The Christmas holidays have a way of not being much of a holiday. At least they don’t feel like that for those of us in the restaurant business or in retail – or both, like me. And I know that they don’t feel like holidays either for whoever it is at home who gets stuck with the job of putting all that food on the table day after day.
Sure, the first dinner gathering of the season is great fun. And whatever effort and time is required, it’s well worth it to have all the family around the table. But by the time Christmas dinner itself actually rolls around, whoever is slogging it in the kitchen will be starting to feel some strain.
I prefer doing something different every year and this time I’ve settled on slow-roasted pork shoulder. It’s a little heavy, so to start I’ll go light with a dish of smoked trout, sliced thin, sprinkled with freshly grated horseradish. Pork shoulder when properly-treated is a great, flavourful cut and I like to make it more so by brining it for a day before I roast it.
This also helps provide the makings of a fantastically tasty gravy. Nothing goes better with that than buttery-mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts with lardon. Finally it wouldn’t be Christmas dinner without a dessert – and what could be more pleasing than a sticky toffee pudding?
Here’s how to make these three great recipes at home:
I hope the recipes I’m sharing for all this work as well for you as they do for me. Best of the season and Happy New Year to all of you!
Celebrity chef Mark McEwan is the force behind some of Toronto’s finest restaurants, including Bymark, North 44 and One Restaurant. His latest venture, McEwan, is a gourmet food market at the Shops at Don Mills.
This Christmas at McEwan we’ll be offering an exceptional oven-ready turkey dinner with all the requisite trimmings and then some. We can prepare a whole bird or even just a couple of portions paired with your selection of first courses, side dishes and desserts plucked from our long and inviting list. All you have to do is warm it up.
