What to cook for Christmas dinner: Crunchy prawn toasts

If you're looking for a quick and easy crowd-pleaser to launch your Christmas Day dinner, my Sesame Prawn Toasts are the answer. They're a snip to make, reasonably inexpensive if you use a bag of frozen prawn meat, and a hit with kids and adults alike.

Simply mix finely chopped defrosted raw prawn meat with mayonnaise (I like to use my Speedy Mayo but you can use bought mayo if you prefer). Add a little sesame oil, pile the mixture onto slices of white toast bread, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the oven until lightly golden and crunchy. You can make the topping and cut up the bread the day before and keep them in separate airtight containers in the fridge until you're ready to assemble and cook them at the last minute. Click here for the full recipe.

It's a variation on a similar dish my mother used to make with mushrooms – so if you've got vegetarians coming for dinner on Christmas Day you can make exactly the same recipe for them, using thinly sliced mushrooms instead of the prawns!

Countdown to Christmas dinner
Each day for the next 10 days I'll be posting a new recipe from my Christmas Day menu, so check back here each day. To be notified by email when I've posted a new blog, click on the RSS Feed tab on the right of this page. Or if you'd prefer you can like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter to be the first to hear when each new recipe goes live. On the last day I'll post a Menu Planner to help you prep ahead as much as possible and make your Christmas Day a stress-free zone.

Here's my Christmas Day menu so far:

To drink:
Bella's Pink Fizz

To nibble while your guests arrive:
Oysters with Kilpatrick Topping
Sesame Prawn Toasts

Coming tomorrow:
To start:
Salmon and Avocado Towers

For more free recipes, menu plans and tips, see annabel-langbein.com