With the festive season approaching during this unusual year, hosts and attendees are considering how to balance festivities and holiday cheer with quite the opposite force: COVID-19. For housewives, the impact is really felt at the heart of the meal: menu planning.
Passing around dishes and bottles, encouraging everyone to tuck in, is one of the most natural instincts at Christmas. Unfortunately, they are also ideal for fuelling the pandemic. Reining in holiday spending may be the absolute last thing people want to do, but during pandemic-related financial struggles, scaling back is a necessity. Consider these creative solutions and smart tips by our culinary expert Dushanthi Madanayake while planning this year’s feast.
“The meaning of Christmas has changed many times throughout the years. Christmas can mean a million different things, depending on who you ask. To some, Christmas is a time of celebration where families come together. A Christmas meal is one of the best ways to celebrate the holidays. Regardless of our theological viewpoint, I believe the true reason for the season is family. Families and friends coming together has always been a staple of the holiday. I find that amazing things happen when people are possessed with the holiday spirit,” Madanayake opined.
She notes that this year’s Christmas festivities are likely to be very different from those of previous years. The whole world is bearing the brunt of the pandemic today. A lot of people have lost their loved ones and thousands more have lost their jobs.
“Christmas is the festival of love and appreciation. It is better to have as little contact as possible during this challenging time to avoid the likelihood of infection. It is also important to help the people who are going through hardships during this period. Such actions will make your Christmas more meaningful,” she stressed.
Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner is one of the most stressful meals to prepare. Some start the process a few months, weeks or even days in advance. The actual meal consumed varies in different parts of the world with regional cuisines and local traditions. A traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables such as carrots, turnip, parsnips, etc. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham are also used. For dessert, pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are the staple.
In countries without a lengthy Christian tradition, the Christmas meal may be more heavily influenced by popular culture. People experiment and create new dishes according to their tradition and culture. For example the traditional Christmas meal in the UK consists of turkey as the main dish whereas duck or roast pork is considered as the main dish in Denmark.
“People even change some traditional recipes if they don’t have access to certain ingredients. For Christmas cakes, and generally for most cakes, some nuts can be substituted and some can’t. If the recipe for the cake includes ground almonds or other ground nuts mixed into the batter, then it is difficult to substitute these as the nuts add moisture to the baked cake. Substituting flour could leave you with a dry cake. However, these nuts can be substituted with dried fruits, glace cherries or other glace fruits instead,” she revealed.
Shopping and cooking these days is requiring a lot more creativity. Whether you are staring at picked-over grocery store shelves, making the best of what your food delivery brought you or trying to cook with just what’s in your pantry, odds are you may not have every ingredient a recipe calls for. Learning to adapt and to accept that will not only serve you well during these challenging times, but also any other time you step into the kitchen.
“You have to be open right away to changing, and I think people are these days. Replacing flavours according to your taste and need is necessary not only in the event of lacking ingredients or pricing, but also for health benefits as well. For instance the wheat flour we use to make all types of breads could be replaced by whole grain flour,” Madanayake said.
She notes that food is a strong memory trigger. Many memories that are made are actually made around food - especially in festive seasons like this.
Four main parts
“When you ask someone about their Christmas, food is usually at the top of the list. Many housewives face a lot of stress in the kitchen on deciding what dishes to make for family, guests and friends. I think it is easy if we could break them down to four main parts: starter, main dish, side dishes and desserts. We could serve two starters (corn dip, cheese platter), one main dish (turkey/chicken/ham), about three to four side dishes (stuffing, roast potatoes, green bean casserole, roasted vegetables) depending on your preference. Add two types of dessert choices (puddings and pies) to the list,” she advised.
What we eat and drink can change throughout the year and for events, seasons and special occasions. Tasty treats tend to appear more often at work and festive gatherings. As the holidays approach, it is important to think ahead and make a plan.
“Consider your health goals for the holiday season, whether it is avoiding overeating, staying active, connecting with others, reducing stress, or preventing weight gain. Around the holidays, we often find ourselves with too many food options, for too many days in a row. It can be challenging to decide what to eat and when to say no. You can plan to make time for buying healthy groceries, cooking at home, and scheduling regular physical activity. Support your family and friends, too. Encourage them to eat healthy during celebrations and throughout the year. If you are serving dinner, consider baking, broiling, or grilling food instead of frying. Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, and mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower,” Madanayake said.
She points out that quick food has gained popularity. This omits the need of preparing home cooked eatables. This might seem convenient for those who do not have time to prepare food at home, but the health hazards are even greater. The obesity rate is skyrocketing in western countries and more people, these days, are suffering from health-related issues.
“Today there are various gadgets available to help housewives prepare food easily. This is a leap towards a modern life where foods can be prepared virtually anywhere and in a few minutes. The latest technology has undeniably improved the quality of an individual’s living standard but not without a cost. To make the best of this development, we have to avoid junk food but prepare more nutritious food at home,” she mused.
Beverages
Queried on what kind of beverages are suitable for the season, Madanayake says Eggnog, Wassail, Fruit Punch (non-alcoholic), Hot Toddy and English Christmas Punch are ideal.
“Take four large eggs and separate the whites. In a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer still running, slowly add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently pour the egg whites into a different bowl and set aside. In the same mixing bowl used for the egg whites, place the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar. Beat the mixture until the sugar completely dissolves and the yolks lighten in colour. Add two cups whole milk, one cup heavy cream, liquor (¼ cup brandy or bourbon and ¼ cup dark rum, ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Beat on LOW until well combined, about one minute. With the mixer on FOLD, add the beaten egg whites. Place in an airtight, glass container and chill several hours, overnight or even up to one year. Research has proven traditional eggnog is best served aged 1 to 3 weeks. When ready to serve, fill a cocktail glass 2/3rd full, grate a little fresh nutmeg on top and serve. Traditional eggnog is made with liquor, but it is still delicious without liquor. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract and an additional 1/2 cup milk or cream if you prefer not to add liquor,” she said.
With going vegetarian or vegan being the current trend Madanayake instructs that one can include delicacies like vegetarian / vegan mashed potatoes, vegan stuffing, vegetarian / vegan green bean casserole, roasted brussels sprouts, vegan chili, fresh cranberry relish, vegan sweet potato pie / vegan pumpkin pie and vegan cheesecake to the menu.
Passion
Madanayake’s passion for baking and cake decorating comes from her mother, Helen Madanayake. While pursuing higher education in the USA, she had enrolled in her first Wilton Cake Decorating class in 2006 and completed all four diplomas, master course and had grasped the intricate art of cake decorating and designs to be qualified as a Wilton method instructor in the USA. Completing her higher education in Business Management from Wichita State University, USA, she established White Flower Cakes and Weddings (Pvt) Ltd. Armed with more than 20 years of experience in the field of sugar art and confectionary, she also conducts an academy for cake artistry teaching and demonstrating for Instructors, pastry chefs, business owners, bakery personnel, career enthusiasts and youth who wish to make career path in the field of sugar art and confectionary. She has been featured in several newspapers and magazines and hosts numerous TV programmes.
“It is important that we connect and assure each other that no one is alone during these tiring times. There are many ways in which one can be with friends and family while following safety guidelines. Try to meet and greet friends online, send wishes on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or whatever way you choose before Christmas and New Year dawns. Let us celebrate this season by staying safe. May this season bring love and happiness into your life. Wish you and your family a Merry Christmas filled with good health, love and joy!” she concluded with a smile.
