Christmas and New Year’s festivities are on the way, with their abundance of elaborate buffets, joyful feasts and countless sweets. Unfortunately, fruits and vegetables are all too often left off holiday menus, or their appearance is limited to a supporting role in a soup or salad, after a lavish meal the day before. Yet for colour and flavour, fruits and vegetables are the guests of honour at any table. This year, compose a holiday menu that’s both festive and full of vitamins. Here are a few ideas.

Eye-catching roll-ups for appetizers 
This method is simple, and the results are attractive, easy to serve, and delicious! Simply wrap a thin slice or strip of meat or smoked fish around a fruit or vegetable chunk, and secure with a toothpick. For extra flavour, spread port or currant jelly over wrapping, and garnish each appetizer with fresh mint, chive or basil. 

Cold combinations

• pear and dried duck magret
• cantaloupe and prosciutto
• apple and turkey breast
• cucumber and smoked salmon

Hot combinations (grill in the oven for a few minutes before serving)

• apricot and pancetta
• date and bacon

 

Stylish sides!
For a nice change from the traditional buttered beans or carrots, embark on a journey of discovery with lesser known, oft forgotten vegetables. And don’t be shy about serving them in good quantity! Vegetables should make up at least half of the main course.

• With their sweet and faintly hazelnut taste, parsnips go beautifully with meat and dishes in sauce. Oven-grilling them brings out all the flavours.
• For fish and seafood dishes, nothing compares to the subtle anise flavour of fennel. Boil it in chunks until tender, or bake in the oven at 200˚C (400˚F) for about 40 minutes, sliced and layered with orange slices and sprinkled with a little olive oil and orange juice.
• For a contemporary take on mashed potatoes, trade the potato for celery root, kohlrabi or Jerusalem artichoke. Drain the vegetables well before mashing (with only a little margarine, no liquid), or else the texture will be too soft. You can also combine vegetables, as in this Rustic Vegetable Purée with Grilled Garlic, in which the cream can be replaced by evaporated milk.

 

Stunning parfaits
When presented in pretty clear glasses, fruit desserts are a treat for the eyes and the palate! The technique is always the same: a layer of crumbled cookies or cake, a layer of fresh fruit, macerated for 2 hours in alcohol if desired, and a layer of ricotta and light cream cheeses, blended and lightly sweetened. Garnish as you like, with chunks of fresh fruit, mint leaves and gourmet cookies. Sublime!

• Strawberry: crumbled shortbreads, strawberries macerated in Muscat or white wine, cheese mixture. 
• Mango-coconut: crumbled gingersnaps, chunks of mango with lime juice and grated coconut, cheese mixture.
• Cantaloupe: crumbled chocolate cookies, cantaloupe balls macerated in port, cheese mixture.
• Clementines: cubed orange cake, clementine segments macerated in Cointreau or Grand Marnier, cheese mixture. 

 

For holidays full of colour and flavour, don’t overlook fruits and vegetables this year. They’ll brighten your table!

Happy holidays, full of beauty and health!

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