Christmas dinner ideas
The Christmas season is finally here! It’s time to participate in holiday traditions and maybe begin to develop new family traditions this year. We are so excited to share some Christmas dinner ideas that are easy to execute and not too hard on the wallet.
Let’s start with Christmas ham. This version is wrapped in puff pastry to give it a festive look. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange your oven racks to the middle bottom third of your oven. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Take a 6-pound boneless ham and put it cut side down in the middle of one of the pans. You will need 4 puff pastry sheets to cover the ham. Clean your counter top or a large cutting board and lay one out flat. Beat 2 large eggs for an egg wash and brush the pastry lightly. Repeat the same step until you have 4 sheets on top of each other but don’t brush the egg wash on the top layer. Use a rolling pin to roll the puff pastry out until it is big enough to drape over your ham fully. Once you have covered the ham and cut off any excess puff pastry, you can use a sharp knife to score the pastry to make a patterned design that will add detail to your Christmas ham. Finally, use the rest of the egg wash to brush the top layer of puff pastry and cook the ham for about 2 hours. The internal temperature of the meat should read about 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you want a sweet potato side to go with your ham, try this simple maple mashed sweet potato recipe. Three pounds of sweet potatoes will give you about 8 servings, so adjust that amount to your needs accordingly. First, wash your sweet potatoes, pierce them with a fork, then roast them whole in a 400 degree F oven for about 50 minutes until they are tender. After they’re roasted, let them cool slightly and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides, mash them in a big bowl or put them through a ricer to give them a smooth consistency. Warm a small skillet with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, and ½ a teaspoon of grated orange zest. Once your butter melts, pour it over your sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
To finish it off, why not try some eggnog ice cream? To make a batch of homemade eggnog ice cream, you only need 5 ingredients. Use a stand mixer to beat 4 egg yolks and ⅓ cup of sugar. Mix until the egg yolks have a lighter color and the sugar dissolves. Set this aside, then take out a medium saucepan and set your stove to high heat. Pour in 1 pint of whole milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and heat it until it just reaches the boiling point. Carefully and gradually temper the hot milk into the egg mixture until you have combined all the milk with the eggs. Return the whole mixture into a pot until it reaches 160 degrees F. Pour it into a mixing bowl and set in the fridge for about 6 hours to cool it down. You can put this into an airtight container and freeze it, and it will be ready to serve after 4 hours. If you want to use a soft-serve ice cream maker instead, this mix will also do well with that method. This recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream, and you can add whatever toppings you like on top.