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Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities
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Nigella Christmas
Lawson, Nigella/ Parsons, Lis (PHT)
Renouf Pub Co Ltd
Publication 2008/11/11
Number of 277
Binding HARDCOVER
Library of oc2008113525
Nigella Christmas
Lawson, Nigella/ Parsons, Lis (PHT)
Renouf Pub Co Ltd
Publication 2008/11/11
Number of 277
Binding HARDCOVER
Library of oc2008113525
277 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2008
160 people are currently reading
2424 people want to read
About the author
Nigella Lawson
46 books978 followersNigella Lawson is the daughter of former Conservative cabinet minister Nigel Lawson (now Lord Lawson) and the late Vanessa Salmon, socialite and heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, who died of liver cancer in 1985. Lawson attended Godolphin and Latymer School and Westminster School before graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages.
Lawson wrote a restaurant column for the Spectator and a comment column for The Observer and became deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times in 1986. She became, among other things, a newspaper-reviewer on BBC1 Sunday-morning TV programme 'Breakfast with Frost'. She has also co-hosted, with David Aaronovitch, Channel 4 books discussion programme 'Booked' in the late 1990s, and was an occasional compere of BBC2's press review 'What the Papers Say', as well as appearing on BBC radio.
Following slots as a culinary sidekick on Nigel Slater's 'Real Food Show' on Channel 4, she has fronted three eponymous TV cookery series broadcast in the UK on the channel. She has had two series of 'Nigella Bites' in 1999-2001, plus a 2001 Christmas special, and 'Forever Summer with Nigella' in 2002, both of which yielded accompanying recipe books. Her style of presentation is often gently mocked by comedians and commentators, particularly in a regularly-occurring impersonation of her in the BBC television comedy series 'Dead Ringers', who perceive that she plays overtly upon her attractiveness and sexuality as a device to engage viewers of her cookery programmes, despite Lawson's repeated denials that she does so.
She was voted author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards. More than 2 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide.
Lawson wrote a restaurant column for the Spectator and a comment column for The Observer and became deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times in 1986. She became, among other things, a newspaper-reviewer on BBC1 Sunday-morning TV programme 'Breakfast with Frost'. She has also co-hosted, with David Aaronovitch, Channel 4 books discussion programme 'Booked' in the late 1990s, and was an occasional compere of BBC2's press review 'What the Papers Say', as well as appearing on BBC radio.
Following slots as a culinary sidekick on Nigel Slater's 'Real Food Show' on Channel 4, she has fronted three eponymous TV cookery series broadcast in the UK on the channel. She has had two series of 'Nigella Bites' in 1999-2001, plus a 2001 Christmas special, and 'Forever Summer with Nigella' in 2002, both of which yielded accompanying recipe books. Her style of presentation is often gently mocked by comedians and commentators, particularly in a regularly-occurring impersonation of her in the BBC television comedy series 'Dead Ringers', who perceive that she plays overtly upon her attractiveness and sexuality as a device to engage viewers of her cookery programmes, despite Lawson's repeated denials that she does so.
She was voted author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards. More than 2 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
February 24, 2018
In which Nigella wraps her mouth-hole around the impossible task of cooking everything that begins with an 'F' in a demented Scrabble instruction manual.
Her Furby recipe is to die for, but her attempt to BBQ the cast of Friends leads to multiple lawsuits.
It's a frankly filthy first-hand account of her failure to firmly grasp reality.
Her Furby recipe is to die for, but her attempt to BBQ the cast of Friends leads to multiple lawsuits.
It's a frankly filthy first-hand account of her failure to firmly grasp reality.
December 20, 2008
Just in time for Christmas, Nigella Lawson has brought us a wonderful Christmas gift in her new cookbook Nigella Christmas. First I have to say this is a beautiful book. The photography is absolutely amazing. To tell you the truth I could just look at the pictures over and over again and be happy. They are bright and vibrant and there are so many of them and of all kinds of things, not only food. She has pictures of her table, of gifts, of herself and her kids and a lot of other little things. There is also a green ribbon marker to bookmark your place which I think is another really special touch.
Nigella is another favorite of mine. I find her to have a 'real' personality when I watch her on tv. In other words, I don't feel she is acting her way through. I love how easy she seems in the kitchen and how un-fussy she is about things. I get a huge kick out of her night time visits to the fridge for a snack.
This cookbook certainly hasn't disappointed me. As I said the pictures alone are amazing but the recipes are great too. Granted, most of this food is very holiday'ish and if you are anything like me and ate this rich food everyday, the hips would be continuing their outward journey. Really though, the majority of these recipes can be made at any time of the year, not just Christmas and any recipe can be altered with lower fat ingredients if you wish. This, however, is a Christmas cookbook and the season itself calls for indulgences. In the middle of the book she has a huge Main Event section that deals only with the Christmas meal. There is even a schedule on how she handles Christmas Eve and Day and also alternatives to the traditional turkey if you're looking for that.
This cookbook reads like a novel. She has a great intro where she tells us of her own thoughts on the Christmas season and each recipe has a short section telling us about it which is really interesting. The book is in sections such as cocktails & canapes, stress free suppers (to help before the Main Event hits), baking, and one of my favorites-edible gifts. It's always nice to receive a nice jar of vanilla sugar or a chutney wrapped up beautifully as a gift. All the recipes have make ahead tips and others with tips for freezing so if you were really organized you could really get yourself prepared early for Christmas and really be stress free which is Nigella's goal throughout this book
I really love this cookbook and it would make such a great Christmas gift for the cook or aspiring cook on your list. It's a beautiful book, full of great recipes to really get you into the Christmas spirit this year and every year. This book was released by Random House on November 11.
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspo...
Nigella is another favorite of mine. I find her to have a 'real' personality when I watch her on tv. In other words, I don't feel she is acting her way through. I love how easy she seems in the kitchen and how un-fussy she is about things. I get a huge kick out of her night time visits to the fridge for a snack.
This cookbook certainly hasn't disappointed me. As I said the pictures alone are amazing but the recipes are great too. Granted, most of this food is very holiday'ish and if you are anything like me and ate this rich food everyday, the hips would be continuing their outward journey. Really though, the majority of these recipes can be made at any time of the year, not just Christmas and any recipe can be altered with lower fat ingredients if you wish. This, however, is a Christmas cookbook and the season itself calls for indulgences. In the middle of the book she has a huge Main Event section that deals only with the Christmas meal. There is even a schedule on how she handles Christmas Eve and Day and also alternatives to the traditional turkey if you're looking for that.
This cookbook reads like a novel. She has a great intro where she tells us of her own thoughts on the Christmas season and each recipe has a short section telling us about it which is really interesting. The book is in sections such as cocktails & canapes, stress free suppers (to help before the Main Event hits), baking, and one of my favorites-edible gifts. It's always nice to receive a nice jar of vanilla sugar or a chutney wrapped up beautifully as a gift. All the recipes have make ahead tips and others with tips for freezing so if you were really organized you could really get yourself prepared early for Christmas and really be stress free which is Nigella's goal throughout this book
I really love this cookbook and it would make such a great Christmas gift for the cook or aspiring cook on your list. It's a beautiful book, full of great recipes to really get you into the Christmas spirit this year and every year. This book was released by Random House on November 11.
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspo...
November 28, 2020
I adore this woman for so many reasons, but one quite important one is that, with this book, I’ve been able to create my own holiday traditions with my family. The cranberry mincemeat pies are essential for my Christmas, and yet it took me a few years before I made the bourbon butter that accompanies them. Together they are a life-changer. I’ve created food to give as gifts which by this point my family is obsessed with, and everything from Christmas morning (cheese and onion strata, anti-oxidant fruit salad, spruced up vanilla or spiced cake) to Christmas Eve geese (their fat is amazing with the roasted potatoes, though if you skip it can’t find goose grease, duck fat works exceptionally too. The potatoes cooked in goose fat are the #1 most requested dish from my entire extended family years in), or the standing rib roast with port and Stilton gravy...,to simple chocolate shortbread cookies that stay insanely moist even when left out for days...I could write a treatise on how much I love this book, but it would be a better use of your time to simply buy it yourself and dive on in. You won’t be disappointed.
April 21, 2025
Yes. I am reading this out of season.... it's the only time you can get it from the library. I really picked it up to get the Sticky Gingerbread recipe because I saw it on the tv show. But there is other good stuff in here, perfect roast potatoes, chocolate Christmas pudding with hot chocolate sauce, Christmas spiced chocolate cake, and pumpkin pancakes. Shouldn't be too hard to GF these recipes....
August 28, 2013
I wheel this out every year around October time to start my Christmas chutneys, then I move on to the Christmas cake in November. The gingerbread recipe is a tried and tested Christmas Eve favourite to make with the kids and my Christmas dinner veggies come from here. The piece de resistance is the Cranberry sauce that I make copious quantities of to give to loved ones each year. Perfection.
July 26, 2018
A coffee-table volume to dream over, and maybe cook from.
I say "maybe" not because the recipes inside aren't wonderful. They are. Every last thing in this book looks tasty and worth making, even if you're not normally adventurous in the kitchen. However, the ingredients are hard to get, and spendy to boot, so unless you're the kind of person who just regularly puts edible gold dust on cookies, or actually owns a fir-tree Bundt pan (or is willing and able to shell out for one), this is going to be a fun fantasy read and not an actual cookbook.
Which is fine. It's good to have dreams. Everybody who celebrates Christmas has an idealized picture in their head of what it should look like, and Nigella's set of holiday fantasies is so cozy, it hurts. Cocktails, appetizers, gorgeous complete feasts, desserts, a Christmas brunch: this is glorious excess at its best, lovingly illustrated with gorgeous photographs. The most accessible chapter is the one on homemade food gifts, because most people with even a modicum of kitchen confidence could easily make them. Everything else, however, is pretty much a dare: out-Christmas me, you bloody Yankees! Go on and try!
A warning to sober folks: there's a LOT of booze in this cookbook, and I'm not even talking about the drinks section because it has plenty of mocktails for you. No, just about every last recipe in this book requires adding some sort of alcohol, so if you're one of those people who won't even cook with liquor, you're SOL (I know, there are substitutions, but what a pain in the ass, especially since Lawson doesn't provide alternatives - you have to be one of those people who already knows what to swap out for vodka or vermouth).
To sum up, if you're REALLY determined to stress yourself out and have THE most lavish Christmas ever, not just once, but EVERY FREAKING YEAR, you should buy this cookbook (and may the gods have mercy on your soul). Everybody else should just go to the library, check this out, and spend a pleasant afternoon (preferably one in July) drooling and dreaming (Lawson's accompanying essays are quite charming). This is an essential purchase for all cookery collections in communities where Christmas is celebrated.
I say "maybe" not because the recipes inside aren't wonderful. They are. Every last thing in this book looks tasty and worth making, even if you're not normally adventurous in the kitchen. However, the ingredients are hard to get, and spendy to boot, so unless you're the kind of person who just regularly puts edible gold dust on cookies, or actually owns a fir-tree Bundt pan (or is willing and able to shell out for one), this is going to be a fun fantasy read and not an actual cookbook.
Which is fine. It's good to have dreams. Everybody who celebrates Christmas has an idealized picture in their head of what it should look like, and Nigella's set of holiday fantasies is so cozy, it hurts. Cocktails, appetizers, gorgeous complete feasts, desserts, a Christmas brunch: this is glorious excess at its best, lovingly illustrated with gorgeous photographs. The most accessible chapter is the one on homemade food gifts, because most people with even a modicum of kitchen confidence could easily make them. Everything else, however, is pretty much a dare: out-Christmas me, you bloody Yankees! Go on and try!
A warning to sober folks: there's a LOT of booze in this cookbook, and I'm not even talking about the drinks section because it has plenty of mocktails for you. No, just about every last recipe in this book requires adding some sort of alcohol, so if you're one of those people who won't even cook with liquor, you're SOL (I know, there are substitutions, but what a pain in the ass, especially since Lawson doesn't provide alternatives - you have to be one of those people who already knows what to swap out for vodka or vermouth).
To sum up, if you're REALLY determined to stress yourself out and have THE most lavish Christmas ever, not just once, but EVERY FREAKING YEAR, you should buy this cookbook (and may the gods have mercy on your soul). Everybody else should just go to the library, check this out, and spend a pleasant afternoon (preferably one in July) drooling and dreaming (Lawson's accompanying essays are quite charming). This is an essential purchase for all cookery collections in communities where Christmas is celebrated.
December 29, 2023
This was a delightful companion during Advent/Christmas. You'll find as much ruby red in this book as you will pink in the movie Barbie.
The recipes didn't thrill, but I don't read Nigella for recipes; her gorgeous writing is what grips me. Her literary pièce de résistance was calling "Christmas lunch the lynchpin of the year." Another joy: "descanted carols," a cousin to decanted wine.
There were pages of recipes that require dried fruit. ::shudder:: Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, fruitcake, mince pie, chutney. Oh, no thanks, I'm good.
However. The Girdlebuster Pie wins the day. The Best Recipe Title Ever. And gorgeous! I dismissed it as a diabetic coma to come. But when I showed the photo to Curt his eyes got glossy and round and wistful. I found the recipe online and bookmarked it for that future day when we are all insulin sensitive.
The one drink I made, a Poinsettia (sparkling wine, triple sec, and cranberry juice), while winsome in the crystal, only garnered an 'okay' on taste. I think the bubbles were overwhelmed with the flat additions.
More than anything, I love the Nigella Vibe.
☼ And this time of year, above all, should be about relaxed expansiveness, about succor as well as celebration.
☼ I'm very happy to have company while I'm pottering stoveside.
☼ What is the use of fabulous food and blip-free efficiency if everyone is cowed into misery by the stress you give off?
☼ If a meal isn't worth making a special effort for now, when is it?
The recipes didn't thrill, but I don't read Nigella for recipes; her gorgeous writing is what grips me. Her literary pièce de résistance was calling "Christmas lunch the lynchpin of the year." Another joy: "descanted carols," a cousin to decanted wine.
There were pages of recipes that require dried fruit. ::shudder:: Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, fruitcake, mince pie, chutney. Oh, no thanks, I'm good.
However. The Girdlebuster Pie wins the day. The Best Recipe Title Ever. And gorgeous! I dismissed it as a diabetic coma to come. But when I showed the photo to Curt his eyes got glossy and round and wistful. I found the recipe online and bookmarked it for that future day when we are all insulin sensitive.
The one drink I made, a Poinsettia (sparkling wine, triple sec, and cranberry juice), while winsome in the crystal, only garnered an 'okay' on taste. I think the bubbles were overwhelmed with the flat additions.
More than anything, I love the Nigella Vibe.
☼ And this time of year, above all, should be about relaxed expansiveness, about succor as well as celebration.
☼ I'm very happy to have company while I'm pottering stoveside.
☼ What is the use of fabulous food and blip-free efficiency if everyone is cowed into misery by the stress you give off?
☼ If a meal isn't worth making a special effort for now, when is it?
December 6, 2017
Wie: Nigella Lawson, de queen bee van de Britse tv-koks.
Wat: Tijd om het elf maanden oude stof van je rendierdiadeem te blazen. Nigella's kerst barst van de tips voor een kerstdis op z'n Brits.
Waarom: Maak de weg vrij voor Nigelliaanse porties gedroogd fruit, kaneel en kalkoen. Als Nigella kookt, is alles vol: van de melk tot en met de goesting waarmee ze aan het fornuis staat. Haar tv-programma's krijgen steevast het etiket culinaire pornografie. Zwoel kijken en lippen tuiten kan ze als de beste. Maar wie of wat probeert ze te verleiden? Mijn gok: niet de kijker, maar de ingrediënten.
Nigella wordt lyrisch van een geslaagde stoofpot of taart. Klinkt dat herkenbaar? Laten we eerlijk zijn: koken is leuk, eten is beter. En dat heeft Nigella als geen ander begrepen. In haar kookboeken vind je hartige recepten, mooie plaatjes en verrukkelijke bindteksten. Tijdens het koken lijkt het of je gezellig met Nigella een praatje aan het maken bent. Voor je het weet sta je te knipogen naar de klomp boter in je pan.
Mijn 3 favoriete recepten:
Visgratin met peterselie
Tiramisutaart
Cubaanse kuursoep van zwarte bonen
Wat: Tijd om het elf maanden oude stof van je rendierdiadeem te blazen. Nigella's kerst barst van de tips voor een kerstdis op z'n Brits.
Waarom: Maak de weg vrij voor Nigelliaanse porties gedroogd fruit, kaneel en kalkoen. Als Nigella kookt, is alles vol: van de melk tot en met de goesting waarmee ze aan het fornuis staat. Haar tv-programma's krijgen steevast het etiket culinaire pornografie. Zwoel kijken en lippen tuiten kan ze als de beste. Maar wie of wat probeert ze te verleiden? Mijn gok: niet de kijker, maar de ingrediënten.
Nigella wordt lyrisch van een geslaagde stoofpot of taart. Klinkt dat herkenbaar? Laten we eerlijk zijn: koken is leuk, eten is beter. En dat heeft Nigella als geen ander begrepen. In haar kookboeken vind je hartige recepten, mooie plaatjes en verrukkelijke bindteksten. Tijdens het koken lijkt het of je gezellig met Nigella een praatje aan het maken bent. Voor je het weet sta je te knipogen naar de klomp boter in je pan.
Mijn 3 favoriete recepten:
Visgratin met peterselie
Tiramisutaart
Cubaanse kuursoep van zwarte bonen
November 7, 2017
This was a shelving checkout at the library. I enjoyed it quite a bit, as I am getting in the mood for the Yule season. Our family doesn't really celebrate the faux before the slaughter holiday that is known as Thanksgiving. I like the idea of our family being together and celebrating being grateful and being under the same roof but that can be at any time. Anywho, I digress. I like the layout and the recipes although I have yet to try any. Got sick right before I was going to make the gingerbread. As it was for mass consumption at the library, I decided to forgo infecting my friends with consumption. (Actually hoof and mouth.)
After reading other reviews, I have requested it again because I did not read the text as well as I should have. And on layout, pics of food, five stars. Pics of people (I include pets in this category), more children and that adorable dog, way less of Nigella looking oh so festive in red, please.
After reading other reviews, I have requested it again because I did not read the text as well as I should have. And on layout, pics of food, five stars. Pics of people (I include pets in this category), more children and that adorable dog, way less of Nigella looking oh so festive in red, please.
October 7, 2018
Christmas ready
I am a recent convert to Nigella’s cookery, and am so looking forward to trying some of these recipes this coming Christmas. Her writing style makes it all seem so easy, so fingers crossed ;-)
I am a recent convert to Nigella’s cookery, and am so looking forward to trying some of these recipes this coming Christmas. Her writing style makes it all seem so easy, so fingers crossed ;-)
December 26, 2020
As ever Nigella has wrapped me up in her wondrous text around her simply superb offerings in this beautiful book of Christmas delights. I’ve used so many to enrich my table this festive year at home.
December 16, 2021
Some fun ideas for food gifts, a nice tone about holiday prep, and some nice menus, with one nod to a vegetarian dish and a couple gluten free. I don’t cook this way, because we don’t eat this kind of food, but still a decent read. Lots of pretty color pictures.
December 29, 2025
Not only are Nigella’s recipes great, her writing style is so personable, it’s like having a chat with a friend. No pomp or highfaluting language or terminology, with alternative options for ingredients and tools.
August 15, 2017
Wonderful love, love this book
November 4, 2017
I’ve dog eared so many pages so that it’s easy to get straight to some of these easy recipes each and every Christmas!
December 26, 2017
I read this almost every Christmas. Love her.
December 28, 2017
I love Nigella and all her cookbooks! This one I enjoyed reading about all the Christmas recipes and traditions.
July 17, 2018
Well used every year
September 8, 2018
Good Christmas recipes but have used some of them year round.
All have been devoured very quickly!
All have been devoured very quickly!
November 5, 2018
My annual check out of the library book for her wonderful Christmas Cake recipe and cocktails. This year paying special attention to the roast goose recipe!
December 7, 2019
Always a good resource for the holidays, with Nigella's typically fabulous descripors and recipes both easy and more complicated.
November 17, 2020
This is a great cookbook, that’s bursting with Nigella’s personality. The recipes are versatile and approachable, while her writing makes you feel as if you are part of the family.
December 9, 2020
Boy, there's booze in every recipe.
December 28, 2022
Gorgeous book with plenty of inspiration for cooking during the holidays.
December 19, 2023
3.5 ⭐️.
July 21, 2025
Lovely read and I.spiration for Christmas menus
January 6, 2026
Lots of delicious recipes.
December 30, 2020
One of my favourite Christmas cooking books, with Nigella's particular take on the season. Doesn't have every recipe I'm looking for, but has some good ones. Another book to dip into every Yule.
August 13, 2016
"Nigella Christmas" is such a gorgeous book. It truly is one of those cookbooks that looks good enough to eat! The introduction is interesting, informative, and unexpected--combining ancient holiday customs with modern awareness and sensibility. Being a watcher of TV's "Nigella Feasts", I am familiar with the author's speaking voice and persona. I could distinctly "hear" her speaking the introduction while I read it, and that made the words even more enjoyable. Nigella Lawson's food is sumptuous, even voluptuous, but still "do-able". She never skimps on anything, but nothing is ever elaborate or overly-complex. Simply superb! The very first recipe in the book is a cocktail called "Poinsettia"--pretty, pleasing, and potent. Only three ingredients: Prosecco, Grand Marnier, and cranberry juice. Now, that's the spirit! The appetizers run the gamut from savory to sweet. Another simple recipe with only three ingredients: "Party Parma Ham Bundles"--prosciutto is wrapped around bite-sized morsels of goat's cheese and figs. Imagine that trio of flavors in each nibble! Nigella states that while she "can't fashion wreaths or fold napkins", she does have a knack for making relishes and chutneys. How lovely to make a midnight kitchen raid, snag the last homemade roll with a slice of ham or turkey and top it with a dollop of relish or chutney! The "Three Seasonal Salads" with their unique and colorful uses of ravishing red fruits and vegetables make you want to take your fork to the page. Special mention must be made of the cakes. Definitely cakes to give to "the person who has everything". Give them one of these cakes, and they could ask for nothing more. There are many, many more wonderful recipes including main dishes, sides, sweets, and treats that are too tempting to limit just to the holidays. Throughout all, there is a true sense of the author's own belief that festive indulgence is not a bad thing, but a celebration of being alive and an affirmation of what is important in life. A belief in hearth and home and adhering to ritual and tradition when the world around us is so unsettling and uncertain. As Nigella says: "The Christmas rituals of the home are, even if not based around faith, essentially an act of good faith." A well-said and well-represented sentiment presented in a gorgeous gift of a book.
Review Copy Gratis Hyperion Books
Review Copy Gratis Hyperion Books
Read
November 27, 2010I love listening to Nigella Lawson when she is an occasional guest on NPR; I imagine many tv-watching cooks enjoy her program on the Food Network as well. Her down-to-earth approach to cooking and entertaining, and her self-admitted indulgent love of eating are as apparent in her cookbooks as they are in her media appearances. Nigella Christmas, published late last year, is a prime example.
Lawson’s approach to Christmas is a secular one that revels in hospitality, gift-giving, celebration, and sharing food with others. There are recipes for old standards and menu plans for groups of six to sixteen. There are lots of make-ahead tips, suggestions for leftovers, and edible presents to make and give. This is not a cookbook with nutritional information after each recipe, but when the dish is called Girdlebuster Pie, do you really need the numbers?
The chapter on desserts (titled “Joy to the World”–if I wasn’t hooked already, this would have done it) includes recipes for a yule log, fruitcakes, and mini minced pies. Three pages are devoted to her Christmas pudding alone.
What I liked best about the book was her commentary about the special joys and burdens of entertaining at holiday time. For instance, she makes a pitch for inviting new friends to Christmas dinner because of “the stabilizing effect of the stranger factor: someone with whom your family doesn’t quite feel at home enough to behave badly.” Lawson does a good job of suggesting ways to mitigate the stress of entertaining at Christmas–a holiday that seems to come with heightened expectations and traditions that cannot be forfeited. I know I’ll never pull off the “Main Event” Christmas dinner she describes, but her book definitely puts me in the mood for celebrating the holiday with food, friends and family. (The recipe for Girdlebuster Pie is on page 87.) --Heidi
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
Lawson’s approach to Christmas is a secular one that revels in hospitality, gift-giving, celebration, and sharing food with others. There are recipes for old standards and menu plans for groups of six to sixteen. There are lots of make-ahead tips, suggestions for leftovers, and edible presents to make and give. This is not a cookbook with nutritional information after each recipe, but when the dish is called Girdlebuster Pie, do you really need the numbers?
The chapter on desserts (titled “Joy to the World”–if I wasn’t hooked already, this would have done it) includes recipes for a yule log, fruitcakes, and mini minced pies. Three pages are devoted to her Christmas pudding alone.
What I liked best about the book was her commentary about the special joys and burdens of entertaining at holiday time. For instance, she makes a pitch for inviting new friends to Christmas dinner because of “the stabilizing effect of the stranger factor: someone with whom your family doesn’t quite feel at home enough to behave badly.” Lawson does a good job of suggesting ways to mitigate the stress of entertaining at Christmas–a holiday that seems to come with heightened expectations and traditions that cannot be forfeited. I know I’ll never pull off the “Main Event” Christmas dinner she describes, but her book definitely puts me in the mood for celebrating the holiday with food, friends and family. (The recipe for Girdlebuster Pie is on page 87.) --Heidi
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews