Hosting during the holidays should be fun. And when you have yourChristmas dinnertiming figured out for this modern take on the classicChristmas roast beef dinner, it actually will be. So print out this list, write in the start times for each task based on when you want to serve dinner, and enjoy the ride!
Up to 4 Days Before
- Buy all your groceries.
- Make sure you've got enough wine and booze and beverages to let you and your guests celebrate without worrying about finishing the last bottle. To be safe, you should stock at least one bottle of wine per drinking adult.
- Get your house in order for hosting: Tackle any major cleaning projects, fill all your candleholders with fresh candles, select serving dishes and servingware, wash and iron table linens, etc.
1-2 Days Before
- Roast the beets for the dip.
- Make the pickled beets for the dip
- Make poached pears for cake.
- Make cake, let cool, then cover and chill; cover and chill pears for garnish separately.
1 Day Before
- Make porcini rub.
- Rub roast with porcini rub, chill uncovered until one hour before ready to start roasting.
- Make the beet dip (you could also do this the day of if you'd rather).
- Make the horseradish sauce (this one too can wait till tomorrow if need be.)
- Set the table if you can, or at least find and clean serving platters for each dish on menu.
6 Hours Before Dinner
- If you haven't already, rub your roast with the porcini rub. Let roast sit on the counter for an hour to come to room temperature.
5 Hours Before Dinner
- Preheat oven to 225°F, then pop that roast in the oven once it's hot. If you have aninstant-read thermometer with a probethat you can leave in the roast so you can monitor its temperature without opening the oven, now is the time to use it. Seriously, it makes life so much easier. Your roast will take around 4 hours, but keep check it often after 3 hours: you want it to reach 120°F but not any higher!
- Prep, slice, and chill crudites to serve with beet dip.
3 hours before dinner
- Pull pears and cake out of the fridge.
- Make chocolate sauce for cake, top cake with sauce, then let remaining sauce sit at room temperature until ready to serve. Hold off on topping the cake with whipped cream and pears until ready to serve.
2 Hours Before Dinner
- Start checking the temperature of your roast.
- Pan-roast the carrots and onions for the salad.
- Slice oranges for salad and make salad dressing.
- Prep radicchio and parsley leaves for salad, and store wrapped in a clean damp towel in a salad bowl in the fridge.
- Set out crudites and dip for guests to nibble when they arrive.
1 hour before dinner
- Slice potatoes, toss in oil and seasoning, and arrange on two baking sheets.
- 当你烤达到内部的温度120°F, pull it out of the oven and tent with foil.
- As soon as you take the roast out, crank your oven to 450°F to roast the potatoes.
- Prep ingredients for hot toddy punch.
30 minutes before dinner
Roast the potatoes. As soon as they are done, crank the oven to 500°F to sear the roast.
15 minutes before dinner
- Sear roast in 500°F oven until it's crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Carve roast and transfer to a serving platter.
- Put out horseradish sauce.
Just before dinner
- Rewarm carrots and onions and toss together salad.
- Transfer potatoes to a serving platter.
15 minutes before dessert
- Make whipped cream for cake.
- Assemble and heat hot toddy punch.
- Assemble cake with cream, pears, hazelnuts, and chocolate sauce.
