Feeding Christmas

Sure, Christmas is about love, family, friends and togetherness. But most importantly, the festival is about food — lots of it. Talk breaks down the elements that make up a perfect Christmas meal.

Talking Turkey

While traditional Christmas roasts vary from duck to suckling pig to lamb, we're plumping on the feathered gobbler. French Farm, located near Manesar on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, is the de facto "turkey central". But for those who want their birds a little closer to their nests, French Farm retails its products at The Altitude Store, located in Gurgaon and Mehar Chand market, as well as Tattva in Hauz Khas Village. Meanwhile, Steakhouse in Jor Bagh, which has catered to the Capital's well-heeled as well as diplomatic tribes for more than half a century, sells domestic turkey at Rs. 1,000 a kilo.

However, given that on an average, it takes a full day just to roast the turkey (never mind the other preparations), you can pick up your Christmas lunch from one of the city's several five-star hotels, from Taj Palace to Hyatt Regency. For instance, at the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri, a roasted 12 kg bird with all the trimmings — including giblet gravy, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts with glazed chestnuts, waldorf salad, pecan pie, apple pie and a selection of traditional breads — is priced at Rs. 30,000. But this is available only upon advance request.

Cake Cravings

After gobbling up the turkey and quaffing down the wine, what does one look for? Well, no Christmas celebration is complete without the traditional Christmas cake. You can call it a plumcake, a Christmas pudding or simply what it is — a decadently rich cake studded with copious amounts of wine or rum-soaked fruit peel, nuts and dried fruits (which really aren't that dry after drowning in alcohol for several hours). Wenger's, the habitue of Delhi's pastry fetishists, provides its patrons with a cornucopia of Christmas cakes, with or without icing and with or without plums, in a variety of sizes. While the small Christmas Cake costs Rs. 520, the extra large one will set you back by Rs. 1,400. For those who don't mind spending a few extra bucks, the folks at The Imperial's bakery are serving both the Fruit Cake and the Plum Pudding at Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,600 respectively .

... contd.

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