Christmas menu seasoning that will wow your family and friends
With Christmas around the corner we wanted to share our favourite festive fare with you, from appetisers to leftovers, and how they pair with Salted Pepper Berries, Herbs de Kampot, and/or White Pipali Pearls. Since their release, BoTree’s three quirky seasoning concoctions have become the talk of the town. Intriguingly unique in taste, each one elevates flavours and makes a great dinner conversation piece.
Quick tips: (But as you’ll see below, we’ve found exceptions while experimenting!)
Salted Pepper Berries shine on hors d'oeuvres & in cocktails
Herbs de Kampot is your secret weapon for the roast turkey and sides.
White Pipali Pearls add warm, spicy complexity to desserts and hot tipples. They are potent, so add a little at a time.
To start
We like to welcome our friends and family with a lovely gin cocktail. Combine 25ml dry gin, 25ml sloe gin, quality tonic, an orange wedge, and top with Salted Pepper Berries.
A colourful crowd-pleaser is this effortlessly chic appetiser from BBC Good Food. A cocktail stick secures a delectable bite of serrano ham, pear, and goat cheese, and rocket. Simply add Salted Pepper Berries to the goat cheese.
An elegant, albeit more involved canapé is Great British Chef’s smoked salmon blinis. A homemade savoury pancake, smoked salmon, cream cheese, and caviar becomes transcendent when topped with Salted Pepper Berries.
Mains and sides
We often return to this timeless menu by Dominic Chapman with our own seasoning pairings.
For the roast bronze turkey, roast potatoes, apricot stuffing, bread sauce, and gravy, use Herbs de Kampot in lieu of salt and pepper for a perfectly balanced seasoning blend.
Brussel sprouts present a tasty choice. Either use Salted Pepper Berries for crunchy pops of salt and pepper, or White Pipali Pearls if you prefer warm aniseed, ginger, nutmeg, and tropical fruit flavours sticking to this classic veg.
For a flavourful new dimension to your cranberry sauce, add a pinch of White Pipali Pearls.
After dinner
Our go-to Christmas dessert is the Great Taste award-winning Christmas pudding from our friends at LillyPuds. Top with fresh cream and sprinkle on just a few White Pipali Pearls.
Mulled wine is a cosy must-have for Christmas and there are countless delicious variations, including Adam Gray’s recipe with peach schnapps. Whichever recipe you prefer, White Pipali Pearls are a brilliant addition. The spiciness combined with aniseed and tropical fruit notes finds a natural fit in mulled wine.
The next day
Every year we look forward to the leftovers, especially coronation turkey. We love this recipe for four from The Telegraph with extra seasonings added:
“Fry two finely sliced onions in some oil in a lidded saucepan until very soft, but not coloured. This will take about 20 minutes. Add 2 heaped teaspoons of medium curry powder and 1 of turmeric. Stir well over the heat and add 100ml water. Cook rapidly until the liquid has boiled off. Decant into a large bowl and leave to cool completely.”
Once cold, stir in 200ml mayonnaise, 1 heaped tablespoon mango chutney, a few drops of tabasco, a good squeeze of lemon juice and Kampot Fleur De Sel and Red Kampot pepper to season.
“Stir together well and add roughly 500g shredded turkey meat. Serve with chopped coriander and toasted flaked almonds scattered over the top. You can add a handful of raisins, chopped dried apricots or fresh mango to the mixture if you like, but we think the mango chutney gives it enough fruitiness,”
And don’t forget Salted Pepper Berries to garnish.