Meet the Christmas elves

Party Starters

Assorted crostini platter
The bread itself isn’t flavourful, but toasting with olive oil produces a crisp, aromatic base. Ingredients are provided for four variations of toppings—jalapeno hummus, to be sprinkled with sumac power and chopped parsley; fig and olive tapenade with orange cubes and mint leaves for garnishing; basil-pesto with parmesan cheese; and mushrooms (to be sauteed) with olives and thyme. Excitement led to oversight, so that I mixed all the ingredients into one huge topping, which as you can imagine, was a riot of flavours! The sour surprise of orange cubes kept tongues wagging long after our little lunch party was over as did the sharpness of jalapeno hummus and sumac powder. Overall, the kit, meant for four, is quite generous and easy to assemble.
Available at: ichef.in

—Sohini Das Gupta

Bruschetta, bulls eye chicken and jus
Good quality, fresh ingredients, neatly packed and labelled...the meal-kit  is bound to make one smile and attention to detail like provision of toothpicks was a good surprise.
Mozarella, some fresh basil, the tang of cherry tomatoes and olive oil on freshly baked bread, the cherry tomato bruschetta had a simple, but lovely blend of flavours with the right quantity of ingredients provided. We didn’t feel the need to add anything else. Following the recipe, after baking it for 2 – 3 minutes, we got delicious, light, crisp, herby delights.
Preparing the bulls eye chicken was effortless too. Chicken had to be sliced into strips, marinated in the mustard, thyme and parsley mix, and wrapped around olives. The yummy bites tasted of mustard and herbs in equal measure. To wash it all down, this party kit for four called ‘Non-Veg Party Combo’, packs cool and refreshing ‘guava memories’, a nice tangy, minty juice, with an aftertaste of Tabasco. You’re also told how to coat the rim of the glass with black-salt.
The recipes were easy, quantities apt and the kit well-priced given the cost of individual ingredients.
Available at: letschef.in

—Purity Braganza

Cheery X’mas Bakes

Christmas fruit Cake
Whisking the cake mix with olive oil, followed by rum-soaked fruit, then tutti fruitti, and gradually milk made for a rich thick batter; you get rough-cut nuts for garnish and a rectangular paper cake-mould for baking. After the prescribed 45 minutes in the oven, I had a roasted nutty crust! The fruity, rum-full cake for six, has a bready texture, lovely moistness and most importantly just the right amount of sweetness that has you slicing and eating away.
Available at: ichef.in

—Pooja Bhula

Xmas special plum cake
With castor sugar, pre-mixed flour, rum-soaked fruits, butter, nuts, caramel, vanilla essence and even eggs provided for, assembling and prepping with simple, clear instructions only took ten minutes. The end result was a dense brown, moist, half kilo of boozy cake, far more yummy than the dry ones you get in the
market.
 Available at: letschef.in

—Deepali Singh

Fun with traditional mains

Wine poached pear salad
Wash the greens, break them by hand and mix with red vinaigrette from the goodie box. Then throw in chopped pecans, drizzle more dressing, add poached pear, top it with blue cheese...and you have a sweet and tangy salad that tastes as sinful as the name sounds. The choice of cheese is great for gourmet, but feta would find more takers. The recipe is so simple, you can do it on your own – and that’s exactly why you salute the vendor. Poaching pear is therapeutic, but on a demanding day pre-picked, well-prepared ingredients made me feel pampered.  
Available at: ichef.in

—Pooja Bhula

Orange and almond stuffed roast chicken
For someone who cooks and relishes stuffed chicken every Christmas, I truly enjoyed the spicy, lip-smacking sauce accompanying this one and thought the subtle orange flavour was a good idea. The oil, salt, oregano and mustard paste provided for marination complimented the chicken well and the nutty (almond), garlicy stuffing made the entire ensemble all the more exciting.
All ingredients were perfectly measured, hygienically packed and well-labelled and the recipe provides an easy yet delicious alternative to the roast chicken, which requires a lot more ingredients and labour. I also learnt a new trick—using toothpicks to bind the chicken instead of stitching it up as I usually do. I’d love to order again and it surely serves more than four!
The only glitch was the baking instruction—it took 30 minutes more than the suggested time of 45 minutes; also the setting of (220°C) was too high – the chicken became brown outside, but was raw inside, despite covering it with foil, as specified. I would roast at 180°C in a covered baking dish for a longer duration.
Available at: letschef.in

—Purity Braganza

Stuffed chicken, spiced potato salad and mulled juice
The meal box itself looks great and the well-packed contents are fresh. The recipe card deserves a special mention—the instructions are very clear and images equally attractive.
The nice and juicy chicken was well-prepped with accurate slits on the side that allow to stuff the filling without making a mess. Using chicken breast rather than the whole bird and recipe customised for cooking on a pan, instead of an oven (that everyone may not have), make it an interesting take on the traditional roast. Even a novice can do it. The only downside was the brown sauce, which was bland, but easy to fix. The accompanying veggies are well-julienned, retaining crispness. As everything’s pre-cut and ready to assemble, from opening the box to plating the meal for two, it took just 30 minutes. We finished the chicken in no time!
The potato salad and garlic bread compliment the chicken well and mulled juice is a good change from the traditional mulled wine, especially for those avoiding alcohol. All in all it’s good value for money.
Available at: burgundybox.in

—Priscilla Dias

All the Christmas dishes in the article are available till December 31