Festive Holiday Dishes For Your Menu

The holidays are among us, and that means you have an opportunity to change your menu to reflect that. From Christmas dinner to festive desserts and drinks, there’s no shortage of ideas that you can start whipping up in your kitchen. Here are just a few examples of what you can do this season.

Traditional Christmas Dinner

Groups of people made up of friends and family gather around the table and dig into this special meal every year. This dinner includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Add some gravy and cranberry sauce to the plate and that’s all you really need in a traditional Christmas dinner. Some people may like to add ham, roast beef, or even salmon to the selection of proteins. Squash or pumpkin can be added to give a good selection of seasonal goods that people can choose from. Vegetables vary depending on availability, but corn is typically a solid choice along with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, etc.

Having this meal on your menu can make your restaurant more popular during the Christmas season. It can be the go-to spot for group gatherings or even small get togethers over the holidays. Offer it as a plated dinner or a family style meal, whatever seems the most fitting for your restaurant. But don’t be afraid to step out of the box for this one.

Spiked Hot Chocolate

Such a simple idea but a staple for the colder days of the season. Grab some hot cocoa, milk (or water), any other spices or additions like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg or crushed candycane. Make your hot chocolate as you normall would whether that’s just by stirring in a pre-portioned packet of hot chocolate mix or by custom making each glass from scratch. Once that’s done, find the right liquor to compliment the rich chocolatey drink just right. 

Baileys is a top choice due to it’s creamy consistency. Kahlúa is a type of coffee liquor that would be a great addition to hot chocolate. Tequila and vodka are hard liquors that would pair well and red wine could add a nice pop of flavour as well.

Brown Sugar Baked Ham with Pinapple

Baked ham is a great traditional dinner meal, especially for those who don’t like turkey or roast beef. You need a 15 lb ham (preferably bone-in to increase the flavour), 1-2 cups of brown sugar, some cloves, and sliced pineapple. There are a bunch of different recipes that you can follow to get the best results for your guests. 

Pineapple, brown sugar and ham all may seem like an odd combination, but there is a reason for it. Pineapple is a popular ingredient to pair with ham because the sweetness of the pineapple help

s to neutralize the saltiness of the meat. Brown sugar adds sweetness and helps the outside of the ham caramelize. When put all together you are left with a flavourful, sweet, perfectly caramelized dinner that will satisfy everyone who eats it.

Shortbread Cookies

Short bread cookies are a staple for the holiday season. Not only are they super delicious and super popular, but they are also super easy to make. All you need is flour, butter, sugar, and maybe some vanilla extract. You can add your own toppings as well if you choose to do so. Chocolate and icing are typically the go to toppings for these iconic cookies.

Either offer these with some ice cream to complete your menu option or even make small packages of them and make them a to-go item! Since they’re just cookies it’s super easy to be versatile with them and come up with something creative.