Elite NYC chef reveals her 7 secrets to cooking up the perfect homemade Christmas menu on a budget… from the surprise ingredient to transform your gravy… to the $5 store-bought sauce that’ll elevate your veggies

By James On Dec 22, 2023

A house full of hungry friends and family members can be intimidating for even the best home cooks, especially on Christmas Day.

And during these busy holidays – with sky-high grocery store prices – it can seem almost impossible to feed the whole family while getting the perfect turkey.

But New York City's elite chef Lauren DeSteno says that with a little planning you can make the process easy and, dare we say, enjoyable.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, DeSteno, executive chef of the Altamarea Group, which has run some of America's most exclusive restaurants from Manhattan's Marea to Ai Fiori, reveals the seven secrets of the professional kitchen virtuoso.

1: Prepare your vegetables and save your sanity

Trained chefs prepare as much as possible before seating a single guest. Amateur chefs should do the same.

Make a list of all the dishes you're preparing for the meal and the ingredients – then get started. You can wash, peel, cut, dice and shred most vegetables up to three days in advance to keep them fresh. Store everything in plastic bags or Tupperware. If you're worried about something drying out, just dampen a paper towel and place it over it.

Only chop your onions, shallots or herbs a day before cooking.

Elite New York City chef Lauren DeSteno (above) says that with a little planning you can make the process easy and, dare we say, enjoyable.

Making mac and cheese? Shred your cheeses three days in advance.

Gratinate? Cut the potatoes into pieces and grate the cheese at the same time.

When it's time to cook, you'll already be ahead of the game.

2: Don't sleep on your sides

There are excellent products in the supermarket that professional chefs use all the time to finish their dishes and give them an extra burst of flavor.

Making Brussels sprouts with bacon?

Top it off with some store-bought pomegranate molasses (under $5 at the grocery store) for an unexpected sweet and sour note. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds – the red seeds of the fruit – if you really feel like it.

Do you remember that potato gratin?

Sprinkle some sharp gorgonzola cheese between the layers and drizzle with a little truffle honey just before serving. It will convince even those who say they don't like blue cheese.

Gravy falls flat? Or maybe you need a drink to get through it?

There are excellent products in the supermarket that professional chefs use all the time to finish their dishes and give them an extra burst of flavor.

Grab that bottle of cognac your great uncle treated you to years ago. A splash of cognac straight from the bottle will wake up any gravy and have your guests asking for your recipe.

You don't need much, but the result will brighten the sauce without changing the flavor you've created. You should get some of the 'warm' notes of the cognac, but not the alcohol burning out of it.

3: Spending, but not splitting

What is your goal: tasty snacks or an extensive meal? Choose one, not both. This is crucial if you want to prevent food costs from spiraling out of control.

Only buy small quantities of the large items, such as caviar or oysters. These luxurious dishes make a great impression.

And don't assume that your fishmonger or local seafood department doesn't have anything just because you don't see it. Always ask! They can often order it for you (and many will shuck oysters in advance so you don't have to).

Keep the hors d'oeuvres simple and sparse and focus your attention (and money) on the main event.

If you are serving a wide variety of dishes for the main meal, do not prepare a large quantity of one dish. After all, your guests will want to taste them all.

If you have leftovers from a large plate of raw vegetables, put all the vegetables in the food processor the next day. Add some feta and olives, vinegar and oil. This produces a delicious chopped salad that can be served with canned tuna, beans, lettuce… or even tortilla chips. And nothing is lost!

4: Bring the family to the kitchen

If family comes into town early, combine some memories with the cooking.

Here's a panzerotti recipe (or 'Frite' as my grandparents called them) that's perfect for the occasion.

The dough comes together easily in a stand mixer. The possible fillings are endless and it is easy to make different types to satisfy the entire crowd.

Here's a panzerotti recipe (or 'Frite' as my grandparents called them) that's perfect for the occasion.

Set up your crew in an assembly line; one person rolls the dough, another drops in the filling, a fourth does the cutting, and a fifth person closes them for frying.

Panzerotti

Makes about 2.5 dozen

1000 K '00' Flour

550 g cold water

7 g Instant yeast

15 g sugar

25 g Salt

Grated Pecorino, Black Pepper and Parsley mixed as filling (you can substitute ricotta and diced salami or basically anything else you like)

Add the water to the bowl of a stand mixer, followed by all the ingredients except salt. Set the mixer to low speed. Once the mixture starts to come together, add the salt. Mix the dough on medium speed until fully combined and fairly smooth.

Remove the bowl from the mixer attachment and cover with a clean tea towel.

Edit:

Heat a pot or small deep fryer with canola oil to 350 degrees.

Using a rolling pin or pasta machine (by hand or mechanical), roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Cut them into long 3 inch wide strips. Keep the dough you are not using covered with a tea towel so that it does not dry out.

Place a dollop (about 1.5 tablespoons) of your filling about ½ inch from the long edge of the dough and continue to scoop out the filings in 2-inch increments.

Gently lift the 'empty side' of the dough and pull the filling over it, matching the bottom edge.

You should now have a long, thin rectangle with a few mounds in a row.

Using lightly floured hands, press all the air out of the filling and press the dough down to secure it to the bottom layer.

Cut the rectangles apart between the filler mounds and use a fork to press all the edges together except the folded edge.

Carefully lower the dough bags into the fryer one by one. Add enough to form a single layer in the pot.

Using a slotted spoon or spider, gently turn the panzerotti as they cook to ensure they do so evenly.

Fry them until golden brown on both sides, remove them from the oil and let them cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

5: Easy pleasures for chefs and guests

It's tempting to grab takeout the night before Christmas, but nothing shows your love for family better than a delicious, home-cooked meal.

For my family's Christmas Eve dinner, linguine in clam sauce is our main event. It is also one of the most popular items at Marea.

For this dish, you can skip the canned mussels and mussel stock. Instead, buy fresh clams from your fishmonger. To de-stress from the effort, sauté the prepared garlic a day in advance and add mussels and white wine to steam them open.

Once opened, I pull all the mussels out of their shells (discarding the shells) and set them aside. Strain the 'stock' through a sieve to remove any bits of shell or sand.

You can reduce this stock a bit or leave it as it is. I add the mussels back to the liquid and keep it in the refrigerator until needed.

When it's time to make this dish, it's nothing more than boiling pasta and seasoning the sauce.

6: Cook 'Two Birds' with one pot

A twofer recipe is always a welcome addition to the holiday program.

Here's a recipe for Delicata Squash with Apple Cider Pecan Reduction that is a showstopper – and so is the cocktail it inspires!

Prepare more apple cider than you need. It will not be lost. You can use it to sweeten anything, but it's especially delicious when you shake it with some bourbon and allspice dram.

Garnish with an orange wedge and enjoy the nods of approval after your guests take the first sip.

At Ai Fiori, we use a similar apple cider reduction and add apple cider vinegar to make a pickling liquid for the apples that garnish our grilled octopus.

Delicata squash with apple cider reduction

Serves 6

3-4 kg Delicata pumpkin

1 qt apple cider (the best you can find)

1 t Dijon mustard

1-2 T Maple syrup

½ C Chopped Pecans, toasted

Salty

Chili flakes

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Start by reducing your cider in a saucepan over medium heat; reduce it by ¾ (you should end up with 1 cup). Set it aside.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper and brush or brush lightly with olive oil.

Wash the pumpkin, cut off a piece from the top and bottom and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard them.

Place the pumpkin cut side down on a cutting board and cut it into ¼ into semicircles.

Spread the pumpkin in an even layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast the pumpkin (turning halfway through) for about 15-20 minutes; they should be golden (to deep) brown on the cut sides.

In a bowl, mix the reduced apple cider, mustard, maple syrup and salt and chili to taste. Stir well to combine. Arrange the pumpkin on a platter and drizzle with the syrup, trying to get some on each piece of pumpkin. Finally, sprinkle the toasted pecans on top and serve.

7: Bake the turkey!

Baked turkeys get a bad rap and provide hours of fun, but roasting a bird is truly THE way to go.

I like to brine my turkey in salt water for 24 hours, about 2 tablespoons per quart of water, then pull it out and let it dry in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

If you have a meat injector, inject the bird with a mixture of butter, garlic and herbs the night before you plan to cook it.

When it's time to fry, make sure to turn off the flame as you drop the turkey into the oil. And don't place your fryer near anything flammable.

It is best to cook this outside the house and in the garden or in an empty driveway. It's hard enough to keep the house intact for the party.

Don't burn it down!

The turkey cooks 3 to 3.5 minutes per pound. Then let it rest for at least ½ hour.

This will be the quickest and tastiest turkey you've ever made.

Disconnect your fuel, let the oil cool completely, then cover it and forget about it until tomorrow.

You did it! You have organized a fantastic Christmas and keep your wits about you.

Now get ready for New Year's Eve!