Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas

Aired stateside on BBC America, this two-disc set features infamous foul-mouthed Michelin-starred super-chef Gordon Ramsay offering tips on holiday cooking in a markedly different atmosphere: surrounded by family and focusing on “stress-free and delicious” rather than delivering his usual pressure-cooker profanity and insults. In the first of two 50-minute programs, Ramsay provides his take on classic dishes and prepares a lemon, parsley, and garlic roasted turkey with cider-walnut gravy; “my stunning” cran-apple sauce (with anise and cardamom); roasted potatoes (with chili and turmeric) and Brussels sprouts (with pancetta and chestnuts); and a day-before advance prep recipe for a pork, apricot, and pistachio stuffing. Working quickly—with clear instructional footage—and speaking to the camera (with added narration for clarification), Ramsay also creates a quick Christmas morning breakfast of croissants, salmon, and eggs; a flambé Christmas pudding with his mother; and mint chocolate truffles with brandy and cream as a way for involving two of his children (he claims to be “raising my own little brigade of sous chefs”). The second program features more alternative meal ideas, including a poached salmon Niçoise, pumpkin parmesan winter soup, mulled wine, shortbread with crème fraîche and oranges, and beef Wellington (to which he adds decoration and says “You don't have to do this, but it's a chef-y thing”). Well-produced and packaged with five recipe cards, this primer on “achievable, affordable” and festive culinary treats is highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)