Christmas special: our 20 festive recipes, from St Nicholas' Day to Christmas Eve

A Belgian Christmas, without the rush

A good festive meal isn't necessarily complicated. It's mostly a matter oforganisation : what you prepare the day before, what bakes in the oven while you raise a glass, and what gets finished at the last minute. Each recipe in this guide tells you exactly what to do in advance and which settings settings to use on your oven or hob.

Starters

A festive starter should be made ahead: the foie gras rests two days in the fridge, the croquettes are breaded the day before, and the soup reheats in five minutes on induction.

RecipeBrown shrimp croquettes: the true Belgian recipe, crisp and creamyThe shrimp croquette is the pride of the Belgian coast and the star starter of the holidays. Outside, a golden crumb that crunches. Inside, a creamy filling packed with grey shrimp. Homemade, it has nothing to do with the supermarket version. The secret comes down to three words: prepare the day before. Here is the method, in the deep fryer or in the oven on air fry mode.1 h · Medium · 6 pers.RecipeHomemade foie gras mi-cuit: the Christmas terrine, set to the degreeMaking your own foie gras is simpler than you think, and much cheaper than a caterer's terrine. Everything hinges on one number: the core temperature. With a low-temperature oven or a steam oven, and a probe, you get a pink, melting terrine with no fat lost. And it can be prepared several days before Christmas Eve.1 h 35 · Medium · 10 pers.RecipeBaked scallops au gratin: the festive starter, tender and goldenGratinated scallops are the starter that always makes an impression on the Christmas table. A fondue of leeks, a creamy white wine sauce, scallops just pearly and a golden crust. The pitfall? Overcooked scallops that turn rubbery. With a very hot grill and four minutes of cooking, they stay tender.50 min · Easy · Serves 4RecipeChestnut velouté: an elegant Christmas Eve starter, ready the day beforeSmooth, creamy, with a woodland flavour: chestnut velouté is the perfect Christmas Eve starter. It's made with ready-cooked chestnuts, in a single pan, and it tastes even better when made the day before. On the day, you just reheat it and add a pretty garnish.50 min · Very easy · 6 servings

Mains

Poultry, Ardennes game, veal or fish: there's something for every taste. For large cuts, the meat probe is your best friend: it tells you when the meat is cooked, without opening the door.

RecipeStuffed Christmas turkey with chestnuts: the Christmas recipe, juicy thanks to the probeThe stuffed turkey is the queen of the Christmas Eve feast. It's daunting because people fear it will be dry or undercooked in the middle. With a simple chestnut stuffing, gentle cooking and a probe inserted into the thigh, it comes out of the oven golden and juicy. Here is the method, step by step.4 h · Medium · 10 pers.RecipeOven-roasted capon: tender meat and crisp skinCapon is the festive bird par excellence: fine flesh, marbled with fat, more tender than chicken and easier than turkey. It asks for only one thing: patience. A slow cook, a herb butter slipped under the skin, and a final blast under the grill. Here is how to do it.3 h 05 · Easy · 8 pers.RecipeVenison fillet in grand veneur sauce, poached pears in wine and cranberriesIn Belgium, game from the Ardennes is part of festive meals. Venison fillet is the noblest and simplest cut: you sear it quickly, finish it in the oven and serve it pink. With a grand veneur sauce, pears poached in wine and a spoonful of cranberries, it's the Belgian-style Christmas plate.2 h 10 · Medium · 6 pers.RecipeOrloff roast: veal roast with cheese and bacon, easy and festiveOrloff roast is the roast of family celebrations in Belgium: a veal roast sliced like an accordion, with a slice of cheese and a slice of bacon in each cut. At the table, each portion is already ready. Here is how to make it at home, with a creamy sauce and simple oven settings.1 h 45 · Easy · 6 servingsRecipeDuck breast with cranberries: crisp skin, pink heartQuicker than a turkey and just as festive, duck breast is the Christmas dish for small gatherings. Very crisp skin, pink flesh and a slightly tart cranberry sauce: you only need a pan, a few minutes in the oven and a little patience during the resting.40 min · Medium · 4 servingsRecipeSalmon en croûte with spinach: a crisp pastry, never soggySalmon en croûte always makes an impression on the festive table: a beautiful golden piece sliced in front of the guests, tender salmon and a layer of spinach. The pitfall is soft pastry underneath. With well-squeezed spinach and the right heat from the base, it stays crisp. Here is the method.1 h · Medium · 6 pers.RecipeHomemade vol-au-vent: chicken, meatballs and mushrooms, as in BelgiumIn Belgium, the vol-au-vent is the Sunday dish, of communions and festive meals. Tender chicken, small meatballs, mushrooms and a white sauce brightened with a squeeze of lemon, all in a hot puff pastry case. With chips, it's pure happiness. The recipe takes a bit of time, but it can be entirely prepared the day before.2 h · Easy · 6 servings

Side dishes

Two essentials that are partly prepared ahead: homemade croquettes freeze well, and the gratin dauphinois bakes while the meat rests.

RecipeHomemade potato croquettes: the accompaniment to game, made aheadServed with a civet or a venison fillet, the potato croquette is the quintessential Belgian side dish. Homemade, it's soft at the heart and golden outside, with a true potato flavour. The secret: a very dry mash, so cook the potatoes by steaming. And good news, they freeze: you can prepare them well before the festivities.1 h 35 · Medium · 6 pers.RecipeDauphinoise gratin: melting, golden, and ready before the guests arriveThis is the side dish that pleases everyone, alongside a turkey, a capon or game. A good dauphinoise gratin means melting potatoes in a cream that thickened on its own, and a golden crust. The secret: parboil them in milk before baking. And as a bonus, it can be prepared the day before.1 h 40 · Easy · 6 servings

Desserts

RecipeChocolate Yule log: the sponge roll that doesn't crackThe homemade Yule log is the dessert that makes the biggest impression at the end of the Christmas Eve dinner. It looks complicated, but it rests on three simple things: a sponge that bakes for 8 minutes, a chocolate ganache and rolling while still warm. Here is the method for a soft sponge that won't crack.50 min · Medium · 8 pers.RecipeBaked Alaska (omelette norvégienne): ice cream under golden meringue, the festive showstopper dessertIce cream, well chilled, hidden under a hot, golden meringue: baked Alaska never fails to impress at the end of a meal. Contrary to what you might think, it's a dessert that is almost entirely prepared in advance. The final step, two minutes under the grill, is done just before serving.55 min · Medium · 8 pers.

Saint Nicholas and treats

On 6 December, out come the speculoos. On Christmas morning, the cougnou. And in between, truffles and gingerbread to give as gifts.

RecipeHomemade speculoos for Saint Nicholas Day: crisp, spiced, easyOn 6 December, Saint Nicholas visits Belgian homes and always leaves speculoos behind. Homemade, they fill the whole kitchen with the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar. The dough takes 15 minutes to prepare, rests overnight, and fan-assisted heat lets you bake two trays at once.34 min · Easy · 10 servingsRecipeCougnou: the Belgian Christmas morning brioche, homemadeOn Christmas morning, in Wallonia and Brussels, people dunk their cougnou in hot chocolate. This brioche shaped like a swaddled baby Jesus, with pearl sugar or raisins, is very easy to make at home. It mostly needs time for the dough to rise, and an oven set gently.2 h 55 · Medium · 12 servingsRecipeHomemade chocolate truffles: a smooth ganache made on induction, and a lovely Christmas giftFour ingredients, one saucepan and a little patience in the fridge: chocolate truffles are the simplest Christmas treat to make yourself. The secret lies in a perfectly smooth ganache, gently heated. Here is the step-by-step method, and how to wrap them as gifts.25 min · Easy · 10 servingsRecipeHomemade pain d'épices: soft, honey-scented, and even better three days laterPain d'épices is the smell of December throughout the house. Honey, flour, spices and a slow bake in the oven: the recipe is within everyone's reach. Its little secret? It tastes even better after two or three days, wrapped in a tea towel. Perfect for making ahead of the festivities.1 h 10 · Easy · 10 servings

Three ready-made menus

The planning to cook everything in one oven

The real challenge of the festive dinner is the oven: the turkey, the gratin and the croquettes at the same time simply won't fit. Our guide gives you the cooking order, the planning from D-3 to serving, and the settings to keep dishes warm without drying them out.

Cooking tipA Christmas menu with just one oven: an hour-by-hour plan to serve everything hotA turkey taking up the whole oven, a gratin waiting its turn, toasts to warm and a Yule log to keep cool: on Christmas Eve, the oven becomes the weak link. With a good plan, though, one oven is enough to serve everything hot, without spending the evening in the kitchen. Here is the method, from three days before right through to dessert.7 min read

Which appliance?

For a festive meal, two things really matter: an oven with a cooking probe for large cuts of meat, and a induction hob responsive hob for sauces. Here are the ovens we recommend in store for Christmas dinners.

Our in-store Christmas dinner ovens

SIEMENS HB774G2B1 Built-in Oven€1,229.00Built-in Oven SAMSUNG NV7B45502AB€1,079.00Built-in oven HISENSE BSA66334PX€599.00Built-in Oven HISENSE BSA66334PBDG€849.00Built-in Oven BOSCH HBA274BB3F€809.00Built-in oven WHIRLPOOL WOI68PT1SXAF€1,049.00

The product sheet is the reference for the price, and Nimesclub members often get a reduced price.

Frequently asked questions