From Ragi Crepes To Chocolate And Cherry Cheesecake, 8 Chef-Curated Recipes To Impress Your Guests This Holiday Season!

The holiday season is a time for gathering with loved ones, sharing stories, and indulging in delicious feasts that leave lasting memories. Whether you’re planning an intimate dinner or a festive party, what better way to impress your guests than with creative, chef-inspired dishes? These holiday recipes promise to add a spark of culinary brilliance to your celebrations. Dive into these mouthwatering creations that bring festive cheer straight to your table!

Best Holiday Recipes From Chefs To Try This Year

1. Festive Tortilla Wrap From U Kitchen by Ferns N Petals

Tortilla Sheet Dough Ingredients:

• Wheat flour: 1 cup
• Refined flour: 1 cup
• Salt: 1 pinch
• Vegetable oil or butter: 50 ml
• Beetroot juice: 1 small cup
• Mashed spinach: 50 gm
• Baking powder: 2 pinches

Chicken Filling Ingredients:

• Chicken (boneless, cut into small pieces): 500 gm
• Onion (diced): 1
• Red chilli powder: 5 gm
• Salt: to taste
• Chilli flakes: to taste
• Coriander powder: 5 gm
• Ginger-garlic paste: 10 gm
• Meat masala: 5 gm
• Homemade garam masala (clove, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, black cardamom, nutmeg, star anise): 5 gm
• Schezwan sauce: 2 tbsp

Method:

Tortilla Dough:

1. Mix wheat flour, refined flour, and salt. Add vegetable oil/butter and baking powder.
2. Gradually add warm water and knead into dough.
3. Once 90% done, divide the dough into two batches. Add beetroot juice to one batch and spinach paste to the other for colour.
4. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
5. Roll out the dough into 8-inch discs. Cook on a griddle for 30 seconds on each side.
6. Marinate chicken with salt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, chilli flakes, onion, coriander powder, garam masala, meat masala, and schezwan sauce for 45-60 minutes.
7. Drain excess water. Heat oil and butter in a pan; cook the chicken mixture for 8 minutes, then cover for 2 minutes.
8. Let the chicken mixture rest for 5 minutes.
9. Place the chicken mixture in the centre of the tortilla and wrap tightly.
10. Secure with a skewer and grill until golden and crisp.

2. Coffee Chia Pudding By Shreya Sanghvi, Recipe Curator At NUUK

Ingredients:

• Espresso: 1 shot
• Chia seeds: 1/2 cup
• Sweetener: 1/2 tbsp.
• Drops of vanilla essence
• Milk: 1 cup
• Almonds for garnish

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine chia seeds, sweetener, espresso shot, vanilla essence, and milk.
2. Mix well and let the mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Garnish with almonds before serving.

Also Read: Bring Holiday Cheer To Your Table With This Irresistible Goan Dodol Recipe, Perfect For Christmas!

3. Muhammara By Simran Vohra, Recipe Curator At NUUK

Ingredients:

• Roasted red peppers: 2
• Walnuts: 1/2 cup
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp.
• Balsamic vinegar: 1 tbsp.
• Garlic clove: 1
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve as a dip or spread.

4. Festive Plum Cake With Ragi Flour And Spices By Chef Anuj Kapoor, Culinary Director, Radisson Blu Greater Noida

Ingredients for Soaking:

• A mix of dried fruits and nuts (e.g., raisins, prunes, cashews, almonds, etc.)
• Liquor (rum or wine)
• Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise)

Ingredients for cake:

• Butter: 300 gm
• Sugar: 375 gm
• Eggs: 8
• Ragi flour: 350 gm
• Panko breadcrumbs: 150 gm
• Soaked fruits and nuts: 450 gm
• Vanilla essence: 2 tsp.
• Almond essence: 2 tsp.
• Caramel: 2 tbsp.
• Dark rum: 120 ml
• Gulkand (rose jam): 100 gm

Method:

1. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the soaked fruits, nuts, vanilla essence, almond essence, caramel, rum, and gulkand.
4. Sift ragi flour and breadcrumbs. Fold into the batter gently.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 7-inch baking tin.
6. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 90 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Let the cake cool completely for better flavour.

Also Read: From Winter In Solan To Cranberry Fizz, 13 Unforgettable Holiday Season Cocktail Recipes To Spread Joy And Cheer!

5. Healthy No-Bake Chocolate and Cherry Cheesecake By Chef Neha Deepak Shah With Chilean Cherries

Ingredients:

• Chopped Chilean cherries: 1/2 cup
• Chenna: 200 gm
• Dark chocolate: 100 gm
• Cocoa powder for sprinkling

Method:

1. Crumble the chenna until smooth.
2. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until smooth.
3. Mix the melted chocolate into the chenna, then fold in the chopped cherries.
4. Transfer the mixture to a springform pan, smooth the top, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
5. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top and serve chilled.

6. Dresden Stollen By Vineeth Jayan, Executive Chef, The Den, Bengaluru

Ingredients:

• Flour: 1800 gm 
• Warm milk: 520 gm
• Castor sugar: 140 gm
• Yeast: 168 gm 
• Unsalted melted butter: 300 gm 
• Egg yolk: 1000 gm 
• Soaked fruit: 1200 gm 
• Lemon peel: 100 gm 
• Orange peel: 100 gm 
• Lemon zest: 200 gm 
• Salt: 30 gm 
• Marzipan: 1500 gm 
• Ghee: 3000 gm 
• Icing sugar: 1000 gm 

Method:

1. Make a culture with yeast, flour, and milk, letting it rest for 2 hours.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients with the culture and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
3. Shape dough into 300g pieces and form into round flatbreads. Place marzipan in the centre and fold into a half-moon shape.
4. Prove for 90 minutes, then bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.
5. Dip in melted ghee and coat in icing sugar.

Also Read: From Fruitcake To Yule Log, 12 Christmas Cake Recipes You Need To Try This Holiday Season

7. Ragi Crepes With Fresh Berries By Gaurav Bansal, Executive Sous Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel At Brigade Gateway

Ingredients:

• Ragi: 240 gm
• Milk: 350 ml
• Eggs: 1
• Melted butter: 2 tbsp.
• Icing sugar: 35 gm
• Baking powder: 10 gm
• Orange zest: 5 gm
• Cinnamon powder: 5 gm
• Vanilla extract: 1 tsp.

For Filling:

• Banana: 1
• Jaggery: 20 gm
• Fennel powder: 1 pinch

For Plating:

• Fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• Whipped cream
• Mint leaves for garnish
• Maple syrup for drizzling

Method:

1. Whisk finger millet flour, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and baking powder in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs with milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Gradually mix into the dry ingredients until smooth.
3. Cook crepes on a greased skillet, 1-2 minutes per side.
4. For the filling, melt butter and jaggery in a pan, add chopped bananas, and flavour with fennel powder.
5. Fill crepes with banana mixture, top with berries, mint, whipped cream, and drizzle with maple syrup.

8. Christmas Roast Chicken Sizzler With Rice By Chef Shaurya Veer Kapoor, Executive Chef, Gola Sizzlers

Ingredients:

Roast Chicken:

• Whole chicken: 1 (1.5–2 kg)
• Olive oil/melted butter: 3 tbsp.
• Garlic paste: 1 tbsp.
• Ginger paste: 1 tbsp.
• Smoked paprika: 2 tsp.
• Dried thyme: 1 tsp.
• Dried rosemary: 1 tsp.
• Ground black pepper: 1 tsp.
• Salt: 1½ tsp.
• Lemon juice: 1
• Lemon zest: 1
• Honey: 2 tbsp
• Chicken stock: 1 cup

Rice:

• Basmati rice: 1½ cups (soaked)
• Chicken stock or water: 3 cups
• Butter: 2 tbsp.
• Garlic paste: 1 tsp.
• Smoked paprika: 1 tsp.
• Dried mixed herbs: 1 tsp.
• Salt: ½ tsp.
• Sweet corn (optional): ½ cup

Vegetables (Sizzler base):

• Baby potatoes: 1 cup (halved)
• Carrots: 1 cup (sticks)
• Green beans: 1 cup
• Broccoli florets: 1 cup
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp.
• Mixed herbs: 1 tsp
• Salt and pepper: to taste

Sizzle Sauce:

• Butter: 2 tbsp.
• Flour: 2 tbsp
• Chicken stock: 1½ cups (from roast)
• Worcestershire sauce: 1 tbsp.
• Dijon mustard: 1 tsp.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix olive oil, garlic paste, ginger paste, smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, zest, and honey. 
2. Rub this marinade generously over the chicken. 
3. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, pour in the chicken stock, and cover with foil. 
4. Roast for 40 minutes, then uncover and roast for another 20-30 minutes until golden.
5. Heat butter in a pan, sauté garlic paste for 30 seconds, then stir in rice and toast for 1–2 minutes. 
6. Add chicken stock, smoked paprika, mixed herbs, and salt. Cook on low heat until fluffy.
7. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, mixed herbs, salt, and pepper, and roast or grill them until tender.
8. Melt butter, add flour to form a roux, and gradually whisk in the chicken stock. 
9. Add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened.
10. Heat a sizzler plate and brush with oil. Layer rice, arrange vegetables, top with carved chicken, and drizzle with sizzle sauce.
11. Garnish with parsley or rosemary and serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.

Enjoy these festive recipes, perfect for the holiday season!

Cover Image Courtesy: Supplied