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What to cook in December: Crowd-pleasing recipes that are deceptively simple

These holiday menu ideas will help simplify your party prep without sacrificing flavour or flair.

These holiday menu ideas will help simplify your party prep without sacrificing flavour or flair

Jamey Ordolis · CBC Life ·
Left: overhead shot of a pan of tiramisu on a pink background. Middle: a wooden platter with crostini topped with brie and cranberry chutney. Right: a dish with sliced brisket with potatoes and pomegranate seeds on top.
(Photo: Gabriel Cabrera, Dhivya Subramanian, Debi Traub)

Forever striving to be elegant and effortless when guests arrive, and forever feeling like I've just missed the mark, I've learned over time that some classic rules of entertaining are classic for a reason. Whether you're hosting four guests or fourteen, putting a plan on paper (I prefer a Google Doc with many hyperlinks), creating a work-back schedule and preparing as much as possible in advance really makes for a much smoother and more enjoyable evening. 

In that spirit, if you're short on time or helpers this holiday season, it might be wise to just curb your fantasies about complex recipes or presentations now. Instead, focus on dishes that call for really good ingredients, feature straightforward steps and reasonable prep times, and use tools you already have on hand. We've gathered exactly those kinds of recipes for you here: crowd favourites — showstoppers, even — that are great for holiday gatherings big or small, and are easy enough to prepare. 

Some feature a few extra steps that aren't difficult and can be done in advance, like brining your turkey. It's simpler than you might think, highly effective and people are always impressed when you mention it.

I adore a low-effort, high-impact visual trick like Leslie Kirchhoff's frozen rosemary wreath for festive punches, made using a silicone Bundt pan. And can anything make people smile like a cut-up cake? To make Melissa Barlow's sweet little angel below, you can use store-bought cake mix, bake it in standard pans, then cut the shapes according to a simple template. For those looking for a really great vegan dessert, Desiree Nielsen's tiramisu is perfect for a party, easy to scale up and can be served in a variety of pretty vessels. 

These and many more appetizers, mains, sides, desserts and cocktails are on this list to help you have lots of fun hosting and feeding people this month.

Harissa Cottage Cheese Dip with Hot Honey

A round wooden platter with grapes, mini cucumbers, crackers, grape tomatoes and a white bowl filled with a creamy dip.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Mediterranean Dipping Oil 

A serving bowl filled with a mediterranean dipping oil, on a wooden platter, next to a crusty loaf of torn bread.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Cranberry Chutney and Brie Crostini  

Top view of 12 sliced pieces of crostini, topped with cranberry chutney, brie and chopped pistachios on a circular wooden serving board.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Devils On Horseback

Overhead shot of a blue platter with prosciutto-covered dates.
(CBC Life)

Sweet Potato and Fig Flatbread 

A platter with a sweet potato and fig flatbread cut into 4 slices and hands are picking up 2 of the slices.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Chicken Liver Mousse 

closeup on chicken liver mousse on a slice of baguette on a wooden cutting board. a silver knife is leaning on the slice, cherry tomatoes and a jar of the mousse are in the background.
(Photography by Peter Chou)

Gruyere and Emmental Fondue 

A wooden cutting board with vegetables and a red bowl of cheese fondue.
(CBC Life)

Wine-Braised Brisket with Pomegranate Seeds 

Overhead shot of a rectangular serving dish with brisket and mini potatoes with pomegranate arils on top. The decor on the table is blue and white.
(Photography by Debi Traub)

Raspberry Chipotle Glazed Ham

A glazed ham on a wooden cutting board with some slices cut from it.
(Photography by Florence Grunfelder; food styling by Sabrina Falone)

Brined and Roasted Turkey with Simple Pan Gravy

Closeup on a roasted turkey sitting on a wooden cutting board with a small dish of gravy next to it, all sitting on a table.
(CBC Life)

Baked Salmon with Fennel and Blood Orange

Overhead shot of a mint green serving platter with baked salmon, fennel, orange slices and green olives on it.
(CBC Life)

Salmon Brandade

A white plate with a casserole with smoked salmon topped with mashed potatoes.
(Photography by Ellen Silverman)

Beaton's Mac & Cheese 

A cast iron skillet with mac and cheese in it.
(Photography by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller)

Loubia Bil Zeit 

Overhead shot of a blue platter of green beans braised in tomato sauce and topped with pine nuts and cilantro. It's sitting on a pink tiled surface.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Roasted Cauliflower with Dates and Herby Farro 

Overhead shot of 2 plates and a serving platter that have a salad with roasted cauliflower, dates and herby farro on top of yogurt.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Broccoli Walnut Slaw with Ginger Lemon Tahini Dressing 

Overhead shot of a blue bowl of broccoli walnut slaw on a table with blue and white decor.
(Photography by Debi Traub)

Water Spinach with Fermented Tofu 

An overhead shot of a white plate of Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Tofu.
(Photography by Hannah Che)

Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Pancetta

A baking sheet with roasted Brussels sprouts and pancetta on it. A wooden cutting board with grainy mustard, a block of parmesan cheese and pancetta sit next to the baking sheet.
(Photography by Florence Grunfelder; food styling by Sabrina Falone)

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes 

Overhead shot of a slow cooker filled with scalloped potatoes.
(Credit: Christian Lacroix)

Hasselback Baked Potatoes with Whipped Herb Butter 

A red pan of hasselback baked potatoes on a table.
(CBC Life)

Spy Apple Noodle Kugel with Dried Cherries

Overhead shot of a white, rectangular serving dish with a noodle kugel. The decor on the table is blue and white.
(Photography by Debi Traub)

Mujaddara

Overhead shot of a pink platter of mujaddara (cumin-spiced lentils, rice and crispy fried onions) on a pink table.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Half-Made Homemade Angel Cake

Cake cut in the shape of an angel and decorated to look like an angel. It's sitting on a white surface with silver tinsel next to it.
(Photo credit: Zac Williams)

Vegan Tiramisu

Overhead closeup shot of tiramisu in a white baking dish on a pink background.
(Photography by Gabriel Cabrera)

Monkey Bread

Two images side-by-side. L: Dwight Smith pulling a piece of caramel sauce-covered monkey bread off the loaf. R: Close-up of monkey bread covered in caramel sauce sitting on white plate on top of a wooden lazy Susan.
(Credit: Dwight Smith)

Orange Spice Pudding with Cognac Caramel Sauce

A slice of Orange Spice Pudding cake on a white plate on a white table. Caramel sauce is being drizzled onto the cake slice.
(Photography: Barry C. Parsons)

Cardamom and Orange Shortbreads 

Rectangular shortbreads topped with icing and orange zest on a gold cooling rack.
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)

Ginger Sparkle Cookies 

Closeup on a stack of ginger sparkle cookies on a plate with a glass of milk in the background.
(Photo credit: Jackson Roy)

Holiday Punch + Rosemary Wreath 

Overhead shot of a punch bowl with a red punch in it and a large, wreath-shaped red ice cube made from a bundt pan. It's on a table with a shiny red tablecloth, a shrimp ring and other party foods.
(Photography by Leslie Kirchhoff)

French 77 Punch + Lemon Ice Block 

overhead shot of a hand pouring a bottle of champagne into a punch bowl with lemons and lemon leaves in it. the bowl is on a table with a white tablecloth and bowls of olives and oysters are in the right side.
(Photography by Leslie Kirchhoff)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamey Ordolis

Jamey Ordolis is the senior producer of CBC Life.

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