Feast à la Anthony

For master barber Anthony, Christmas also means feasting: did you know that the owner of Eric:Barbier isn’t just a gifted master barber, but also cuts a fine figure in the kitchen? This year, the whole family is visiting the Stöltings – and can look forward to a real feast! Here, the Hamburg native reveals what’s on the menu and why he’s a real Christmas fan.

Anthony and Christmas Eve – they share a very special bond. As a child, he could hardly wait for 24 December, and despite all the fuss, he missed Santa Claus year after year. Perhaps it was the fever that always caught up with him just before the festivities, “probably because I was so excited,” laughs the master barber. Today, he looks forward to sharing the anticipation with his children and treating them to a delicious meal.

From bockwurst to goose

But it’s not just his wife and four children at the Christmas table – his parents and many other family members will also be treated to a meal cooked by Anthony this year. He doesn’t skimp in the kitchen: he won’t serve up bockwurst and potato salad, “we used to have that all the time. My mother is from Ghana, my father is Italian – and our Christmas dinner was typically German,” he recalls.

Instead, those present are served the second national Christmas classic, as Anthony is preparing a goose. “We pre-ordered it from the farmer a while ago. I’ll pick up the goose on the 23rd and marinate it in a mixture of honey, lemon, a little saffron and bay leaves, so the flavours can infuse the meat.” Incidentally, you’ll search in vain for Christmas spices in the secret mixture, just as you will for a stuffing. The rest of the preparation isn’t difficult at all: after three to four hours in the oven at 220 degrees, the skin becomes beautifully crispy, whilst the meat remains tender.

Handcrafting and experimentation

The manual work doesn’t stop with the goose: homemade croquettes and dumplings, as well as red cabbage, are served as side dishes. The cabbage is simmered down the day before with red wine and apple juice. “The wine releases so much acidity that you don’t need to use any vinegar at all, and the sweetness comes from the apple juice.” Spices such as cloves and bay leaves are added to the pot to complement this: “If you leave it to infuse for a day, the red cabbage tastes much better.”

The main course is rounded off with a brown sauce, which, just like the side dishes, has to meet a very specific criterion: Anthony’s wife is vegan, so no animal products are allowed here – which doesn’t detract from the feast: “The sauce is absolutely delicious,” reveals the barber. Anthony has collected all the recipes over the years and, with his love of experimenting in the kitchen, has continually refined them.

With a Boxer at the festive table

To accompany the meal, guests are treated to red and white wine. Anthony’s favourite is the Australian “The Boxer”, a full-bodied red wine with notes of plum, blackberry, spices, coffee, chocolate, liquorice and vanilla. The dessert is no less exquisite: The adults are served pears steeped in rum with a crisp honey glaze, whilst the children get to enjoy a tiramisu flavoured with vanilla instead of Amaretto. “I think Christmas is something special – and that’s why I need the ‘wow factor’ when it comes to the food,” explains the barber, explaining why he spends hours in the kitchen. The main thing is that nobody gets sick amidst all the excitement.