Creme de Citron
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TRAVEL
    • AMERICA
    • ASIA
    • EUROPE
    • OCEANIA
  • FOOD
    • EAT >
      • SAVOURY
      • SWEET
    • DRINK
  • SHOP
    • PRINTS

Christmas in Australia

30/11/2012

7 Comments

 
Click HERE for the recipes
Christmas in Australia
Here is a Christmas that should warm some of us up (in the Northern Hemisphere that is). Having spent more than three years (and being back nearly a year) in Australia, I thought it would be great to introduce you to an Australian Christmas as the third of the Six Christmases Project (explained here).
It is very different as it is usually around 30ºC outside and most of the cooking is done on the barbecue. On top of that, shorts, flip-flops and sunglasses are the Christmas outfit of the day (you would not dream of wearing a Christmas jumper with this kind of weather).
I thought I would ask my good friend Lauren-Anne (she goes by L.A. so I will use it this way here) to tell me about her Australian Christmas. L.A. is a wonderful actress and lives in Melbourne. She is also a very good cook. My last birthday in Australia, she baked me thirty delicious cupcakes. It was such a surprise (and they were gorgeous!). And despite all the food intolerance she has, her dishes are always very creative and flavoursome (I would find it hard to cut out of my diet all the things she cannot eat anymore).
When I told her about the Six Christmases Project, she was really fast to answer and so happy to participate in it.

L.A. and her family take it in turn every year to receive other family members for Christmas. This year, they are spending it at her family home with her mother, step-father, an aunt and uncle, and a cousin. Which means it will only be a small Christmas.
They start the meal with seafood cooked on the barbecue. The men of the family take care of that part of the dinner. The seafood consists mainly of prawns and calamari marinated with garlic, chillies and lemon juice.
For the main part of the dinner, they eat a roast turkey, a glazed ham and vegetables. The ham is usually prepared by L.A.'s aunt. The vegetables are roasted pumpkin, potatoes, parsnips and blanched green beans (last year, the latter was served with roasted almonds and bacon).
At the table, they also always have Christmas crackers. They pop them open, then read the jokes and wear the hats (and they keep them on until the end of the meal).
For dessert, there is a lovely selection of delicious sweet things. There is a Christmas pudding (that L.A. and her aunt try to 'set alight' every year) served with custard and cream. L.A. told me she made the Christmas pudding a couple of weeks ago. She used a new recipe by Maggie Beer.
There are also mince pies and rum balls shaped like Christmas puddings. These delicacies are sourced by her aunt from a great bakery.
There will also be some pavlova (a dessert that consists of meringue topped with cream and pieces of fruit) as they started serving it at Christmas for those who do not eat pudding.
L.A. also makes a Christmas cake and a White Christmas (I made a variation of the latter here). They have other things like shortbread and what L.A. is hoping to start doing as a tradition from now on: delicious buckwheat and ginger reindeer cookies.
I love that some of L.A.'s recipes for Christmas sweet things come from the 1960's. It is great to carry food traditions year after year.
L.A. and her family will also all sit around the room where the Christmas tree. Each family takes it in turns to pass out their presents.

I decided to create two recipes taking L.A.'s diet into account so she can also enjoy them. I cooked the prawns in the oven as I do not own a barbecue (first of all, it is not allowed in my building; second of all, who wants to stand outside in Ireland when it is 1ºC ?). I also decided to roast a gammon as I think it can be a nice alternative to a whole ham.

Roasted Tomatoes and Chilli Prawns Recipe
Click HERE for the recipes
Maple Syrup and Juniper Berries Glazed Roast Gammon Recipe
7 Comments
Sally Larwood
1/12/2012 00:35:21

Your friend nearly mirrors our Christmas Day. Roast pumpkin, parsnips and carrots are all essential for roasts in our family. Add peas , gravy and cranberry sauce and yours almost there.
Why don't you introduce your Irish family to roast pumpkin this year Yolene?
If you want the best pavlova recipe ever, I've put my favourite on Allrecipes.
Mrs Edward's Pavlova: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/searchresults.aspx?text=mrs%20edward%27s%20pavlova

Reply
Yolène link
1/12/2012 01:05:13

Thanks Sally!
I think some Irish people around here might do pumpkin or at least squash with their Christmas dinner.
In France, pumpkin is not really a tradition, so my French family usually sticks with other things.
Thanks for the recipe!

Reply
Rowena
1/12/2012 01:54:51

I have to say I was suprised to see so many of the traditional Christmas foods being eaten in Oz especially considering the temperature!But I love the idea of seafood on the big day to mix it up,will definitely be trying that recipe.Also happy to see there was not a brussel sprout in sight!

Reply
Yolène link
1/12/2012 02:43:36

To be fair Rowena, Melbourne had a storm and hailstone the size of golf balls last Christmas so I'm sure the hot food was well appreciated. And for the reassuring part, none of the next Christmases will have brussel sprouts in it either :)

French Foodie in Dublin link
2/12/2012 01:56:30

I'm sure the prawns are divine and the gammon looks delish. Lovely post! Can't wait to see the next one :-)

Reply
Yolène link
3/12/2012 10:45:51

Thank you! I finished the prawns in a soup last night, delicious! The next Christmas should be here soon :)

Reply
Yolande
4/12/2012 02:26:08

Oh!la! la! Je devrais pas regarder ces délicieuses recettes avant de partir travailler ,je vais en rêver tout l'après-midi. Vivement le week-end pour tester l'une de tes recettes.miam!miam!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Hello! I’m Yolene, a French blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    Welcome to my blog Crème de Citron. This is where I share lifestyle, travel and food stories.

    Copyright © Yolene Dabreteau, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
    Content and images cannot be used without my permission.



    CATEGORIES

    All
    America
    Asia
    Autumn
    Beverage
    Christmas
    Dessert
    Europe
    It's Saturday!
    Lifestyle
    Oceania
    Recipe
    Savoury
    Sweet
    Travel
    Winter

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

Content, text and photography are protected by Copyright © Yolène Dabreteau - All rights reserved.