The holidays are just around the garland-framed corner, and it's time to create buzz-worthy entrées that will have guests flocking to your door — or at least calling you for delivery!
These tips will make your holiday plate shine brighter than the bulbs hanging from the tree. Your customers just might make a new tradition out of your service.
Deliver to the Door
The holidays are indeed a time for gathering, but that doesn't mean everyone wants to gather outside of their cozy abode. Create a special at-home menu diners can order for pick-up or delivery based on the number of folks they're planning to entertain — just make sure you consider packaging and ease of travel. Post pictures of your eye-catching options early enough on social media, and you'll end up convincing someone who has already started their grocery list to let you do the heavy lifting instead.
Consider offering items like a smoked salmon spread they can put out as an app, a loaf of crusty bread with honey butter, or a pan of delicate, rich au gratin potatoes. The look – and flavor – of your comforting homecooked menu, without any of the effort on part of the guest, will have them start a new tradition by hanging up the apron. Just don’t forget dessert!
Under the Sea
You don't need a studded ham or a gravy-laden roast at the center of your holiday plate to make it a people-pleaser. Seafood has always been seen as a special indulgence, and around the holidays, folks are ready and willing to treat themselves. In addition, seafood and fish offer a lighter alternative for guests not necessarily into the rich, heavy foods typically served this time of year.
Warm your customers up with a bright bowl of seafood stew. A bowl of vibrant broth, with big chunks of meaty white fish and shells full of luscious ocean gems is almost like unwrapping treasure on Christmas morning. Another entrée option could a stuffed or salsa-topped sea bass. Serve on a cedar plank with lemon wedges and sprigs of herbs for a meal guaranteed to get photographed.
Sing it with Citrus
It's the most wonderful time of the year: citrus season! Take advantage of an abundance of prime Cara Cara, tangerines, and Seville oranges and make your main dishes pop with a juicy brightness as opposed to a heavy, drippings-based gravy.
Citrus adds balance and can cut the richness of fats found in certain cuts of meat. Consider a cranberry-kumquat marmalade (leave those peels on!) that can serve as a mouth-watering zesty relish atop a New York Strip. Choose plump grapefruits for a seafood ceviche that will become the star of the holiday table — whether as a refreshing appetizer or a lighter main course. Dress up salmon with the sweeter flavor of seasonal Meyer Lemon. No matter how you slice it, citrus is the perfect accoutrement to a whole host of holiday dishes that will keep guests talking.
