Gravlax with Crème Fraiche and Horseradish on Rye bread

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Insalata Caprese

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Turkey Breast

Sliced Ham off the bone

Roasted Baby Potatoes

Steamed young Beans

Roasted Baby Carrots

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Marinated Figs with Mascarpone Cream

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Fromage de Meaux

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Coffee and Liquers

I struggle to find a reason why Christmas Lunch cannot represent a well chosen luncheon suitable for any summer’s day. The elaborate Christmas meal at midday, bound in northern hemisphere traditions confounds the weather and the proximity to the sea many of us are enjoying at this time of year. A summer lunch of bread rolls stuffed full with prawns and a chilli mayonnaise, downed with ice cold beer on the beach really should suffice, given our circumstances. Still, if one is compelled to indulge the traditions of another world, there are clever ways to do so while retaining a festive and celebratory note to the event and simultaneously maintaining a certain dignified joie de vivre.

Our family share a late meal on Christmas Eve, intend to attend Midnight Mass but invariably fall into our beds in rollicking good form comparatively late for a night to be followed by a day of such energies as Christmas entails. This is a menu which allows for a small sleep in so long as everyone does their jobs. Spouse would have prepared the Gravlax a day or two earlier and only needs to carve it. My youngest daughter enjoys providing decorative flair to the assembly of an Insalata Caprese. My son and I attend to the ham, turkey and vegetables. My older daughter would have dealt with the figs the day before and has taken great pleasure in the preparation of Mascarpone Cream since she was introduced to it at age ten. Incorporating such levels of assistance works toward ensuring that I don't resemble the boiled lobster I always mean to order, and we all get to enjoy a transient moment of sobriety as I make the final preparations before the guests arrive.

I love this menu because even if you don’t have all these people in your family to help and you intend to manage yourself, you can stage the preparation of everything but the turkey and vegetables in the days before. Failing that, don’t be shy in issuing copies of the recipe you want each guest to prepare for you and bring on the day.

The quantities given in the recipes below are merely a guide and would comprise sufficient food for a party of 10–16 with leftovers. I encourage utilization of leftovers for the ensuing days for picnics and easy meals. If you have greater numbers, all of the recipes can be doubled or adjusted accordingly.

I hope for at least three to four days clear of grocery shopping post Christmas. The use of tempting leftovers simplifies catering no end for the ensuing period. I am not talking of dried up turkey on a ridiculous sized carcass that no one can be bothered with even if they did know how. I refer to exceptional ham, the last of the turkey breast, the gravlax and the cheese. Just make sure your guests haven’t drunk all your grog, that you have access to some wonderful bread and have stashed some salad bits that you won’t need on the day. It really does not get better than that, does it?

GRAVLAX with Crème Fraiche and Horseradish on Rye
The recipe for Gravlax can be found here. Alternatively use smoked salmon.

Insalata Caprese
Insalate Caprese simply means Salad of the Isle of Capri. The salad is comprised of an assembly of the freshest local buffalo mozzarella, sliced luscious summer tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper, sprigs of basil and generous quantities of the best of local extra virgin olive oil. This is a festive dish, which, while the southern Italians largely enjoy it on a daily basis, is special enough for us in Australia to share on Christmas Day. I use Victorian Shaw River Buffalo Mozzarella, available from most good delicatessens.

Roast Turkey Breast cooked in Buttered Muslin
I am a firm believer in cooking meat on the bone but I do draw the line at turkey. I have never cooked a whole turkey in my life and certainly never the upper torso commonly referred to as the buff, which I figure makes the other half the butt.

My mother introduced me to the merits of turkey fillets, which we purchased from Daryl Deutscher’s nearby turkey farm in the foothills of the Grampians at Dadswells Bridge. Daryl is devoted to his product and furnishes every sale with simple cooking instructions.

I have even been the beneficiary of attentive after-sales-telephone-support when I had mislaid mine. The secret of course is a slow oven. Wrapping the fillet in the Buttered Muslin described below beats any lousy oven bag or continuous basting.

Adherence to these simple directives should render the moistest, most beautifully seasoned turkey imaginable. Turkey fillet remains a family favourite for us and we enjoy it throughout the year.

This recipe was inspired by suggestions made by Stephanie Alexander in “The Cook’s Companion” and the directives of Daryl Deutcher of Deutcher’s Turkeys, Dadswells Bridge. 3kg of turkey when served with ham will render over 20 serves. Call Daryl Deutcher 03 5359 5220 for your local stockist.

Ingredients

• 3 kg (unrolled) turkey breast off the bone
• Buttered Muslin

Buttered Muslin

• Muslin large enough to wrap the turkey well about ½ metre
• 150g butter
• Grated zest and juice of a lemon
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf torn into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Melt the butter in a pan and drop in the lemon zest
• Add thyme and bay leaf
• Away from the heat stir in the lemon juice and seasoning
• Wet and wring out the muslin
• Douse the muslin in the seasoned butter allowing the muslin to absorb all the butter mix
• To Roast the Turkey breast
• Preheat oven to 150c – 160c
• Wrap the breast in the buttered muslin and place in an oven pan that accommodates it comfortably, otherwise you will lose all of your precious juices.
• Place in the centre of the oven and cook the turkey for about 1 hour per kg. If you are using 2 x 1.5 kg fillets cooking time will be about 1 ½ hours, though check the breast at 1 hour.
• There should be no need to baste To check if the cooking is completed unwrap the breast and lift the fold in the fillet to check the meat for doneness. It is often better to have it slightly underdone and allow additional time for resting as it will continue cooking during this time.
• Rest the cooked fillet in a warm draught free area covered with a tea towel. Rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before carving.
• Deglaze the pan with a little water or chicken stock to create a jus to pour over the turkey.Strain and serve from a gravy jug.

Sliced Ham
Buy the best quality ham on the bone that you can get hold of. Gruner Butchers in Barkly St, St Kilda (phone: 9534 2715) make excellent hams to order. Keep the ham wrapped in clean damp tea towels in the fridge. On Christmas day you can elect to place the whole festive ham on the table and carve for guests individually. Alternatively, carve sufficient for the party in advance and arrange on a chilled platter to serve cold with the turkey.

Marinated Figs (15 people)
This recipe was given to me by a friend of mine and it truly does defeat the need for elaborate plumb puddings steaming up the kitchen on a hot day. You get all those gorgeous pudding like flavours without any of the drama. Once again this is something you can put together the day before and whip out on Christmas day, serving it in a glamorous glass dish with Mascarpone Cream on the side; it really does do the trick.

Ingredients

• 1 kg dried figs
• 4 cinnamon quills
• 8 star anise
• Castor sugar to taste
• 1 cup brandy
• Juice of about 3 – 4 oranges

Method

• Combine brandy and orange juice in a saucepan
• bring slowly to the boil
• Cut off the twiggy ends of the figs if necessary
• Place the figs and whole spices in the liquid and simmer until the figs rehydrate ( approx 15 mins)
• Add sugar to taste and continue simmering until the liquid is syrupy
• Remove the contents into a bowl to cool in its own syrup
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serve at room temperature

Mascarpone Cream

Ingredients

• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 500g mascarpone
• ¼ cup brandy
• ¼ cup strega or Galliano

Method

• Separate the eggs
• Beat the egg yolks with sugar and blend this with the mascarpone (at high speed in the mixmaster or with lots of energetic beating.)
• Separately whip up the egg whites until stiff as for meringue – then gently stir them into the mascarpone mix.
• Last, stir in the brandy and strega / Galliano
• Refrigerate until ready for use

Fromage de Meaux
Fromage de Meaux is an artisanal version of a raw milk, Brie-style cheese from Seine-et-Marne, France. It comes in a fabulous 3 kg wheel with a wooden frame so is perfect for a large party.

When ripe its rind is very delicate and breaks easily to reveal a hay coloured cheese that oozes easily. It has a distinctive strong flavour and pairs well with Champagne or even a Beaujolais or Cabernet. Calendar Cheese Company distribute Fromage de Meaux in Victoria.

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