Dear Reader,

Curious, isn’t it, the way we continue to elebrate Christmas in Australia.
Come December – and the official start of summer – shop interiors and department stores are filled with white-bearded Santas and reindeer; cards and Advent calendars depict scenes of snow.  Holly, ivy and mistletoe still deck the halls and snowmen are sold as decorations for fir trees.
Meanwhile the temperature outside has often soared to 35ºC in the shade.
Even more curious is what many of us continue to eat on the day – hot roast turkey, goose or chicken complete with roast vegetables and gravy; steamed hot plum pudding with custard and cream; mince tarts and heavy fruit cake.
Why is it that we still haven’t forged any real traditions of our own (but perhaps that’s a bit like asking why we still have a queen) and continue to slave over a hot stove  murdering the food?
Our on-going links with Britain and all the traditions of the ‘mother country’ are revealed quite starkly at this annual festival. A social anthropologist could have a lot of fun analysing such customs!
Let’s start with the food. It should reflect our multi-cultural society and range across a wide range of ethnic influences. These may include Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African re-interpreted for a 21st Australian lifestyle.
Grazing is the way to go – lots of different tasty dishes which get away from the traditional sequence of  three to four courses.
A trip to your local gourmet deli or food hall will give you lots of inspiration – then just let your imagination rove.
Tiny pizzas brushed with olive oil and sun-dried tomato or capsicum tapenade are delicious topped with char-grilled seafood (sliced scallops, prawns, calamari), drizzled with olive oil and topped with baby rocket and freshly cracked pepper;
individual Thai chicken puddings can be given a new twist using minced turkey; Caesar salad can be served in individual baby cos leaves and topped with grilled turkey strips;  toasted nori sheets can be rolled into cones and filled with sushi rice, wasabi, cubed avocado, fresh crab meat and topped with salmon or flying fish roe; salad dressings made with lemon myrtle-infused macadamia or olive oil are great splashed over seafood; or try thin slices of Poacher’s Pantry kangaroo or emu prosciutto served atop a mango or avocado salsa or mixed baby leaves.
Smoked salmon or gravlax is another option  but if that doesn’t suit, perhaps you’d prefer smoked salmon or a pate or terrine (like Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Pate).

 

A glazed ham, always popular at this time of the year, makes for easy grazing food. My favourite method is to spread it with lots of Maille Dijon Mustard then press on a generous amount of brown sugar – see recipe below.
Serve it with Mustard Fruits and a homemade potato or couscous salad; or marinate a whole fish (red emperor, snapper) coated in  Neil Perry’s Thai marinade paste, barbecue until blackened all over and cooked through then drizzle with fresh lemon juice.

If it’s turkey you still hanker after, why not a roasted or smoked turkey buffe? Buy it pre-sliced and serve with pickled oranges or candied clementines.

For dessert a glorious crimson summer pud using fresh berries served with thick cream and ice cream.
And if summer pudding doesn’t suit, how about a frozen plum pud (check out boutique manufacturers like Nice Cream, Serendipity, Glace). For individual versions, scoop out a ball and pile into an ice cream cone.
And don’t forget to give everyone a bonbon and  party hat!

 
Baked Ham with
Mustard Pineapple Glaze


Serves 8 - 10

Cooked leg ham, approx 3.5kg
Cloves
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
125g brown sugar
250ml pineapple juice

Heat the oven to 180C.
Pull the rind off the ham. Score the fat into diagonal patterns. Press a clove into the centre of each diamond shape. Spread the mustard over the fat. Use your fingers to press the sugar over the mustard. Place the ham in a large roasting tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Pour the pineapple juice and rings into the bottom of the tin and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. Most luscious if served at room temperature.

 

 

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