Five-course menu by Stefano Faita | Save Christmas

Change of plan on the eve of Christmas: we must finally receive for supper and nothing, but absolutely nothing is planned! Do not panic, chef Stefano Faita has specially created a tailor-made menu for us to impress the guests… and which will be ready on time. The countdown has begun.

10 a.m.

The fridge is empty, we won’t get out of it without going to refuel… Direction: the grocery store. This is the first stage of this culinary marathon. Fortunately, Stefano has chosen recipes that are prepared with ingredients that are easy to find, no matter where you go. On the menu, a cocktail of prawns and smoked salmon as a starter, roast pork tenderloin with porchetta spices for the main course — accompanied by Savoyard gratin and braised leeks — and profiteroles with ice cream for dessert. We are already salivating…

11:15 a.m.

Back home, ingredients in hand, let’s go! We start with the dessert, since the homemade cream that Stefano wants to prepare needs to rest in the freezer for three hours. This is also the one we tackle first, so that we can put it aside and continue with the choux pastry and chocolate sauce. Of course, we can always afford the luxury of using store-bought ice cream, if the heart tells us…

Once the profiteroles are cooked, set them aside and leave them alone until dinner, since they are prepared at the last minute, just before serving. It will then be a question of cutting them in half, stuffing them with ice cream and coating them with the chocolate sauce which can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave, suggests Stefano.

12 p.m.

We can now embark on the preparation of the Savoyard gratin which, as soon as the three layers are assembled, can be put in the oven a little later during the afternoon. Stefano’s tip: slice the potatoes very thinly to obtain ideal cooking without burning the cheese on top. You can also increase the number of layers if you want to make a larger quantity of gratin in the same dish, he adds.

12:30 p.m.

It is the turn of the leeks which, after cooking in the pan, will also need to be put in the oven a little later in order to melt and brown the parmesan, which we will put on top at the very end.

1 p.m.

We now season the pork tenderloin, which must be seared in the pan. It can also be put in the oven a little later, but be careful: it must rest for 5 to 10 minutes before being cut, Stefano recommends. Thus, we will not lose the cooking juices, and the meat will be cut much more easily.

1:30 p.m.

We have finally come to the last piece of this culinary puzzle: the starter. We start by preparing the salsa rosa which will be used to coat the shrimp. Once assembled, the dish can wait in the fridge.

2:30 p.m.

The preparation of the menu finished, it’s time to do the dishes and prepare the table. All that’s left to do is put the three elements of the main course in the oven before the guests arrive… and savor a good, well-deserved glass of wine!

The grocery list

To help you, here is the list of all the ingredients that will be used to prepare the menu concocted by Stefano Faita, from appetizer to dessert.

Fruits, vegetables and herbs

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 carrot
• 6 leeks
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 head of Boston lettuce
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) chives, finely chopped
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh thyme

Meat, fish and seafood

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
• 1 lb Matane shrimp (northern), fresh or thawed and patted dry
• 1 lb smoked salmon, fresh or thawed

Seasoning

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 60 ml (¼ cup) ground fennel seeds
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) hot pepper flakes

Others

• 5 ml (1 tsp) sugar
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) hot peppers marinated in oil
• 250 ml (1 cup) marinara sauce
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar
• 45-60 ml (3-4 tbsp) mayonnaise
• 375 ml chicken broth (total for three recipes)
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 90 ml unsalted butter (total for two recipes)
• Crackers, your choice
• 250 ml (1 cup) Emmental cheese or Gruyère cheese
• 810 ml 35% whipping cream (total for two recipes)
• 1 can (300ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) hazelnut-cocoa spread
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, large size
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) dark chocolate