The perfect Christmas menu
for enjoyable holidays
Christmas is just a few days away. The whole family comes together for the festive season and what could be better than spending time with your loved ones over a good meal?
To get you in the mood for a contemplative and joyful Christmas season, we are presenting a recipe idea for a perfect Christmas menu every Sunday in Advent this year. Our MS Primadonna head chef Pietro de Rosa has put together perfectly coordinated dishes for you.
One thing is certain, with a home-cooked menu, Christmas Eve will be unforgettable and everyone will be delighted!
Parsley velvet cream
Our velvety parsley cream soup is the perfect start to your Christmas menu. The combination of parsley root and fresh parsley leaves is both flavourful and visually appealing.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 400 g parsley root
- 200 g parsley leaves
- 100 g cream
- 0.75 litre chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 30 g butter
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
Wash and peel the parsley roots and cut into small cubes. Wash the plucked parsley leaves well. Melt the butter in a pan, cook the parsley root until translucent, pour in the chicken stock or vegetable stock and cook until soft. Stir the cream into the soup and season. Puree in a blender and strain.
Scald the parsley leaves in hot water for 5 seconds and rinse in ice water. Blend finely with a hand blender and stir into the soup.
Tip: For a two-coloured soup, colour half of the root soup with parsley leaves and pour the white and green soup into the soup bowl at the same time.
Carp fillet with vegetables and fennel sauce
For the main course, we recommend a tender carp fillet, accompanied by crunchy vegetables and an aromatic fennel sauce. This elegant dish promises to delight the palate and will delight both you and your guests.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 4 carp fillets
- 200 g basmati rice
- 2 carrots
- 1 courgette
- 1 fennel bulb
- 50 g mangetout
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp butter
- 100 ml Vermouth Bianco
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 150 ml fish stock
- 3 tbsp crème fraiche
- sea salt
- pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp frozen parsley
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Preparation:
Wash the carrots and cut into slices. Wash the courgettes and cut into pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion. Rinse and drain the mangetout. Cut the fennel into small pieces and put the greens to one side.
Melt a little butter in a pan and sauté the onion pieces until translucent. Add the fennel and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with Vermouth Bianco and reduce, then add the fish stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche and lime juice and season with sea salt and pepper. Dissolve the cornflour in a little water, stir in and bring to the boil.
In the meantime, season the remaining vegetables with turmeric and a pinch of sugar and sauté in a separate pan with a little olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
Rinse the carp fillets, pat dry and lightly score the skin side several times crosswise, then season with salt and pepper and fry in a pan with a little olive oil, skin side down, for 3-5 minutes. Now turn and fry briefly on the other side.
Arrange the vegetables in portions on plates, add the rice, place the carp fillet on top, pour over the sauce and garnish with some fennel greens.
The dessert: Nougat walnut stollen
The crowning glory for the festive menu is our stollen variation. Whether chocolate Primadonna Stollen, fruity Orange Stollen or aromatic Spelt Fruit Stollen, these sweet creations are the perfect way to round off the festive season.
Ingredients for 10 pieces of stollen (approx. 85 g each)
- 250 g walnuts
- 130 g crumbled biscuits or sponge cake
- 30 g crumbs/nut brittle
- 60 g crumbled cornflakes
- 1 pinch of allspice
- 130 g honey
- 100 g apricot jam
- 70 g orange juice concentrate
- 30 g rum
- 140 g nougat
- 500 g milk chocolate dunking mixture
- 100 g cocoa butter
Preparation:
Crumble the cornflakes and caramelise if necessary; mix with the walnuts, sponge cakes or biscuits, breadcrumbs and allspice. Bring the apricot jam, orange juice concentrate, rum and honey to the boil briefly. Stir in the walnut mixture and leave to rest. If necessary, add some biscuit crumbs and form stollen or rolls. Chill the stollen thoroughly and dip in the milk chocolate dipping mixture.
Sweets for in between: Elisen gingerbread
Our Elisen gingerbread biscuits are perfect as a little sweetener throughout Christmas. The wholemeal spelt hazelnut gingerbread impresses with its nutty flavour and delicate glaze.
Ingredients:
- 700 g spelt flour
- 300 g rye flour
- 350 g grated hazelnuts
- 3 pcs. eggs
- 700 g milk
- 300 g honey
- 300 g soft marzipan
- 1 tsp gingerbread spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
Preparation:
Mix the soft marzipan with the milk and honey until smooth. Add the eggs to the milk mixture and mix well. Mix the spelt & rye flour, hazelnuts, bicarbonate of soda and gingerbread spice. Add the milk-egg-marzipan mixture and mix at medium speed for 3 minutes. Leave the dough to stand for approx. 30 minutes. Press the mixture onto 8 cm round baking paper. Mixture makes approx. 50 pieces. Bake with the fan open!
Baking temperature: 200-220°C
Baking time: 12-14 minutes depending on size and thickness