Be the talk of the town with this delectable Christmas Menu curated by author and cooking extraordinaire: Julia Ostro.
To celebrate the exclusive Prince Wine Store range available at David Jones and captured by Annika Kafcaloudis, Julia Ostro has carefully curated a bespoke Christmas menu with hard-to-find vintage wine pairings for you to try at home.
A proud partner of David Jones, Melbourne’s iconic Prince Wine Store offers the best premium wines from Australia and around the world. Novices and wine connoisseurs alike will delight in the online collection of carefully curated, eclectic wines made by passionate producers and sourced, curated and delivered by the knowledgeable team at Prince Wine Store.
To help you to be the host with the most, Julia has shared her fail-proof entertaining must-haves to pair with your Christmas Menu. From the right glassware to serve guests to Christmas pantry essentials and everything in between, here are all the ingredients you need for a magical Christmas day.
Shop The Christmas Menu Essential Edit
Fill your cup: the perfect Christmas glassware
Showcase your exquisite wine pairings this Christmas in elegant, eclectic, and ever-so-stylish glassware. If you’re pouring another glass from Prince Wine Store, why not present your pairings in a Maison Balzac Wine Glasses in teal or the PomPom Wine Glasses?
For those looking to stay hydrated and refreshed at Christmas or as a vessel for choice summer cocktails, the Maison Balzac Large Tumbler Set of 4 Pink and Maison Balzac Lemonade Glass set will be a joy.
Christmas pantry essentials
Whether you’re looking to cook up a storm with Julia’s Christmas menu or just looking for some pantry staples that will be loved long after Christmas day, these condiments are a must. The Fortnum & Mason Wild Blueberry Preserve and David Jones Banksia Honey are taste sensations all year round.
Christmas menu desserts and sweet tooth must-haves
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a sweet or two. Set out a bowl or two of David Jones Food Belgian Chocolate Balls for guests to snack on, or wrap them up as a little take-home gift. You’ll be the talk of the town with a tasty Breramilano Panettone, best served with coffee and tea, and if you’re feeling cheeky, a nightcap.
Servingware with style
The perfect accompaniment for your delectable cooking and hard-to-find vintage parings, delight and excite your guests with head-turning servingware. Julia’s In the Roundhouse x Alemais Set paired with Dinosaur Designs moon servers is the perfect accompaniment for any dish. Be sure to explore the Country Road Nolan Cutlery, and the Fazeek Wave Plates in pink and amber, too.
The perfect Christmas outfit
Christmas is all about bright and bold colours, dazzling sparkles, and comfy clothes that allow for all your feasting and hot Australian summers. We love wearing local Australian designs for Christmas, just like Julia’s Alemais Dress paired with earrings such as these Sculptural Studs from AJE and a timeless Alias Mae heel.
Looking for more summer-style inspiration? Fall in love with the latest hot-weather styles with our Style Guide: Creating a Summer Capsule Wardrobe.
Julia’s Simple Christmas Menu Recipes That Everyone Will Love
Kingfish Crudo With Radish, Chives & Roe Christmas Recipe
Serves 6-8
This simple and delicious Christmas recipe is a wonderful way to serve raw fish with a twist. You can substitute the kingfish for any sashimi-grade fish of your choice, and of course, second (and third) helpings are always a must.
INGREDIENTS
400 g kingfish, pin-boned
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
Juice of a lemon
2 radishes, finely sliced into rounds
Small handful chives, finely chopped
Salmon roe, to serve
Sea salt, to taste
METHOD
1. Slice the kingfish into 2-3 mm thick slices.
2. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Season with a little salt.
4. Top the kingfish with the radish slices, chives and some salmon roe.
5. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season to taste. Serve immediately.
The perfect wine pairing for Crudo:
A crisp Northern Italian white that is packed with refreshing acidity. It’s got mineral tension and immediacy to delight all white wine drinkers, especially Chablis drinkers. Its delicacy will be perfect for Crudo lifting the acidity of the dish and enhancing the sweet fresh fish flavours. A delightful way to get the appetite going!
Spiced Glazed Ham With Peach And Watercress Salad
Nothing beats a show-stopping ham as the centrepiece of your Christmas table. Simple to create and featuring a mouthwatering spiced honey glaze, this Christmas recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Serve with crusty rolls, sharp cheddar, Dijon mustard and my refreshing peach and watercress salad.
Serves 8-10
Christmas Ham Ingredients:
- 6 kg whole ham leg, rind removed
- Cloves, for studding
- Crusty rolls, to serve
- Sharp cheddar, to serve
- Dijon mustard, to serve
Spiced Honey Glaze Ingredients
- 150 ml honey (David Jones Banksia Honey is a great choice)
- 80 g brown sugar
- 100 ml port
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 whole allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
Peach And Watercress Salad Ingredients
- 3 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 bunch watercress
- 3 yellow peaches, halved and cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Remove the rind from the ham by first making an incision around the shank bone. Then run the knife around the edge of the ham where the rind meets the fat. Gently pull the rind off the ham, leaving as much fat on the ham as possible.
- Make light cuts in the fat with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Stud the ham all over with cloves. You can either stud the cloves in the centre of each diamond or at each point where each diamond crosses.
- Place the ham on a rack over a baking tray and fill the tray with enough water to cover the base. This will avoid any excess glaze burning in the tray.
- For the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan with 50 ml of water and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes or until it forms a light syrup. Brush one-third of the glaze onto the ham and bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, brushing extra glaze onto the ham every 10 minutes. The ham is ready when it is golden and slightly burnished. By this time, it should be warmed through to the bone.
- Allow the dish to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- For the salad, place the shallots in a small bowl and cover it with red wine vinegar. Allow to lightly pickle for 10 minutes.
- Arrange the watercress and peaches onto a serving plate, drizzle with the olive oil and top with the shallots and the vinegar. Toss to coat and season to taste.
- Carve slices of ham and serve with the rolls, cheddar, mustard and salad.
The perfect wine pairing for Glazed Ham:
Domaine Roubine is a biodynamic producer making grenache-based wines from the Southern Rhone Valley. The freshness that is achieved in the heat-loving grenache vines is hard to contextualise. The wines are elegant, detailed and concentrated. The underlying spiciness of this wine will match perfectly with the spice in the ham, while the fresh nature of the acidity cuts through the richness of the dish.
- 3 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 bunch watercress
- 3 yellow peaches, halved and cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
Panettone, Blueberry And Mascarpone Trifle
The perfect finish to a memorable and magical Christmas feast. Trifles are a brilliant Christmas recipe as they can be adapted depending on what fruit you prefer.
Here I’ve gone with a favourite combination of nectarines and blueberries, along with panettone, Prosecco jelly, and mascarpone cream. If you’re using up day-old panettone, drizzle the pieces in some melted butter, sprinkle with raw sugar and toast in the oven before assembling. I’ve served this trifle in individual glasses, but you can, of course, create one larger trifle instead. Set the jelly directly into a larger trifle dish for ease.
Serves 6
Simple Trifle Ingredients
- 350 g fresh panettone, roughly torn
- 125 g Wild Blueberry preserve (or other jam or your choice)
- 4 yellow nectarines, halved and cut into wedges
- 300 g blueberries
- Icing sugar, to dust
Prosecco Jelly Ingredients
- 300 ml Bellenda Sei Uno Prosecco
- 60 g caster sugar
- Juice of a lemon
- 1 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped
- 2 titanium strength gelatine leaves, softened in cold water
Easy Mascarpone Cream Ingredients
- 350 g mascarpone
- 100 g caster sugar
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped
- 350 g pure cream, whipped to soft peaks
Simple Christmas Trifle Recipe Method
- To make the Prosecco jelly, combine the Prosecco, sugar, lemon and vanilla in a medium saucepan with 100ml of water.
- Bring to the boil over high heat, then whisk in the softened gelatine leaves until dissolved.
- Transfer to a container, or divide amongst your serving glasses, and allow to set in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- For the mascarpone cream, combine the mascarpone, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Set aside.
- Assemble the trifle by spooning some of the Prosecco jelly into the serving glasses (if not already set directly into them).
- Place some panettone pieces onto the jelly, then top with some of the blueberry preserve, nectarine slices and blueberries.
- Top with a generous dollop of mascarpone cream and top with some more blueberry preserves, nectarine slices and blueberries.
- Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and serve immediately or cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
The Perfect Wine Pairing For This Christmas Menu Trifle:
We all love to start the meal with bubbles but to really go out with a bang, let us finish the meal not only with bubbles but Champagne of all things! Andre Clouet is from Bouzy, one of the best-known high-quality pinot noir villages in Champagne. This is a delightfully ripe but dry, indulgent Champagne, perfect to accompany delicate-style desserts. This wine is loaded with fruit weight that will accompany the fruit in the trifle, but the bubbles and acidity cut through the mascarpone easily, leaving your palate fresh and lively, wanting another bite.
Feeling inspired? Discover more ways to transform your space this summer with Style Guide: Summer Entertaining with Steve Cordony, our expert interior stylist.
Photography: @annikakafcaloudis