Christmas Dinner 2016

_Jamie_

Whistlejacket wrote: »

Put 6oz of cranberries in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons of water and half a cinnamon stick (optional) and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 6-7 minutes until the cranberries soften and pop. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in 3oz of sugar, a tablespoon of orange juice and a dash of port (optional) and leave to cool. Store in a glass jar in the fridge. It keeps for weeks so you can make it in advance.

This is interesting. I once heard that you shouldn't add the sugar until the end or the skins will harden. But other recipes say to add it with the water. Wonder if the former is true?

_Jamie_

My first turkeyless Christmas day - spending it with my new in-laws who don't like turkey so it's roast lamb. They don't usually make stuffing but I am giving sausagemeat stuffing a go for the first time. I cannot do Xmas day without stuffing. I'm also bringing them spiced beef, and bringing to my folks too. I'm from Mayo and my new hubs is from Galway and spiced beef is unheard of where we both grew up. Neither set of parents have a clue what it is! But I worked in Cork for a few years so am bringing a bit of Cork to both households this Christmas. I'm also making cranberry sauce for the in-laws as I usually do at home. My mother is freezing a small bit of her ham and turkey for me so I don't miss out. I don't eat much meat since having chemotherapy last year anyway, I'm mostly about the veg, carbs and cheese these days with small amounts of meat. :cool:

Jose Maria

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

It's time to start planning the festive fare, so if anyone wishes to share or request recipes and ideas, this is the place to do it

Last Christmas I cooked Neven Maguire's buttermilk brined turkey crown and it was so good I'll be doing it again this year : http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/recipes/2013/1209/744077-buttermilk-brined-roast-crown-of-turkey/

Can this be done with a turkey crown that still has the bone in or does it need to be butterflied?

Dizzyblonde

Jose Maria wrote: »

Can this be done with a turkey crown that still has the bone in or does it need to be butterflied?

The recipe is for a crown on the bone

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Guys first timer here. Can I cook spicy beef on Christmas eve? How do I heat it up on Christmas day? Also any tips for keeping things hot ? All my stuff has come from M&S so all has to go in oven and not enough room for everything at once

the beer revolu

Spiced beef is best cold

Tin foil and a couple of towels is good to keep a joint of meat warm.

wdmfapq4zs83hv

the beer revolu wrote: »

Spiced beef is best cold

So I can cook it the day before and serve cold?

the beer revolu

Rayden Ambitious Sunbonnet wrote: »

So I can cook it the day before and serve cold?

Yes.
Our family have always served Christmas ham cold too. Would seem wrong to serve it hot - that'd be for bacon and cabbage!

The Hill Billy

Absolutely! I'll be doing my beef tomorrow & eating most of it the following day.

BaZmO*

Have the wife's family over for dinner tomorrow so today is my Christmas Eve. Can't believe how organised I am this year though.
Stuffing made last weekend and now defrosting in the fridge. Gravy made with stock from the giblets (first time using giblets!) and the ham cooked and ready to go tomorrow. Only need to cook the turkey & stuffing tomorrow along with prepping and cooking veg and spuds.

Gonna be such a less stressful day.

dee_mc

I bought a Camembert last week for Christmas day starter. I know it can be smelly so immediately popped it into a plastic box with a good seal, thinking that would contain it... nope, the fridge absolutely reeks ever since! Think we might break into it tomorrow for lunch and be done with it, I don't think anyone has ever said this before but I can't wait to empty and clean the fridge!!

BaZmO*

We had that with a cheese over the summer, can't remember the type of cheese but it absolutely stank out the fridge for weeks even after a couple of cleans.

dee_mc

I'm a great believer in washing the fridge down with bread soda as an initial clean, and leaving a cup of bread soda inside to absorb odours, but I have a feeling this cheese's legacy will live on for a while!

pwurple

Christmas eve is here already!

Time to get the ham going.

now online

pwurple wrote: »

Christmas eve is here already!

Time to get the ham going.

Already on it!

Dizzyblonde

Mine is going into the oven this morning

The turkey is in the buttermilk brine since last night.

The Black Oil

How many litres of buttermilk would you need for that?

Dizzyblonde

Two litres.

pwurple

And we're still on schedule, amazingly nothing burnt with the stream of visitors and endless tea all day. Thank feck for tins of biscuits.

Ham, spiced beef and the stuffings are are ready for tomorrow. Turkey is salted and curing away. Trifle layer is set. Drinks, they are a chillin'.

Birdie086

Cooked the ham this morning. All veggies, stuffing and trifles prepped. Will cook the turkey in the morning as it's not too big.

Thanks to reading this thread we also did spiced beef, I had never heard of it before! We just had a load of it on crusty white bread, everyone in the house approved.

BaZmO*

Christmas dinner for the inlaws done and dusted! Absolute unmitigated disaster. Typical though, first year I was so prepared in advance. Tried to cook the turkey a different way after watching a TV show last night. Driest turkey I've ever had! Everything else wasn't great either. Ah well, at least we're all cleaned up and a bit tipsy now getting ready for Santa. 😀

At least I do t have to do anything tomorrow and I'll get dinner handed to me.

Happy Christmas folks! Hopefully your cooking day goes a little better than me tomorrow. 🎄ðŸ—

douzer77

Evening / Morning all,

I have always cooked my Turkey to 180 degrees using a meat thermometer but was talking to a chef recently who suggested 170. What internal temp do you cook to if u use a thermometer?

Sorry for latest of post but have just got to sit down :D

T xx

Surreptitious

douzer77 wrote: »

Evening / Morning all,

I have always cooked my Turkey to 180 degrees using a meat thermometer but was talking to a chef recently who suggested 170. What internal temp do you cook to if u use a thermometer?

Sorry for latest of post but have just got to sit down :D

T xx

It's 180 degrees . As per standard HAACP. He might have suggested it to be a bit more tender but technically it's 180 degrees or more on the thermometer. Google suggests 165 but I would want to be safe.

Edited when sober.

Faith

Surreptitious wrote: »

It's 180 degrees celsius . As per standard HAACP. He might have suggested it to be a bit more tender but technically it's 180 degrees or more on the thermometer. Google suggests 165 but I would want to be safe.

Good god above, it's FAHRENHEIT! Please don't attempt to cook a turkey to 180 Celsius! :eek:

douzer77

Ha Ha yep i know it Fahrenheit and have always cooked Turkey and Chickens to 180 but the conversation had me thinking, will do it to 180 today as would hate to poison any of my lovely family after all the lovely pressies I've just gotten have a lovely day everybody xxxx

ps so happy to have found this section of Boards.ie, will deffo be more active on the food section in New Year,

RasTa

douzer77 wrote: »

Ha Ha yep i know it Fahrenheit and have always cooked Turkey and Chickens to 180 but the conversation had me thinking, will do it to 180 today as would hate to poison any of my lovely family after all the lovely pressies I've just gotten have a lovely day everybody xxxx

ps so happy to have found this section of Boards.ie, will deffo be more active on the food section in New Year,

By overcooking chicken and turkey to 180 you are poisoning your family with dry meat

Surreptitious

Faith wrote: »

Good god above, it's FAHRENHEIT! Please don't attempt to cook a turkey to 180 Celsius! :eek:

Too much wine

fitz

I did the turkey on our Kamado Joe.
Had been reading that you should brine, but I'm with the article that someone linked to earlier in this thread, it's a lot of effort for a less tasty meat.

Took the bird out of the fridge as I set up the fire, using lumpwood charcoal and a few chunks of hickory. Separated the skin from the breasts and stuffed about a half pound of softened butter in on each side.

Rubbed melted butter on the outside, seasoned with salt and pepper, cut three lemons in half and stuck them into the cavity.

Into the kamado at 350F, pulled it when the internal temp hit 165F.



Total butterball. Tasty, moist, beautiful juices that made incredible gravy with a stock made from veg and giblets.

Had it with sprout/granny smith apple/cranberry/toasted pecan slaw, stuffing balls and roasters roasted in goose fat, smoked ham done in coke in the slow cooker.

Overeating heaven.

RasTa

I'm done with Turkey, although I do love it in a sandwich it's pointless sitting on a plate next to the glorious ham

Whispered

I'm so so full! We had turkey and ham and a veggie roast for me, cauliflower cheese, honey roast carrots, sprouts with quorn bacon and walnuts, a mountain of creamy buttery mash, roast potatoes, herby stuffing and onion gravy.

I really wish I was hungry enough for a leftover sandwich!!