Dishes for Christmas 2012

Are you already thinking about what to cook for Christmas 2012? I'm starting to plan. Somehow this year I started everything quite early. I already have the presents for my daughters, and ideas for all the other gifts, too. What's left is planning the holiday menu.

I don't know if I'll use all of last year's recipes, but I'll put everything in one place. Maybe these recipes will inspire you, too. There will definitely be some old favorites, but a few new dishes as well.

Here are my suggestions for Christmas 2012 dishes:

Silesian dumplings (kluski śląskie) seem too ordinary for Christmas, but they are a perfect side for any kind of meat.

Silesian dumplings

White cabbage strudel – in the meatless version, perfect for Christmas Eve. With added bacon, it's great for any other occasion, too.

White cabbage strudel

Brussels sprouts with beets make a great side dish for holiday meats and fish.

Brussels sprouts with beets

Baked pâté (pasztet) – perfect for a holiday breakfast with a slice of fresh bread or with a cornichon.

Baked pâté

Pork tenderloin with apricot-apple stuffing – juicy, tender and smelling of the holidays.

Pork tenderloin with apricot-apple stuffing

Turkey roulade with herbs – special, aromatic, juicy and elegant.

Turkey roulade with herbs

Punch – something warming for cold evenings. Not only for Christmas.

punch

Cheesecake with pears – it will look beautiful on the holiday table. And it tastes wonderful, too.

Cheesecake with pears

Salmon in puff pastry – delicious salmon wrapped up like a present. Perfect for Christmas dinner.

Salmon with herb butter in puff pastry

Slow-roasted beef – it needs a little time, but it's worth the wait. It really is worth the wait. It will reward us with a fantastic look and flavor.

Slow-roasted roast beef

Homemade mustard – an essential accompaniment to all kinds of meat.

Homemade mustard

Orange-ginger mustard, perfect with holiday meats, but also as a gift for your loved ones.

Orange-ginger mustard

Tallinn herring salad – easy to make, but not boring.

Tallinn herring salad

Herring with curry sauce – a simple and tasty appetizer, perfect for the Christmas Eve table.

Herring with curry sauce

Danish curry herring salad (Karrysild) – simple and quick. Perfect when, in the middle of all the holiday chaos, you also need some less complicated dishes for Christmas Eve.

curry herring salad

Clear red barszcz (beet soup) with uszka (little dumplings; I chose yeast dough and a mushroom and cabbage filling).

Red barszcz with uszka is the most important Christmas Eve dish in my home. We cook it, or rather, when we all spend the holidays together, my mom cooks it shortly before serving, as the last dish. When the barszcz is ready, we sit down at the Christmas Eve table and feast… recipe >

Dried fruit compote

This compote can't be missing from the Christmas Eve table either. Just like the red barszcz with uszka, you wait for it all year, and only on that one day does it taste truly special. I recommend pitted prunes for the compote. I like them best when they're still firm. Recipe for dried fruit compote >

Herring under a "feather duvet"

This is one of my favorite herring salads. It's a perfect addition to the holiday menu, but it's also great for any other herring occasion. Even people who don't care for herring like it, because besides the herring it has lots of other goodies in it. Recipe for herring under a feather duvet >

Kashubian-style herring

My mom made this herring for Christmas. But this herring salad is also delicious every day, with bread, for example oatmeal bread, or as a snack for a get-together, so it's worth remembering this recipe. Recipe for Kashubian-style herring >

Salmon in aspic

This is a great way to add some variety to the dishes on the holiday table. In my family you can usually find fried carp with mushrooms or carp baked with garlic. There is also fish in aspic, but last year was the first time we got to try the dish I'm suggesting today. Recipe for salmon in aspic >

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salmon in aspic

Pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms

Pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms are one of the most important dishes on every Christmas Eve table. Here's how they are made in my home. Recipe for pierogi >

This year carp with garlic and wine won't appear on my table

When I made it for the first time, I approached it with a bit of skepticism. Carp, parsley and garlic… I love garlic, but the thought of such a meager stuffing for a carp filled me with doubts. Recipe for carp in wine >

Carp with mushrooms

Another Christmas recipe. This time a fish one. In my family this carp is on the table every year. Recipe for carp with mushrooms >

but there will be other fish prepared by my mother-in-law, who will also contribute a few other dishes.

For dessert there will be makówki (a traditional poppy seed dessert)

When putting together my Christmas menu, I hadn't thought about this treat yet. In fact, I didn't even know it. When tuptusia wrote so enthusiastically about makówki, I decided to find a recipe and try it. Recipe for makówki >

and Viennese cheesecake

I recently tested another recipe from my family collection. Since Christmas is coming and cheesecakes will be baked en masse, I decided to try one of the many recipes I have. Recipe for Viennese cheesecake >

Poppy seed roll (strucla makowa),

At Christmas I can't do without a poppy seed cake (makowiec). Usually it's a makowiec in the form of a roll. Until last year it was hard for me to find the right recipe. Then, in the depths of the internet, I discovered this one. This roll turns out perfect, with lots of poppy seeds and a dough that doesn't fall apart. Recipe for poppy seed roll >

Apple strudel and lots of cookies and gingerbread cookies.

Another holiday dish is the beet salad

This salad is perfect for Christmas Eve, the other days of the holidays, and other occasions as well. It's a great side and complement to the fish dishes that reign on the holiday table. It seems to me that at Christmas far too few salads and vegetables in general are served, and those are exactly what I always miss. Recipe for beet salad >

Brussels sprout and carrot salad (new recipe)

I dug this recipe out of an old notebook of family recipes. Unfortunately, I give the amounts of the ingredients "by eye," because that's exactly how I made this salad. If you don't like cranberries or don't have them, you can replace them with raisins. Recipe for Brussels sprout salad

Pork loin with plums

As a side to the dinner, which I don't have to prepare myself because my mother-in-law does it. For the second day of Christmas, or just for snacking, there will be roast beef (also a new recipe) or pork loin with plums

Please share your ideas with me :)