A Christmas Special with The Langbeins
We're sharing over 40 recipes to carry you through the holiday season! Plus top tips to save time and money, and two curated menus — a Traditional Feast, and Fresh & Fab Gourmand Menu.
Hello to you all,
We hope that you are surviving the end-of-year madness and are starting to get into the Christmas spirit!
We both love Christmas, Annabel especially, as she grew up in a household where Christmas was celebrated with all the trimmings — festive baking, gift making, tree and house decorating, and a huge Christmas feast. She still has Christmas tree decorations from her grandmother — these beautiful very fragile, very old metallic glass Christmas baubles that she can remember decorating the tree with at her grandparent’s house when she was a little girl. The thing Annabel remembers most from Christmas lunch is the number of vegetables. Apart from kūmara, these all came from her father’s abundant garden — the first new potatoes, broad beans, peas, baby carrots, parsnips, onions, and pumpkin.
We’re celebrating a little differently this year. First of all, we aren’t together — Annabel is home in Wānaka, harvesting the bounty of summer and sharing it with her nearest and dearest, while Rose is in Uruguay — cooking with fire, soaking up gaucho culture, and exploring a new continent.
With this in mind, we wanted to share some festive ideas for what to cook and eat over the Christmas period, wherever you may be. Plus we’ve added in a handful of tips and tricks to help you save time and money this holiday season. Bear with us, as there are A LOT of recipes, but we wanted to give you options! We’ve also included ideas for accommodating dietary requests, Christmas gifting, and festive baking.
We have crafted two menus for you — a Traditional Christmas Feast, including a big bird, all the trimmings, and a perfect pavlova. Plus a fab Fresh & Festive Gourmand Menu that focuses on fresh seafood and vegetables. This menu is ideal for smaller households, or people wanting something different this year.
The Traditional Christmas Feast
Christmas is one of the best times of year to lean into tradition, and what better way to do this than with a big old-fashioned Christmas feast. If we were celebrating together this year and cooking for a big crowd, our menu might look something like the one below.
Annabel loves a turkey at Christmas, and her Classic Roast Turkey is a fail-safe recipe for a juicy bird with crispy skin. Preparing a turkey can be intimidating for the first time, but this fuss-free recipe ensures your success every time! Brining the bird beforehand ensures it is super juicy and moist. Don’t skip the gravy, this is the best part.
Another great alternative to the traditional turkey is a juicy chicken — perfect for cutting back on costs, or if you can’t fit a big bird in your oven — you can’t beat a good roast chook. Our Ultimate Roast Chicken is incredibly delicious and brined for maximum moisture. Make sure you serve it alongside some Lemon Gravy too.
Accompany either of these with Quinoa Stuffing, which is our go-to on Christmas day. Full of flavour with so many delicious herbs and lighter than a traditional breadcrumb stuffing it’s also gluten-free and vegetarian which helps accommodate different dietary requirements. If you want to make the quinoa stuffing vegan, sub in ¼ cup chia seed soaked in 2/3 cup water for the eggs.
If you’re a lamb at Christmas household, this Perfect Roast Lamb is sweet, succulent, and makes for an excellent centerpiece. Our Ultimate Glazed Ham is just that, and is a great way to feed a crowd when accompanied by fluffy bread rolls, a quick Coleslaw and some mustard.
On the vegetable side of things, potatoes are mandatory — whether you’re a Perfect Mash family or prefer crispy potatoes like these Domino Potatoes we’ve got both bases covered.
If you’ve already got the oven going, you may as well pop on some vegetables to roast. This excellent Roasted Beet & Rocket Salad is so easy to throw together, as is our Roasted Vegetable Platter. Adding a sprinkle of dukkah, nuts, or toasted seeds is an easy way to elevate a simple salad and add some texture.
To accompany these rich flavours, lighten the plate with some vibrant salads. We love this Paradise Salad — it’s very pretty and eats so well. Plus the added avocado, asparagus, and radishes make it feel festive and special. You also can’t go wrong with our Everyday Green Salad — we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we can’t live without this fabulous dressing, it’s the perfect balance of tart, tangy, creamy, and sweet.
It’s not a Kiwi Christmas without corn — you can either serve it steamed and on the cob with lots of butter and a sprinkle of salt or in this winning Cob Salad with Corn, Avocado & Tomato. Our festive Chickpea & Eggplant Salad is also seriously delicious and is sure to be loved by the vegetarians at your table.
A couple of good sauces help to tie all the flavours together. We’ll always have bowls of Homemade Aioli and Green Summer Sauce on the table, and allow everyone to help themselves.
Finally, for dessert, we love to pull out the stops with a classic Fantasy Pavlova with piles of berries and cream, and a cheat’s Berry Trifle with storebought sponge and mascarpone for those in a last-minute pinch. Our beautiful Heaven Cake is wonderfully light and delicate, if you want to mix things up from the traditional pav. And for a dairy and gluten-free dessert that will have everyone wowed, our Chocolate Freedom Cake is dangerously decadent and delicious.
Christmas feasts are well-suited for delegation — this is another excellent way to cut back on food costs and ensure the work is shared evenly between households (and fridges!). It’s a good idea to make a list and let people know what you would like them to bring, that way you won’t end up with a meal of all the same thing.
A Fresh & Festive Gourmand Menu
If you want to mix it up, we suggest a simple menu with a focus on the beautiful seafood we are so lucky to have here in New Zealand. Lots of light, fresh flavours that make for delicious eating. Plus, you won’t have to spend days in the kitchen in preparation, as seafood is so quick and easy to prepare. We are so lucky to have such incredible seafood here in Aotearoa, and Christmas is a great time to indulge.
To start things off, it’s hard to go past an elegant and super-fresh Beachside Ceviche. Alternatively, our yummy Seaside Tostadas with smoky chipotle aioli is a great way to make a little bit of fresh seafood go a long way and are excellent made with salmon, trevally, or kingfish. Bonus tips if you serve them with Spicy Cucumber Margaritas.
You’ll often find these Zucchini & Feta Crostini at our celebrations — again, these can be prepared in advance and are super affordable! A win-win all round.
As a main, we suggest a vibrant Celebration Salmon, which we love to serve with boiled Baby Potatoes, a simple Two-Minute Green Salad, and Perfect Asparagus. If you’re cooking for smaller households, you can also make the salmon with individual fillets — we’ve added instructions for this in the recipe. To take the stress out of Christmas dinner prepare the salmon in advance. The Green Summer Sauce can be made up to a week ahead and kept in a jar in the fridge. The salmon and vegetables can be arranged on the tray then covered and chilled for up to 12 hours.
For dessert, we recommend something simple and elegant that you can make ahead of time, like this gorgeous Silky Lemon Tart which we love to serve on special occasions topped with lots of fresh raspberries. Our stunning Strawberry Cloud Cake is another excellent option, that looks so impressive with very little effort.
In a similar vein, our knockout Chocolate & Cardamom Tart from Summer at Home can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks — cut away slices at your wish. Plus it’s vegan and gluten-free!
If you are stuck to know what seafood to buy or where to begin, we’ve put together this guide on Sustainable Seafood, outlining some of the best species to eat and what to look for when buying seafood. We have such an incredible diversity of options available to us here in NZ, and to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy this taonga, we all need to do our part to preserve it.
Gifts for the Gourmands
A few of you have asked if we have a book coming out for Christmas — we do not! We have been focusing our efforts on What to Cook Tonight and continuing to make it the best and most useful it can be.
With this in mind, you can gift a subscription to What to Cook Tonight! A thoughtful present for the foodies in your life, or those in need of some inspiration and fresh ideas in the kitchen. In celebration of this festive time of year, for the first time ever, we are offering 15% off annual subscriptions — that’s NZ$68 for twelve months of newsletters, plus access to our full archive (over 100 recipes!). You can redeem the offer via the link below.
Tips & Tricks to Save Time & Money
Knowing how to make a meal feel generous and bountiful without having to spend a whole lot of money is such a useful trick to have up your sleeve. As is using your precious time the most efficiently and effectively.
It’s very easy to make too much food — you want to have a tiny bit too much so the spread feels generous, but you don’t want to over-cater. Think about what everyone is going to eat on the day — a few appetisers, a handful of each salad or side, around 200g/7oz of protein, a few potatoes, a slice or two of bread, etc. Know if you typically tend to under or over-cater and keep this in mind when food prepping and shopping!
Once you’ve planned your menu, write a big prep list. Break it down into things you can do in advance and things you need to do on the day of. Being organised is the easiest way to stay on top of everything, not get stressed, and ensure you use your time effectively. When you have those “what do I need to do now” moments, you have a list ready to go.
To save time on the day, do as much as you can in advance. Make your dessert, brine your bird, roast any vegetables for salads, make dressings and sauces, toast nuts and breadcrumbs, pick herbs, etc.
Delegation is key! If you’re hosting, give everyone a task so they can feel useful and help with the labour — peeling potatoes, top and tailing beans, cutting vegetables, washing and drying salad greens, mashing potatoes, whipping cream, etc. These are all excellent delegation tasks. If you have your prep list you can use this as a reference so everyone knows what needs to be done.
Think about what dishes you are going to serve things in advance — this part often gets forgotten and you may need to borrow a platter or two.
If you’ve got hungry teenagers go long on affordable, filling foods like potatoes grain salads, and bread.
Adding a beautiful loaf of bread or baguette and some butter or olive oil to the table is an easy way to make the table feel abundant and ensure everyone fills up. Plus you get to ‘scarpetta’ — sop up all the sauce left on your plate with a piece of bread as the Italians do.
You can make a bit of protein go a long way by serving it accompanied by lots of vegetables and sides.
A big green salad looks vibrant and beautiful, and fills up plates.
Adding a sprinkle of fresh herbs, some toasted nuts or seeds, or garlicky breadcrumbs can elevate something ordinary and make it feel special.
Pomegranate seeds are a fun and festive way to add some colour to a Christmas salad. We like to de-seed the pomegranate in a bowl of cold water to reduce mess.
A crumble of feta achieves creamy deliciousness without the price tag of goat cheese.
Try not to make too much food, and ensure you have a plan for leftovers — you can have guests bring their own storage containers so that everyone can take home leftovers.
Set the table before your guests arrive, and take the time to make it feel special. You could make your own name cards and menus, add a couple of sprigs from the Christmas tree, light lots of candles, you name it. If you’ve got young kids this is a fun task for them to do too. We will often set out a few bowls of scorched almonds, dried figs, cherries and other little treats on the table to make it feel bountiful and special.
Don’t forget to have fun! Put on a groovy playlist, relax, and trust the process.
A Note on Dietary Requirements
In this day and age, someone in your extended household likely has a dietary requirement. This can cause a bit of panic at Christmas when you’re suddenly tasked with the challenge of catering to a dietary requirement you may not know a lot about! There’s no need to stress, here are our top tips and tricks to save you from getting flustered and ensure that everyone has a delicious special meal.
If you are a guest be sure to let your host know if anyone in your party has a specific dietary issue. Coeliacs for example, need to feel 100% confident that nothing they eat has been contaminated with gluten.
There is no need to make a big fuss, just ensure that there is something that everyone can eat and that all your guests feel included.
A yummy make-ahead vegan dessert is sure to win you brownie points, without any last-minute stress. Everyone loves our vegan and gluten-free Chocolate & Cardamom Tart, which is always a winner, as is this decadent Vegan Chocolate Mousse (you could do this in individual portions too).
Ensure there are plenty of salads and sides to fill people up if they aren’t eating the main protein. A generous loaf of crusty bread served with a dipping bowl of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar will keep most people happy.
If you want to serve a salad with cheese or yoghurt but you’re cooking for a vegan, simply make a portion or two of the salad without the dairy — so they feel considered but you haven’t had to make anything extra.
Ditto for bread or croutons for gluten intolerances — you can easily make individual portions without the bread. Use gluten-free cornflour/flour in your gravy to ensure it’s safe for everyone.
Christmas Baking & Homemade Gifts
It’s not a Langbein Christmas without some baked treats, which usually starts around late November and carries on to the end of December. Annabel's first item of Christmas baking each year is usually a double batch of her mother's famous fig and ginger Christmas Kisses.
After the kisses come the light-as-air Meringues, which can be made ahead of time and will keep for several weeks in an airtight container, perfect for Christmas entertaining.
Growing up, Annabel would often make Perfect Panforte to gift to friends and family. This rich Italian cake is so decadent and delicious. Gingerbread Cookies are such fun to make with kids too. If you’re feeling ambitious, why not try your hand at a gingerbread house? We were blown away by this one from Flamingo Estate in LA this year!
Of course, there’s always Christmas cake — Annabel’s Christmas Cake is the perfect Christmas fruitcake for beginners and experienced cooks alike. If you want a Christmas cake that will last well into the new year, this Overnight Christmas Cake is your go-to. Low, slow cooking results in a deeply flavoured, long-lasting fruitcake.
On the quick and easy side of things, Annabel’s Miracle Three-Ingredient Christmas Cake is just that, and can also be adapted to be vegan (we’ve included instructions in the recipe). Our spectacular Cathedral Christmas Cake has the merest hint of batter — just enough to hold together the jewel-like combination of fruit and nuts. We call it Cathedral Cake because the colourful glacé fruits look like the stained glass windows of a cathedral.
Baked Christmas treats make for great gifts. We’ll often cut rounds of cardboard to use as a sturdy base (ensuring that nothing gets squished) and place this over a large sheet of tissue paper or butcher paper. Place your baked goodies on top of the cardboard, pull the paper up around the sides of the cardboard disc and tie it together with a vibrant red ribbon, like a bonbon!
Rose likes to make big jars of our Honey & Olive Oil Muesli to gift to her friends, a thoughtful present that will get lots of love and appreciation! This Espresso Hazelnut Ripple is also wickedly delicious.
Don’t forget about our giveaway with Kenwood! You could be in to WIN a trip for two to Annabel’s Wānaka property for a long lunch and a tour of her expansive gardens. You can read all about it here.
Ok, this should be more than enough to keep you entertained in the coming weeks. We would love to hear from you — how are you celebrating Christmas this year? What is on your menu? Let us know by commenting below!
With love and merriment,
Annabel & Rose xxx
I’m wishing for another 5 ‘Christmas day’(s) this year so that I get to try at least half of these recipes. They all sound divine.
Love them all . Any chance you could share the Manuka honey dressing you make for roast veges