Christmas dinner

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Christmas dinner

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snowball
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 6246
Location: swindon

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 9:27 am Post subject: Christmas dinner

I thought that this would be a good place to collate all the recipes needed for the big day. It doesn't matter if we are talking about the traditional full roast, or any other alternative that is a bit special.

I will try to find time to post some of the stuffing recipes I have tried over the years.

In the meantime, I will kick of with the humble brussel sprout.

Try to get smaller ones, they are sweeter. Peel and blanch in boiling water for no more than five minutes.
Plunge into iced water to keep the colour.
Gently fry a couple of rashers of good bacon until crisp.
Dry fry a handful of sesame seeds and dry cumin.
Chop a handfull of roasted chestnuts (purely optional).
Just before serving, glaze the sprouts in some good melted butter in a frying pan, until they are heated through.
Add the chestnuts, if using, bacon and finally sprinkle with the cumin and sesame seeds.

It looks like a lot more work and time than it is when written down like this, but the preparation can be done in advance and it is well worth it.

*Fluffykitten*

Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 74
Location: Merthyr Tydfil

Posted: Sat Dec 04, 04 3:12 pm Post subject:
Snowball, thanks for this recipe it sounds great!! I love sprouts but the rest of the clan dont share my enthusiasm, they do however tolerate them for one day a year so im hoping this will promote them from 'tolerable' to 'likeable'!

Debbie

Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Posts: 160
Location: Exmoor Devon

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 04 12:20 am Post subject: christmas dinner

For those that can't get their families to eat them try pureed brussel sprouts.

Boil till tender drain then liquidize with plenty of butter and nutmeg.

Totally changes - you would never know there was a spout in there

Also baked apples:

core and wash small cox apples and lightly score skin right round the girth stuff with a mixture of your favouite stuffing and sausage meat then bake with the roast potates for last 30 mins. Gives self contained ready made apple sauce with stuffing included. Looks pretty good round the turkey too

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 04 9:40 am Post subject:

i'm the only one that likes sprouts - although my Oh will eat ONE if I offer to give money to charity

I have a stuffing recipe - there aren't definite quantities and you can vary it but it goes roughly like this...

1 tin of unsweetened chestnut puree (buy early as Tesco's tend to sell out)
1 pack of sausagemeat
handful or two of fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

mix together with additions of your choice like finely chopped onion, herbs, finely chopped and sauted mushrooms. I then pile it in to a greased foil lined loaf tin and bake alongside the turkey for an hour. If you like a stuffing you can slice then add a beaten egg to the mix. As we're only a small family at christmas I divide it between two tins, bake both and then freeze one to eat later hot with veggies as a chestnut and sausage roast.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 08, 04 12:49 pm Post subject:

Bread Sauce, I like it and Gordon Ramsay hates it, so it's a winner twice over. Recipe books always make it ludicrously complicated, and tell you to make breadcrumbs which is totally unnecessary. What you do is:
Finely chop a small onion and put it into a saucepan with a bayleaf, 4 cloves, some pepper and about half a pint of milk. Heat, and simmer very gently for about half an hour. You can set it aside at this stage to infuse if you wish. Fish out the bayleaf and the cloves. Chuck in a largish lump of white bread with the crusts cut off. Let it soak for a couple of minutes, them whisk it all together with a fork. Add more milk or bread until you are happy with the consistency. Warm it up gently before serving, check seasoning and add a little butter or cream if wished.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28251
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Dec 08, 04 12:51 pm Post subject:
Useful tip that, I have always made bread crumbs, but as you make it obvious it isn't needed. I will make a LOT of bread sauce I love it jema

Silas

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 6848
Location: Staffordshire

Posted: Wed Dec 08, 04 5:42 pm Post subject:
Look you lot, If you havent got your sprouts on the boil for christmas yet, you are probably too late. You could start them off slowly for next year I suppose....

Debbie

Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Posts: 160
Location: Exmoor Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 08, 04 6:36 pm Post subject: christmas dinner
I love sprouts. One of my favourite vegetables. Could eat a plate full Sad but true

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 9:35 am Post subject: Re: christmas dinner

Debbie wrote:

I love sprouts. One of my favourite vegetables.
Could eat a plate full

Sad but true

had to be done didn't it?

Bought some sprout tops from the farm shop yesterday, shredded them and then lightly cooked them in butter and balsamic - OH ate them and enjoyed!

which gives me an idea for Xmas lunch!

Dunc

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Lancashire

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 4:10 pm Post subject:

My favourite Christmas day starter -

Pumpkin Soup Recipe
500 grams / 1 lb of pumpkin chopped
30 grams / 1 oz of butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 cups of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Chop the pumpkin into large cubes discarding the skin and seeds. Sweat the onion and garlic in butter in a large saucepan until the onion is clear. Add the pumpkin and garlic and sweat for a minute. Add three cups of chicken stock and the tomato paste, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Rinse a blender in boiling water to warm and blend the soup mixture. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.
This soup can be made two days in advance and can be frozen for two months. Add the cheese when re-heating just prior to serving.

Hope everyone saved a pumpkin (in a cool place of course).

Dunc

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Lancashire

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: christmas dinner

Debbie wrote:

I love sprouts. One of my favourite vegetables.
Could eat a plate full

Sad but true

I hold the office record at the moment - 30 sprouts in one sitting. My favourite vegetable, no-one else liked them and I couldn't let them go to waste.

Debbie

Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Posts: 160
Location: Exmoor Devon

Posted: Thu Dec 09, 04 9:10 pm Post subject: christmas dinner
Good job we don't live in the same house then Dunc...you could have a fight on your hands

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 04 10:58 am Post subject:
You can have mine. Horrid, bitter, undersized cabbages! I did Christmas dinner without sprouts one year - everyone moaned! However, they didn't make a fuss about the goose that I subsituted for the turkey!

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