Christmas Cooking

Posy

Trifle. Plus salted caramel and chocolate pudding for me, and 'normal' pudding for everyone else.

There is also Christmas cake, but everyone is too full for it!!

Graces7

Loughc wrote: »

Yes!! Now you’re talking.

Yule log

Strawberry cheesecake

Pavalova here.

Admitting to total failure here! My capacity has decreased with age. Although that means I get triple the pleasure as each course is a meal in itself..

O seem to eat ONE meal a day in three sections...

But I am prepared..

Part of a choc log..

HUGE apple pie in the hamper the Gaeltacht people sent me ( had some of that later)

Mince pies

Christmas pudding

AND a cheesecake in the freezer...

I also have a pot of brandy cream! I ordered cream lol

As I see New Years Eve is a shopping day for me I MAY even get a Black Forest Gateau IF Supervalu have them still..

And the hamper yielded a "trifle kit"

StarryPlough01

I like mini cheesecakes served with seasonal berries. I have served Eton mess, which is quick and easy. You can soak strawberries in a liqueur (brandy or chocolate) - ice cream instead of double cream - for convenience buy small meringue kisses/drops and crush - a sprinkling of nuts - what ingredients you use is only limited by your own imagination.

Guill

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Bistro finest turkey! Which reminds me I need a new gravy separator jug

Tried this the week before but wasn't too impressed. Stuck with it on the day with the juices. It was exactly what I wanted.

beertons

Didn't do a tap myself this year, went out to the mothership again. No sprouts with lardons, I find missed them. And the rigmarole with the turkey gravy. Can of cider, and a load of other veg, the gravy alone took an hour.

I think she over complicated things this year. Too much going on. Cauliflower cheese, garlic potatoes, honey glazed ham, and the gravy. Weren't things just better when it was simpler.

How did yee all get in this year?

We still have a ham in the fridge and a crown in the freezer. Was bought in case we were a close contact, and I'm just not in the mood for turkey again. I just want fish for the next week, keep things light.

Cork Lass

Still have ham and spiced beef in the fridge too. We used to cook a goose but only my OH and eldest daughter eat it - youngest is vegetarian and it doesn't agree with me so I bought a duck instead. They loved it and there was enough for the 2 of them for the 2 days. I also cook a sausagemeat/chestnut/apple stuffing which is like a meatloaf and everyone loves it. Still a bit of that in the fridge to use up today with the ham and spice and some duck fat roasties and then it's back to normal dinners tomorrow.

Gloomtastic!

Turkey stock soup for lunch, Turkey and ham stuffed vol au vonts and yorkshires for dinner. The rest will be for the dogs me thinks but it’s still tasty 🤔

Loughc

I actually went looking for this thread just before Christmas but new platform made it next to impossible to find. Bookmarking it for next time I’m cooking dinner.

This was my first year doing Christmas dinner. I was delighted how the ham, Turkey and roasties turned out for my first go. Ham glazing is very addictive.

SarahLil

My turkey baster set / thermometer I bought from Dunnes for 12 euro was excellent gorgeous moist turkey

A cup of te

Well, my first year making the dinner went very successfully! There's nothing to it really. It really is just a big chicken. I love cooking and tend to cook fancy Asian style stuff - I just love curry and spice! - with lots of veg and spices during a typical week so I actually found doing this type of traditional roast very easy and have resolved to do more roasts in future There was way less chopping and stirring stuff and more just shoving it on a pot on a ring or into the oven. Don't think you can't do it. People overcomplicate it. One thing I will say - very hard to time it all right that you can serve up the veg and have the meat carved and everything stay hot so I think I'd throw all the veg into bowls and put that on the table and you help yourself in future.

I made a tiramisu rather than the usual trifle this year to please the finnicky eaters. Never again. Mary Berry's tiramisu is fab but it's just not Christmas. The finnicky eaters can just have a few USA biscuits. I'm sticking to the trifle in future. Didn't have pudding till the 27th and I'd usually have a little bit of pudding andabit of trifle after my dinner and I really missed that. So I'm keeping it all traditional next year. Want to try a different starter next year too. So fed up of the smoked salmon starter I've been doing for years. I also want to do a Yule Log.

Neyite

@A cup of te I do a yule log that's chocolate sponge, chocolate ganche filling and cranberry jam. The tartness of the cranberry helps with all that chocolate richness and it's Christmassy! So that along with a trifle you are planning should hit all the various palates.

The starter I do is this one - dead easy to put together but a big flavour hit. Or, as you usually like Asian flavours, Rick Stein's Duck noodle soup is a broth so it's not too heavy a starter if you go easy on the noodles. The flavour is all in the broth. And you can do the stock and strip the duck and freeze it. I just throw it into the slow cooker and add the final few ingredients on the day.

I'm going to make my own crackers this year and fill them with cool stuff myself. I say it every year but I never do and end up forgetting and buying crappy crackers as they are usually the only ones left. This month when I get paid I'm ordering the cracker making stuff so I don't forget. Then during the year I'll pick up the wee bits that can go into the tubes.

A cup of te

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118432918#Comment_118432918

@Neyite Thank you so much. I just looked at your Tuna starter and those are my kind of ingredients. I must give that a go before Christmas and see what it turns out like. Definitely my kind of thing and it'll jazz up the Christmas menu a bit. I'm beyond bored with the smoked salmon starter that I've been doing!

I also love the sound of your Yule Log. That's the other thing I want to try out this year. Have you a specific recipe you follow for that or did you make it up yourself? I must root out my mince pie recipe and share it just if anyone is interested. It's one I got online but everyone raves about it. I can't remember what website so I must just write in the recipe here someday. It makes about 50 mince pies and I freeze a good few and then give away about 25 of them in bags of 6 - 8. I think the main thing is it doesn't have suet in it so it's a very fruity filling but be warned they're so bloody time consuming to make the filling and pastry :-P

I love the idea of making your own crackers. I never ever thought of that. Sounds really cool.

Neyite

This is the cranberry & chocolate roulade /yule log recipe.

5 eggs

100g caster sugar

60g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract (optional, it's very chocolaty anyway so doesn't need this I think)

Ganache & Decoration:

200g fresh cranberries

75g caster sugar

400g plain chocolate

20g butter

200ml double cream

1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey

Chocolate leaves and icing sugar to decorate

 Preheat oven to 160c (fan) 180c.

Line a swiss roll tin with baking paper

Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Sift over the flour and cocoa and fold in with the vanilla and chocolate extract. Spread in the tin and bake for 12 -14 mins. Turn onto baking paper sprinkled with sugar. Cool then roll up in the paper.

Half the berries and put the berries sugar and two tablespoons of water in a pan and cook for 7-10 mins. Cool.

Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl. Heat two- thirds of the cream in a pan until almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate and butter and leave for 5 minutes. Add burbon and whisk until light. Adjust the consistency with a little more cream if necessary. Set aside a third of the ganache mix for the frosting. adjust the rest of the ganache with a little more cream for a spreadable consistency.

Unroll the sponge, spread with creamy ganache, Spoon over the cranberries and re roll. Ice the roulade with the ganache frosting and decorate with chocolate holly leaves and a dusting of icing sugar.

A cup of te

That sounds really good, Neyite. Definitely will give that a go

freshpopcorn

Has anybody here every tried to steam Christmas puddings in the oven? You sort of do Bain marie and can do several at once?

phormium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119537730#Comment_119537730

Yes I do small ones in the oven, 4 to a roasting tray and totally enclosed in a tent of tinfoil, works fine but can be heavy and full of boiling water so kinda have to be careful. The other bigger ones I do in the slow cooker.

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119538070#Comment_119538070

Thanks, we're thinking of giving this ago this year.

CheerLouth

Started my Christmas baking by making mincemeat over the weekend. Didn't make it last year & lived to regret it immensely!

20220925_140527.jpg

put_the_kettle_on

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675019#Comment_119675019

I bet that smells absolutely gorgeous :)

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675208#Comment_119675208

Sure did!

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675208#Comment_119675208

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675452#Comment_119675452

Mincemeat candles!

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675019#Comment_119675019

Just out of interest how do you store it and how long does it last?

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119680288#Comment_119680288

I store it in sterilised jam jars & it lasts pretty much forever! I didn't make any last year but found a jar from 2020 in the press in July & used it then & it was perfectly fine! You mix whiskey in to it when it's cool & that combined with the airtight jar does the job I think!

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119683577#Comment_119683577

Sorry for banging on.

Do you use normal used claned jam jars or do you've special ones?

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119683852#Comment_119683852

Nope, just normal ones - I run them through the dishwasher to make sure there's no smells left in them from whatever was in them originally! Then wash in soapy water & bang them in the oven while still wet. Oven at about 100 degrees! I pop the lids in too.

phormium

The level of sugar in mincemeat between the dried fruit and added in the recipe is what preserves it, you can make no added sugar mincemeat for example but it must be frozen as it won't keep. The alcohol adds flavour but would last without it once plenty sugar, same as Christmas Cake/Pudding. I make the lower sugar version and just freeze it, not for the calorie saving as when you're eating mince pies you may as well give up on calories but I just find most types too sweet for my liking, could never eat a bought one as they are sickly sweet!

pigtail33

Had a bit of a Christmas baking disaster this morning. I put a Christmas cake into the oven, headed out for a bit and the electricity flickered off about an hour after the cake went in. Unfortunately the oven didn't come back on and the heat had completely gone from the oven when I got back. I turned the oven back on and it's still baking now, but I've no idea whether it will be edible or not. Has this happened anyone else before? The cake is supposed to bake for 3½-4 hours.

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119684629#Comment_119684629

Quoting my own post... It's out of the oven now and looks ok, the skewer came out clean, so hopefully there was no damage done. I'll find out in 86 days!

Cork Lass

looks delicious @pigtail33

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675019#Comment_119675019

Could you share the recipe, please?