3 easy Aussie Christmas recipes

There’s nothing like family, friends and delicious food during the holiday season. Here in Australia, Christmas is celebrated during our hot summer and we typically have a different festive menu from countries around the globe. Whether you are making Christmas appetisers, a main course or dessert, we’ve got an idea for you. Here are 3 easy recipes for your friends and family to share at this year’s Aussie Christmas.

Appetiser: Brie and cranberry sausage rolls

We all know that sausage rolls are an iconic Australian snack. For a festive twist, simply add the perfect pairing of cranberries and brie to make a delicious appetiser for your Christmas lunch.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 500g Puff Pastry

• 400g Pork Sausage Meat

• 100g Brie

• 50g Cranberries

• 1 Large Free Range Egg, whisked

• Generous Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a large rectangle where the length is roughly treble its width until approximately 5mm thick. Divide into 8 even rectangles.

3. Divide the sausage meat into 8 even portions. Cut the brie into 8 even strips.

4. To make a sausage roll, flatten each sausage meat portion into a square the shortest width of your pastry rectangle. Add a strip of brie and a sprinkle of cranberries, season and then fold over and roll into a sausage shape so that you have a sausage with a brie and cranberry core running through the middle of it.

5. Add the sausage meat to the top of each pastry rectangle and roll until fully enclosed. Seal the end with a little egg wash. Repeat until you have 8 sausage rolls.

6. Chill the sausage rolls in the fridge for 15-20mins.

7. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

8. Remove the pastry from the fridge and brush with the egg wash and then score diagonal cuts into the top of the pastry, making sure not to cut all the way through to the sausage meat.

9. Bake the sausage rolls for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Delicious served warm or cold.

Image and recipe by Our Modern Kitchen

Main: Barbequed ham

The centrepiece of any Christmas feast. Although, have you ever tried cooking it on the barbecue? Served with slices of juicy barbecued pineapple for the perfect Summer twist.

Ingredients

Serves 10 people

• 6 kilogram (12-pound) cooked leg of ham

• 2 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 2/3 cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup (125ml) pineapple juice

• 1/2 cup (125ml) sweet sherry

• 1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar, extra

• 2 clove garlic, halved lengthways

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 medium pineapple (1.25kg), halved, sliced thickly

Method

1. Cut through rind of ham 10cm from the shank end of the leg. To remove rind, run thumb around edge of rind just under skin. Start pulling rind from widest edge of ham, continue to pull rind carefully away from the fat up to the shank end. Remove rind completely. Score across the fat at about 3cm intervals, cutting through the surface of the fat (not the meat) in a diamond pattern. (Do not cut right through the fat or it will spread apart during cooking.)

2. Place ham in a deep disposable baking dish; rub with combined mustard and sugar. Cook in covered barbecue, using indirect heat, following manufacturer's instructions, 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, stir juice, sherry, extra sugar, garlic and cloves in a small saucepan over heat until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until glaze reduces by half.

4. Brush glaze all over ham; cook, covered, using indirect heat, a further 45 minutes, brushing several times with glaze during cooking. Remove from heat, cover ham with foil; rest 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook pineapple on heated barbecue, brushing with remaining glaze during cooking.

6. Serve sliced ham with pineapple.

Notes

The ham may be cooked in the oven. Preheat oven to 180°C and cook, uncovered, in large baking pan, for about 1¾ hours.

Image and recipe by Women’s Weekly

Dessert: Pavlova

Aussie’s love their pavs. And you’ll love this easy recipe to make for your dessert on Christmas day. Topped with beautiful fresh fruit, pavlova is a family favourite.

Serves 8

• 2 teaspoon butter, melted

• 2 teaspoon cornflour

• 5 egg whites

• 1 1/4 cup (275g) caster sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornflour, extra

• 1 1/2 cup (375ml) thickened cream, whipped

• 250 gram strawberries, halved

• 1 mango, sliced thinly

• 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh passionfruit pulp

  Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Grease a 29cm round ovenproof serving plate or cake stand with butter, leaving a 3cm border. Sift the cornflour over the greased area.

  2. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until dissolved between additions, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally. Use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in extra sifted cornflour.

  3. Pile the meringue into the centre of the prepared plate. Use a metal spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the meringue into a 23cm circle, making a shallow well in the centre.

  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 100°C (80°C fan-forced). Bake pavlova in the lower half of the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until dry and crisp. Turn off the oven; cool in oven with door ajar. Serve pavlova topped with whipped cream, strawberries, mango and passionfruit.

  Image and recipe by Women’s Weekly.

With Christmas right around the corner, we hope these delicious recipes have given you some cooking inspiration or, even better, will end up on your Christmas dining table. On behalf of the KW Cabinets team, we would love to wish you a happy holiday season (and happy cooking)!