Have you ever been asked that question “if you were having a dinner party and could choose whoever you wanted to attend (dead or alive) who would you invite?” Well my husband and I have been playing a slight variation – if you were guaranteed any celebrity chef you asked would cook your Christmas dinner – who would you choose?
I have to confess to being really torn between Lorraine Pascale and The Barefoot Contessa – Ina Garten.Lorrainefor making decadent cheesecakes, fresh bread and lots of yummy things with puff pastry. But the thing is I’m just not convinced she eats any of her delectable treats (she used to be a model you know!) So to Ina – not only does she have lovely tasty recipes, but she comes across as lots of fun, with her catch phrases – all together now “how easy is that”. But obviously it would be a requirement that her husband Geoffrey comes along…If this is not making any sense to you tune into the Food Network on Freeview channel 48. My husband didn’t object to my Ina choice, but equally wouldn’t have been remotely opposed to Nigella turning up!
To help you make up your mind here’s a selection of best selling cook books both old and new:
Jamie’sGreat Britain 
CelebratingBritain’s very best food Jamie grew up in one of the first true British “gastropubs”, which his Mum and Dad still run today. For him, the heart and soul of real British cooking is food that puts a smile on your face. And that’s what he wants to share in the new book: the essence of British food, done properly. Over the years, British food culture has embraced flavours and influences from all the people who came and made GreatBritaintheir home. The food reflects an open-minded culture as well as the country’s beauty.
Home Cooking Made Easy 
TV chef Lorraine Pascale, author of the phenomenal bestseller Baking Made Easy, is back with her second cookery book – this time packed with simple and delicious recipes for relaxed home cooking that go far beyond baking. The queen of cookery is back with 100 scrumptious and seriously easy recipes, from cosy soups and roasts to delicious autumnal breads, in this beautifully photographed second book to accompanyLorraine’s BBC2 prime time four-part autumn cookery series.
River Cottage Veg Every Day! 
Why don’t we eat more veg? They’re healthy, cost-effective and, above all, delicious. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall believes that it is time to put this to rights, as he explains in this brilliant new book. He’s come up with an abundance of veg-tastic recipes. With over 200 recipes and vibrant photography from Simon Wheeler, River Cottage Veg Every Day is a timely eulogy to the glorious green stuff.
Christmas with Gordon 
Gordon gives inspiration, advice and 75 failsafe and delicious recipes for all occasions over the Christmas period. The stars of the show are 5 Christmas Feasts – suitable for whenever you choose to have your main Christmas meal. The menus are built around a choice of 5 main course centrepieces – turkey, goose, beef, ham or sea bass – and include starters, accompaniments and desserts for each. To take the stress out of Christmas Gordon offers masses of advice on ordering, shopping, preparation and timing.
Barefoot Contessa at Home 
Throughout the years that she has lived and worked in East Hampton, Ina Garten has catered and attended countless parties and dinners. She will be the first to tell you, though, that nothing beats a cosy dinner, surrounded by the people you love most, in the comfort that only your own home can provide. In “Barefoot Contessa at Home,” Ina shares her life in East Hampton, the recipes she loves, and her secrets to making guests feel welcome and comfortable.
Great British Bake Off 
Throughout the book, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are on hand with practical tips to help you create perfect cakes, biscuits, breads, pastries, pies and teatime treats every time, as well as showing you how to tackle their ‘technical challenges’, as seen on the show. There are over 120 recipes in this book, including traditional British bakes and imaginative twists using classic ingredients, as well as the best contestant recipes from the series.
Delia’s Happy Christmas 
Delia has long been the person we turn to for stress-free Christmas celebrations. This year, she celebrates 40 years of writing recipes and brings you “Delia’s Happy Christmas” – the definitive guide to all aspects of cooking for Christmas. This cookbook will help you to plan your Christmas festivities to the very last culinary detail, acting as an invaluable Christmas organiser from reminding you to make your Christmas pudding and chutneys in November to giving you a crucial countdown for the Last 36 Hours. The Last-Minute Christmas – a chapter for those who leave things to the eleventh hour. Everyone needs Delia at Christmas.
Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities 
Nigella Christmas comprises reliable, practical, easy-to-follow recipes and reassuring advice about planning and cooking ahead. It includes everything from Christmas cakes and puddings, to quick and easy homemade presents (biscuits, preserves and other standbys), recipes for feeding friends and family over the holiday season with minimum stress and maximum enjoyment (cook and freeze ahead or slow-cook in the oven), as well as Christmas party food and drinks.
Mini Linzer Cookies – Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or spade shaped cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or star shaped cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.
