5 Holiday Recipes from Our Favorite Chefs Around the World

With holiday travel unlikely this year, cooking for the holidays is taking on a whole new meaning. For starters, dining in will inevitably extend beyond just a few festive nights, and long days spent at home will likely leave us looking for ways to keep busy. Cooking and experimenting in the kitchen has proven cathartic (and fun!) for many of us throughout quarantine, so for added inspiration, we’ve asked our favorite chefs around the world to share some of their favorite holiday recipes that we can try at home.

Mimi Thorisson

Pumpkin & Ricotta Cheesecake

“I love baking this elegant pumpkin and ricotta cheesecake. It’s perfect for this year’s holiday menu. Seasonal, moist, and delicious—it’s also très simple. It’s a must to serve it with whipped cream. Sometimes I like to alternate and add chestnut puree instead of pumpkin for a Christmas twist.”

Ingredients:

500 g ricotta cheese, drained
200 g pumpkin puree
4 eggs
200 g sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2 orange, zest only
1 lemon, zest only
butter for coating the bottom and the sides of the pan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Slice pumpkin into large wedges (I like to use potimarron/Hokkaido variety) and deseed.

3. Place on a baking tray and cook for about 45 minutes or until soft.

4. Let it cool, then scoop the flesh of the pumpkin and mash it up until smooth (you can also use a food processor).

5. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients very well.

6. Coat the bottom and sides of a springform cake pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

7. Pour the mix into the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C/400°F, then continue baking for an additional 40 minutes at 180°C/350°F.

8. Let it cool, unmold, and serve with whipped cream (optional) and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Tara Thomas

Vegan Squash Bisque

“For me, the holidays are a time I always doll up a traditional recipe with herbs, spices, and pieces of my lineage. This vibrant and smooth squash bisque is decorated with fresh herbs, spices, then rounded out with miso and coconut milk—thank me that this can be whipped up with ease. I decorated this dish with vinegar-braised greens, which transforms seasonal greens from bitter to sweet. I serve this with Brightland Ardor chili oil and braised with my favorite lavender vinegar by Tart!”

Ingredients:

high-heat oil (sunflower, avocado, etc.)
2 bay leaves
1 onion
1 carrot
1 tbsp coriander
1.5 tbsp vinegar
1 can coconut milk (398 ml)
1 tsp allspice
1.5 tbsp miso
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2–3 sprigs oregano, destemmed
1 sprig rosemary, destemmed
1 roasted squash, scooped out
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Squash is the star of this recipe; you can roast this ahead of time. To roast, cut the squash in half, deseed it, and brush the insides with oil. On a lined baking sheet bake at 350°F for one to one and a half hours until tender. You should be able to pierce with a knife at ease. Once it is finished baking, allow it to cool, then scoop out the flesh into a bowl.

2. In a pot, pour in high-heat oil and bay leaves. Allow the oil to awaken the flavors of the bay leaves at medium heat.

3. Once aromatic, toss in the sliced onion, carrot, and a few pinches of salt. Stir to evenly distribute the mixture.

4. Once the onion is translucent, stir in your coriander powder. Cover and allow flavors to mingle.

5. Once the coriander has immersed into the recipe, pour vinegar into the pot to caramelize, which will bring sugars that are present in the ingredients forward.

6. Shortly after, add your coconut milk and final aromatics: allspice, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and miso. Be sure to whisk the miso into the mixture as it tends to stick together. Then add the squash and two cups of water. Cover and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.

7. Next blend the bisque into a smooth consistency. It’s ready to eat, store, and serve.

Alice Morireau

Raisin Rum Cake

“I have always had a special relationship with raisins, as weird as that sounds! Infused in aged rum, they make the perfect texture for a cake. I love to eat this very dense cake with a cup of tea, making it the perfect guilty pleasure for the holidays.”

Ingredients:

For six people/one cake:
300 g flour
1 packet baking powder
150 g butter
150 g sugar
5 tbsp dark rum
150 g white raisins
150 g black raisins
4 eggs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the two types of raisins with the rum.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°F .

3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the sugar and a pinch of salt.

4. Incorporate the whole eggs without stopping beating.

5. Then add the flour and baking powder. Mix.

6. To keep the grapes evenly distributed throughout the dough when baking, quickly roll them in two tablespoons of flour.

7. Then add the raisins to the dough.

8. Pour into a buttered mold lined with sugar.

9. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees, then 40 minutes at 160 degrees.

10. Leave to cool for 15 minutes after cooking, and unmold the cake.

Hawa Hassan

Suugo Suqaar

“One of the most fascinating things about writing In Bibi’s Kitchen was exploring all of the history behind each dish. Suugo Suqaar is a dish I love to talk about, not only because it’s my absolute favorite, but because it utilizes staples at-home cooks are familiar and comfortable with, and it illustrates the way a unique set of flavors came together as a result of Italy’s colonization of southern Somalia.”

Ingredients:

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
3 tbsp Xawaash Spice Mix (see below)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 tbsp tomato paste
one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
cooked spaghetti (or whatever shape pasta you like) and coarsely chopped cilantro for serving

Xawaash Spice Mix:
One 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
1⁄2 cup cumin seeds
1⁄2 cup coriander seeds
2 tbsp black peppercorns
6 cardamom pods
1 tsp whole cloves
2 tbsp ground turmeric

Directions:

1. Place the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, bell pepper, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about eight minutes.

2. Add the beef, Xawaash, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally to break up the beef, until the meat is browned, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes (and their juices). Fill the tomato can halfway with water and add it to the pot. Stir well to combine, being sure to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

4. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil, then decrease the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally as the sauce cooks, for 30 minutes.

5. Season the sauce to taste with salt. Serve hot over cooked spaghetti with the cilantro sprinkled on top. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days and rewarmed in a heavy pot set over low heat (stir while you heat).

Juana Pepa

White Chocolate Mousse

“We all like chocolate mousse—but we like white chocolate mousse even better! This treat is the final touch for a special night. You are going to love it, and you can count on your guests coming back and asking you for the recipe. When you entertain at home, the key is to plan for meals that leave a lasting memory. This dessert is one of those.”

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1 pinch salt
3 egg yolks
250 g (9 oz) white baking chocolate
70 g (2.5 oz) butter
500 g (17.8 oz) heavy cream
150 g (5.3 oz) powdered sugar
50 g (1.8 oz) pomegranate
50 g (1.8 oz) blueberries
50 g (1.8 oz) raspberries
50 g (1.8 oz) blackberries
10 g (0.4 oz) hazelnuts
10 g (0.4 oz) walnuts
10 g (0.4 oz) almonds
1 sprig mint

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, heat the chocolate with the butter.

2. When melted, remove from the heat, add the egg yolks and combine. Set aside.

3. Whip the heavy cream at medium speed with an electric mixer, gradually adding the powdered sugar.

4. When the cream is stiff, incorporate the chocolate mixture, stirring with a spatula.

5. Whisk the egg whites at maximum speed with a pinch of salt.

6. Once the egg whites are firm, slowly fold into the chocolate mixture.

7. Chill in the freezer for three hours. Serve in a deep bowl. Decorate with mixed berries, coarsely chopped nuts, and mint leaves.

Top photo: Courtesy of Tara Thomas

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