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Christmas food and cooking


Gus Mears

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I have the absolute sin of being an absolute perfectionist when it comes to cooking, working from 10pm on the Eve until 7am Christmas Morning and then back in at 7pm Christmas Night (back at the hotel) and somehow being left in charge of Christmas Dinner.

Main thing seems like it'll be an absolute ton of food prep so my broken and fried little brain doesn't crumble with a lack of sleep. Off work Sunday all day and Monday day so will be taking the initiative Monday to prepare the pigs in blankets and then leave them to chill in the fridge overnight, probably do the same with the home made sage and onion stuffing mix as well, pre ball them and have them ready to go in an oven.

Actifry will come in handy for a small kitchen, so can do the potatoes and parsnips in there. Steamer will deal with new potatoes, broccoli and cabbage and Brussels Sprouts (which I will then mix with some bacon) and then peas in one sauce pan and a carrot and swede mix in the other. Being made to go with Chicken as some family members are exhaustively picky. Only need the oven for that, the Yorkshires and then I can do the stuffing and pigs in blanket in the top one. 

Sounds a ton but there's only three of us so the portions won't actually have to be massive.

 

Only tell tale sign is going to be at what point I'm able to get up and get amongst cooking. Think I can get the majority of it done in 2/3 hours meaning I can happily sleep for 5 or so after work. May have to pre make the batter for the puddings the night before and tempted to use the amazing idea of freezing par boiled potato to save me an extra 45 minutes of faffing about trying to find a spud peeler and then boiling the blasted things.

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I applaud the effort and I'm aware it's Christmas but that is a fuckton of food for three. Do you really need 6 vegetables? 

Do less, better. So buy frozen Yorkshire puddings, buy packet stuffing, and do 1 veg really well. And new potatoes and roast potatoes (if I've read that right)? 

Cut yourself a break dude. 

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Yeah, it's no fun if you stress yourself out that much. It should be enjoyable.

My pre prep has begun. Peeled and chopped all the carrots and vacuum packed them in butter and sugar. Will sous vide cook them in the afternoon and then freeze them ready for the big day. Cleaning out the bbq to keep it ready for the day today - there was a slight fuel-y taste to that chicken I did the other week due to remnants of firelighter and treated briquettes. A flavour that's unnoticeable when doing a normal bbq, but really gets into the food when cooking for a long time with the lid on, as I found out. Good clean lumpwood only from now on!

Tomorrow will be the potato prep!

Edited by Chest Rockwell
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33 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Anyone have any particularly great stuffing recipes?

I saw J**** O***** do one last night which I'm going to make - fried leeks and sage, deglaze with cider, mixed with sausagemeat and breadcrumbs made from a fruit & nut loaf. Bake it up. 

But you can't go wrong with boiled onions and sage mixed with butter and breadcrumbs. 

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15 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

But you can't go wrong with boiled onions and sage mixed with butter and breadcrumbs. 

My Gran’s classic recipe that I still use now.  Reminds me, need to pick up a loaf to go stale tonight.

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Six veg yes. It goes back to the whole super awkward tastes of three people where those six veg actually work out to a selection of four for each. See this as a Christmas buffet more than dinner. Me on the other hand I just eat for the hell of it as my youth wittles away.

I kinda need to stress myself. SAD (on top of all the other stress) makes it a time of year I tend to mope in bed (hence rotaing myself on up until my birthday) so staying busy and challenged and needing to do more absolutely is up my street.

 

There will be pictures. I will show that twenty something's can cook as well as our elders. Glad this topic started actually got me in the fire I needed to prepare.

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3 hours ago, Chest Rockwell said:

I decided to do two chickens and a lamb leg instead of three meats in the end as it's not a particularly pork-hungry. Will be brining both chickens in the same brine - garlic, tarragon, lemon. Not sure whether to do two types of stuffing or just one. Anyone have any particularly great stuffing recipes?

My mum is using this recipe Chest. It actually sounds really good. I haven’t had it before, but she’s a bloody good cook and I’d be surprised if she’d choose a dud. It is a chicken & sausage stuffing so I’m not sure if that’s a bit overkill or not mate.

https://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-sausage-and-herb-stuffing/

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Just knocked off work and doing the big shop tonight. Got £100 worth of Nectar points to blow so we ain't gonna hold back. Will pick up the Pork Belly and some other bits from the Butcher on Monday.

Off to visit the family in Ipswich tomorrow, and am buzzing to get prepping when I'm back home, starting Sunday night (will probably braise the red cabbage first, give it a couple of days to mature.)

 

Edited by Chilly McFreeze
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Christmas in Australia is a genuine culinary despair. We all go to the in-laws, 20 people, all adults or teenagers apart form our two - and she does a leg of lamb that i'd do for me and my little family of 4 and a chicken. No pigs in blankets, no yorkshire pudding, no bread sauce or cranberry sauce - trimmings dont exist. Its just roast meat, a bag bag of frozen mixed veg and roast potatoes (which are actually just boiled potatoes which she sprays oil on and grills for 5  minutes.

I've offered to give money for more food, or just cook and bring trimmings myself and have been told what she does is enough.  So we have a big christmas breakfast, the kids eat at the in-laws because theres never food left for us and we all get maccas on the way home.  I'd love to stay home but it just aint going to happen.

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Hmmm. Doesn't really seem to be in the Christmas Spirit that. I'd be bringing food with me even of it did put the mother in laws nose out of joint. She wouldn't be able to say much when everyone would tuck in. You could bring maybe a Christmas hamper of pies, Melton Mowbray, and other treats. How easy is it to get that stuff over there? A big trifle is always well received too. It's not Christmas Dinner if there isn't lots left over. Maybe the seemingly modest spread is an Aussie thing.

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9 hours ago, carolann said:

Christmas in Australia is a genuine culinary despair. We all go to the in-laws, 20 people, all adults or teenagers apart form our two - and she does a leg of lamb that i'd do for me and my little family of 4 and a chicken. No pigs in blankets, no yorkshire pudding, no bread sauce or cranberry sauce - trimmings dont exist. Its just roast meat, a bag bag of frozen mixed veg and roast potatoes (which are actually just boiled potatoes which she sprays oil on and grills for 5  minutes.

I've offered to give money for more food, or just cook and bring trimmings myself and have been told what she does is enough.  So we have a big christmas breakfast, the kids eat at the in-laws because theres never food left for us and we all get maccas on the way home.  I'd love to stay home but it just aint going to happen.

Sounds bloody terrible.  Represent our country next year and show her how it’s done!

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I've never made yorkshire pudding before but decided to have a go at making some gluten free, dairy free ones today. Then noticed we had extra pigs in blankets, so decided to go all in with some festive pig's in the hole. 

Used 80 grams of Gluten free flour

120ml of Alpro Soya milk

2 eggs. 

 I think they could have done with another few minutes though, they looked like they were darker in the oven so I was slightly disappointed when they came out, but I've read once you've opened the oven door, there's no going back. 

Was decent with some Gravy for lunch. Will defo make more. 

 

 

20181223_145029.jpg

Edited by Silky Kisser
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