Very Merry Christmas Delights: Must-try chefs-curated recipes to elevate your festive feast

CHENNAI: Ahead of Christmas, elevate your festive menu with these unique recipes. From cookies to turkey roast, these chefs-curated dishes are definitely a must-try

Red Velvet Cookie

Ingredients

285 g all-purpose flour | 6 g baking powder | 6 g baking soda | 6 g salt | 225 g unsalted butter, softened | 180 g granulated sugar | 200 g brown sugar | 120 g eggs | 15 g Beetroot mash | 5 g vanilla extract | 250 g white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by red food colouring and vanilla extract.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients (flour mixture) until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Fold in white chocolate chips, if desired.

Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:

High-quality Red Food Colour Can be used in place of beetroot mash.

To ensure the cookies retain their colour, avoid overbaking.

You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

—Recipe shared by Ravi Varma, area pastry chef, Taj Coromandel

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Dundee Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

175 g all-purpose flour | 1 tsp baking powder | 175 g unsalted butter, softened | 175 g caster sugar | 3 large eggs | 1 tsp vanilla extract | Zest of 1 orange | Zest of 1 lemon | 200 g mixed dried fruits (e.g., sultanas, raisins, and currants) | 50 g candied orange peel, chopped | 50 g glacé cherries, halved | 50 g ground almonds | 2 tbsp milk

For the topping:

50 g whole blanched almonds

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and citrus zests.

Fold in the sifted flour mixture, ground almonds, and milk. Mix gently until combined.

Add the mixed dried fruits, candied orange peel, and glacé cherries. Stir until evenly distributed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.

Arrange the whole blanched almonds in concentric circles on the surface of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 2–2.5 hours or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with a piece of parchment paper or foil.

Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container, and for best results, allow the cake to mature for a few days before serving.

—Recipe from Kathiresan K, pastry chef at Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort and Spa

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Roasted turkey

Ingredients

4 kg turkey

For flavour butter:

500 g unsalted butter | 1 cup lemon juice | 10 g rosemary | 10 g thyme | Salt as required | Pepper as required | 10 g garlic

Instructions

Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about salt and pepper.

Make the flavoured butter. In a medium bowl, combine of all above flavour ingredients in the softened butter.

Separate the skin from the turkey breast and under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey, careful not to tear the skin, and then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender and juicy and provides rich flavour.

Stuff the turkey cavity with an onion, garlic cloves, parsley, to tie the turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity,

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Make aluminium Foil cover the turkey while place it in oven cook the bird for two hours.

Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive of greens, then added caramel apples, sliced oranges and lemons, vegetables, and potatoes.

—Shared by Sujeet, sous chef, Feathers Hotel

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Slow roasted lamb shanks

Ingredients

250 g Australian lamb shank | 50 ml shiraz merlot | 5 g rosemary | 1 tsp pommery mustard | Salt to taste | 1 tsp crushed black pepper |100 g mashed potato | 1 carrot |1 Courgette | 2 floret broccoli | 50 g butter | 25 ml cream | 1 red onion | 1/2 tsp demerara sugar | 50 ml unscented oil | 2 garlic pod

Instructions

Marinate the lamb shank with red wine, salt, pepper, mustard, rosemary and oil. Rest it for two hours.

Sear it and slow cook it for 1.5 hours.

Mash the potato with soft butter and season it.

Toss the vegetables with butter and season it with lemon zest, orange zest and rosemary.

Caramelise the onion with demerara sugar, red wine and slow it to soft and over the shanks.