Christmas traditions and innovations

December will soon be here. Diaries are filling up with family parties, drinks with friends and end-of-year business dinners. Christmas is one of the most important times of the year for the hospitality sector. Make sure that you are well prepared! Debic has some inspiring recipes and tips for you.

At the end of December, a restaurant is the place where family, friends and colleagues meet to celebrate the festive season and raise a glass to the new year. Fitting out your restaurant with the right lighting and furnishings enhances the atmosphere and makes it the perfect choice for people who want to spend some time with their nearest and dearest in pleasant, warm surroundings.

How did you experience the past year?

“I work as Executive Pastry Chef in a five-star hotel. So when tourism stopped, that was very stressful. But we were lucky: we never had to close the hotel’s doors. On the contrary! We even opened a new bar: Múzsa. That was an overwhelming success, even after just three weeks. It was chock-full on Fridays and Saturdays. Magical.”

Traditional, international and rational

Christmas offers great opportunities for chefs and restaurants. It’s the ideal time to offer traditional dishes, while bearing in mind that your guests’ tastes are becoming increasingly international and looking at the profit margin you can achieve. In a context of labour shortages and rising ingredients and energy prices, it is important to keep your menu as rational as possible, and yet surprise and indulge your guests at the same time. Combine traditions with innovations, add a few international taste sensations and make sure that you can prepare everything on time and on budget.

Three professional tips

1.   Prepare your guests well for your grand finale of the year. Announce what you will be serving around the festive season and include traditional dishes that make people think of Christmas throughout December. Offer a special month-long selection and benefit from the season for more than just the two days of Christmas.
2.   Your guests’ tastes are becoming increasingly international. Respond to this with ingredients of the right quality, using them to create a special dish. Think of the presentation as well as the production process. Make sure your dishes meet and perhaps even exceed your guests’ international preferences and interests.
3.   Play with traditions and innovations. Choose a menu brimming with traditional preparations and add a few slimmed-down and versatile dishes so that you can offer something for everyone and meet the wishes of a wide variety of guests.

Recipes by Antonio Cuomo

Antonio Cuomo, our Debic ambassador from Italy, has prepared a number of great recipes especially for us and the upcoming festive season. Use them to make the most of the tips above. They are traditional dishes with a modern and international twist. His raviolo del plin made with a tartare of cheese, Parmesan and black truffle. His sfoglie di pan speziato or spiced loaf with cream cheese and chocolate and ginger mousse looks really stunning. You can make both dishes with a little help from Debic, for example with our mascarpone, culinary cream and chocolate mousse, developed especially for professionals like you. Together we can create a surprisingly festive table this year!