Christmas Recipes & Cookbooks

Christmas Cookbooks and Recipes

• For most Christian denominations (and secular celebrations), it is observed on December 25th.
  
  
• The Armenian Apostolic Church observe it on January 6th.
  
  
• Many Eastern Orthodox Churches use the Julian Calendar for calculating the dates. As a result, they celebrate on the Julian Calendar's December 25th, which currently is January 7th in the Gregorian calendar.

• Barszcz - This Polish dish is the Polish version of borscht. It is a soup made from red beetroot, onions, garlic and other vegetables. Although meats are sometimes added, on Christmas Eve a vegetarian version of soup is eaten with small dumplings (uszka). The dumplings are filled kapusta kiszona (the Polish version of sauerkraut) or mushrooms.
  
  
• Christmas cake - This is a fruitcake originating from British cuisine. There are many different variations on the basic idea, but is usually a rich fruit cake, often covered with marizpan, and then a hard white icing.
  
  
• Christmas pudding - This a traditional British recipe. It is a steamed dessert eaten which is usually eaten on Christmas Day, but because it keeps very well, and maturing is said to improve the flavor, is traditionally prepared many weeks in advance of Christmas. Christmas pudding is made from suet (congealed fat) with dried fruit and nuts mixed in, and alcoholic beverages (such as brandy) are poured into it, in order to add moisture. Christmas pudding is often eaten with brandy butter (a sauce made from unsalted butter, sugar and brandy), cream or custard.
  
  
• Mince pies - This is a traditional British recipe for small pies (about the size of a cupcake). In historical times, actual meat was used in these pies, but today, the pies are filled with minced fruit and nuts (chopped raisins, currants, apricot, cherries, walnuts, etc., with spices in suet). Mince pies are traditionally eaten with brandy butter (a sauce made from unsalted butter, sugar and brandy).
  
  
• Pasulj - This is a traditional Serbian recipe. It is soup made from beans.
  
  
• Pumpkin pie - This is a dessert made from a pie crust filled with a pumpkin-based custard. The custard is usually flavored using spices such as cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Pumpkin pie is usually eaten at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween, and is traditionally served with whipped cream.
  
  
  
• Roast chestnuts - Roast chestnuts are a popular dish in the Winter in general, and during the Christmas period in particular.
  
  
• Sarmale - This is a Romanian recipe for cabbage rools. The rolls are stuffed with ground meat, rice and onions, and are often eaten on Christmas Eve and at Easter. Serbian cuisine has a similar dish, known as sarma, which is eaten at the same times of year.
  
  
• Sült - This Estonian dish is jellied meat, and is usually eaten with sauerkraut. Estonians generally eat the dish during the Winter months, but especially at Christmas.
  
  
• Turkey - Roast turkey is very popular in many countries as the main dish of Christmas dinner (the main meal of the day, often eaten at lunch time though).
  
  
  
• Vánocní cukroví - This is a Czech recipe for cookies. The cookies are usually attractively decorated.
  
  
  
• Vánocka - This is a Czech recipe. It is a cake made from eggs and butter, and also contains raisins and almonds. Lemon rind and nutmeg are also used to flavor the dough. The dough is then made into braids, these are stacked, and then finally the cake is cooked.
  
  
• Yule log - In some countries, large logs, known as "Yule logs", are burned at Christmas. This tradition dates back to pre-Christian times, when the Winter solstice was known as "Yule". In cookery, Yule logs, are a dessert, usually chocolate flavored, made in the shape of a log, that is inspired by this ancient tradition.

• Guide to Christmas
  
  
• The Complete Christmas Collection
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Christmas Cooking From the Heart 2009 Better Homes and Gardens Hardcover Lowest New Price: $8.73* Lowest Used Price: $8.73* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here

Christmas Cooking (Usborne Cookbooks) By Rebecca Gilpin Usborne Publishing Ltd Paperback (32 pages) Lowest New Price: $5.45* Lowest Used Price: $38.77* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here Product Description: This is a wonderful book full of delicious seasonal recipes including much loved favourites and exciting new ideas to keep children happily occupied during the exciting weeks before Christmas. Recipes include chocolate truffles, cheesy Christmas stars and coconut mice. This book is illustrated with easy to follow step-by-step instructions. It includes gift-wrapping ideas to make delicious treats into wonderful Christmas gifts.

Little Book of Christmas Cooking (Miniature Editions) By Rebecca Gilpin & Catherine Atkinson Usborne Publishing Ltd Hardcover (64 pages) Lowest Used Price: $18.94* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here

The Usborne Christmas Cooking Kit (Usborn Activities) By R. Gilpin Usborne Publishing Ltd Hardcover (24 pages; 1) List Price: $20.65* Lowest New Price: $164.03* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here Product Description: This Christmas kit for aspiring cooks includes a book with step-by-step recipes, and a variety of festive things such as cookie cutters, foiled paper cases and coloured cellophane for wrapping sweets and biscuits. The recipes include Christmas biscuits, cakes and sweets that can be given as gifts, hung on Christmas trees or simply eaten and enjoyed.

Christmas Cooking From the Heart: Celebrating Our World Meredith Hardcover (160 pages) Lowest New Price: $2.44* Lowest Used Price: $0.01* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook By Betty Crocker Editors Wiley Publishing, Inc. Hardcover (352 pages) List Price: $25.95* Lowest New Price: $6.50* Lowest Used Price: $1.94* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here ISBN13: 9780471753032 Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. Product Description: Betty Crocker's spectacular all-in-one Christmas cooking, decorating and entertaining book helps you get in the spirit: Get everything done Involve the kids Have a little fun Do things ahead Bake special treats Host the party Prepare the feast Give gifts from your kitchen Enjoy old and new traditions Deck the halls Enjoy it all!

Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies By Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker Scribner Hardcover (128 pages) List Price: $18.95* Lowest New Price: $18.53* Lowest Used Price: $1.78* *(As of 16:08 Pacific 18 Mar 2010 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Christmas and cookies are inseparable. The mere mention of baking cookies conjures up memories not just of tantalizing aromas and great tastes but of warm kitchens and good times with family and friends. Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies brings together in a single volume 75 indispensable cookie recipes and more than 25 recipes for holiday extras. That's more than 100 recipes, half of which are brand new. This book also offers a sneak preview of the revision of Joy of Cooking, the first in more than two decades. Written with clarity, humor, and a dedication to detail that has always set the Joy of Cooking apart from all other cookbooks, this book will teach anyone from the person who has never baked a single cookie to the experienced home baker how to turn out a perfect cookie every time. A treasure trove of information, this book contains basic instructions on measuring ingredients, handling and shaping cookie doughs, and decorating cookies, supported by helpful line drawings every step of the way. Recipes include the full range of cookies from the simplest one-pan bar cookies like Chocolate-Glazed Toffee Bars and Scottish Shortbread to those that are dropped onto a cookie sheet (don't miss the new Monster Cookies) to Christmas production numbers like Spritz that are piped through a press. On the familiar side are recipes for chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and sugar cookies. Brief but precise directions ensure that the brownies will be fudgey and moist, the chocolate chips chewy, and the sugar cookies meltingly tender. On the novel side are such irresistible new entries as Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Tuscan Almond Biscotti, and Chocolate Mint Surprises. Among this Book's unique features: A full-color photograph of every cookie Brand-new recipes for reduced-fat cookies that taste wonderful An easy-to-make gingerbread house Storage suggestions that help you plan your baking time when conipany is coming Recipes for eggnog, mulled cider and wine, and three kinds of homemade hot chocolate A section on extras-a California fruitcake for the 90s made with dried fruits and nuts, a plum pudding Charles Dickens would have loved, Stollen, Chocolate Truffles, Bourbon Balls, Candied Popcorn, and more. For sparkling additions to any weekday or for a splendid display of special party presentations, the new Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies is the only cookie book you'll ever need.