Lest we forget, chefs are people too, and like anyone else the allure of spending Christmas with loved ones and feasting together is something many are looking forward to this holiday season. In celebration of the season, we asked some of the world’s leading chefs to tell us about their ideal Christmas, from the people they would invite to their own showstopper dinner party dishes. Inevitably, Christmas dinners do mean leftovers, so we’ve also requested that they share their top tips for how to transform those dinner scraps into something more decadent.

 

Richard Ekkebus, Amber

My dream dinner party guests would be my entire family. I have worked my entire career over the period of Christmas and New Year, so that would be something really special. I’d cook an oven-roasted Bresse capon with black truffle slices under the skin, and my potato mousseline. The next day, I’d use the leftovers to make cold capon with a home made black truffle mayonnaise, served with a nice winter salad and some crusty sourdough bread – a real treat!

Umberto Bombana, Otto e Mezzo

For my dream Christmas dinner party, I’d invite all the great chefs from ancient times – Marcus Gavius Apicius of 1st century AD, chef Bartolomeo Scappi of Renaissance and Marie Antoine (Antonin) Carême who was also known as the “king of chefs and chef of kings” in the time of the French Revolution. To impress, I’d make any one of my white truffle dishes. White truffle is just so rare and its aroma must be able to wow the guests. Hopefully, I don't think there would be leftovers in my party and that everyone would finish my food!

Shane Osborn, St Betty

My dream Christmas dinner party guests would be Billy Connolly, Bill Hicks,  George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden, and I’d do a showstopping dish of baked Alaska. In terms of leftovers, we usually have leftover cheese and ham, so it would have to be toasted cheese and ham sandwiches, which are great for soaking up the alcohol!

Mario Batali, Carnevino and Lupa

Jack White, President Obama, Jim Harrison, Mariska Hargitay, Jennifer Rubell and Isabella Rossellini would all be invited to my dream Christmas dinner party. I’d make them tortellini in brodo with white truffles, and the next day we’d have the leftovers as baked pasta with ham and béchamel sauce.    

Tetsuya Wakuda, Waku Ghin (Sydney)

I would invite German-born guitarist Ottmar Liebert; jazz vocalist Amandah Jantzen; Sydney-based photographer Louise Lister; architect of Marina Bay Sands Moshe Safdie and his wife Michal Ronnen Safdie, herself an acclaimed photographer; Japanese architect Tadao Ando and Soichiro Fukutake, an entrepreneur who along with Ando, founded the Momo-Kaki Orphans Fund.

These guests are all personal friends and a big source of inspiration for me – not only are they talented artists, photographers and architects, but also because they are great human beings.

When it comes to dinner, the most important thing for me is to create a casual, fun atmosphere and to make guests feel relaxed. For that, I think a BBQ or a simple one dish in the middle of the table would create the perfect ambience to just relax and enjoy each other’s company. Also I like cooking at the table.

Leftovers don’t have to mean cooked food that’s not eaten. It could be quality ingredients that are not used up in the previous cooking session, so the meal can be just as tasty.

 

Wolfgang Puck, restaurants worldwide

The real Santa Claus and my family, having an Austrian Christmas in the mountains, would be my ideal dinner. I’d make a roasted young goose with braised red cabbage, chestnuts, and mashed potatoes with truffles, then the next day I would make a shepherd’s pie with the leftover goose meat. It might even end up better than the dinner the night before!

Daniel Boulud, Daniel (New York City)

For my ideal Christmas dinner party, it would really have to be my family in Lyon with the guest of honour being Paul Bocuse. We would start with cervelas truffe, and then have roast goose and finish with a bouche de Noel. The goose would be stuffed with her own foie gras, truffle and chestnuts, and I’d cook it very slowly for about eight hours. The next day, I’d make a soup using all of the bones and juices and leftover root vegetables from the goose.

Justin Quek, consultant chef to Cépage, Whisk and The French Window

I truly believe that Christmas time is family time, so hands down, my 11-year old son, Julien.  would be my choice for company in my dream dinner party. I’d make cream capellini with steamed Hokkaido king crab. And to up the ante, I would add some Alba white truffle shavings – perfection. I am quite old-fashioned when it comes to turkey – I am happy to make simple turkey sandwiches and turkey salads with a basic vinaigrette if I had any leftovers.

 

Guy Savoy, Guy Savoy (Paris)

My dream Christmas dinner party guests would be Charles Quint, Mozart, my mother and my grand children, Frédéric Dard and the All Blacks' captain. My showstopper dish would be un gratin de cardons with marrow and black truffle, which is a special Christmas dish of Burgundy, where I was born. The only leftovers from the dinner would be good memories. The next day, in front of my fireplace, smoking a nice cigar, I would remember this previous great evening.

Read about our favourite 20 restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, and find out who won our award for Best Chef and Best New Chef