Need Christmas Dinner Advice? Ask Here...

billie1b

foodaholic wrote: »

Was it as good as it looks ?

Yeah was delicious, just finished it with a cup of tea, well stuffed so I am

loveisdivine

I've another question!

I want to make a red wine gravy to go with our beef wellington. Usually when I make gravy I use chicken wings and veg to get a good base flavour, but as I want a darker beefier gravy should I use some sort of beef off cuts instead of chicken?

Also because I'm not roasting the meat, I wont have any roasting juices. The most it gets is a quick blast in the oven, but with it being fillet it wont give off that much.

Animord

Ideally you need to get some beef bones from your butcher, roast them and then do as you would with the chicken stock.

Failing that I do think that the Knorr Stock Pots aren't bad at all. And they do a rich beef one that I use sometimes.

emaleth

loveisdivine wrote: »

I've another question!

I want to make a red wine gravy to go with our beef wellington. Usually when I make gravy I use chicken wings and veg to get a good base flavour, but as I want a darker beefier gravy should I use some sort of beef off cuts instead of chicken?

Also because I'm not roasting the meat, I wont have any roasting juices. The most it gets is a quick blast in the oven, but with it being fillet it wont give off that much.

Oxtail would be great for that - roast it good and high, let it get nice and dark and caramelly before you simmer it. I roast an onion with it and fire that in the stock as well, and a dollop of tomato puree. I find oxtail can either be dirt cheap or surprisingly pricey - your mileage may vary but you'd only need a small amount so it should be doable. Failing oxtail, beef ribs would be great, though again they are distressingly cool these days and accordingly priced in a lot of places.

the beer revolu

emaleth wrote: »

Oxtail would be great for that - roast it good and high, let it get nice and dark and caramelly before you simmer it. I roast an onion with it and fire that in the stock as well, and a dollop of tomato puree. I find oxtail can either be dirt cheap or surprisingly pricey - your mileage may vary but you'd only need a small amount so it should be doable. Failing oxtail, beef ribs would be great, though again they are distressingly cool these days and accordingly priced in a lot of places.

Oxtail is a great idea!

Markcheese

Beef bones from the butcher. Should be free if yr buying a few bits... Brown then on max in the oven( scorch yr veg while yr at it ) then simmer then it for hours...strain
Now you can flavour it with herbs, add it to a brown roux and yr red wine
Or
Reduce your big pot of stock till it thickens .., add your red wine and keep reducing.... I prefer the first option b

curly from cork

Beer.... re your post #41.. Poaching the turkey crown . Recipe sounds great . I will go with that but was wondering could I finish it off in the oven rather then frying it ? What time would I cut off the poaching and how long should I roast for ? Thanks !

The Sweeper

curly from cork wrote: »

Beer.... re your post #41.. Poaching the turkey crown . Recipe sounds great . I will go with that but was wondering could I finish it off in the oven rather then frying it ? What time would I cut off the poaching and how long should I roast for ? Thanks !

I was wondering this too. If I take the legs out of the oven to rest and then jack up the temp for the roast potatoes, could the crown go in for like, 15 mins at the same time to give the skin colour, or would I just dessicate it after all that hard work?

the beer revolu

curly from cork wrote: »

Beer.... re your post #41.. Poaching the turkey crown . Recipe sounds great . I will go with that but was wondering could I finish it off in the oven rather then frying it ? What time would I cut off the poaching and how long should I roast for ? Thanks !

The Sweeper wrote: »

I was wondering this too. If I take the legs out of the oven to rest and then jack up the temp for the roast potatoes, could the crown go in for like, 15 mins at the same time to give the skin colour, or would I just dessicate it after all that hard work?

I've not tried this but I see no reason why it shouldn't work. I'd brush the breast with melted butter and but it in a >200 deg C oven for about 15 -20 mins. I'd take the same time off the poaching time.

However, I do know that browning in a large frying pan does work nicely.

Mrs Fox

the beer revolu wrote: »

I've not tried this but I see no reason why it shouldn't work. I'd brush the breast with melted butter and but it in a >200 deg C oven for about 15 -20 mins. I'd take the same time off the poaching time.

However, I do know that browning in a large frying pan does work nicely.

I dunno why for some reason my head is saying if you brown it in the oven after poaching it'll dry out the meat a bit. Adding a bit of poaching liquid may prevent that, but then it'll steam the skin and go soggy. That's what my little head is telling me anyway.

Dubl07

Mrs Fox wrote: »

I dunno why for some reason my head is saying if you brown it in the oven after poaching it'll dry out the meat a bit. Adding a bit of poaching liquid may prevent that, but then it'll steam the skin and go soggy. That's what my little head is telling me anyway.

Mine too - direct heat vs indirect. :-/

nudger

Had it last weekend and it worked really well.
I browned it under the grill for about 5 minutes.

Musefan

I want to make four cheap canapes to start Xmas dinner with as we are not having a starter. I was thinking along the lines of a red pesto Philadelphia cheese twist, filo prawns, small tomato and cheese/tuna tomato empanadas and a smoked salmon one.

Does anyone have any other suggestions, especially with the smoked salmon. I had a gorgeous canapé once which was like a tiny pasty shell with a fresh salsa in it but I'm not sure what it's called. Does anyone know? I can't use the oven on the day as my mum has charge of it so I will be making everything in advance.

Simple, fresh, cheap ingredients also as I'm a student!

Minder

The pastry shells are called Croustades, they can be bought in packets of 24. They're quite delicate and will get soft if left with filling in them for too long. Best filled and served straight away. I'd used a smoked salmon mousse to fill them.

dvet

Apologies in advance, I'm a TOTAL newbie when it comes to cooking Christmas dinner, it will just be two of us and I'd love to make a really delicious honey glazed ham. Today I was in the supermarket and bought a 1.8kg fillet of smoked ham on a whim, then came home full of enthusiasm about looking up recipes. However, everything I've read refers to ham with a rind/skin on it...and mine doesn't have one. Doh!! Is it still suitable for boiling, glazing and roasting? Or should I bring it back and get another one?

Thanks in advance for your help...I'm in awe of all the amazing/daunting recipes on here!!

highly1111

i want to take advantage of lidl veg deal at the moment and get my turnip and parsnips now. I'm going to mash them as easiest with my numbers - 13 adults - assume it's ok to buy, peel and chop now and freeze until Christmas day. I'm going to boil and mash - any tips on mashing? Would a hint of nutmug be nice? Unfortunately due to oven space that's as glam as it is going to gst!

thegreatiam

highly1111 wrote: »

i want to take advantage of lidl veg deal at the moment and get my turnip and parsnips now. I'm going to mash them as easiest with my numbers - 13 adults - assume it's ok to buy, peel and chop now and freeze until Christmas day. I'm going to boil and mash - any tips on mashing? Would a hint of nutmug be nice? Unfortunately due to oven space that's as glam as it is going to gst!

yup yup and yup
(pinch of cayenne in with the nutmeg too)

dipdip

thegreatiam wrote: »

yup yup and yup
(pinch of cayenne in with the nutmeg too)

And plenty of salt, pepper and delicious butter

the beer revolu

dvet wrote: »

Apologies in advance, I'm a TOTAL newbie when it comes to cooking Christmas dinner, it will just be two of us and I'd love to make a really delicious honey glazed ham. Today I was in the supermarket and bought a 1.8kg fillet of smoked ham on a whim, then came home full of enthusiasm about looking up recipes. However, everything I've read refers to ham with a rind/skin on it...and mine doesn't have one. Doh!! Is it still suitable for boiling, glazing and roasting? Or should I bring it back and get another one?

Thanks in advance for your help...I'm in awe of all the amazing/daunting recipes on here!!

If you want to glaze a ham it needs to have a layer of fat - this is under the skin. If they left a layer of fat after removing the skin it would be ok - if there's no layer of fat left then it won't glaze for you.

jos28

We haven't had turkey and ham for Christmas dinner for the past few years. I always bake a ham on Christmas Eve for the post pub sambos and for picking at over Christmas. I usually cook a small turkey crown or fillet for Stephens day but none of us are keen on the traditional Christmas day dinner. We have often opted for roast lamb or a nice big rib of beef. I am thinking of cooking halibut this year. How much would I need for 4 adults with good appetites. One supplier told me I would need a kilo and another one told me I would need 2 kilos. At €30 per kilo I don't want to order too much. Any other suggestions would be welcome too.

huskerdu

jos28 wrote: »

We haven't had turkey and ham for Christmas dinner for the past few years. I always bake a ham on Christmas Eve for the post pub sambos and for picking at over Christmas. I usually cook a small turkey crown or fillet for Stephens day but none of us are keen on the traditional Christmas day dinner. We have often opted for roast lamb or a nice big rib of beef. I am thinking of cooking halibut this year. How much would I need for 4 adults with good appetites. One supplier told me I would need a kilo and another one told me I would need 2 kilos. At €30 per kilo I don't want to order too much. Any other suggestions would be welcome too.

If you are talking about fillets with no bone, then 1kg will be 250g per person,

A 250g portion of fish (8oz in old money) is a decent size portion, especially if you have lots of side dishes.

jos28

Thanks Husker, 8oz each does seem like a decent portion. We will having loads of nice canapes and bits beforehand. I reckon four decent fillets along with lots of sides should be plenty.

sophya

Anyone got any good recipes for stuffing? Just been told that homemade stuffing would be preferred to stuffing in a tray.

dipdip

sophya wrote: »

Anyone got any good recipes for stuffing? Just been told that homemade stuffing would be preferred to stuffing in a tray.

Home made stuffing is really easy and you can make it any way you like and with any ingredients you fancy.

Here is a very simple recipe I tend to go with any old time. The quantities are up to you - it's very forgiving.

Breadcrumbs (from a sliced pan)
Sausage meat
Onions
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Salt and pepper
Butter

Chop some onions and fry them in a little butter. Toss into a bowl and add the sausage meat, breadcrumbs and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Smoosh together with your hands. Put in a dish according to size - I usually make enough to fill a 10 inch pie dish. Dot with butter and bake at 180 until the sausage meat is cooked and the top is crispy.

You can jazz it up any way you like though.

Animord

dipdip wrote: »

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Thanks for that afternoon earworm!

Deise Musashi

I mentioned the idea of poaching a Turkey to my Brother in Law, he told me that his Mother ( a Fantastic Irish Mammy Cook) has always poached chicken and finished under the grill.

I'll brine and roast my Turkey this year anyway, but I'm going to spatchcock and poach a chuck, finish flat under the grill.
I've never seen any TV Chef poach a bird, really looking forward to trying something new!

I'll try get a video of the process, may be on Youtube soonish ;-)

BaZmO*

sophya wrote: »

Anyone got any good recipes for stuffing? Just been told that homemade stuffing would be preferred to stuffing in a tray.

This is a nice recipe.

Deise Musashi

Yep, that was a tasty trial run!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUYzHY9JqPJn7Rf01WpZRf2w

brick tamland

Had planned on doing a crown but the in-laws have bought us a boned and rolled turkey. Not really much of a fan normally, so anyone any ideas on cooking? Best i can think off is topping with some streaky bacon before roasting it? Maybe rub down with some herb butter too

lonestargirl

sophya wrote: »

Anyone got any good recipes for stuffing? Just been told that homemade stuffing would be preferred to stuffing in a tray.

This Delia one is lovely, the grapes keep it nice and moist.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/poultry-and-game/chicken/roast-chicken-with-grape-and-herb-stuffing.html