Airdate: Lyndey’s Cracking Christmas

Lyndey Milan, who appeared in SBS series Taste of Greece, now fronts two Christmas specials for Lifestyle FOOD.

While there’s nothing better than sharing the Christmas table with family and friends, the prospect of catering for a crowd can be daunting, even for competent cooks. Lyndey Milan takes the stress out of entertaining with effortless solutions to those festive culinary dilemmas when Lyndey’s Cracking Christmas premieres Monday, December 10 at 8.30pm, exclusive to LifeStyle FOOD.

Over two half-hour episodes, Lyndey will take both her favourite classic and more modern contemporary recipes and reveal the secrets and shortcuts to whipping up some last minute Christmas magic.

“Christmas is a hectic time with high stress for the cook. You have to devise the menu, shop, prepare everything and bake. This series will give you some options that will impress your guests, keep the hordes jolly and your stress level low”, Milan said.

In episode one, A Classic Christmas, Lyndey guides us through a quick, do-ahead recipe for a scrumptious smoked trout mousse and cucumber salad. She prepares a glistening turkey with a mouth-watering Italian sausage stuffing and takes the guesswork out of cooking times for both the turkey and accompanying vegetables. A simple glazed ham paired with mustard fruits and cranberry relish will ensure your guests line up for more. She creates a last-minute steamed sago pudding and bakes some exquisite little Christmas cakes with an eggnog buttercream icing. And if you’re still craving more, there are two gorgeous treats for the dedicated sweet-tooth: white chocolate rocky road and dark chocolate truffles.

In episode two, A Contemporary Christmas, Lyndey offers a simple and stylish take on Christmas catering. This feast begins with three crowd-pleasing canapés: smoked duck with Christmas spiced pickled cherries; almond gazpacho with seared scallops and smashed broad bean, mint and feta on tortilla triangles. She prepares a spectacular BBQ seafood platter with chipotle mayonnaise and chimichurri sauce on the side. A stunning baked salmon fillet gets a makeover with salsa verde and there’s an impressive standing rib of beef with spiced salted crust. To top it all off, a superb raspberry ripple nougat parfait and white chocolate and mascarpone mousse with sparkling shiraz syrup, for dessert.

Monday, December 10 and Monday, December 17 at 8.30pm on LifeStyle FOOD.