Christmas is nearing and it’s time to prepare to have guests over for a feast of epic proportions. Here are some classic and elegant dessert recipes that will surely bring the festive cheer to your merry party!
This dessert looks intimidating with its sophisticated cracks and form but it’s actually really simple to make. You’ll need icing sugar and egg whites, which need to be whisked for about 10 minutes. Add corn flour and vinegar and fold it into the meringue.
The result will be a wonderful marshmellowy meringue mixture with silky and stiff peaks. Distribute a circular dollop evenly on parchment paper and place the layers in the oven. You can use a piping bag to make your bases evenly shaped.
Spread whipped cream between the Pavlova bases and finish it off with some strawberries and you’ll have a quintessential Christmas dessert ready for your guests to dig into.
Here is another easy recipe to make your pavolva.
The English trifle involves three simple ingredients: sponge cake, cream, and fresh fruit.
Start with your cake layer and begin putting different fruits around the outside of your bowl. Do the same with each type of fruit that you’ve chosen to use. The cream goes in next, followed by more fruits. You can get creative with additional ingredients like liqueur, vanilla extract, or raspberry sauce, but make sure to add them in the centre so they will be soaked up by the sponge cake at the bottom.
What’s great about this dessert is that you can choose to make them in individual portions or leave it up to your guests to help themselves.
If you fancy a beautifully layered trifle yourself, read this.
Although making a yule log, or a log cake, may take a lot of time, patience, and effort, it is undeniably a mainstay dessert centerpiece, especially during Christmas.
You’ll start off whisking eggs and caster sugar until the result triples in size. Sift in flour and cocoa powder and fold it into the mixture. Again, you can add additional ingredients like liqueur here. Pour the mixture evenly onto parchment paper and pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes.
Invert your sponge onto baking paper and tightly roll it up, and leave it to cool. In the meantime, work on your cream filling. Evenly spread it into the sponge and roll it back up. Finally, pipe your chilled ganache onto your log, dusted with icing sugar.
Here is a step-by-step recipe that will guide you to making a wonderful yule log for everyone!
The trick to a perfect pumpkin pie is ensuring that your crust is cooked well.
To do this, you’ll have to blind-bake your pie shell. This means pre-baking it so you don’t end up with something that’s uncooked halfway through the centre. Place parchment paper and pie weights into your pie shell so the shape of your crust doesn’t change.
For the filling, use pumpkin puree, three eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. The secret to the recipe lies in the spices that are added: cinnamon, finely ground nutmeg, ginger, and Chinese five spice. Finally, add evaporated milk and whisk everything, before filling your pie.
To make the perfect pumpkin pie for the festive season, here is a recipe for you!
A croquembouche is made up of profiteroles stuck onto a cone and bound together with spun sugar. Traditionally served as a celebratory cake in France, this dessert is perfect for any party – and it even looks like a Christmas tree!
First, you need to make your choux pastry for the profiteroles. Once out of the oven, poke a hole in each of them with a skewer and pop them back in the oven for them to dry out. For the filling, you’ll need milk, vanilla bean, egg yolks, sugar, and flour. After whisking and cooling, spoon the filling into a piping bag and fill the profiteroles.
You can use any regular cardboard to make a cone, depending on the size you desire. Keep adding your pastries along the sides of the cone using a sugar and water mixture as glue. Finally, add an elegant touch to your extravagant dessert by making enough spun sugar to drape around the croquembouche.
Here is a great recipe should you want a croquembouche to be on your table at your Christmas dinner.
Although some recipes are certainly not easy to make, they are definitely worth the time and effort. Elegant, beautiful and delicious, the desserts are sure to charm your family and friends!
The tree is impeccably decorated – you have achieved a look that is equal parts festive and sophisticated. The lights around the house are giving off the exact shade of golden for optimum cosiness. Even your holiday music playlist is handpicked for maximum enjoyment; after all if Michael Bublé isn’t crooning softly in the background, is it truly Christmas? It looks as if all is perfect for a night of joy and laughter. But the crowning glory to a memorable party is still missing – the food.
While some of us are truly gods among men and have the know-how to whip up an entire four-course meal, the rest of us simply make do with the inspiration we get from the internet and our mothers. If digging through old cookbooks or your mother/grandmother’s ancient recipes does not sound appealing to you, we have just the thing. Here are 3 main courses you can take inspiration from and put your own twist on:
When you think of Christmas mains, one of the first things that come to mind are holiday movies where the grandma brings out a great hunk of meat out from the oven, still sizzling in its juices. Why not try a variation of that? This particular recipe makes use of cumin – a spice that is native to South Asia – as well as some homemade sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. This is perfect for those looking for a short preparation time. The active preparation time for this main is a mere 30 minutes and then you can take leave it to cook for two hours while you prepare the other dishes of your Christmas dinner. It’s a win-win situation!
Image cred: pixabay
If you have had enough of cooking meat and would like to try your hand at something different, don’t worry; we’ve brought something different – seafood. For your crustacean loving relatives, perhaps this recipe with spaghetti and lobster might do just the trick. With a base of tomato sauce and enhanced by the flavour of chiles like habanero, jalapeno and serrano, this main is comfort food with a twist. On a budget? Swap it out with your loved one’s favourite shell fish instead.
Image cred: Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Okay look — we love the indulgent, giving nature of Christmas as much as the next person but sometimes light and fresh is the way to go. In the flurry of Christmas dinners all serving heavy dishes, this might be a respite for your digestive system. It is chock full of the delicious freshness of green vegetables with the addition of the creaminess of ricotta and goat’s cheese. If your family and friends prefer the vegetarian way of life, this is a must try.
Image cred: pixabay
Whether your Christmas dinner is a grand sit-down affair with all your extended family or a small cosy get-together with friends, these recipes will be sure to enhance your dinner party and impress your beloved loved ones. But in case you do mess up and the meat doesn’t melt in your mouth as you imagined, don’t be too miffed. The truth is, while the food and the decorations do help the festivities, nothing can beat the goodness of a home filled with the laughter and joy of people you care deeply about.
And if your meal becomes too heavy, it is always great to wash down the heavy feeling with a cup of light herbal tea. You can purchase our organic herbal teas here!
Merry Christmas!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Singapore, with Orchard Road decked out in sparkling street lights, gorgeous Christmas trees adorning the shopping malls, and festive markets popping up all over the city. Christmas is a season of giving and sharing with your loved ones and those less fortunate than ourselves, so plot the perfect surprise for your nearest and dearest with a visit to the loveliest Christmas markets on the Little Red Dot now.
Image cred: Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay
A white Christmas may not happen in our little tropical island ever but live the experience of a European Christmas market at Garden by the Bay’s massive Christmas Wonderland. Step into Santa’s Grotto to say hello or choose to wander around the wooden German-style huts for traditional treats and a steamy mug of mulled wine. Otherwise, put on your skates for a spin around the synthetic skating rink, get on some carnival rides and catch the new circus act, Circus Abyssinia. Christmas Wonderland is an absolute must-go for a lavish feast of sights and sounds.
If you’re on a gift-hunt, ditch the usual retail mall run and scout for a unique gift at Public Garden – a one-stop destination that will fulfil all your festive shopping needs.
Independent traders all over Asia will congregate at Public Garden to peddle their artisanal, handmade wares. In search of unconventional treasures made with lots of love and soul? Public Garden is where you have to be.
Image cred: Santa's Workshop at The South Pole facebook event page
The Local People team is about to transform South Beach Avenue into one huge Christmas party for you! Expect a slew of art and craft workshops, fundraising carnival games, LED balloon giveaways, movie screenings and homegrown live music. If that’s not your jam, local food vendors will be there to churn out some hearty holiday grub too. Soak up the yuletide spirit and keep partying on because all proceeds from the carnival games will benefit several non-profit organisations.
With over 25 vendors, amusement rides and a stellar line-up of live performances, The Great Christmas Village at Civic Plaza is indeed a great seasonal attraction. Remember to visit Santa at the Hitachi Santa House to snap a quick holiday memento and don’t miss the Christmas Countdown Concert because it has been said there would be a grand display of pyrotechnics at midnight (hooray!).
Heads up: Save this for a late afternoon or early evening visit so that you and your family will not have to bear the brunt of the heat.
For a jolly good day of fun, bring the little ones to Food For Tots (Food For Thought restaurant group’s newest concept) and join their one-day Children’s Christmas Market where your children can participate in various hands-on activities. Learn to bake Stained Glass Cookies with The Little Things, a local programme that trains children to manage and thrive in the kitchen, or pen down some thankful thoughts with Festive Letter Writing. Afterwards, enjoy Food For Tot’s delicious brunch items amidst the lush greenery in Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden and take home some balloon sculptures to celebrate the merry holiday season.
Make this magical year-end count with your loved ones and have a ball of a time at any of the Christmas markets listed above. Wishing you and yours all the love, joy and warmth that this festive season has to bring.
With the Christmas season upon us, Christmas markets and pop-ups can be found all over the place. And we could be found at Shop Wonderland last Saturday 2 December 2017.
Nilufer Tea and special yoga wear
Holding the first-ever Christmas market, Shop Wonderland has done a fantastic job in arranging for various brands to come in and show their arts and products. We were honored and glad for having the opportunity to be involved in this amazing event.
Perk by Kate
Lucy and Mui
Wood and Lead
Being a cafe on normal days, Shop Wonderland has transformed the inner space into an area of festivity with the beauty of different brands and a large Christmas trees. With most holidays, you must have drinks, and that is why Shop Wonderland set up a gin bar outside the shop to bring the seasonal spirit beyond their shop.
It was heartwarming to see so many brand ambassadors sharing what they love, and even the brand creators themselves came down personally to be at their booths and sharing the fruits of their labour with everyone. It was clear that many people have put their heart and soul into the event.
Shop Little Man
If you have missed us at Shop Wonderland, fret not because we will be having another Christmas market soon! So stay tuned here, our instagram and our facebook for more information in time to come.
Meanwhile, you can still get out tea gift sets here. Nothing says blessings better than organic herbal teas for the wellness of your body and soul.
If you are a scavenger for good deals and artisan goodies, then you need to keep your 2 December free. Why, you ask? That's because on 2 December 2017, from 10am to 6pm, Shop Wonderland is holding their very first Christmas Market! You will see self-made entrepreneurs from all walks of life coming together to showcase their goods and share their passion through small trinkets that you can get for yourself and your loved ones, or even for the Christmas gift exchange with your colleagues or at parties.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbyT6JYHFEl/?hl=en&taken-by=shopwonderlandsg
If you follow their Instagram and our Instagram, you will find that we, Nilufer Tea, will also be part of the Christmas festive market! Not only are we bringing you the joys of our organic herbal teas, we will also be bringing you quality yoga wear by Liquido.
Originated from Australia, Liquido takes pride in providing only the best quality apparel, not just for yogis, but for every active person. Designed by Brazilian designers who are inspired by the brightness, sunshine and tropical setting of Brazil, the bold patterns and bright colours bring joy and excitement as you exercise and do yoga. If you are a person who prefer something that is minimalistic, you can still find your perfect fit at Liquido as they also have a line that is dedicated to simpler designs and solid colours.
While you can shop online, there are simply too many designs for one to fathom and the additional shipping fees may not be worth your budget. That's where we come in! We have filtered out some of the best designs for your selection and so all you need to do is to come down and get your quality yoga wear.
Of course, our usual suspects will be there. With such cooling weather bestowed upon us at this time of the year, what is better than cosying up with a cup of comforting warm herbal tea? We will be selling our range of organic herbal teas for your delightful tea parties and Christmas dinners, so come on down to get some!
Of course, besides Nilufer Tea, you can also browse other booths that are going to share their wonderful collection of items. For instance, you can get your cute mugs and accessories from The Little Drom Store, beautiful lingerie from Perk by Kate, and also something for the guys at Shop Little Man. After all, Christmas is a season for everyone!
For hesitate no more! Mark your calendars and keep your 2 December busy by visiting Shop Wonderland. And if you need a little more convincing, some cakes should do the trick:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb_BIpiHWQ4/?hl=en&taken-by=shopwonderlandsg
Shop Wonderland
134 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068600
And as usual, if you are a busy bee, you can also buy our teas here.
