If you’ve ever organised a Christmas party before, you’ll know that one of the most important elements to consider is the food that you serve. As with any other party at any other time of year, parties are all about the people, the food, the booze and the music.

There is nothing worse than a hungry guest.

This is particularly true at Christmas, traditionally a season of celebration and over-indulgence; after all, how else would we motivate ourselves into austerity come January? With that in mind, the food for your Christmas party deserves careful planning.

As with all parties, there are two broad approaches: finger-food and sit-down meal. There is no reason these can’t be combined, and if you are going for a sit-down meal then it would be advisable to provide some finger food beforehand to keep your guests happy while you (or the caterers) slave away in the kitchen.

Of course, if your party is going to be substantially well attended, or if it’s a work do, you may want to avoid a sit-down meal. It fixes guests into certain positions and reduces mingling as well conveying a bit more of a formal atmosphere. This may of course be what you want, but most people are probably happiest milling about with a glass of wine and a mini sausage roll.

If you’re throwing the party yourself, ideally you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all night, so choose foods that are either quick to prepare or can be served cold so that you can prefer everything beforehand and not worry about it for the rest of the night. Alternatively, hire some professional party organisers to do it all for you. Stay within your budget, but make sure you’ve carefully thought through how much each guest is likely to have, and then bought some more. Anything left over can be your meals for the next few days, but hungry guests will ruin your party.

Think about the kind of people coming to your party and what their expectations will be. Most people will be happy with cheap supermarket produce, but if your party is more of a black-tie, formal event; perhaps you should be thinking about salmon canapés and the like.

The most important thing for your party is that everyone has fun, and the food is a large part of that. If you want your Christmas party to be the one everyone’s talking about in March, make sure you get it right.

Cherry Vanilla Fudge

Source: Family Circle – December 1974 – Old-Fashioned Christmas Goodies

3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup candied cherries, quartered

Combine sugar, salt, cream, milk, corn syrup and butter in a large heavy saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to boiling. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees F (soft-ball stage).

Remove from heat, leaving thermometer in the saucepan. Cool to 100 degrees F.

Add vanilla extract. Beat briskly until fudge thickens and begins to lose its gloss. Stir in cherries.

Pour into buttered 8-inch square pan. Cool. Cut into squares when firm.

Yield: 16 servings

Best Christmas Recipes book includes the best christmas recipes from all over the world. This is a selection of recipes from the best chefs in Paris, London, New York and Milan. You will be able to prepare for your family an amazing Christmas meal!

It’s always fun to prepare nice recipes for Christmas and even better if you can prepare Christmas Biscotti…

Christmas Biscotti

You will need the following ingredients:
3/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
3/4 cup chopped shelled green pistachios
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup Vanilla Sugar (recipe follows)

Layer the ingredients in a 1-quart canning jar. Tap jar gently on the counter to settle each layer before adding the next one. Add additional dried fruits or pistachios to fill small gaps, if necessary.

Makes 1 jar.

Attach the following instructions on a gift tag:

Christmas Biscotti

Beat 1/3 cup butter (no substitutes) in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in 2 eggs. Stir in jar contents just till combined using a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill until easy to handle, if necessary. Shape each portion of dough into a 9-inch loaf. Place loaves 4 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet, flattening slightly until 2 inches wide. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or till a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool loaves on the cookie sheet for 1 hour.

Cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices, cut sides down on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 8 minutes. Turn slices over; bake 8 to 10 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 16.

Vanilla Sugar

Fill a quart jar with 4 cups granulated sugar. Cut a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and insert both halves into sugar. Secure lid and store in a cool dry place for several weeks before using. Will keep indefinitely.

Bon appetit!

White Christmas Fudge

Makes 36 squares.

2 1/2 cups Domino Confectioners’ Sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
12 ounces white chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3/4 cup dried cherries cranberries or apricots or apricots coarsely chopped
3/4 cup toasted almond slices

1/ Line an 8-inch square pan with foil; grease foil.

2/ Mix confectioners’ sugar and milk in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Over medium heat add butter and, bring to boil. Without stirring, boil constantly for 5 minutes.

3/ Over low heat, add chocolate and almond extract but be careful on the amount of chocolate! Stir, then whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in dried cherries and toasted almonds. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Refrigerate 2 hours until firm. Invert pan, peel off foil and cut into 1-inch squares. Garnish as desired.

A few more tips:

Look for dried cherries in the bulk foods or produce section of your supermarket.

To toast almonds, spread in a single layer on baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, until they begin to brown.

Bon appetit!