — impressive from the time you walk it to the table right down to the final bite. And rest assured, before you start calculating how many hours you need to create your own pastry dough, it's not as complicated as it seems.
With quality Canadian beef and a couple of shortcuts like store-bought dough and pâté, this mouthwatering main is a breeze to pull together. It’s basically an assembly recipe.
Beef Wellington is just the start. Whether you’re a masterful cook already or hosting dinner for the first time, these seven recipes are both mouthwatering and easy to make (the perfect combo).
Your Centrepiece Should Be Show Stopping, Like This Beef Wellington
Delegate the dramatic moments this holiday to your dinner menu with a beef Wellington. It may look complicated, but beef wellington has a secret hidden in all those layers: it's so much simpler to cook than it seems.
When you bring out this juicy beef tenderloin, smothered in pâté and wrapped in flakey golden pastry, your guests will think you're ready to take on Top Chef and win.
This recipe is served with Madeira mushroom sauce, which is both bursting with flavour and a refreshing departure from classic gravy.
The finished masterpiece will wow your dinner guests (and probably yourself).
Move Over Mashed Potatoes, Celery Root Purée Is Here
Everyone expects mashed potatoes, but why not delight your taste buds with a new take on a classic dish?
Celery root (aka celeriac) can be added to your regular potato mash or used on its own to make a super tasty side that's the opposite of complicated.
With only a handful of ingredients (celery root, milk, yogurt, butter, oil and some seasonings of your choice), this is one recipe you won't want to miss.
Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Olives
Instead of spending more time by the oven, focus your appetizer efforts on something that can be constructed in moments — like a beautiful and festive olive wreath.
Let your creativity shine by using your favourite kinds of olives (Kalamatas are a winner), cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls and fresh rosemary.
Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper for a gorgeous and unique appetizer that you'll find yourself making year after year.
Get In Your Veggies By Covering Them In Cheese
It wouldn't be the holidays without a bubbling platter of cauliflower gratin, and this cheesy and aromatic version is an elevated addition to your repertoire.
With parmesan, goat cheese and heavy cream, this delicious bake will have any vegetable-averse guest reconsidering their stance. Plus, you'll only need the oven for 30 minutes to make it.
A hearty holiday side doesn't get any easier.
Tie Dye Is Back & It Should Be On Your Dessert Table
Who says funky patterns are only for clothes? Bring a little pop of colour to your dessert tray with "tie-dyed" icing on classic butter cookies.
This joy-inducing recipe couldn’t be easier. The cookie itself has only six ingredients, and you probably have everything on hand already.
The swirl-and-dip icing technique uses plant-based food colouring to make cookies that look as good as they taste.
Unwind After Dinner With A Hot Chocolate Affogato
A café staple with a holiday spin, a hot chocolate affogato is the ultimate addition to your coffee and tea offerings after the big meal.
An affogato is usually made with espresso and some sort of liqueur, but this kid-friendly version goes all-in on the hot chocolate and ice cream.
You can use whatever flavour ice cream takes your fancy, but nothing beats peppermint at this time of year.
Is It A Dessert? An Appetizer? Both
Every holiday dinner needs a grand finale, and this savoury and sweet twist on a classic dessert dish will do the trick.
In this recipe, apple crisp meets baked brie for a dessert that's quick and simple to whip up and seriously delivers in taste and creativity.
With oats, apples, butter, pecans, a wheel of brie and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, you might just want to bump up dessert to the first course — your guests definitely wouldn't mind.
The holidays are about loved ones, quality time and great food (not necessarily in that order). Making your holiday spread stand out doesn't have to be difficult — finding the right recipes and using quality ingredients, like Canadian beef, is all it takes.
For a showstopping main, don't forget to check out Canada Beef's beef Wellington recipe. There's even a video with step-by-step instructions to help you get this awe-inspiring dish on the table.
Bon appétit!
