Recipes | Christmas Dinner at Home

A full festive feast: your Christmas Dinner at Home all wrapped up

Alex Crépy, of Amelie Restaurant at Ben’s Yard, near Ely, delivers a fantastic spread. A great article in the Cambridge Independent this December.

Alex shares his approach to creating an elegant yet simple Christmas dinner menu. Instead of overly complicated traditional dishes, he focuses on flavour, accessibility, and festive indulgence, blending French culinary tradition with the simplicity and warmth he has embraced while living in the UK.

He highlights the importance of celebrating joyfully after a challenging year, emphasising that Christmas food should feel special without being overwhelming. Inspired by Suffolk’s local ingredients, he creates a menu that is festive, refined, and achievable for home cooks.

The Featured Christmas Dinner

Alex presents a three-course Christmas meal:

1. Starter: Carpaccio of fillet of beef with truffle oil vinaigrette – elegant, aromatic, and simple to prepare.

2. Main: Pan-fried duck breast with five spices and peach sauce – refined but approachable, with warm seasonal flavours.

3. Dessert: Brownies and homemade macarons – comforting classics that also bring a “wow” factor.

He encourages readers to embrace flavour, quality ingredients, and a sense of joy rather than stress about tradition or complexity. His recipes offer a festive feast that feels luxurious while remaining practical.

Recipe | Carpaccio of fillet of beef with truffle oil vinaigrette

Serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 litres water

• 200g coarse sea salt

• 2 juniper berries

• 2 cloves

• 2 star anise

• 2 dried bay leaves

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns

• 250g fillet of beef

• Small piece of parmesan

• Grains of paradise to grate (optional)

Truffle oil vinaigrette:

• 4 tbsp truffle oil

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

Method: Put the water, salt, sugar, chillies, coriander seeds, and herbs into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to cool. Poach the beef for 1–2 minutes. Remove and cool in iced water. Leave in the fridge overnight.

Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry. Slice each piece into thin slices and arrange on a plate. Season lightly. Cut the parmesan into pieces. Mix the vinaigrette and drizzle over. Grate grains of paradise or black pepper over before serving.

Recipe | Pan-fried breast of duck with five spices and peach sauce

Serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 duck breasts

• Olive oil

• 50g butter

• 400ml red wine

• 1 tbsp Madeira

• 1 tbsp honey

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp five-spice powder

• 1 peach (peeled, diced)

• Fresh sprigs of thyme

Method: Score the duck fat. Season with five spice. Pan-fry skin-side down until crisp. Turn and cook further 4–5 mins. Rest the meat. Deglaze pan with wine, Madeira, butter, honey, soy, and thyme. Simmer until thickened. Add peaches. Slice duck and serve with sauce.

Recipe | Brownies

Serves eight minimum

Ingredients:

• 250g salted butter

• 225g soft brown sugar

• 150g dark chocolate

• 3 eggs

• 75g self-raising flour

• 50g cocoa powder

Method: Heat oven to 170°C (gas mark 3).Melt together the butter, sugar and chocolate. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the flour and cocoa. Pour into a lined tin. Bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe | Macarons with white chocolate filling

Makes 30

Ingredients:

• 150g icing sugar

• 150g ground almonds

• 110g egg whites (separated into two 55g portions)

• 150g caster sugar

• 50g water

Filling:

• 200g white chocolate

• 100g cream

Method: Boom mixture until smooth. Pipe small discs onto lined baking sheets. Tap to remove air bubbles. Allow to sit 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 140°C for 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

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