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Christmas Cooking

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    #92
    otnomart
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭otnomart


    I love venison - as it is both tasty and lean (hard to find combination) !
    Had that steak yesterday, it was delish.


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    #93
    tscul32
    Registered Users Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭tscul32


    mirrorwall14 wrote: »
    Not sure if there is one of these but search isn’t throwing anything obvious at me!

    So this is the time of year when I like to test out new recipes that I may or may not use for the Christmas season of cooking and baking.

    This weeks one for me is https://www.skinnytaste.com/mashed-sweet-potatoes-brulee/
    My other half loves sweet potato but I don’t get on with it generally. Considering trying this with some roast chicken this week to see what it’s like. Pretty sure the kids will love it even if I don’t!

    Does anyone else do this? Any ideas or suggestions

    I finally tried this yesterday. As expected I found it a bit sweet for me. But the shock was the kids, my eldest in particular would love to live on sugar. Whilst they all are it, they all agreed that it was just too sweet to be on a dinner plate. They love sweet potato roasted, wedges, fries. And I only put on a little sugar but still. I must be doing something right with their diets.
    So that brulee won't be on the menu again.


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    #94
    Graces7
    Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Neyite wrote: »
    I'm intrigued by this traditional mince pie recipe, using beef as well as fruits and nuts. Has anyone tried something similar? Would you recommend it?

    it is how it got its name but we are more reticent about these things … so it got " diluted " to suet. Not a meat eater here.

    I often now buy basic mincemeat and jazz it up IF I make mince pies at all. Love the shop ones...


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    #95
    Graces7
    Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    AidoEirE wrote: »
    Plenty of herbed butter under the skin of turkey, nearly a full tub of your of your favourite butter, no salt needed but got a bit of peeper with herbs. Keep some for the top of the skin.

    Rule of thumb is to always rest your turkey for half the time you cooked it and i trick i swear buy is when resting, turn the turkey, turn it upside down so all the juices inside the bird go back up towards what would be the top of the breast, never a dry turkey again.
    Last year i cooked chicken skin shards as a good crackling which i salted and scraped with a knife to thin it out. Good crunchy texture

    We always cooked the turkey for the first while upside down ..


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    #96
    Mystery Egg
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 2,579 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mystery Egg


    Graces7 wrote: »
    it is how it got its name but we are more reticent about these things … so it got " diluted " to suet. Not a meat eater here.

    I often now buy basic mincemeat and jazz it up IF I make mince pies at all. Love the shop ones...

    Grace when you say you're not a meat eater what do you mean? I see you talking about eating meat all over the cookery forum! Do you use veggie substitutes for your sausages, cottage pie etc?


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    #97
    Deja Boo
    Registered Users Posts: 13,435 ✭✭✭✭Deja Boo


    Mystery Egg wrote: »
    Grace when you say you're not a meat eater what do you mean? I see you talking about eating meat all over the cookery forum! Do you use veggie substitutes for your sausages, cottage pie etc?
    Is there some sort of "smoky bacon" flavoured veg protein I know nothing about? cos, Graces sandwich (the other day) sounded like the bomb...


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    #98
    Posy
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 27,525 Mod ✭✭✭✭Posy


    Has someone been telling porkies? :pac:


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    #99
    otnomart
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭otnomart


    Yesterday I tried making brussels sprouts with bacon.
    Tasty, enjoyed them as a main dish - would personally find them too heavy as a side dish !

    Next Christmassy meat in my meal plan are stips of duck breast.


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    #100
    Mystery Egg
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 2,579 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mystery Egg


    Grace seems to have disappeared. That wasn't my intention. It was a genuine question.


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    #101
    Jude13
    Registered Users Posts: 3,797 ✭✭✭Jude13


    Think it may be a catch out. I have only one poster on all of boards on ignore.


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    #102
    DvB
    Registered Users Posts: 10,122 ✭✭✭✭DvB


    Jude13 wrote: »
    Think it may be a catch out. I have only one poster on all of boards on ignore.

    Don't think I have anyone blocked or ignored... when the sh*t starts i just get out of the thread and stay away. Hard to keep on top of all the usernames, other than the ones here of course.
    "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens




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    #103
    Jude13
    Registered Users Posts: 3,797 ✭✭✭Jude13


    Ditto, however some time one spoofer was putting up consecutive multiple messages making some threads unreadable, this was not on the Christmas forum. So I thought life is too short.


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    #104
    Mystery Egg
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 2,579 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mystery Egg


    I don't think I'm going to bother with the Christmas cake this year. I doubt there will be anyone eating it but us.

    But I think I will do a big batch of mince pies and freeze most just before baking. That way if somebody does come over I can pop some in the oven to have with a Baileys or a cuppa.

    I love my own mince pies I must say. :pac:


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    #105
    Littlehorny
    Registered Users Posts: 2,351 ✭✭✭Littlehorny


    Do any of you remember a one off show that Richard Corrigan made about ten years ago called Corrigans Family Christmas?

    I watch it whenever I catch it on telly, your mouth would be watering the way he combines old fashioned Irish cooking and his expertise as a top chef. If you haven't seen try to catch it.


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    #106
    Posy
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 27,525 Mod ✭✭✭✭Posy


    Mystery Egg wrote: »
    I don't think I'm going to bother with the Christmas cake this year. I doubt there will be anyone eating it but us.
    I still haven't bothered making one, and will probably just buy one this year. I work Christmas week and Christmas Eve every year, so icing it is always a chore, just trying to find the time.

    I might get one in Ann's or somewhere, to support Irish- or if anybody has any suggestions, let me know. (I know, sacrilige in the Cooking thread here!) :pac:

    I don't eat Christmas cake anyway, so it's not like I get any enjoyment out of it when I do bake one!


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    #107
    DvB
    Registered Users Posts: 10,122 ✭✭✭✭DvB


    We've decided to stick with the christmas Pud (shop bought) and the Baileys cheesecake (home made) this year in terms of desserts. We'll always have mince pies & stollen as well so its not like we'll be short of treats, but we just felt as no one will be coming to us for an actual dinner this christmas we'd stick to the pud & cheesecake as they'll be eaten anyway.
    "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens




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    #108
    TRS30
    Registered Users Posts: 6,865 ✭✭✭TRS30


    Mystery Egg wrote: »
    I don't think I'm going to bother with the Christmas cake this year. I doubt there will be anyone eating it but us.

    We usually buy a small one just to have in case anyone who calls would like some as none of us really eat it.

    I'd say we'll do the same this year even though will most likely be less (if any) people calling over. Similar to DvB will have Christmas pud, mince pies and some other treats.


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    #109
    SarahLil
    Registered Users Posts: 1,971 ✭✭✭SarahLil


    You guys have me thinking ahead to what desserts for Christmas Day, we will have some cheesecake of sort not sure yet which one I am wondering what else to pick up for the pick day
    Might pick up romantica ice cream for St. Stephens Day

    Like most of you I will have a stock of chocolates, sweets, biscuits, Mince Pies, a small pudding for myself, Christmas cake slices from Dunnes should anyone pop by


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    #110
    Bassfish
    Registered Users Posts: 903 ✭✭✭Bassfish


    The wife is downstairs soaking the fruit for her first ever Christmas cake :)
    She was never a great meat eater but she's gone pretty much Veggie in the past year. Was going to order a few veggie bits from M&S for Xmas but if anyone knows of any handy veggie Xmas recipes we might have a go.
    I however shall be eating silly amounts of ham and spiced beef, paté, pork pies, sausage rolls etc :D


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    #111
    TRS30
    Registered Users Posts: 6,865 ✭✭✭TRS30


    Bassfish wrote: »
    The wife is downstairs soaking the fruit for her first ever Christmas cake :)
    She was never a great meat eater but she's gone pretty much Veggie in the past year. Was going to order a few veggie bits from M&S for Xmas but if anyone knows of any handy veggie Xmas recipes we might have a go.
    I however shall be eating silly amounts of ham and spiced beef, paté, pork pies, sausage rolls etc :D

    You sound like us. I know last year we did a Nutloaf. Think it was Lidl as my BIL is a veggie as well.


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    #112
    otnomart
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭otnomart


    Bassfish wrote: »
    if anyone knows of any handy veggie Xmas recipes we might have a go.
    Parmesan/Parmigiana Aubergine is quite moreish and hardly anyone thinks of it at first as a veggie dish - but it is !


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    #113
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    TRS30 wrote: »
    We usually buy a small one just to have in case anyone who calls would like some as none of us really eat it.

    I'd say we'll do the same this year even though will most likely be less (if any) people calling over. Similar to DvB will have Christmas pud, mince pies and some other treats.


    I usually buy a small Christmas pudding because "we have to have pudding!" and consistently for the last 5 years that uneaten pudding has got chucked out the following Autumn when I do a stock take of the baking press and clear out any out of date items.
    At this stage I think I should replace it with a decoy and see how many years it would take himself to notice :pac:



    I do a tiny 6" cake - my recipe volume makes two so I give one away to anyone who likes cake, and keep one. I like a slice or so but wouldn't eat heaps so that size for us is perfect.


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    #114
    SarahLil
    Registered Users Posts: 1,971 ✭✭✭SarahLil


    I am the only one thats likes Christmas pudding I pick up a smallish one for myself I love having it in the run up to Christmas a mid week dessert or just as a snack over the Christmas holidays :D
    Hungry now just thinking about it, chilly one out there this evening we have the stove lit I'd love something nice for after dinner


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    #115
    Littlehorny
    Registered Users Posts: 2,351 ✭✭✭Littlehorny


    SarahLil wrote: »
    I am the only one thats likes Christmas pudding I pick up a smallish one for myself I love having it in the run up to Christmas a mid week dessert or just as a snack over the Christmas holidays :D
    Hungry now just thinking about it, chilly one out there this evening we have the stove lit I'd love something nice for after dinner

    I am in my late forties and have only eaten pudding in the last 2 years. Tried it when it was offered to me with a bit of custard and yum!
    Don't know if my pallet has changed with age or is pudding seen as a oul wan and oul fella food?:)


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    #116
    SarahLil
    Registered Users Posts: 1,971 ✭✭✭SarahLil


    Littlehorny wrote: »
    I am in my late forties and have only eaten pudding in the last 2 years. Tried it when it was offered to me with a bit of custard and yum!
    Don't know if my pallet has changed with age or is pudding seen as a oul wan and oul fella food?:)

    I have always liked it, I remember I won a Christmas pudding at the girl guides Christmas Fair :D
    My mams tastes have changed she doesn't touch it now, where as she use to.. so who knows...


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    #117
    kitten_k
    Registered Users Posts: 6,046 ✭✭✭kitten_k


    123002570_10159023567108724_5521719319728674103_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=2&_nc_sid=2c4854&_nc_ohc=KwRdeb9xYYsAX98dZkM&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=3ca3569c26422bb7a685e33750f42181&oe=5FC0660C


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    #118
    mystic86
    Registered Users Posts: 2,983 ✭✭✭mystic86


    Hi, made a Christmas cake today, first time. I have a few questions for anyone who is experienced at making them, if you don't mind :)

    In terms of feeding it, do you just poke one set of holes and use the same holes each time to pour the alcohol into, or do you poke new holes each time to get different parts of the cake nice and moist?

    Sorry for the stupid question, can't seem to see an answer to that. Also how deep do you make the hole, just to about the middle of the cake?

    Do you pour the liquid carefully into the holes, or roughly and let some just soak into the base around the hole also?

    And finally, do you only do this task from the base (or top I guess) consistently, as in you don't need to alternate from top to bottom each time you feed it (guess this also ties in with my question on if it's the one set of holes that get used for all the feeds)

    Many thanks :)


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    #119
    sdp
    Registered Users Posts: 830 ✭✭✭sdp


    Hi Mystic86,

    Well done on christmas cake! everyone feeds cakes differently. I make 10 cakes each year for family.

    So, when cake is still warm I make a few holes with a cocktail stick, on top and bottom, thats the only time I make holes. Then using whatever alcohol you used in cake, first time I spoon it on, after that, I use a pastry brush and wash the whole cake, sides and all, every two weeks, ( quicker for me)

    Stop feeding at least a week before adding almond past and icing. As surface needs to dry out.
    You'll get more and better instructions from other posters, I love learing and trying different ways.:)


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    #120
    mystic86
    Registered Users Posts: 2,983 ✭✭✭mystic86


    sdp wrote: »
    Hi Mystic86,

    Well done on christmas cake! everyone feeds cakes differently. I make 10 cakes each year for family.

    So, when cake is still warm I make a few holes with a cocktail stick, on top and bottom, thats the only time I make holes. Then using whatever alcohol you used in cake, first time I spoon it on, after that, I use a pastry brush and wash the whole cake, sides and all, every two weeks, ( quicker for me)

    Stop feeding at least a week before adding almond past and icing. As surface needs to dry out.
    You'll get more and better instructions from other posters, I love learing and trying different ways.:)

    10!! Wow!

    Interesting that you brush it on the outside mainly, I wonder does it penetrate much


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    #121
    SarahLil
    Registered Users Posts: 1,971 ✭✭✭SarahLil


    Sounds delicious SDP
    well done Mystic86


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