4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[abwsco]

Assuming you're not a veggie and eat Turkey what are your other must haves. As it's my turn I've got to be organised for this year so am going to do a list. Ta

[Cinnamon]

Its the one time of year that,much as I adore cooking,I want to enjoy the day too.

 

So, I get one of those garnish packs from M&S, which has little sausages,rolls of bacon & stuffing balls,for the 'extras'. They are totally delicious & freeze well, so you can buy it in advance.

 

I also usually get a turkey breast joint or boned bird from there,as there are only 4 of us & one is a veggie.

 

I do roast potatoes of course, but no longer in goose fat to cater for the veggie.

Brussells sprouts, my wonderful summertime carrots (poached in stock & butter,sprinkled with parsley),bread & cranberry sauces too.

 

Tummy is grumbling now.............................

[C&T]

Sausages wrapped in bacon - Yummy!

 

Oh, and yorkshire puddings... But then we have Yorkshires with every roast - it seems to me very mean and discriminatory to limit it just to beef....

 

And cranberry sauce...

[Space Chick]

Sausages wrapped in bacon here too, along with yorkshire puds, stuffing balls, sprouts, carrots, mashed swede, all served with an organic chicken (can't stand turkey ) and gravy.

 

Although Christmas dinner this year will be on boxing day and will be at the 3 Michelin starred Joel Robuchon restaurant in Las Vegas. Feel free to hate me

[majorbloodnock]

Well, I've never had turkey for Christmas dinner, so we take the opportunity to plan something that'll be a real celebration. Variety is the key, and the meal's spread out over the whole of the latter half of the day so the cook (me) doesn't feel hassled and we all have enough time to digest each course.

 

To date, Christmas dinner has involved (not a complete list):

 

• Beef (roast rib thereof, from a friend's Hereford, so covered in lovely yellow fat, demonstrating how "free range" it was)
  
• Pork (Flæskesteg - traditional Danish)
  
• Lamb (and mutton, as it happens, once again from friend's local flock)
  
• Salmon
  
• Trout
  
• Nut roast (cooked by my mother when she came to visit one year. Marvellously moist; pity she never remembered to send me the recipe)
  
• Guinea fowl
  
• Goose (when we're feeling traditional)
  
• Venison
  
• Hare
  
• Rabbit
  
• Pheasant
  
• Duck (particularly roasted on a wire rack above a bed of redcurrants and water so that the juice and fat fall back down on the fruit to eventually provide an accompanying sauce)
  
• Sea bass
  
• Lobster
  
• Dover sole

 

As you can see, there's not much chance of a common theme, except for making sure all are followed by the obligatory Christmas pud with rum or brandy butter. However, in more recent years, it's become a bit of a family tradition to throw a Christmas Eve party, and the one consistent theme by popular demand is a tourtiere - a traditional Canadian spiced pork and veal pie (rose veal, I hasten to add).

[abwsco]

Can I come to yours majorbloodnock I did do beef one year but there were moans

 

I'm glad I'd asked as I'd forgotten about sausages wrapped in bacon!

[Cinnamon]

To be honest,I am not much of a turkey fan myself,but anything else just doesn't seem quite right on Christmas day to me

 

Might see if I can get away with a Duck this year, as its just the 3 of us meat eaters ............. still got to find something for the veggie daughter too

[Barkisland]

I don't like turkey, so we usually have beef or venison. It's beef this year, with YPs & gravy, roast 'taties & parsnips, horseradish, sprouts & chestnuts, carrots etc. Some sort of soup for a starter, (beetroot is my favourite) Christmas pud & brandy sauce for dessert. Dead predictable, me

We tried a goose one year and it was awful, never again

[majorbloodnock]

To be honest,I am not much of a turkey fan myself,but anything else just doesn't seem quite right on Christmas day to me

 

Well, I must admit I take precisely the opposite view there. I like turkey, but just don't think it's special enough to form the basis of a celebratory dinner. Nor do I think it's been around long enough to truly qualify on traditional grounds (it's been in this country since the 1500s, but only fairly normal Christmas fare since the second World War, when intensive farming slashed the price of a bird); goose and beef are IMHO far more traditional.

 

So, for us, something that qualifies as appropriate is either something truly traditional or something spectacular, and when I talk about traditions, I'm happy to draw on other countries' customs to stretch the point as far as need be.

[majorbloodnock]

Oh, I almost forgot. We do have a "must have".

 

These days, I never do roast potatoes, 'cos I've had pretty variable results in the past, and 'cos they take far too long for my liking. Instead I always do hasselback potatoes, and they're so reliable that I've no wish to change. 200degC, 45 mins, perfect spuds. Guaranteed.

[bluekarin]

Oh, I almost forgot. We do have a "must have".

 

These days, I never do roast potatoes, 'cos I've had pretty variable results in the past, and 'cos they take far too long for my liking. Instead I always do hasselback potatoes, and they're so reliable that I've no wish to change. 200degC, 45 mins, perfect spuds. Guaranteed.

 

In looking to see what these potatoes were I came across this blog http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/hasselback-potatoes.html Yummy looking food here. Off to have a bit more of a browse . . . . .

 

before I go

 

For Christmas we have turkey (will have to add something veggie for ED this year, if she is still veggie then) roast spuds, mini sausages and bacon rolls, baked red cabbage, sprouts dressed with lime juice and bacon (will have to change this too this year), stuffing, cranberry sauce plus some other veg. Sometimes followed by Christmas pud. Usually we are too stuffed and have it in the evening.

[Lesley]

My Veggie option is always the Almond Nut Roast (recipe in this section - posted by me) made more festive by layering with home-made cranberry, port and orange sauce and some sage and onion stuffing.

 

We'll be having home reared beef and chicken. We've saved a 4 rib roast.

[Old Speckled Hen]

Indifferent about turkey, hubby loves it but will eat anything so It will be a nice local rib of beef with all the trimmings.

Neither of us care for christmas pud so I'll make panettone bread and butter pudding with home made ice cream

The one thing I CAN'T do without is smoked salmon,scrambled eggs and champagne for brekkie.

We had OH's daughters and families round for breakfast last year and they insisted on bacon sandwiches so I had two glasses of champers to make up for it.

[majorbloodnock]

Oh, I almost forgot. We do have a "must have".

 

These days, I never do roast potatoes, 'cos I've had pretty variable results in the past, and 'cos they take far too long for my liking. Instead I always do hasselback potatoes, and they're so reliable that I've no wish to change. 200degC, 45 mins, perfect spuds. Guaranteed.

 

In looking to see what these potatoes were I came across this blog http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/hasselback-potatoes.html Yummy looking food here. Off to have a bit more of a browse . . . . . .

 

Good find.

 

To make things easier for everyone else, though, hasselback potatoes are basically peeled spuds that are sliced about three quarters of the way through every few millimetres (imagine a sort of potato toast rack) and then popped in a roasting pan, basted and cooked at a reasonably high temperature (200 - 220 degC depending on how fierce your oven is). The cuts mean the heat penetrates quicker, so ensuring the inside remains moist and fluffy, whilst the outside turns crispy quite quickly. As said before, 45 minutes is about all it takes, and I've used both new and maincrop potatoes with equal success. I know some recipes suggest a sprinkling of salt to help with the crisping, but I never add salt myself (in fact, rarely use salt in any of my cooking).

 

The one thing I CAN'T do without is smoked salmon,scrambled eggs and champagne for brekkie.

 

Ah, breakfast. There have been not a few occasions in the past when I've roasted a bird or some beef for the Christmas Eve party, at which point breakfast has been fresh bread and dripping. Food of the Gods....

[Howwhywhen]

Bread sauce! Got to have it!

[poachedegg]

For our roast potatoes I do a healthier version of goose fat ones.

 

Parboil potatoes, fluff up in colander, place in a baking dish, pour about 1/3 way up the potato with some chicken stock and then spray with fry light - put in quite a hot oven for about hour or until crispy on the outside. The chicken stock will be absorbed by the potato making it lovely and moist on the inside whilst retaining the crispiness on the outside.........delicious!

[Rhapsody]

Bread sauce! Got to have it!

 

 

Ah YES! can't believe folk either dont bother or get it out of a packet, I make bread sauce gravy base and cranberry sauce a few days before.

 

Oh and a bottle of Bolly for the chef. Thats me. And I have knives so no touchee.

[abwsco]

Thanks everyone Keep it coming.

[Jules.]

For our roast potatoes I do a healthier version of goose fat ones.

 

Parboil potatoes, fluff up in colander, place in a baking dish, pour about 1/3 way up the potato with some chicken stock and then spray with fry light - put in quite a hot oven for about hour or until crispy on the outside. The chicken stock will be absorbed by the potato making it lovely and moist on the inside whilst retaining the crispiness on the outside.........delicious!

 

 

That's a really good tip about the chicken stock- i make my potatoes the way you described, but haven't tried them with the stock

[chickencam]

The things that turns an ordinary roast into Christmas dinner are bread sauce, bacon wrapped sausages, and a couple of sausage meat stuffings. We always do a giblet gravy too, which we don't bother with most of the time, because you rarely see giblets at any other time. The smell of the giblets cooking is the first scent of Christmas dinner and makes the house smell festive.

 

We usually have croissants and or, brioche, and or panattonne(sp) for breakfast with some champagne and coffee.

[Lozmk1]

as iv just posted up in the neting box (im excited, can you tell!?!) im doing my 1st xmas lunch this year for 7 people, im gluten free so im afraid everyone else will be having it too as i cant be faffed making 2 different sets of dinners, i'll need to make some gluten free bread sauce cos even with a duck xmas aint xmas without bread sauce but WHERE do i start? i have no idea cos iv never needed to make it or buy it.

[majorbloodnock]

as iv just posted up in the neting box (im excited, can you tell!?!) im doing my 1st xmas lunch this year for 7 people, im gluten free so im afraid everyone else will be having it too as i cant be faffed making 2 different sets of dinners, i'll need to make some gluten free bread sauce cos even with a duck xmas aint xmas without bread sauce but WHERE do i start? i have no idea cos iv never needed to make it or buy it.

 

Actually, you've got it easier than you might think. Basically, bread sauce is just another white sauce made with flavoured milk, but uses bread as the thickener instead of flour. Since you're reducing the bread to breadcrumbs (and slightly stale ones at that), it makes pretty much no difference whether you use normal white bread or a low gluten/gluten free alternative.

 

Delia's recipe is as good as any, concentrating on getting the maximum flavour into the sauce. Follow that (or, indeed any other bread sauce recipe you find), substituting your choice of bread for the white bread mentioned in the recipe, and I reckon you'll do just fine. However, it'd probably be worth making a small batch as an experiment well in advance since the Christmas dinner, being as high profile as it is, probably isn't the best time for a first attempt you're not fairly confident with.

 

As for the rest of the dinner being gluten free, I doubt people will notice, and even if they do I doubt they'll mind in the slightest. You're already used to getting the most out of gluten free ingredients, so you're by far the best person to introduce them to a diet like that. In fact, since sausages made without gluten have to fall back on good quality as an alternative (i.e. more meat instead of rusk ), your guests will probably find they're eating a tastier dinner than Christmas usually provides.

[Lozmk1]

majorbloodnock thankyou! everyones so lovely and helpful and friendly on here, im desperately searching for G/F cocktail sausages that dont come with £12 delivery charge!! i think we will have to do with chipolatas unless i can find a friendly butcher

 

im gonna have a little try of the bread sauce in advance, i'll have a packet mix on standby just incase but making lunch G/F should be a doddle.

 

one thing that i think makes xmas xmas though is.... gammon joint on xmas eve, my mum cooks it in cheap coke to remove all the salt out of it and its mmmmmmmm and really tastyy and sweet tht gets me in the mood for xmas so im gonna keep the tradition going! - yes my mums a nutter but it seriously tastes good!

[Lesley]

Do you have a Farmers' Market you can get to? - if you do you may find that there is a butcher who makes GF sausages (ours do). If you have a word with them they should make you some cocktail size ones ready for you to collect at the next market?

[Rhapsody]

I started a yearly tradition of cooking a ham in cherry coke a couple of years ago a la Nigella. Boil in coke then glaze and roast off in the oven. We eat it cold during the festive week.