Have a Christmas feast with Chefs Ranveer Brar and Sandeep Kalra's recipes 

It’s time to prepare the delish Christmas spread. We catch up with two renowned chefs, Ranveer Brar and Sandeep Kalra, who flip through their cookbooks to bring us two famous Christmas recipes that will give you all the reason to invite your friends and family over.

Eggless Gingerbread House
By Chef Ranveer Brar

Ingredients
1/3 cup water | ¼ cup jaggery or molasses | ¼ cup brown sugar | 1 tsp vanilla essence | 2 tbsp butter | 2 cups refined flour | 2 tbsp ginger bread spice ½ tsp baking powder | ¼ tsp baking soda | 1 tbsp condensed milk

For Spice Powder
15 gms cinnamon stick | 5 gms cloves | 5 gms star anise | 3 gms fennel seeds | 15 gms dry ginger powder | 1 mace | 2 dry button chili | 5 gms coriander seeds | Salt to taste

For Icing
¼ cup Water | 1 cups Icing sugar | 1 ½ tsp lemon juice

For Caramel Syrup
1 cup caster sugar | 1 tbsp water For Garnish ½ cup white chocolate | ½ tsp green powder colour | ½ cup white chocolate | ½ tsp red powder colour | colourful chocolate candies | colourful sprinklers | icing sugar

Method
For Gingerbread dough
●Heat jaggery in a pot on low flame. Add brown sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add butter, stir till melted and sauce is creamy. Turn off the flame.
● Add gingerbread spice in the warm sauce and mix well to release its flavour. Rest for 2-3 minutes. Add refined flour, baking powder, baking soda to the sauce and mix nicely till it forms a soft and sticky dough. Add condensed milk and vanilla essence, incorporate it in the dough properly.
● Dust your hands with refined flour and smooth out the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest it for 30 minutes in a cool place (do not refrigerate). Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use additional flour to avoid sticking. Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough.
● Place the moulds on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the moulds from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently.
● Cut out the following patterns for the gingerbread house template, two rectangles, 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles, 4 by 6 inches for the roof.
● Line a baking tray with butter paper and preheat the oven at 170°c.Bake the cookies in batches. Bake in a pre- heated oven at 160°c for 10-15 minutes.
● Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.

For Assembling the Gingerbread House
● Glue the two roof pieces to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.
● Using the icing, stick sweets around the door and on the front of the house.
● Dust the roof with icing sugar for a snowy effect.

For Icing
● In a bowl, add water, icing sugar, lemon juice and mix well on a double boiler. Until the icing is smooth and thick enough. For Caramel Syrup 

For Caramel Syrup
●In a heavy bottom sauce pan, add caster sugar, water on medium flame.Allow the mixture to dissolve without stirring, until it has reduced slightly and becomes golden amber in color.
●Switch off the flame and keep aside for further use.

Roasted Turkey
By: Chef Sandeep Kalra, Director of Culinary, Pullman New Delhi.

Ingredients For Brined Turkey
1 gallon water | 2 cups apple cider | 2 cups kosher salt | 2 cups sugar | One 15-pound fresh turkey

For Marinade
10 roasted garlic cloves | 10 raw garlic cloves | 1 3/4 cups canola oil | 3/4 cup fresh orange juice | 1/4 cup cider vinegar | 1/4 cup kosher salt | 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice | 3 tablespoons dried oregano | 3 chipotles in adobo | 1 tablespoon ground cumin | 2 tablespoons annatto paste | 1 teaspoon ground allspice For Turkey 9 cups chicken or turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons canola oil | Reserved turkey giblets and neck (liver discarded) | 3 shallots, coarsely chopped | 2 carrots, coarsely chopped | 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped | 1 onion, coarsely chopped | 10 roasted garlic cloves (see Note) | 8 black peppercorns | 2 tablespoons unsalted butter | 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour | Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:
● In a very large bowl, stir the water, apple cider, kosher salt and sugar until the salt and sugar is dissolved. Line a stock pot with a large, sturdy doubled plastic bag. Put the turkey in the bag, neck first. Pour in the brine and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
● Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the turkey dry and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. In a blender, combine the roasted garlic with the 10 raw garlic cloves, the vegetable oil, orange juice, cider vinegar, kosher salt, lime juice, oregano,chipotles, annatto paste, cumin and allspice. Puree until smooth. Slather the turkey inside and out with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
● Preheat the oven to 325°. Lift the turkey out of the marinade and set on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush the breast with some of the marinade. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the stock into the bottom of the pan and cover the turkey very loosely with foil. Roast the turkey for 2 hours. Remove the foil and add another 1 1/2 cups of the stock to the pan. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175°.
● In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil. Add the giblets and neck and cook over moderate heat until browned. Transfer to a plate. Add the shallots, carrots, celery and onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Return the turkey parts to the saucepan. Stir in the roasted garlic brine and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
● Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and remove the rack from the pan. Pour the pan juices into a bowl and skim off the fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Transfer the reserved fat to a saucepan. Add the butter and flour and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until golden brown, 2 minutes. Add the enriched stock and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the gravy is reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.
● Place the roasting pan over one burner on high heat. Add the strained, defatted pan drippings (there should be 1 cup) and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Strain the pan drippings into the gravy and season with salt and pepper; keep warm.

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