A Holiday Hosting Menu in Cast Iron, from Baked Brie to Crème Brûlée

Someone is tearing bread at the counter. A pot of beef bourguignon has been simmering long enough that the kitchen smells like dinner, and the first guest is already asking what’s for dessert. That’s a pretty good start to a holiday evening.

This menu brings together six Lancaster recipes for the kind of dinner that stretches into a long conversation: warm brie with blackberry compote to share, garlic caprese focaccia, beef bourguignon, browned butter mushroom and thyme pasta, skillet crème brûlée, and rosemary and orange olive oil cake.

There’s plenty to look forward to, but the work can be spread out. The custard chills overnight, the cake and focaccia can be baked earlier in the day, and the beef gets an early start. That leaves the pasta and warm brie to finish close to serving.

Set the table before the cooking gets busy. Put on music. Leave room for people to gather in the kitchen.

The Holiday Dinner Menu

• To start: Baked Brie with Blackberry Black Pepper Honey Compote, with bread or crackers for scooping.
• For the table: Classic Beef Bourguignon, served family-style.
• Alongside: Browned Butter Mushroom & Thyme Cream Pasta, in smaller portions to complement the beef.
• For dessert: Vanilla Bean Skillet Crème Brûlée, finished with a crisp sugar top just before serving.
• Bread to share: Garlic Caprese Focaccia, with cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, and basil.
• Something to slice with coffee: Rosemary and Orange Olive Oil Cake, served alongside fresh whipped cream

Start with the Baked Brie

Baked in the Lancaster No. 6 Cast Iron Skillet. Use the recipe’s larger No. 6 variation with a 16-ounce round of brie.

A warm skillet of brie gives everyone something to share while coats come off and drinks are poured. The Baked Brie with Blackberry Black Pepper Honey Compote pairs soft cheese with fruit, honey, and a little black pepper. It’s a welcome mix of sweet and savory before the deeper flavors of dinner.

Set it out with crackers and slices of bread, and give it a place where guests can comfortably reach it. A small plate for each person helps keep the conversation moving around the room instead of gathering everyone over one pan. Use a trivet beneath the skillet and leave an oven mitt nearby; the handle needs as much care at the table as it does at the stove.

This is the course that keeps is casual and eases everyone into the night. Perfect with the first glass of red wine. Have the bread sliced and the serving plates ready ahead of time, then bring out the brie warm. Guests can help themselves while you effortlessly finish the last few things for dinner.

Make Beef Bourguignon the Center Piece of Dinner

Cooked in the Lancaster 5 Quart Dutch Oven.

Classic Beef Bourguignon earns its place at a holiday table. Chuck roast, bacon, red wine, and herbs build a rich stew, with mushrooms and potatoes making it a substantial meal. The recipe calls for about three hours of cooking, plus prep, and is a great make ahead meal because the flavors only get better with time.

The early work is hands-on: rendering the bacon, browning the beef in batches, and building the base. Take your time with that stage. Once the pot reaches its gentle simmer, the pace of the evening changes. There’s time to arrange flowers, find the serving spoons, or sit down for a few minutes before anyone rings the bell.

A basket of bread belongs within reach for the sauce.

A five-quart Lancaster Dutch oven is the cookware used for this recipe. Have a sturdy trivet ready if you plan to bring the pot to the table.

Bring Out the Mushroom and Thyme Pasta While It’s Silky

Made in the Lancaster No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet.

The Browned Butter Mushroom & Thyme Cream Pasta adds browned butter, earthy mushrooms, and fresh thyme to the meal, with lemon keeping the cream sauce beautifully balanced. Wide pappardelle gives the sauce plenty of room to cling. It feels especially welcome on a cold evening.

Slice the mushrooms and gather the sauce ingredients before guests arrive. Save the final cooking and tossing for close to dinner: this dish is best served as soon as the pasta meets the sauce.

Reserve some pasta water before draining. It helps loosen the sauce as you toss, giving you more control over the consistency at the end. For the most seamless serving, finish and bring to the table right in the skillet used for the sauce.

A simple green salad with a bright dressing is a useful addition to these rich dishes. If you’re accommodating a vegetarian guest, this pasta is a great main dish alternative for them!

Finish with Skillet Crème Brûlée

Baked in the Lancaster No. 4 Cast Iron Skillets. The recipe uses four No. 4 skillets.

By dessert, the cooking should be nearly finished. Vanilla Bean Skillet Crème Brûlée lets you do most of its work the day before and save the satisfying part, the crackly caramelized sugar, for the end of dinner.

The recipe bakes the vanilla custard in four Lancaster No. 4 skillets and calls for at least four hours of refrigeration, or an overnight chill. Make it ahead and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to finish the tops. After dinner, add the sugar and caramelize it with a kitchen torch, allowing a minute or two for the surface to crisp before serving. You can also use the stovetop caramel method if you don’t have a torch.

Bring out coffee, hand around the spoons, and let everyone break through that first thin layer of sugar. Anyone who wants a smaller dessert can share a skillet and leave room for a slice of olive oil cake.

Pass Around Garlic Caprese Focaccia

Baked in the Lancaster 5 Quart Dutch Oven.

Homemade bread has a way of disappearing before dinner officially starts. The Garlic Caprese Focaccia brings cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, and basil to a soft loaf that guests can tear into or pass in squares. Set some beside the brie, then save a few pieces for the main course. They’ll be welcome with the bourguignon sauce.

Focaccia needs time to rise, so plan to bake it earlier in the day, with enough time for the recipe’s rising and baking stages. Focaccia is a great dough to make the day before, put in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning. That keeps the oven available when the brie needs to go in. Cut it into smaller pieces for this menu; with pasta and potatoes coming, guests can take a little bread and come back for more.

Leave Room for Rosemary and Orange Olive Oil Cake

Baked in the Lancaster No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet. This is the 10.5-inch skillet used for the cake recipe.

The Rosemary and Orange Olive Oil Cake gives the dessert table a different flavor and texture: a moist olive oil cake with citrus and rosemary. Perfect when topped with a little powdered sugar or some fresh whipped cream.

This is a good cake to have ready before the doorbell rings. Bake it earlier in the day, following the recipe, and allow it to cool before slicing. Set out a cake knife and small plates so serving it takes only a moment after dinner. The orange and rosemary also make it a lovely match for that final cup of coffee or tea.

A Hosting Plan That Leaves Room to Enjoy Dinner

The day before

Make the crème brûlée, following the recipe’s cooling and refrigeration instructions. Set the table and choose the serving dishes, trivets, and utensils for each course. Read through all six recipes once so you know which pans and ingredients need to be available.

Earlier on the day

Plan the focaccia’s rising time and bake it and the olive oil cake earlier in the day, allowing the cake to cool. Begin the bourguignon with enough time for prep and its full cooking window. While it simmers, prepare the pasta ingredients and set up the appetizer plates. Check the brie recipe’s cooking instructions and plan its timing around when guests will arrive.

As guests arrive

Serve the warm brie with some focaccia and give everyone a chance to settle in. With the starter out, you have a little breathing room to finish dinner. Keep the pasta’s final cooking close to the time you want to sit down.

When it’s time to eat

Toss the pasta, bring the beef to the table, and pour the drinks. Resist adding another dish just because there’s an empty corner on the table. 

After dinner

Finish the chilled creme brulees while someone makes coffee. Let the sugar set, slice the rosemary and orange olive oil cake, and take both desserts to the table.

A holiday menu that give you time to enjoy the night as much as your guests.