Christmas 2019

Gloomtastic!

Whatcha cooking, where are you cooking it and who'll be with you?

It's the annual Food Forum Chrimbo Thread!

Gloomtastic!

I was in a rush this morning so didn't get to add my bit.

This year we have my MIL and her husband coming to stay, and that's it! So only six of us so far for Christmas dinner. I'm getting the usual huge turkey from my brother so unless I can drag some strangers in off the street, it will be butchered and then most of it destined for the freezer.

As per normal, we will be brining the turkey breast in buttermilk Nevan-style. https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/recipes/2013/1209/744077-buttermilk-brined-roast-crown-of-turkey/

It never fails and I'll also be boning and rolling the legs. Going to make some Gravelax for starter.

To compensate for the quieter than normal Christmas Day, we're going to have friends/neighbours round either before or after for a Feast with Fireworks (leftover from Halloween).

Bring it on!

lenscap

I am not a big fan of turkey so will have a breast of it stuffed and rolled on Christmas eve.

For Christmas day,

Starters: a traditional prawn cocktail, some smoked salmon and bbq pork ribs.

Main: roast leg of pork, roast potatoes (in duck fat) roast veg (carrots, parsnips, turnip) brussell sprouts with lardons and home made croquette potatoes (with ham and chive filling)

Deserts: Homemade whiskey pudding cake with custard, and brack with Christmas icing.

(the pork and ham are my own as I keep pigs as a hobby)

foodaholic

We’re having goose this year.
Delias Parmesan parsnips
Red cabbage
Nevens Brussel sprout crumble
And the obligatory goose fat roasties

L1011

Hosting the family this year, with my mother who doesn't like anything vaguely interesting (see the Retro Food thread!), so bacon on the turkey and properly glazing the ham is basically all I can get away with. And there's definitely an element of trying to recreate the dinners of the 90s, just maybe done properly this time.

So it'll be a turkey crown, boned ham, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, shop bought potato croquettes, roast carrots/parsnip/red onion, commercial turkey gravy.

I have only a single cavity oven so there will be quite a bit of stuff done the night before and reheated while the turkey is standing.

No Brussels - nobody coming likes them and while I know you can make them a lot more palatable they're still tiny cabbages.

Will actually do stuffing this year, as I found out that despite my mother never ever doing it some of my siblings will actually eat it.



For desert, I've managed to convince my mother not to do her trifle this time around - its basically chopped fruit that has seen jelly somewhere in its distant past and water down custard - because everyone else just wants the retro boxed Birds kit.

Graces7

In human terms a solitary feast here... as happily normal.
Plus six cats who will enjoy raw turkey..
With the erratic weather, am stonily determined to have turkey. This is the first year I have been unable to cross to the mainland to get a frozen turkey to dismember as others here advocate.

The last day to be relied on ( if weather permits) for shopping to come over is 19th so the supermarket boss who sorts my groceries orders is trying to get me a frozen one as their fresh come in too late for me.
But worry not! I invested in a turkey and ham ready meal ! It is safe in the freezer...Had one ages ago and a good serving of ham and turkey! the rest, ie carrots and peas and mash will be eaten later... I have frozen some carrots and sprouts, have sage kindly sent for stuffing, potatoes to roast, and cranberry.

So whatever the weather does....some things are too traditional to set aside when a little forethought can avail...

Sleepy

Have the MIL and FIL over so only 6 of us. MIL can't stand turkey so I'll do either roast Lamb or Beef with a small chicken, a glazed ham, stuffing, roasties in goose fat, brussels with lardons, roasted carrots, tenderstem brocolli and cauliflower in a cheese sauce. (Leftovers will be going in the freezer and I'll probably manage to persuade the MIL to take some away).

Still undecided on starters but dessert will most likely be a store-bought Christmas pudding and a home-made trifle.

now online

Hosting again this year and nothing organised. My dad passed away very recently and everything is up in the air...

Pudding is made since early November, it'll be the usual Turkey, ham and spiced beef with all the usual, stuffing, garlic cream potatoes, roast potatoes and a selection of veg. Sage and onion bread stuffing always a big hit.

Soup is one starter, looking for ideas for another. Previously I've done poached pear and walnut salad, salmon mousse, or salmon something else.

A selection of desserts will be on offer, pudding, some sort of cheesecake and maybe a chocolate biscuit cake.

I know it's alot of food but it's always rinse and repeat for st Stephen's day.

Looking forward to hear everyone's menu and maybe even rob some ideas!

mikecope

Starter
Melon slice

Main
Turkey, ham, cocktail sausages, bacon rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, parsnips, gravy, bread sauce, cranberry sauce

Deserts
Plum pudding with cream or ice cream, trifle, mince pies with cream

phormium

I like all that except the melon, raw watery turnip as someone once described it to me! Very similar to our own, very traditional, there would be uproar if I varied from the pudding and trifle especially, usually do two trifles, the bog standard jelly/custard type and a no jelly type full of sherry! Must be a dry sherry for best flavour I find.

Will also probably have a few Baileys chocolate truffles and always like some After Eights, apparently mint aides the digestion and God knows you need that after the excess of Christmas lunch!

Corkgirl18

For starters we usually have lots of little bits and dips - various forms
of bruschetta (some traditional and some not at all), mini sausage rolls, pork belly bites, wings etc.

For mains, nobody is crazy about turkey so there will be a turkey crown, ham and roast beef. All the usual sides.
Dessert will be traditional Christmas pudding, baileys profiteroles (already in freezer), chocolate mousse, a pavlova of some sort and some biscuity bits. No light options for dessert :P

Graces7

As the ferry got here before the storm, I now have all I need except the turkey! Already a Christmas pudding and a Belgian Choc pudding, thanks to Supervalu.

Missed out it seems on my totally favourite cheese; wensleydale with cranberries. which is sad but I can access only Supervalu. sigh... Maybe try cheddar and add cranberry sauce!

Oh and I need cream for trifle AND to make Irish Cream … I have the condensed milk and the whiskey

small order on Thursday and some form of turkey then I am sure..

It is out here all in the planning and I am skilled at that...

Graces7

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

For starters we usually have lots of little bits and dips - various forms
of bruschetta (some traditional and some not at all), mini sausage rolls, pork belly bites, wings etc.

For mains, nobody is crazy about turkey so there will be a turkey crown, ham and roast beef. All the usual sides.
Dessert will be traditional Christmas pudding, baileys profiteroles (already in freezer), chocolate mousse, a pavlova of some sort and some biscuity bits. No light options for dessert :P

Now where exactly are you? lol.. for that dessert I would travel miles …. all my favourites..

fussyonion

We're having striploin of beef (had it last year and it was amazing) with goose fat roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, croquettes, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing and gravy.
Served with a nice Merlot.

Strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

mvl

Too busy in work, so my menu is not final yet, except that there would be a more traditional theme this year (food that doesn't necessarily go well when I have my Irish friends over); among others, ham hock and pistachio terrine, goose with chestnut stuffing and red cabbage (+ roasties), and one of the desserts would be dobos torte with homemade ice cream.

haven't decided about the rest - but have to say me cooking for my family over for Xmas is the only present I want for myself this year, really looking forward to it.

harr

mvl wrote: »

Too busy in work, so my menu is not final yet, except that there would be a more traditional theme this year (food that doesn't necessarily go well when I have my Irish friends over); among others, ham hock and pistachio terrine, goose with chestnut stuffing and red cabbage (+ roasties), and one of the desserts would be dobos torte with homemade ice cream.

haven't decided about the rest - but have to say me cooking for my family over for Xmas is the only present I want for myself this year, really looking forward to it.

That dobosh torte looks and sounds fantastic... Dam you anyway will have to add that to my desserts list...:D

B0jangles

We're going to family for Christmas Day, but they'll be coming to us for 'Stephen's Day' (actually the saturday after). We used to have the second meal on actual stephen's day but changed to a later date years ago because no-one was really up to facing two full-sized 6 hour meals with wine in two days

Aaanyway, this all means that I get the fun of cooking the non-traditional meal this year, so we're going to have my brother's faro and sweet potato timbales to start, a great big spiced m'hanncha, with roast veggies as one main, with my dad's baked ham as the other main, and my grandma's sherry trifle for dessert. (the secret ingredient is MORE SHERRY)

It's funny, I didn't realise until I wrote it down that so many of the things are family recipes. My brother won't be home this christmas,and my grandma died in 2008 so it'll be really nice to have their food on the table as a reminder of them, and also because their recipes are damn tasty

Shenshen

It's just going to be the two of us (one of the advantages of family abroad is that we can have completely relaxed christmases), but I'll still be cooking for us.

We're not big on starters, so I'll skip those.
For mains, I'll make wild mushroom seitan (we get a pass to Musgraves from work before christmas, and I was delighted beyond words to find a big bag of frozen boletus mushrooms!!) wrapped in puff pastry.
There'll be regular onion gravy, and a wild mushroom, brandy and cream sauce with that, as well as roasted potatoes, honey-roasted carrots with thyme, spiced red cabbage and roasted sprouts. I've also got some lingonberry jam (from IKEA) on the side.

Once we manage to roll of the sofa, a couple of hours after this, there's christmas pudding and custard.

And in case we fancy nibbles, I have already baked 2 types of German christmas biscuits (Spitzbuben and Vanillekipferl)

davegilly

Ive cooked everything on the BBQ every year and will do so again this year hopefully.

The plan is to smoke the ham on Christmas Eve on the smoker BBQ with some Hickory Wood. Ill glaze it with a honey and mustard glaze during the smoke as well.

On Christmas Day the turkey will be done in the kettle BBQ. Cherry wood this time as it’s a bit milder and you can over smoke poultry quite easily. All the potatoes and veg will be roasted in the smoker.

Our kitchen is pretty small so doing it this way keeps it free for starters, desserts other small bits and pieces plus the flavour you get from the BBQ is fabulous!

Marcusm

We’ll have 14 (11-72) for a full dinner on Christmas Eve. It’s too difficult to cater for all tastes with a single big lump of meat so I am going risky by offering a choice at all stages:

Starters

Soup - will either be broccoli or pumpkin/coconut/ginger/chilli
Gambas pil pil (garlic and dried chilli) - basically a flavoured oil for bread but with good prawns
Garlic mushrooms on toast (vegetarians)
Either a crab/smoked salmon dish or a crispy/confit duck salad

Mains - trying to have 2 protein elements on each plate

Striploin of beef (med rare, no option) with individual ox cheek pithivier
Chicken/Ham or both with a chicken and ham mini pie/pasty (brown meat)
Grilled darne of salmon
Vegetarian pastry (either pumpkin based or chickpea/peppers/paprika)

All served with suitable sauce (ie both beef and chicken gravies from scratch, plus a beurre blanc) and vegetables (roast potatoes, root veg mash and mixed greens)

Desserts

Passion fruit posset
Choc orange ganache tart
Sticky toffee pudding

Christmas pudding/trifle available on request

I have six rings and 2 full ovens. Prep is key but I’d expect to deliver without frazzle. No assistance accepted.

Gloomtastic!

^ Blimey, that’s a full restaurant menu right there. Good luck to you!

leahyl

Good Lord, Marcusm! :eek: Fair play to you!

GampDub

Hi,

Any cranberry sauce recommendations?

Its not a thing in my family but have the Inlaws for Christmas dinner and I know they like it. Ideally like a decent shop bought one - was thinking maybe just go with whatever M&S have but if anyone has any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

B0jangles

Just fyi cranberry sauce is genuinely extremely easy to make and homemade is gorgeous. I make ours the day before to cut down side jobs on the day itself, and its always fine when its reheated.

This is the recipe I've used for the last few years: https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/perfect-cranberry-sauce/1307970

GampDub

Always reluctant cooking something I don't like to eat myself & also cooking for first time for such a big dinner.

B0jangles

GampDub wrote: »

Always reluctant cooking something I don't like to eat myself & also cooking for first time for such a big dinner.

Totally understand - one less thing to worry about is always a bonus

GampDub

My Menu by the way:

Not big on sit down starters so will do a platter made up of bits everyone coming likes that they can just pick away at - cheeses, fruits, carrot sticks & hummus, cold meats etc

Mains

Turkey Crown
Ham - boiled the night before then finished with a Glaze on the BBQ on the day.
Roast Beef (couple of non Turkey Lovers) done in slow cooker with Juices used to make the most amazing gravy.
Pre made creamy mash - cooked the night before and heated in the oven
Broccoli & Cauliflower Chees
Butter Carrots
Roasties done in the Air Fryer with a light coating of Goose Fat
Lots and Lots of Sprouts - boiled in the ham water and then finished with some bacon lardons and balsamic

Dessert

I will prep, cook and present all of the above so Desserts are not really my thing but:

Mother in Law makes the best Trifle so she is bringing that
Rest with be shop bought from M&S or Avoca because my wife cannot cook - likely cheesecake and Yule Log
Picked up a big tub of Honeycomb Icecream to go with it

Making me very hungry typing that all down...

For Stephen Day we are in my Sister in Laws - I will bring a Christmas Casserole made with leftover Turkey & Ham and a stuffing topping. Its a nice mix up for people who don't just want the exact same dinner again.

quazzy

Jaysus - I think I wanna go to Marcusm's gaff for crimbo - sounds amazing.

I often check this thread out for ideas - Just picked up 2 ideas namely Delia's Parmesean Parsnips and Neven's Sprout Crumble.

I'm not hosting but my wife and I will be helping out at the MIL / FIL house.

They do a fairly traditional Turkey / Ham Combo. Turkey is usually boned and rolled with nice Mustard and Brown sugar Ham.

I've already made the Gravy - https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/get-ahead-gravy/
It will be defrosted and added to Turkey juices on the day to improve the flavour.

We'll do Rosemary Goose Fat Roasties on the day.

We have Red Cabbage and Sprouts from our allotment so will put them to good use.
Neven has a great Red Cabbage and Pomegranit recipe - https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/recipes/2018/1205/1015334-nevens-braised-red-cabbage-with-pomegranate/

Not sure on starters but My Mam always makes me a Christmas pudding (2 actually) so I'll be grand with that for dessert. They are amazing and I love them ALOT.

Happy Eating all - I Love Christmas

LowOdour

Probably sacrilege to ask, but are there any good quality frozen veg that I could get for Xmas dinner. I cook most years, and plan to again this year but tempted by shortcuts!

I usually prep the night before, but still, would like more time with kids this year

quazzy

Couldn't recommend any frozen veg apart from peas but nevens red cabbage with pomegranate keeps for a good few days so of you wanted to save some time you could do that this weekend and pop in fridge -it'll keep.

Shenshen

LowOdour wrote: »

Probably sacrilege to ask, but are there any good quality frozen veg that I could get for Xmas dinner. I cook most years, and plan to again this year but tempted by shortcuts!

I usually prep the night before, but still, would like more time with kids this year

French beans are usually ok from frozen. I would stay away from carrots, sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, they tend to be really watery if they have been frozen.