There’s an art to hosting Christmas Day and Julia (our Queen of Christmas) has it down – from sidestepping the stress to planning the perfect menu.
Julia Busuttil Nishimura lights up when she talks about food. “Cooking is meditative for me,” she says. “At all my most stressful times, even when I was in labour with Haruki, I was cooking.” Perhaps this makes her perfectly primed to host Christmas Day lunch – a time where those of us who take a less zen approach to the holidays lose our minds at the thought of umpteen hungry family members yelling over the dinner table.
Julia always felt at home in the kitchen, but didn’t want to become a chef. It’s not like you can exactly study to become a much-loved internet food sensation, so, like so many of us, she wound up doing an arts degree. This is where she honed her Italian, eventually moving to Italy to work as an au pair. When she returned to Melbourne, she embarked on a career as a primary school Italian teacher and that did her just fine for five or so years. But time in Italy has a way of intensifying one’s love for cooking, so she began to write down and share her recipes. Ultimately, her talents were picked up and amplified by publications like The Design Files, and Julia built a cult following before meeting her now-publisher at a farmers market by chance. “I don’t know how it’s happened, to be honest, but I’m so grateful,” she beams.
The successful cook and author grew up in a bustling Maltese household where Christmas was formal – prawn cocktails, roast pork, Christmas pudding, all served on special-occasion china. These days, as the host to her own family festivities, things are a lot more relaxed. “I want people to feel like I’ve gone to effort, but not too much,” she explains. This sentiment could serve as the tagline for the style of food for which she’s become so revered. Julia already had two best-sellers under her belt (Ostro and A Year of Simple Family Food), with a third (Around the Table: Delicious food for every day) released this past July. Already, the praise for her latest is deafening – people (myself included) can’t get enough of her home-cook-friendly fare with its respect for seasonal produce and inviting blend of Italian, Maltese and Japanese influences. Aside from the food being ridiculously delicious (and actually achievable), she’s just someone you can’t help but root for. Julia exudes a genuine warmth, relatability and humility that renders her instantly likeable.
“My dad is one of seven, so it was always a really big Christmas Eve, complete with midnight mass,” she tells me. “We were allowed to open one present once it was over, so, as a kid, that was the motivation to go.” Now, Julia has two adorable sons of her own with her husband Nori (a former chef himself). Haruki is seven and Yukito nearly three – though he stops me to insist fervently that he’s still two – and Christmas is now a lot more about them. It’s a smaller affair, sure, but still one full of love and plenty of feasting. “Christmas Eve is very Maltese and Italian,” she says. “We eat a lot of fish, maybe a clam pasta or Maltese fish soup.” Christmas Day sees all her cooking influences come together, including her husband’s Japanese heritage. “In Japan, most people don’t really celebrate Christmas. Nori says they used to go to KFC, it’s kind of the turkey replacement. So I always do something to nod to Japan, perhaps sashimi or a crudo, or even oysters with a ponzu sauce.”
To help us all have a more Busuttil Nishimura-like Christmas, Julia let us in on her family’s cherished traditions, sidestepping the stress, and how to plan the perfect Christmas Day menu.
Home essentials
- Q.What’s your earliest cooking memory?
“I feel like all of my childhood memories are around food. I grew up in Adelaide, near McLaren Vale. I used to walk down to the beach with my dad to collect seawater to make ricotta. I can still remember the baskets sitting on the sink, steaming curds. I also remember podding broad beans with my Nanna. Even when I used to watch Play School, I remember asking my mum to call up the ABC for the recipe. I just was obsessed from a very early age.”
- Q.Go-to drink order?
“At home I love a Negroni or an Americano – I just love bitter flavours. If I’m out, though, I'll probably get something like a Paloma or a Tommy’s Margarita, something that needs a bit more mixing. I just started getting into cocktails at home a little bit, but the bartender is always going to make it better than I can. I rely a lot on bartenders, sommeliers and shopkeepers for recommendations on drinks!”
- Q.What do you always have on hand to drink at home?
“We love gin. We always have some Four Pillars at home. We also drink a lot of non-alcoholic beer. I love the Hey Days Zero Alcohol XPA – it’s citrusy, hoppy and very easy drinking. All a big yes from me! I love wine too. There’s always wine in the house.”
- Q.Drink you should always have in the fridge during the festive season?
“I feel like you can't go past Champagne, or a good sparkling. But Champagne just feels especially festive. I love the Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut. You need to have something that goes well with seafood.”
- Q.How do you put together a Christmas menu?
“If you’re hosting every year like I tend to do, you can pull a lot of things from the previous year. It’s not the time to reinvent the wheel. I know some people do rehearsal cooks to try the recipes out, but I love sticking to things that I know are amazing and are going to be beautiful purely because you’re picking produce that’s in season. You really don’t have to do much to stone fruit or cherries or mango or prawns – it’s all just so beautiful. And produce is expensive, so a rehearsal is just not that realistic.
“Keeping it simple is always key, and even more so at Christmas. I’m not one to cook, say, three different meats and five sides. Instead I like to choose one protein for the main course and work around that, keeping it simple and fuss-free. Overall, I keep to seafood to start, protein and salads for main, then dessert. My advice is to focus on making a few things and doing them well. Making many different dishes can be rather stressful and it’s hard to get it all out together.”
- Q.Do the kids get involved with holiday prep?
“I like to get the boys involved in small jobs like podding beans, dressing salads and helping set the table. Christmas Day is usually rather busy, though, and Haruki and Yukito are most likely preoccupied with their new presents, so I have the kitchen to myself anyway. But in the lead-up, we do a lot together. It’s really lovely baking cakes with them and we also make biscuits to decorate the tree.”
- Q.Christmas presents in the morning?
“Yeah! We wake up, I’ve usually made some cinnamon buns, or we’ll have pandoro and cherries with coffee. My mum and my sister will either sleep over at our house or they’ll come really early so they can be here for the presents. We all sit around, open the gifts, and then they might take the kids to the park so I can get going in the kitchen.”
Notable mentions
- Q.Top tips for people hosting Christmas for the first time this festive season?
“Being organised! Allow enough time for shopping and prepping as much as you can in advance. Even something like washing herbs and storing them in the fridge. Things like sauces, a lot of that can be made the day before. I’m definitely not an on-the-day dessert person – that can all be done in advance.
“Also don’t take it too seriously. I think when you take the pressure off, everyone has a more enjoyable time. Strip back the expectations of what it should be and just cook delicious food. For me, Christmas is about familiarity and comfort. It should be really joyful so just take as much stress out of it as possible. Don’t be afraid to outsource stuff. Don’t feel like you have to make everything from scratch. If your butcher is doing the hams already glazed and you know they’re going to be great, just grab one or buy the glaze from them. It’s a time of year when amazing retailers are providing so much, so take advantage of it. And delegate if you need people to bring something! Say to them, ‘Could you bring the wines?’, ‘Can you cut the bread?’, ‘I’ve ordered this thing, can you please pick it up on your way?’ Be specific – don’t tell them to just bring whatever, say ‘I need two baguettes’. Make it easy for them.
“Also, have the music on and the drinks chilled and ready to go. Put out a little snack – it can just be some chips. I feel like once people have something in their hands they all relax and you don’t feel that pressure that you have to get the food out straight away.”
- Q.Favourite Christmas food and drink pairing?
“Prawns and riesling are such a great match. They’re just so good. Try the Dr Loosen Blue Slate Riesling – it’s absolutely delicious and one of my very favourites. It’s crunchy and fresh, but with subtle honey notes. It’s versatile and an easy one to serve on the big day as it goes great with shellfish.”
- Q.Top pick from your new cookbook (Around the Table) for people’s Christmas menus?
“There’s so much, actually! There’s a roast side of king salmon – it’s served with rye bread, green beans, pickled onions and sour cream. It’s perfect for Christmas and only takes around 15 minutes in the oven. There’s sumac prawns. There’s an aioli with heaps of steamed and fresh veg, which would be a fun entree. Oh, and then there’s a coconut, nectarine and raspberry ricotta trifle.”
Let’s plan... Christmas Day at the Busuttil Nishimura household
- Q.Who’s coming:
“Me, Nori, the two kids, my mum (Rachel), my sister (Sarah), probably my cousin as well. And then if there are any friends who haven’t got family around at Christmas time, there’s always room at the table. It’s not a big group – maybe around six, max. That’s how I like it. I prefer smaller gatherings.”
- Q.Christmas decorations and styling:
“We get a fresh tree every year – I just love the smell. I also tend to make something for the front door, either native cuttings or some spruce. I’ll put a few beeswax candles out, some foliage, but I keep it pretty simple. I love ceramics so I’ll bring out some of my special stuff. They’re not traditional at all. I’ve got some Mexican plates that are my favourite thing – they’re all hand-painted and they’re all different. I’ll also bring out some interesting glassware, and I like crisp, white linen with wood-handled cutlery. I like it stripped back and easy-breezy, but still a little special.”
- Q.The guest brief:
“Come hungry! Other than that, I really love taking care of everything. My sister will probably bring some wine, but I love people coming and feeling really relaxed and looked after.”
- Q.Drink and snacks on arrival:
"Meatsmith [in Melbourne] makes the most amazing paté en croute, so to save myself the stress I'll just pick one up from there and have that ready to go with some Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut. It's my favourite Champagne at the moment – so tasty and refreshing – the ideal welcome drink. I also love to plate up some anchovies (tinned fish are the easiest quick fix that still looks impressive) with nice bread and good quality butter. Beautiful prosciutto and melon, as well as hand-cut salami, and it’s a very good start to Christmas!”
- Q.The pre-dinner mingle and jingle:
“In the morning we listen to all the old-school carols, but come lunchtime it’s Mariah, it’s Harry. It’s all the pop Christmas songs. As for food, once the snacks have been devoured, it’s onto a seafood platter. It’s super simple to put together and relies wholeheartedly on just making sure you grab the freshest ingredients. I like to serve it with a few different sauces. A mignonette dressing for the oysters, and then I’ll whip up a mayonnaise and season half with Tabasco and the other half I’ll add in lots of freshly chopped herbs. To compliment it all, I couldn’t think of a better drink than a Gin and Tonic made with the Malfy con Arancia with the Capi Sunset Tonic. It’s fresh, vibrant and perfect for summer feasting!”
- Q.The main event:
“One of my favourite things to make for the main event is an impressive T-bone, cut very thick like a proper Bistecca alla Fiorentina and grilled to perfection. And you just can’t go wrong with some lovely reds to pair with the steak. I love the Carpineto Rosso di Montalcino – I feel like I’m in Italy when I’m drinking it! It’s a sangiovese that is incredibly savoury, with notes of tobacco and spice. Rich, but not too heavy, not too fruit forward. The perfect pairing for my main.
“And because you always need options, I also love to serve the Yangarra Preservative Free Grenache at the table too. It’s medium bodied and super delicious. And just so everyone’s happy, I throw in a pinot, too. The Handpicked Collection Tasmania Pinot Noir is my pick. It’s distinctively lighter and wonderfully perfumed. I love to serve it all with roast potatoes and some fresh salads. My go-to is a tomato and tarragon salad, which is so festive and a great accompaniment to the rich meat.”
- Q.Dessert course:
“While I do love a trifle, I usually go for a pav with summer fruit. Here it’s mango, raspberries and passionfruit. I love lychees at Christmas time – for me, that’s a real Christmas treat, so if I have some of those they’ll make their way onto the pavlova, too. And what to drink with this beautiful pavlova? Talisker makes a 10-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and it’s smoky, smooth and a great way to finish the meal.”
- Q.The secret to the perfect pav:
“It’s about dissolving the sugar fully into the egg white. You shouldn't be able to feel any granules of sugar, because that's when the sugar seeps out and starts to weep as it cools. I cook mine at pretty low temperature for a longer time and just let it cool completely in the oven. Pavlovas can be hard, but even a messed-up pavlova is still good. You just chuck on the whipped cream, pile it with fresh fruit, and no one will notice.”
