Need Christmas Dinner Advice? Ask Here...

Animord

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

You could make one over the weekend!

I really like how the Swiss roll looks in the bowl. I'm not a big trifle fan but I'm looking forward to making one now

I like the random whole raspberries against the side of the bowl in one of those pictures too. Almost too pretty to eat. But not quite. :P

Mrs Fox

Mrs Fox wrote: »

I've only ever poached whole chicken for Hainanese Chicken Rice and yes it does produce the juiciest of meat, absolutely. So I can see how this would work for turkey too.
I'll see if I can do a trial this weekend, without the trimmings, I'm saving them for the big day.

Darn. I was planning to do the poached turkey this evening for Mr Fox to bring over to his Christmas party with his buddy, sent him to the shop to get a crown, but he came home with M&S Three Game Bird Roast and all the nukable trimmings. Sure, saves me the hassle but I was looking forward to try out the boiled bird. Ah well.

By the way, I told him afterwards what I was planning to do with the turkey, he scrunched up his face so far in, it looks like he's turned inside out. Right, bird in the oven so for the big day.

Dubl07

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Darn. I was planning to do the poached turkey this evening for Mr Fox to bring over to his Christmas party with his buddy, sent him to the shop to get a crown, but he came home with M&S Three Game Bird Roast and all the nukable trimmings. Sure, saves me the hassle but I was looking forward to try out the boiled bird. Ah well.

By the way, I told him afterwards what I was planning to do with the turkey, he scrunched up his face so far in, it looks like he's turned inside out. Right, bird in the oven so for the big day.

Can't live with them, awkward to poach them.

nudger

the beer revolu wrote: »

I feel a bit under pressure now:eek: but confident you'll be happy!
If you don't like it blame Richard Corrigan, not me!

Have an Aldi crown almost defrosted ready to go for tomorrow as a dry run for the big day.

I have often boiled chicken, never a turkey and never in stock.

I havent got 2 lt of homemade stock so am going to use stock cubes, what you think?

the beer revolu

nudger wrote: »

Have an Aldi crown almost defrosted ready to go for tomorrow as a dry run for the big day.

I have often boiled chicken, never a turkey and never in stock.

I havent got 2 lt of homemade stock so am going to use stock cubes, what you think?

"Dry run" is an unfortunate choice of words.
I find the knor stockpots pretty good.
I'll be making a brown chicken stock and freezing it before the big day but I'd use the stock pots if I didn't have home made.

The Sweeper

Christmas dinner guests now include a near-term pregnant woman who's vegan and someone else who has an anaphylactic reaction to nuts. Hmmm how do you feed a vegan for Christmas Day when nuts are out of the picture...

saltyjack silverblade

The Sweeper wrote: »

Christmas dinner guests now include a near-term pregnant woman who's vegan and someone else who has an anaphylactic reaction to nuts. Hmmm how do you feed a vegan for Christmas Day when nuts are out of the picture...

Throw some seeds outside and leave them to forage.

Dubl07

The Sweeper wrote: »

Christmas dinner guests now include a near-term pregnant woman who's vegan and someone else who has an anaphylactic reaction to nuts. Hmmm how do you feed a vegan for Christmas Day when nuts are out of the picture...

Bean casserole with a puff pastry lid?

The Sweeper

It'd have to be a filo pastry lid... I think I may construct a variety of filo pockets and distribute those...

Minder

The Sweeper wrote: »

Christmas dinner guests now include a near-term pregnant woman who's vegan and someone else who has an anaphylactic reaction to nuts. Hmmm how do you feed a vegan for Christmas Day when nuts are out of the picture...

Brussel sprout curry. Or a piece of coal. Epi pen christmas crackers?

Baked aubergine with the feta cheese, nope, can't have that. Pile it with dried berries, wild rice, chilli, mint, lemon juice.

How about whole roasted cauliflower. Spice it with ras al hanout and serve it with baba ghanoush.

homemadecider

Without being smart, would you not ask them to bring their own food? Seems like a crazy amount of extra effort for you.

Dubl07

homemadecider wrote: »

Without being smart, would you not ask them to bring their own food? Seems like a crazy amount of extra effort for you.

The vegan mamma and the anaphylactic aside, I sometimes wonder why picky eaters are so pandered to. It's a growing phenomenon. I'd like a steak when I visit a vegan's house just.one.of.these.days.

The Sweeper

homemadecider wrote: »

Without being smart, would you not ask them to bring their own food? Seems like a crazy amount of extra effort for you.

I actually take it as a challenge - for instance I think I can make up a baked filo pastry triangle with mushroom, spinach and toasted pumpkin seeds and some sticky rice, seasoned with nutmeg, pepper and lemon zest. That's from reading vegetarian ideas and substituting. Might try it today, and then if I can make it work, everyone will get that option as a Christmas starter, saving me from making two or three dishes. My sides can be veg dishes good enough to be a main for the vegan, and carnivorous glory for everyone else.

I'd be more worried about killing the anaphylactic than feeding the vegan something she'd normally choose not to eat. (And in fairness when I go to hers she cooks meat. I wish she wouldn't because she's crap at it, but she does! )

Dubl07

The Sweeper wrote: »

I actually take it as a challenge - for instance I think I can make up a baked filo pastry triangle with mushroom, spinach and toasted pumpkin seeds and some sticky rice, seasoned with nutmeg, pepper and lemon zest. That's from reading vegetarian ideas and substituting. Might try it today, and then if I can make it work, everyone will get that option as a Christmas starter, saving me from making two or three dishes. My sides can be veg dishes good enough to be a main for the vegan, and carnivorous glory for everyone else.

I'd be more worried about killing the anaphylactic than feeding the vegan something she'd normally choose not to eat. (And in fairness when I go to hers she cooks meat. I wish she wouldn't because she's crap at it, but she does! )

Perhaps if she ate a luscious steak or pork loin she'd be converted to carnivore status again.

homemadecider

The Sweeper wrote: »

I actually take it as a challenge - for instance I think I can make up a baked filo pastry triangle with mushroom, spinach and toasted pumpkin seeds and some sticky rice, seasoned with nutmeg, pepper and lemon zest.

Bleurgh, why should all the other guests suffer such food when there's only one vegan present? Sorry but that sounds awful. Pastry stuffed with rice? Melon is vegan. Give them a plate of melon and give the others something lovely, like homade liver pate or gravlax.

The Sweeper

homemadecider wrote: »

Bleurgh, why should all the other guests suffer such food when there's only one vegan present? Sorry but that sounds awful. Pastry stuffed with rice? Melon is vegan. Give them a plate of melon and give the others something lovely, like homade liver pate or gravlax.

Trust me, I don't make awful food. Nor do I revert to 1977 when I'm looking for inspiration, so thanks but no thanks on the 'plate of melon', lol!

There are HEAPS of filo pastry triangle recipes - spinach and ricotta, spinach and mushroom etc - so the stuffed pastry triangle is a well established idea. I need something to add a creaminess. Glutinous rice cooks into a mush that becomes a plain vehicle for other flavours. It wouldnt be a texture like individual rice grains. Or else I could try some vegan substitute product for cream cheese, but I'd bet it'll just taste like soy...

There will be plenty of other food. At the moment I've oysters, mussels, prawns, two roast chickens and a 5kg chump end smoked half leg of ham, so nobody's going hungry!

Minder

You could try polenta instead of glutinous rice. Make it up with roast garlic, allow to cool and set then cube it up and add to your other ingredients.

Animord

I think the filo parcels sound good! I'd happily eat something like that for a starter and I am no vegetarian.

One of the best things I ever ate was a single, quite large ravioli at Prue Leith's restaurant in London. It was stuffed with cheese and served with a tomato sauce - so, so simple and absolutely delicious.

Minder

Two sauces that compliment each other - the garlic purée can be made vegan with some simple substitutions.

http://blogen.domaine-gagnard.com/2009/02/test-recette/

Minder

British Larder vegetarian recipes for inspiration

http://www.britishlarder.co.uk/recipe/vegetarian-recipes/#axzz2msFmzozc

Dizzyblonde

The Sweeper wrote: »

There will be plenty of other food. At the moment I've oysters, mussels, prawns, two roast chickens and a 5kg chump end smoked half leg of ham, so nobody's going hungry!

Can I come?

PigeonPie

The Sweeper wrote: »

. I need something to add a creaminess. Glutinous rice cooks into a mush that becomes a plain vehicle for other flavours. It wouldnt be a texture like individual rice grains. Or else I could try some vegan substitute product for cream cheese, but I'd bet it'll just taste like soy...

The Alpro Soya Cream substitute is grand. I use it to make sauces for pies and pasta sometimes and they turn out lovely.

Dizzyblonde

On the subject of turkey crowns, Neven Maguire was on the telly earlier cooking one. He got the butcher to bone it for him then marinated it in buttermilk, rosemary, sliced orange, salt and garlic. Then he put garlicky butter under the skin, what looked like streaky rashers on top (I didn't hear that bit) and roasted it.
It looked lovely and I wish I'd seen that last week. I cooked huge boned turkey breast on Saturday by sealing it in a plastic bag and simmering it for a couple of hours in water, then putting melted butter over it and roasting it for half an hour. It was lovely but the buttermilk one looked delicious.

Edit: Here's the full recipe if anyone's interested: http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes/2013/1209/4131-buttermilk-brined-roast-crown-of-turkey/

trashcan

RoryMurphyJnr wrote: »

Any ideas on the best way to do stuffing?
We do very basic ones, bread crumbs, sage and onion, salt and pepper and egg to bind.
Use half the mix and then add sausage mix to the other half.
Always make a big patty with them on a baking tray.

any other suggestions without going the whole chestnut, fruit etc road?

Thanks
Rory

Here's my stuffing. It's inexact and I mess with it a bit, but the main method is - Fry diced onion on the pan, add garlic, smoked bacon, diced mushroom, tomato(with skin removed, and seasoning of choice, sage, parsley, thyme is my usual, with salt & pepper of course. Sometimes I'll throw in some red pesto if I have it. Add this(when cooked to a nice mush) to sausage meat and breadcrumbs. Finally, toast some pine nuts separately (I usually do this first actually) and add those to the mix. It's yummy.

MurdyWurdy

I'm planning to make the Nevin Maguire Turkey crown. My mum read about it last week and gave me a heads up to watch tonight!

His ham looked lovely too

gg2

Not exactly christmas dinner advice, but an essential element!! A few years ago someone got my mam christmas crackers with mini bottles of liquors in them, anyone know where I could get my hands on them? Have never seen them anywhere....

Dizzyblonde

gg2 wrote: »

Not exactly christmas dinner advice, but an essential element!! A few years ago someone got my mam christmas crackers with mini bottles of liquors in them, anyone know where I could get my hands on them? Have never seen them anywhere....

I've never seen them either, but you can buy the stuff to make your own crackers. You could buy miniature bottles of liqueurs to fill them if all else fails.

dee_mc

gg2 wrote: »

Not exactly christmas dinner advice, but an essential element!! A few years ago someone got my mam christmas crackers with mini bottles of liquors in them, anyone know where I could get my hands on them? Have never seen them anywhere....

My mum got those from one of the hamper companies a good few years ago, were they called Irish Hampers or Celtic Hampers or something? The crowd where you paid by the week throughout the year. Haven't seen them since, great idea!

MurdyWurdy

I went to the cash and carry over the weekend to get booze for Christmas (great value!). While we were there I bought a big Toblerone to make cheesecake for Christmas Day and now it's calling me. I may have to eat it.

The Hill Billy

When you say 'big Toblerone' - do you mean one of these?



That'd make one helluva cheesecake!

I brought one of these home earlier in the year for a fundraiser in my boys' school. A young lad in 2nd class won it & he was over the moon - until his mum made him donate it to Temple Street Children's Hospital for one of their fundraisers. Poor lad.