Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

[Earthmaiden Profile]

No, I don't think we did use real butter then but it was still nice! Very lemony.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Any suggestions? Most spices are out apart from chilli & ginger. I’ll probably end up just going to the fishmonger and seeing what’s good

Chile, ginger, onion, garlic and fresh tomatoes are the main ingredients in a recipe I´ve got (from 1979) called "Burmese Noodles". The dish also uses turmeric and coriander, but I think it ´d work very well without them and would be delicious slathered over a nice fish steak!
I don´t know whether the recipe is an authentic Burmese dish, but I´ve made it several times and the flavours work really well together. The sauce doesn´t need to be cooked for long - everything is diced small - accompanied by a nice Sauvignon Blanc or a Portuguese Vinho Verde.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Thanks
I’ve got a couple of Burmese cookbooks and Burmese and Thai are where I’m going for stronger flavours at the moment as they use very few ground spices; turmeric, and all members of the ginger family are fine. Coriander (spice & herb) and cumin are really nasty though. But their close relative dill weed is fine

[Seatallan Profile]

Just made some parmesan & cheddar Christmas biscuits. Perfect with a glass of wine/fizz. We shall have some on Sunday with bottle of fizz prior to going to local pub for Mr S's birthday meal. Hurrah!!

[Uschi Profile]

Seatallen the biscuits sound wonderful. Any chance of the recipe????
Pretty, pretty, please!

[Seatallan Profile]

Uschi, of course!!

Hold on- here's the link. I've been making said biscuits for years and they always come out well. When I make them at Christmas I use Christmas Tree, star and snowmen mini-cutters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/parm ... uits_54963

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I've saved this recipe too as I love cooked cheese stuff... however I think I probably already have this in my files

[Uschi Profile]

Thanks for that Seatallan!!!

I am facing a meringue-battle, but they look lovely for the New Year or so.

[OneMoreCheekyOne Profile]

I will definitely make those cheese biscuits.

I bought some hazelnuts to make some iced cinnamon cookie stars. The cookie dough is made with ground roasted hazelnuts, cinnamon, icing sugar and whipped egg whites. Then once baked you can ice them however you like.

I have ordered some beetroot cured smoked salmon from the deli for over Christmas and I’m currently on the look out for some festive cocktails (preferably not whisky or rum based).

I am very much looking forward to eating bubble and squeak and stuffing as often as possible over these coming weeks.

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Uschi, of course!!

Hold on- here's the link. I've been making said biscuits for years and they always come out well. When I make them at Christmas I use Christmas Tree, star and snowmen mini-cutters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/parm ... uits_54963

Cheers Sea they look really good.

Think I'll make some for Christmas snacking .

[Pampy Profile]

... and I’m currently on the look out for some festive cocktails (preferably not whisky or rum based).

How about black or white Russian?

[ZeroCook Profile]

I thought I'd posted but it disappeared and then I got busy .... as one does ...


This year the consensus is probably a rack of short spareribs that's been inhabiting the freezer for a bit or possibly the duck, its roommate. It will be be just two of us so very informal. The ribs if chosen will bbq in the slow roaster. Marinated in a peach and vinegar based (mild) chilli hot sauce overnight then drained and patted with a homemade bbq rub and roasted for several hours with intermittent bastes using the remaining marinade. If duck, it will be the five hour version.
Those who know me know that we do our midwinter feast on the solstice.

Will probably get around to some biscuit, cookie and various other baking next week.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I haven't had a white russian since my 20s. I used to love them.

I make snowballs when I go back home.
My sister has had a bottle of advocaat for years now that serves this purpose, slowly going down and down. It was so popular back in the 80's when I worked in a pub restaurant during student holidays.
Tony likes a screwdriver (fresh orange and vodka)

Hold on- here's the link.

Oooo, that's a nice one.
I'm going to Ikea in a couple of hours, I might be able to get a festive cutter.

For the first time in years, I have a fish shop delicatessen in town. They have Wye Valley smoked salmon which I shall acquire.
I usually go for Shetland Island, but this is just as good.

Sue
The only dish I could think about for a fish meal I would cook is Thai style mussels.
My Belgian friend Gerda gave me the recipe. But Tony won't eat mussels any more after a meal of mutant plump mussels that were bursting out of the shells when cooked, and mousse like in texture.
I must say, they put me off for a while after.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Zero
the ribs sounds excellent. As does 5hr duck.

We certainly mark the Solstice mentally as so many do, in that days begin to get longer, although really not evident for some time.

My personal celebrations are reserved for New Year. I think we can go to a local meal/ celebration round the corner.
It's a fayne dayning pub offering a swanky sit down meal, unless it's fully booked by now.
We might go for it for a change from these 4 walls.

[Suffs Profile]

I’m pondering on meringue-topped mince pies ... there are several recipes out there ... anyone tried it ... does it work ... did they taste good?

[Busybee Profile]

I would think they might be very sweet? However, our local bakers ( Thomas’s again - see a thread back in the summer) does them topped with either frangipane or Viennese whirl mixture - both of which are rather good.

BB

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I remember getting trapped behind the “bar” and making snowballs at a christening in the 70s, not sure I’ve had one since
My friend and I used occasionally to make each other a cocktail as an aperitif we often went for rum based, planter’s punch (golden rum) or a daiquiri or a mojito with white rum. Or else we’d have gin based - martini, gin fizz, gin sour, white lady or negroni. I’d like to get a whisky based one in my repertoire other than an old fashioned. I intend to try a French 75 which is a variant on the gin fizz but I shan’t use real champagne- some left over fizz or I’ve got a mini bottle of cava https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails ... 5-cocktail

Wye Valley smoked salmon is lovely

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I'm going to Ikea in a couple of hours, I might be able to get a festive cutter.

Brave or foolhardy, Gill Good luck

Apparently their Christmas trees are/were as good as usual this year, only £29 and you get a £20 voucher to use during January. I've never done it but one of my former neighbours swears by it every year. That said, this year you couldn't choose your tree as they're all netted because of covid, so you just take pot luck. But at, effectively £9 for a 6 foot tree, that's probably worth the risk!

Our Waitrose potted Christmas tree survived about 5 years and one repotting, but unfortunately I forgot to give it any tlc during the hot summer so it didn't survive this year. It had become too big and dirty to bring in so I got some outdoor lights and moved it to the middle of the deck last year.

We may start again with a small tree this year, or I might just put the outdoor lights on a rather large palm in a pot on the deck.

I must look back on this thread as I have a feeling there was mention of a rather nice veggie option that didn't need the oven on the day and if DS1 is here, we'll need something veggie. I think it was a veggie loaf of some sort ....or else I must look for a stovetop Christmassy veggie option, preferably something that can be prepared in advance. (No carrots or brassicas as he doesn't like them!)

[Pampy Profile]

My mum used to like snowballs - and we had a cat who would put her paw in the glass to get the last dregs!

[jeral Profile]

KeenCook2, re veggie, if the typical side dishes are made veggie, or some are(*), it'd be good to make a dish that they'd go with, e.g. a mushroom bourguignon or mushroom & chestnut pie, lid only if cooked during meat resting time in now free oven.

A rich chickpea/tomato, maybe incl. sprouts, dish? Or, especially if serving white meat, a fresh-tasting chickpea dish like a Palestinian stew (scaled down):
https://www.saveur.com/palestinian-spin ... ew-recipe/

I'd eat all these with roast spuds and Yorks puds and hopefully a sage or thyme or fruit stuffing. I happen to like bread sauce, which I'd eat with YPs

(*) Aunt Bessie's "sides" really are very good as a no fuss extra if stock or meat juice will be in yours. NB most are veggie, but check labels as not all are.

I'm sure there are wonderful nut recipes, if that's what's liked.