Yvette Van Boven - Home made Christmas

FOR SOPHIE

EDITOR Holly Dolce
DESIGNER Liam Flanagan
PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathleen Gaffney

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017956827

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3238-6
eISBN: 978-1-68335-323-2

Copyright 2018 Yvette van Boven and Fontaine Uitgevers BV
Photographs by Oof Verschuren

Cover 2018 Abrams

Published in 2018 by Abrams, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Abrams books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.

Abrams is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

ABRAMS The Art of Books
195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
abramsbooks.com

Indeed, reader, here it is: a comprehensive Christmas cookbook by Van Boven! Most of the questions you sent me are about hosting dinner parties. How to plan them. What to cook when youre having more than four guests. How much can be prepared in advance in order to avoid losing control during the evening. How to prevent a total panic attack.

Throughout the years, Ive written tons of winter holiday recipes and stress-prevention tips for all sorts of magazines and newspapers. Therefore I figured it would be a good idea to bundle them together into a book, providing you with an easy-to-use overview.

It was when composing Home Sweet Home, my book on Irish comfort food, that I discovered just how many holiday recipes I had written. The Irish and I are avid celebrators, after all, of Christmas and other occasions. And just like that, my chapter on Christmas grew into a whole separate book.

In this Christmas book I will guide you through the winter holidays. I will give you tips on how to prevent things from getting out of hand and how to avoid panicking. I will give you easy, foolproof recipes that can be prepared ahead of time so that you too can be merry while hosting your dinner. Whenever possible the recipe directions are divided into pre-preparation and preparation parts, so you know in advance what youre up against. Often all that is needed before serving is some reheating or the sophisticated placement of a sprig of parsley. You can do this. I will even throw in a stack of menus so you dont have to worry about those, either.

Perhaps you will be celebrating your first romantic Christmas with the love of your life. Maybe you are hosting your in-laws, with all your cousins, nephews, and nieces in tow. Whatever your situation, we will come up with a workable plan, making sure you have everything you need to pull this off.

And... if you dont celebrate Christmas but simply feel like having a cozy winter dinner, this book will come in very handy as well.

Be merry,

X YVETTE

Each recipe serves four, unless otherwise noted. Christmas dinner parties tend to be large, so you will also find recipes that serve many more. When cooking for fewer guests, you can halve the amounts... or eat your meal two days in a row. Simple as that.

1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 coffee spoon = 7 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml

Each oven has its own baking characteristics. Some get hotter, others are slower. It could be that your oven takes longer or shorter than the baking times I use in the recipes. These baking times are therefore guidelines. So by all means, rely on your own experience with your own oven and always use an oven thermometer.

Home made broth is always the best choice, so I wont be repeating this in every recipe. Any dish, no matter how simple, will greatly benefit from the rich and intense flavor of a home-brewed broth. Bouillon cubes or canned or boxed broth make for an easy substituteof course I understand that not everyone has the time to make their own brothbut they arent the most flavorful solution. Therefore I use cubes sparingly and always make sure to freeze my home made broth in small portions. Besides, you cant beat the smell of a pot of broth gently simmering on the stove. Its the easiest way to make use of that chicken carcass, along with leftover celeriac, carrots, and leeks from the fridge.

You can find several broth recipes in the Basics section ().

I prefer to use large eggs. Organic farm eggs can vary widely in size. If you are afraid your eggs are too small, simply use two instead of one. Not having enough egg in a recipe can really make a difference.

I prefer to use whole milk. The high fat percentage is where the flavor is.

I use flavorful, good-quality olive oil, usually extra virgin, for finishing. I also use it for cooking, because I can taste it in the final dish. Ive stopped specifying it in my ingredient lists. Unless stated otherwise, olive oil means intense, extra-virgin oil of prime quality.

I used to be much stricter and consistently added organic to the meats in my ingredient lists. Today I feel that people should make their own decisions about the meat they buy. Anyway, not everyone shares my ideals andyes, I knoworganic meat is way more expensive. I go by the maxim: Eat less meat, and if you do eat it, buy organic meat from animals that had a decent life. Thats how I do it. Better for the animals and for our planet. In this book I will give you many vegetarian recipes or suggestions for where you can omit the meat.

Make lists, at least two to three days in advance, preferably even earlier. Not only for the groceries but also for the menu. What will you prepare beforehand and what will you finish on the evening itself? This will prevent that moment of realization the minute your guests have finished their plates: Oh! I forgot to add the... !