Make dinner your Christmas star

For people who love to cook, the Christmas season presents an opportunity to blow out all the stops and cook with abandon. Christmas dinner can be made into a real star attraction for family and friends.

Spend some quality time procuring the best ingredients. Order some fresh oysters from Taylor Shellfish (www.taylorshellfishfarms.com). Nose around to find some fresh chestnuts. If your local store doesn't carry them, use that as an excuse to visit Pike Place Market or Uwajimaya.

Invest a few hours in crafting a homemade dessert that you and your family will remember, and take the time to bake your own dinner rolls. The smells alone are worth the effort.

For the main course, venture away from the standard turkey or ham and indulge in a lavish tenderloin of beef. Forget the potatoes for once, and don't even think about frozen green beans or peas. This is a special occasion; think chestnuts and Brussels sprouts.

Juggle up the order of the menu just a bit by putting the salad after the main course.

The salad in this menu has cheese and nuts and bright red cherries resurrected from their dried form in a bright splash of warm white balsamic vinegar. The savory-sweet blend is not too strong to interfere with any red wine left on the table, and it prompts you and your guests to linger and enjoy the moment.

Cooking is really fun, and when I have spent time shopping for good ingredients and planning a menu of dishes that I really like, it's almost like opening my Christmas presents early. Best of all, I get to share them with the people I love and I don't have to exchange a thing.

The menu

Favorite Bread Rolls

Oyster Bisque

Roast Tenderloin of Beef

Braised Chestnuts and Brussels Sprouts

Green Salad with Dried Cherries, Caramelized Hazelnuts and Fresh White Goat Cheese

The Yule Log Cake