Holiday Season Cooking: Simplify Holiday Hosting with Tips from Café

Cocktails & Appetizers

Instead of hosting a party with a full dinner, inviting friends and family over for a cocktail party means less time cooking and more time mingling. Instead of an open bar, why not mix up a couple of cocktail recipes to serve guests (or let them self-serve)? From our recipe section, we recommend a festive Cranberry Rosemary Maple Mocktail (a perfect option for nondrinkers) and our Rosé Berry Sangria that you can mix up a pitcher, store in your Café refrigerator, and have it ready to pour when guests arrive. Keep a few bottles of wine, bourbon, scotch, etc. on hand for those who prefer liquor over cocktails.

As for appetizers, offer guests a few options, and be sure to have enough to cover the number of guests over the time you’re entertaining. For a party that lasts two hours, plan on serving around four appetizers with at least 5 pieces per person or more. Be sure to include both savory and sweet options to your guests.

To simplify appetizer creation, we recommend air frying. The Café Couture Oven with Air Fry provides a large capacity for its small oven size. It’s not about using an air fryer vs toaster oven Café offers both in one smart appliance with 13 cooking modes beyond Air Fry. Try our recipe for easy Pimento Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers. Or bake our Puff Pastry Wrapped Asparagus. Plus, when you use a countertop oven, it leaves your full-size oven open to bake other holiday treats like these Chocolate Pecan Babka Twists.

Tips for efficient air frying:

• Air fry or toast foods in batches to prepare multiple servings simultaneously.
• Utilize the air fryer basket and air fryer oven tray with your Couture Oven as they allow for better air circulation and crispier results.
• Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper to catch drips and crumbs—it makes cleanup a breeze.

Cook a Big Holiday Meal

Hosting family and friends for a full holiday meal takes time and planning. After creating your guest list, determine what your main dish will be. For turkey, it’s recommended that you allow 1 ½ pounds of meat per guest. So, if you expect 12 guests, you will need at least an 18-pound turkey or a 20-pound to allow for the weight of bones.

To create an easy Thanksgiving meal or Christmas meal follow our recipes for Classic Roasted Turkey and delicious sides like Maple Rosemary Glazed Carrots and Orange Pomegranate Green Bean Salad. These recipes are straightforward and deliver delicious results.

To make cooking these dishes easier, each follows one of our popular cooking modes in your Café oven. To use Precision Cooking Modes in your Café wall oven or range, simply select the proper mode and follow the simple instructions. Your oven will automatically set the temperature and time so it takes any guesswork out of creating a delicious meal.

Quick Brunch with Friends

Spending holiday time with your closest friends is extra special during the holidays. With all the planning, shopping, and entertaining, be sure to take time to have a nice brunch with your best friends. It doesn’t have to be a major production; a simple casserole, a delicious drink, and in-person time with your people to reflect on the year and make plans for the new year coming is time well-spent.

A savory dish we recommend is our Croque Monsieur Bread Pudding with ham and gruyere. It’s a delicious casserole that will please most any crowd. Serve it with an Iced White Chocolate Mocha made with your Café Espresso Machine.

For easy group meals, we love using our Café wall oven with Advantium® Technology. It allows you to achieve oven-quality results up to four times faster than in a conventional oven, which we call speedcooking. Advantium cooking uses True European Convection along with microwave energy and light to give the right amount of heat your dish requires at precisely the right time. Advantium wall ovens also eliminate the need for preheating, so you save time.

Tips for speedcooking with ease:

• For even browning, arrange foods on the non-stick metal tray where they may touch but not overlap.
• Thaw Fresh Meats (i.e., chicken, fish, or other meat that has been frozen) before you cook them. Use the microwave defrost to quickly thaw them.
• You may notice the oven display Adjusting Cook Time on the display after you press Start. The oven automatically senses your home’s electrical voltage and sets the cooking time up or down for optimal cooking.