Christmas Dinner 2016

trixychic

the beer revolu wrote: »

If Turkey is dry it is because it is overcooked.
It really is that simple.

But how do you avoid overcooking??? (First timer here too)

the beer revolu

trixychic wrote: »

But how do you avoid overcooking??? (First timer here too)

I'm really not trying to be smart here but the answer is to cook it for a shorter time and/or at a lower temperature.

Without seeing the piece of meat or having experience of your oven, I can't give you cooking times or temperatures.

My best advice is to find a reliable roasting guide that works for you, weigh your meat and cook accordingly.

I find hugh fearnley whittingstall has good guides.

Loveinapril

Rayden Ambitious Sunbonnet wrote: »

Get the individual portions. Mine are coming in trays of 6.

Do you get them in the butchers? I never even thought of that!

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Loveinapril wrote: »

Do you get them in the butchers? I never even thought of that!

Ive never seen them in the butchers actually, you would think they would sell them! Im in Dublin and I know of two places that do them, the Food store Lucan and H&D meats Chapelizod.

The Black Oil

Stuffing prepared. Unfortunately, I think the processor is on its last legs.

dee_mc

I hope Santa brings you a new processor TBO
We had our big family Christmas dinner last night and it was a triumph - we bought Tesco Finest nibbles for starters (crabby things, prawny things, ducky things, plus a Camembert with onion marmaladey tear'n'share bread) and a Sainsburys Taste The Difference sticky toffee pudding with Tesco Finest chilled custard that was really more of a creme Anglaise. Having all the starter and dessert prepared for us really took the pressure off, which was great with a lively nearly-two-year-old in the house!
Main course was turkey crown roasted over an orange with soft garlic and herb butter rubbed under the skin, honey and mustard and clove glazed baked ham, potato and bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted potato cubes, boiled celery, sprouts, carrots and parsnips, with Tesco Finest turkey gravy (not great, weirdly sweet and mushroomy flavour, wouldn't buy again) and homemade mulled wine cranberry sauce.
Looking forward to leftovers for dinner today!

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Loveinapril

Jamie Oliver's gravy prepped!

trixychic

the beer revolu wrote: »

I'm really not trying to be smart here but the answer is to cook it for a shorter time and/or at a lower temperature.

Without seeing the piece of meat or having experience of your oven, I can't give you cooking times or temperatures.

My best advice is to find a reliable roasting guide that works for you, weigh your meat and cook accordingly.

I find hugh fearnley whittingstall has good guides.

Is there any way of testing it along the way to see if it's done?? Dreading this.

dee_mc

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

If you decide to go with the tear and share bear in mind you're meant to leave it at room temp for an hour before baking - ours only got 10 mins before baking and it was fine but would have been oozier if it had been out longer!

The Black Oil

Are you putting bacon on it? I usually turn the direction of the tray every hour or so. I have in the past put tinfoil on it after a few hours too. What size are you going with? I think it's generally 45 minutes per kilo, plus maybe 20 minutes extra.

Jamie Oliver's approach is what I've used re butter under the skin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bx56etxkE

OldMrBrennan83

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RasTa

Just use a meat thermometer to guarantee juicy turkey.

Whispered

Just stuck semolina into my basket for Malaris lemon biscuits. They'll be our dessert, sandwiched with salted caramel icecream.

You know the way you can use semolina on roasties, do you have to grind it to a flour first?

beertons

Was talking to a lad today about boned and rolled turkeys. I said to him, it's just not the same. There's no carefully trimming the skin off and sticking the skin between 2 slices of bread, when there's no skin on the rolled bird.

trixychic

The Black Oil wrote: »

Are you putting bacon on it? I usually turn the direction of the tray every hour or so. I have in the past put tinfoil on it after a few hours too. What size are you going with? I think it's generally 45 minutes per kilo, plus maybe 20 minutes extra.

Jamie Oliver's approach is what I've used re butter under the skin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bx56etxkE

Not sure of the size. My mother in law picked up a crown and is dropping it up to me this wk. So nerve wrecking. But I'll defo be doing all this. Thanks.

goat2

The Hill Billy wrote: »

I'll prep all my veg & the stuffing the day before. I'll also make giblet stock as the base for my gravy on Christmas Eve. The ham & spiced beef will be boiled too. The ham will be sliced & reheated in the oven while the turkey is out resting on Christmas Day.

My lot are savages for the turkey & roast spuds so we don't bother with starters or desserts. It makes my life easier, so I don't complain. We'll probably lash into a tub of Roses for a sugar hit later.

If you're doing your first Christmas dinner...
Try to prep as much before Christmas Day.
If you are responsible for the food - you are the boss in the kitchen, so don't let others interfere.
Don't drink too much before dinner.
If it saves you some heartache - use Bisto for gravy or any other shortcut that'll save you from having a meltdown.
Work out your timings for each item you are cooking & give yourself some extra time for the tricky bits.
Treat yourself to the best roast spud & a nice bit of juicy breast.
Leave others clean up afterwards while you put your feet up & enjoy a glass of something & scoff all the hazelnut toffees.
Enjoy yourself.

I make a fresh herb and onion stuffing with a little bit of garlic, but i have bought the herbs fresh and mashed them into soft butter and made a roll out of it so that i can cut off what i need for each meal i make , also i do the same with the garlic, I also do the base for the gravy, the breadcrumbs also in freezer, do oll the veg prep the day before, and chop onions also, the dessert is also put together the day before, takes the labour out of the day, kitchen keeps tidier, I also purchased chafer dishes, they are great to keep everything hot and stop the last minuet rush

the beer revolu

trixychic wrote: »

Not sure of the size. My mother in law picked up a crown and is dropping it up to me this wk. So nerve wrecking. But I'll defo be doing all this. Thanks.

Relax. Just follow your timings and remember that the turkey will happily sit for an hour covered in foil and a towel while you get everything else ready.

If you get it wrong, so what.
Dry turkey won't kill anyone and if it's underdone just slice it, put it on a tray in a thin layer pour some gravy over it, cover in foil and put it in the oven for ten minutes. No problem.

Flippyfloppy

I'm so tempted to cook the turkey Christmas Eve and slice it leaving it in gravy! Just don't want to have to tend to it Christmas Day, have to visit a few people! Hoping to start roasting spuds, make stuffing balls and boil the ham on Christmas Eve too. I'm not worried about them but I'm worried about the turkey am I mad to do it that way?

BetsyEllen

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

I'm so tempted to cook the turkey Christmas Eve and slice it leaving it in gravy! Just don't want to have to tend to it Christmas Day, have to visit a few people! Hoping to start roasting spuds, make stuffing balls and boil the ham on Christmas Eve too. I'm not worried about them but I'm worried about the turkey am I mad to do it that way?

Hey Flippy, if you see a post of mine a page or so back I was saying how my Mum always does this with the turkey and I always do it with a chicken if I'm preparing a roast dinner for a few people.

I find it actually works very well with turkey as it can be a dry meat so leaving it in the gravy means it stays lovely and moist!
My Mum has always done it and it's always been perfect

pwurple

I've changed my plans a bit. 

Added a veg dish, because I was flicking through my ottolenghi book the other night, and have never tried the crumble. I see it's on their christmas catering menu as well, and people online are raving about it. So yeah, fennel, tomato and parmesan crumble is on the list now. Has anyone made this before? Oven room is an issue with a large bird and roasties, so if this is something that can be baked in advance and jump into the oven for reheating / final bake while the bird is resting it would be handy. 
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2205657/fennel-cherry-tomato-crumble

My other veg dish is green beans, mangetout, brocolli and pea mix with garlic butter and flaked almonds. That can be done on the hob or in steamer, so easy peasy.  ("Pea"sy, see what I did there, ahahah, the bad christmas puns begin!). I've ditched the beetroot. Oven requirement rules it out.

My mum volunteered to make and bring the trifle, so I'm going to do a yule log with the kids to go with it. We've got 3 adult guests added to the group in the last few days, so I think an extra dessert is needed. Decorating a yule log is a bit of craic anyway. I love those little meringue mushrooms, and I can make them up before, and store in airtight container, ready for deploying to the fake chocolate woodland. .

jrby

any suggestions as to how to serve spiced beef?

Milly33

Just by iteself it doesnt need anything else, or with a little mash spud..

Loving all the recipes, tis my and my sister in laws first time doing christmas dinner this year... It is fine as it is just for the four of us but still im like mmm what to cook. Keeping it plain and simple.

Turkey to be ordered maybe ill take a look at Nevens recipe there.
Roast spuds done in goosefat and thyme.
Bread stuffing with something in it, not sure what yet.
Chesnut stuffing
And potato gratain

pwurple

jrby wrote: »

any suggestions as to how to serve spiced beef?

Spiced beef... Oh many ways to eat it!  We have it when it has cooled down, sliced, on buttered rye toast (Thoma bread is the sliced rye bread you can get in supermarkets, but every bakery does a rye bread.)
It's great as part of a charcuterie board, with pickle, or cheese, other meats, whatever you have.
Another idea for it is to slice it thinly, and serve it with a blob of horseradish on a blini or pastry or bread round. Like you would with roast beef.
Spiced beef salad... Leaves, walnuts and a mustard & vinegar dressing. Chuck the chopped spiced beef on top. Noms.

pwurple

Oh one more, if you have gotten a massive chuck and have leftovers (seems like a ludicrous notion, but it might happen!)... it'll be fab in samosas or in a quick curry or stirfry with all those spices.

Flippyfloppy

BetsyEllen wrote: »

Hey Flippy, if you see a post of mine a page or so back I was saying how my Mum always does this with the turkey and I always do it with a chicken if I'm preparing a roast dinner for a few people.

I find it actually works very well with turkey as it can be a dry meat so leaving it in the gravy means it stays lovely and moist!
My Mum has always done it and it's always been perfect

Great thanks Betsy Ellen! I think I'll go for it, and it does sound tasty that way! Be great to have it carved and all the day before too!

Malari

Whispered wrote: »

Just stuck semolina into my basket for Malaris lemon biscuits. They'll be our dessert, sandwiched with salted caramel icecream.

You know the way you can use semolina on roasties, do you have to grind it to a flour first?

Yay! Hope they turn out ok.

Semolina pretty much is ground already (not as fine as flour) so no need to do anything except sprinkle it right on.

Gloomtastic!

Malari wrote: »

Yay! Hope they turn out ok.

Semolina pretty much is ground already (not as fine as flour) so no need to do anything except sprinkle it right on.

If you go in asian supermarkets you may see three grades of Semolina - Coarse, Medium and Fine. The coarse will have more texture and I reckon would be great on roasties.

Malari

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

If you go in asian supermarkets you may see three grades of Semolina - Coarse, Medium and Fine. The coarse will have more texture and I reckon would be great on roasties.

Ah! The one I have was just from the baking aisle (I was originally using it for baking) of the supermarket and there was only one option. Didn't even think it would be in asian shops!

now online

Malari wrote: »

Ah! The one I have was just from the baking aisle (I was originally using it for baking) of the supermarket and there was only one option. Didn't even think it would be in asian shops!

Regular semolina is perfect!