Need Christmas Dinner Advice? Ask Here...

nosietoes

There are loads of things that can be done on Christmas eve and even before:

you can make the giblet stock for the gravy on the 23rd
you can make red cabbage up to at least 4 days before Christmas and it will keep grand in the fridge due to the slow cook and sugar and vinegar in it.

In my house, we do most of our cooking prep on Christmas eve so that we can relax on Christmas day. A normal list looks like this:

peel spuds, leave in cold water overnight to stop blackness
cut carrots
prep sprouts (we slice ours so we can stir fry them and add toasted pine nuts)
boil ham and leave ready to glaze
make stuffing and refrigerate
parboil and coat parsnips with parmesan and flour ready for roasting.
make trifle

everyone chips in and if someone isn't helping cook, they'll be doing the dishes. Normally everything done by 6 or so on Christmas eve in time for a nice dinner and chat and preparation for Santa coming to visit.

Dubl07

vicwatson wrote: »

My suggestion, all this but no egg, use melted butter (enough just to moisten the mix) zest of lemon and some finely chopped walnuts. Nom nom !

+1 on zero egg for a crumb, onion & herb stuffing. If you blitz the onions and fresh herbs together a bit of melted butter is enough to get a decent spoonable stuffing to bake either in a dish or inside the cavity. I tend to use sausagemeat to hold any stuffing balls together and also for the neck. Any time I've had a stuffing with egg in it's tasted heavy.

foodaholic

nosietoes wrote: »

parboil and coat parsnips with parmesan and flour ready for .

Sounds lovely - might try that this year

the beer revolu

gg2 wrote: »

What is your stuffing recipe?? My mam always does a very traditional Christmas dinner, hasn't changed in 40 years, I want to help her this year but don't want taking away from her usual fool proof side dishes. Really want to try a different type of stuffing (mum is going to do hers as well as we all love it) and I love the sound of the serrano ham!!

Mine is a fairly traditional bread stuffing except I tend to use a wholemeal loaf for the breadcrumbs (usually pick up a hovis loaf of some sort reduced in Tesco). I always fry the onion gently in butter and I use fresh thyme and flatleaf parsley. Salt and black pepper.
My parent's stuffing would differ in that they would use white bread, not fry the onions and use curly parsley.

I came up with the Serrano ham thing when I was trying to find a way to sell the poached turkey crown to my family. I thought the big objection would be the lack of stuffing so I thought up of this way to try to appease them. It worked!:D

thegreatiam

Nice thread, ill have to give it a full read when I get the chance.

This year its just me and the missus, so we dont want turkey as its too much.

Normally I would do chicken, but we fancy a change.

I'm leaning towards a duck, but have never cooked one.

Anyone have any tips for duck?

Im thinking honey roasted.

served with my own red cabbage and bacon recipe.

carrots and beetroot in honey and balsamic

Maybe roasted potato/sweet potato?

Any other suggestions, i'm not really familiar with eating duck either(only as pancakes in the chinese) so are these side dishes going to go with the duck?

Is it normally served with anything (like lamb and mint sauce, beef and yorkshire pud, pork and apple etc)

bluecherry74

thegreatiam wrote: »

Anyone have any tips for duck?

Im thinking honey roasted.

I've made this a few times and it's lovely.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2968/slow-roast-honey-and-sesame-duck

It's worth getting a quality duck from a good butcher as the flavour will be a lot nicer. Turn it upside down for the first hour or so of cooking and watch it like a hawk to make sure the honey doesn't burn.

I think red cabbage would go really well with it - care to share your recipe? I'm doing venison this year and am researching red cabbage recipes to go with it. Green beans would also work.

thegreatiam

bluecherry74 wrote: »

I've made this a few times and it's lovely.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2968/slow-roast-honey-and-sesame-duck

Good to know, this was the recipe I was considering:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/887644/honeymustard-glazed-duck

bluecherry74 wrote: »

It's worth getting a quality duck from a good butcher as the flavour will be a lot nicer. Turn it upside down for the first hour or so of cooking and watch it like a hawk to make sure the honey doesn't burn.

We'll be ordering special as soon as I decide on a recipe

bluecherry74 wrote: »

I think red cabbage would go really well with it - care to share your recipe? I'm doing venison this year and am researching red cabbage recipes to go with it. Green beans would also work.

Cool, I dont usually cook green beans, may try it then.

The cabbage recipe is quite simple, there's lots of variations of the same thing on line.

I do:
cook a few bacon rashers in a pan, remove as they get crispy. dry them off with a towel
add cabbage and apple matchsticks to the bacon fat and cook for a few minutes.
add some cider vinegar (or balsamic, or any other you prefer)
sprinkle with some brown sugar and caraway seeds and cook for a a few more minutes to reduce the vinegar. aim to get the cabbage soft, but not wilted.

chop or crumble the bacon into the cabbage and mix, salt and pepper and serve. sprinkle with parsley at the table

You can swop the apple with raisins or sultana, or orange segments, and change the vinegar to suit. eg use white wine and sultana, or orange liqueur and orange segments, raisins and red wine etc. maybe remove the caraway seeds if you do that.


Normally id eat it with pork. And it tastes good if you leave it overnight, so its very good at Christmas.

nosietoes

foodaholic wrote: »

Sounds lovely - might try that this year

Here's the recipe. We've used it every year for the past 20 though I add in some goose fat these days.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/parmesan-baked-parsnips.html

brick tamland

Cooking for 4 this year and thinking of trying a turkey crown. I see Aldi are advertising turkeys ( including crowns ) from the 20th. Any any experience with Aldi Turkeys. Wonder would the be a good standard and would they fly off the shelf in minutes on the 20th?

curly from cork

I bought two of those aldi turkey crowns at the weekend , tucked them into the freezer ... Any idea how long you are going to cook them for ? And how ? I was going to put both into the one turkey bag ?

dee_mc

brick tamland wrote: »

Cooking for 4 this year and thinking of trying a turkey crown. I see Aldi are advertising turkeys ( including crowns ) from the 20th. Any any experience with Aldi Turkeys. Wonder would the be a good standard and would they fly off the shelf in minutes on the 20th?

We use a fresh Aldi crown every year and find them great - they do tend to 'fly off the shelves :rolleyes: so we tend to go first thing in the morning on the 22nd or 23rd, if I remember correctly they get daily deliveries for the 4 or 5 days leading up to Christmas.
Also bought one of their frozen crowns a couple of years ago and didn't cook it til a family party in March or April, have to say it was gorgeous, succulent meat!

Animord

Skill Magill wrote: »

During the year I cooked a turkey that had one of these already inserted into the bird and when it popped the meat was tasty and succulent.
Could anybody recommend where to purchase these little gadgets ?(it looks like a syringe)
Also, any thoughts on cooking it in a turkey bag?

Cheers

I bought this the other day and thought of your post. I know its not what you were looking for but I thought it might help. I haven't used it yet, but I am sure you will be glad to know that I am the correct temperature and the cold liver I had in the fridge was indeed cold. Must remember to give it a try the next time I actually cook meat. :pac:

curly from cork

dee_mc wrote: »

We use a fresh Aldi crown every year and find them great - they do tend to 'fly off the shelves :rolleyes: so we tend to go first thing in the morning on the 22nd or 23rd, if I remember correctly they get daily deliveries for the 4 or 5 days leading up to Christmas.
Also bought one of their frozen crowns a couple of years ago and didn't cook it til a family party in March or April, have to say it was gorgeous, succulent meat!

How did you cook it please ?

dee_mc

curly from cork wrote: »

How did you cook it please ?

I make a herb butter with oregano, tiny bit of tarragon and a little garlic and rub it between the skin and the breast, stick a bit of lemon and a bit of onion in the cavity, and cook it upside down until the last 40 minutes or so, then I'll crank up the heat a bit for a crispy skin (I usually cook poultry upside down, I think it makes it more moist). No idea whether that's the norm or not, just what I've been doing for years!

curly from cork

So how long would you have it in the oven for in total ? It sounds lovely

dee_mc

curly from cork wrote: »

So how long would you have it in the oven for in total ? It sounds lovely

I do 20 minutes per kg plus an hour and 10 minutes, would usually get a 2.5-3.5 kg crown so around 2 - 2.5 hours. I think if you're using a larger crown, over 4kg, you need do 20 minutes per kg plus an hour and a half, but you should check this! I start it off at 180 (fan oven) and crank it up to 200 or 210 just to brown the skin at the end - resting time is crucial for a moist bird, 20 or 30 minutes while you roast the spuds is perfect
Oh also, I don't know how you'd go about stuffing a crown but if you do, you should calculate the cooking time after stuffing it, same as with a whole turkey.

foodaholic

nosietoes wrote: »

Here's the recipe. We've used it every year for the past 20 though I add in some goose fat these days.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/parmesan-baked-parsnips.html

Thanks for that - it's on the Xmas dinner menu !

fitzcoff

dee_mc wrote: »

I do 20 minutes per kg plus an hour and 10 minutes, would usually get a 2.5-3.5 kg crown so around 2 - 2.5 hours. I think if you're using a larger crown, over 4kg, you need do 20 minutes per kg plus an hour and a half, but you should check this! I start it off at 180 (fan oven) and crank it up to 200 or 210 just to brown the skin at the end - resting time is crucial for a moist bird, 20 or 30 minutes while you roast the spuds is perfect
Oh also, I don't know how you'd go about stuffing a crown but if you do, you should calculate the cooking time after stuffing it, same as with a whole turkey.

I always thought that it was the same rule as boiling bacon or cooking a chicken 20 mins a pound + 20 mins or 25 per 450g 25 mins.

We've gotten the turkey crown in Aldi over the last few years and it is delicous, Got no complaints from anyone from it.

I love the idea of the parmasean parsnips, I might try them this year for something different.

Earlier on this year we had a lot of red cabbage growing so I attempted a number of red cabbage recipes, tried one from Delia Smith, Jamie Oliver and Nevan Mcguire. Nevan's was the nicest so will be doing that for Xmas dinner.

dee_mc

fitzcoff wrote: »

I always thought that it was the same rule as boiling bacon or cooking a chicken 20 mins a pound + 20 mins or 25 per 450g 25 mins.

That's interesting, I never thought about that before! If I'm cooking a whole turkey I do 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes, but for some reason with a crown I always do 20 minutes per kilo plus 70!
Anyway in the interests of science I worked it out:

Method 1: 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes

Method 2: 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes

2 kilo crown = 4 pounds approx

Method 1: 80 mins plus 20 mins = 100 minutes (1 hour 40 mins)
Method 2: 40 mins plus 70 mins = 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes)

3 kilo crown = 6 pounds approx

Method 1: 120 mins plus 20 mins = 140 minutes (2 hours 20 mins)
Method 2: 60 mins plus 70 mins = 130 minutes (2 hours 10 mins)

So it seems the difference is negligible! Obviously when weighing the actual crown the calculation would be more accurate, and of course you'd still be checking for juices running clear before taking it out of the oven, but it looks like either method will do

brick tamland

fitzcoff wrote: »

Earlier on this year we had a lot of red cabbage growing so I attempted a number of red cabbage recipes, tried one from Delia Smith, Jamie Oliver and Nevan Mcguire. Nevan's was the nicest so will be doing that for Xmas dinner.

Could you throw the recipe up if you get a chance please. Love red cabbage

fitzcoff

dee_mc wrote: »

That's interesting, I never thought about that before! If I'm cooking a whole turkey I do 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes, but for some reason with a crown I always do 20 minutes per kilo plus 70!
Anyway in the interests of science I worked it out:

Method 1: 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes

Method 2: 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes

2 kilo crown = 4 pounds approx

Method 1: 80 mins plus 20 mins = 100 minutes (1 hour 40 mins)
Method 2: 40 mins plus 70 mins = 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes)

3 kilo crown = 6 pounds approx

Method 1: 120 mins plus 20 mins = 140 minutes (2 hours 20 mins)
Method 2: 60 mins plus 70 mins = 130 minutes (2 hours 10 mins)

So it seems the difference is negligible! Obviously when weighing the actual crown the calculation would be more accurate, and of course you'd still be checking for juices running clear before taking it out of the oven, but it looks like either method will do

Lol, I was going to try work it out like you did but my mind just wasn't able this evening.

As you said at the end of the day all that matters is that it is cooked fully before eating and clear juices.

@ brick tamland I'll put up the recipe for the red cabbage in the morning , I did a quick google and it wasn't showing up so I'll have to root out the book.

fitzcoff

Braised Red Cabbage - from the Macnean Cookbook

Serves 6-8

1tbsp Rapeseed Oil
1 small head red cabbage - finely chopped in a food processor ( I just chopped it up with a knife)
300ml (1/2 pint) red wine
300ml (1/2 pint) freshly pressed apple juice ( I just used whatever apple juice was in the fridge)
4tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cooking apples. peeled, cored and chopped
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a high heat. Stir in the cabbage.
Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is well cooked down, adding a tablespoon or two of water if the cabbage starts to catch on the bottom.

Add the red wine, apple juice, brown sugar and vinegar to the cabbage mixture. Give it a good stir, then cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the apples and spices and cook gently for another 30 mins, again stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

According to the book it will keep for 1 week in the fridge covered in clingfilm in a non metallic bowl.

I froze mine in batches and it perfect.

This was the Jamie Oliver I tried,http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/must-try-red-cabbage-braised-with-apple-bacon-and-balsamic-vinegar ,
I thought it was going to be yum but I don't know it just wasn't as nice as Neven's.

This was the other recipe I tried. http://www.ireland-guide.com/article/red-cabbage.9620.html
I ended up having to add mixed spice to this one as I found it tasteless.

gg2

fitzcoff wrote: »

Braised Red Cabbage - from the Macnean Cookbook

Serves 6-8

1tbsp Rapeseed Oil
1 small head red cabbage - finely chopped in a food processor ( I just chopped it up with a knife)
300ml (1/2 pint) red wine
300ml (1/2 pint) freshly pressed apple juice ( I just used whatever apple juice was in the fridge)
4tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cooking apples. peeled, cored and chopped
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

I'm guessing it would be ok to use orange juice instead of apple? I just love orange juice and spices with red cabbage:o

edit - have you tried this with normal apples instead of cooking apples?

fitzcoff

I've never tried orange juice with the recipe. During the summer was the first time I attempt cooking red cabbage.

We had about 10 heads of it from the polytunnel so that inspired my attempting the different recipes.

When I found one I liked I cooked it up and froze it in the foill containers. I'm at the end of it now so will have to cook more soon.

I did try eating apples as I made a blackberry and apple crumble one day and used up all the cooking apples I end. I don't think it impacted on the taste.

The only thing is I tried doubling the quantity and I found that I needed a lot less than double the amount of spices. To fix the taste I had to cook up extra cabbage and add to the pot. The taste of spices was over powering so if you are cooking a double batch add spices maybe in 1/4 spoons until you get the taste you want.

Stheno

Anyone any suggestions for stuffing?

I'm cooking Christmas Dinner (goose/ham/spiced beef) however one of the people has 29 food allergies, including eggs, dairy, soya, spelt, gluten, red peppers, orange and garlic to mention a few.

So breadcrumbs are out, any alternatives?

dipdip

Use gluten free bread and gluten free Clonakilty sausage meat. It makes a surprisingly good stuffing.

Stheno

dipdip wrote: »

Use gluten free bread and gluten free Clonakilty sausage meat. It makes a surprisingly good stuffing.

Gluten free bread usually has milk/egg in it, I have never yet found bread to deal with all of the allergies. (Spelt is also one of the allergies, as is garlic)

Animord

Stheno wrote: »

Anyone any suggestions for stuffing?

I'm cooking Christmas Dinner (goose/ham/spiced beef) however one of the people has 29 food allergies, including eggs, dairy, soya, spelt, gluten, red peppers, orange and garlic to mention a few.

So breadcrumbs are out, any alternatives?

We used to have Chestnut stuffing when I was young, though I haven't had it for years. I don't know if this has any of the forbidden things in it.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/eighteenth-century-chestnut-stuffing.html

Edit: I had another thought - what about trying a traditional type stuffing but using ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs. It might work.

Animord

Sorry, I should have waited until I had all my thoughts about this before I posted :pac:

What about this one?

If you google paleo stuffing recipes you might come up with more.

Edit again!: There are eggs in that recipe, but I am on a mission here! I am certain that we can do this!

Dubl07

Animord wrote: »

We used to have Chestnut stuffing when I was young, though I haven't had it for years. I don't know if this has any of the forbidden things in it.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/eighteenth-century-chestnut-stuffing.html

Edit: I had another thought - what about trying a traditional type stuffing but using ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs. It might work.

Someone with that many allergies is probably allergic to nuts as well. I'd welcome them to dinner but phone them now and offer to store their chosen dishes in the freezer to be cooked separately on the day or to allow them to bring their own food. I'd be wary of trying out recipes at Christmas for 29 to fit around one person when it's likely that even the one might either dislike it or be allergic to it.