Tag: Christmas dinners

Thanksgiving or Pre Christmas?

Thanksgiving or Pre Christmas?

I actually didn’t get Thanksgiving when we lived in the USA. I couldn’t understand why what was a Harvest Festival should take place in late November. However it did start as a kind of Harvest Festival in 1621 as the new settlers had had a good harvest that year. Apparently it wasn’t until Lincoln in 1863 declared it a national holiday and in 1941 Roosevelt to abolish the confusion of which Thursday in November stated that it would be the fourth Thursday in November.

The USA is not the only country to celebrate Thanksgiving others included Austria, Brazil, Liberia, Canada, Switzerland and Germany, though whilst living there I do not recall any type of Thanksgiving celebration. However it all stems from giving Thanks for a good harvest.

I always felt that it was way too close to Christmas but I don’t think that I have ever cooked a TRADITIONAL Christmas dinner, let alone a Thanksgiving one , however, this year somehow or other we are having a family dinner, here next Sunday. Fortunately we changed our dining table about 2 years ago, so now we can seat 14 easily and on a round table !

So I have been thinking and planning now for a few weeks. We will be 14 ranging from age 81 to 3 years old. Actually the little ones eat well, with a favourite dish being Pad Thai, whilst the older grandchildren have gone from being the most difficult children in the world to being gourmet diners, with oysters, squid, octopus and steak tartare amongst their favourites!

My FESENJAM ( aubergine dish which I made a few weeks ago) is safely stored in the freezer, along with dishes of buttered mashed winter root vegetables ( carrots , Swede, turnip, celeriac, parsnips). Passion fruit and mango ice cream, likewise has been made and obviously frozen. Another must for Himself and son in law is a crumble, it varies with the seasons, and this one is no different, being made with plums, apple and frozen mixed berries. This too is frozen ready to go.

Cooked and ready to be frozen

One of my favourite do ahead potato dishes is gnocchi made with potatoes. It is a bit fiddly , but it can be made over several days and freezes really well, which means that double or treble the quantity can be made, well in advance , flat frozen ( so they don’t stick together) and some can be pulled out as needed. I made enough for 14 people so I used several kilos of potatoes, but here is the basic recipe, which can be easily doubled or trebled.

1 kilo of potatoes

135 grams of plain flour

130 grams grated Parmesan cheese

1 whole egg, beaten together with 2 yolks

Teaspoon salt

Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks and boil gently until cooked . Drain and leave to cool. When cool push through a potato ricer ( or sieve), into a bowl.

Add the flour, cheese and beaten eggs and mix well ( can use an electric mixer). Place sheets of cling film on the work surface and spoon 20-25 cm of mixture on the cling film, leaving space at each end to to tie the ends up. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used.

Boil some water and cook the gnocchi rolls for 15 minutes, and then place in some iced water to cool them down. At this point, they can be refrigerated overnight.

Stage 2, unwrap the gnocchi and cut into

2 cms slices. Put some flour into a dish, dust the gnocchi with the flour and fry in butter or olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on some kitchen paper paper and then place on a flat baking tray. Repeat until all of the gnocchi mixture has been used. At this point the gnocchi maybe flat frozen until needed.

To use, simply defrost, and reheat either in a frying pan or in the oven. They can also be used as a small starter or as a canapé. for example with a tomato fondue or mango chutney ( can be bought) or as a canapé, with Parma ham and blue cheese.

Moving on, I made my ice cream. When passion fruits were very much in season I bought several and kept the pulp which I froze until ready to use. I always use Ben and Jerry’s basic recipes for making ice cream and this time was no exception. According to Ben and Jerry ( they are real people) the list of fruit ice creams is pretty endless, with Banana having no added sugar to apples and raspberries needing a fair amount. However, I would go with the basic and have a taste ( what a good excuse) and add more if it is too tart. They didn’t actually have a passion fruit recipe, so I had to wing it, starting with a sweet cream base. However before you start switch on your ice cream maker if you have one to make sure it is cold OR have a container in the freezer also that it is cold.

  • 3 Cups double or whipping cream
  • 3 whole eggs whisked for about 2 minutes
  • 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
  • 1 very ripe mango chopped into small bits
  • Pulp of 5+ passion fruit

To the beaten eggs add the sugar and blend well , then add the cream and finally the fruit.

Pour into the container / freezer unit/ ice cream maker .

If you are simply pouring into a container in your freezer, then give it a stir about every hour so that it freezes well throughout. Cover until ready to use.

I did go a bit overboard with desserts, it is something I only do for guests, so I made a burnt basque cheesecake ( in a long tin for ease of serving)with blackberries, chocolate and coffee semifreddo,mixed fruit crumble with crème anglaise, passion fruit ice cream and brandy snaps.

Brandy snaps, I haven’t made in years but they are easy and fun to make.


50g of caster sugar
50g of golden syrup or corn syrup
50g of butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp brandy
50g of plain flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Preheat an oven to 170°C/150 *C fan /gas mark 3

Place the sugar, golden syrup, butter, lemon juice and brandy in a small saucepan and heat gently to melt butter and to dissolve the sugar
Leave to cool slightly adding the flour and ginger, beat to a smooth paste

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and drop 4 Teaspoons of the mixture at intervals along the tray. Smooth out into a circle with the back of the teaspoon.

Bake for 6–8 minutes until golden brown

Leave to cool slightly before rolling around the handle of a wooden spoon to shape or can be moulded round a cup cake. Place on a wire cooling rack and leave to set until hard and cool. Can be eaten as they are, filled with cream, dipped in molten chocolate . Best eaten on the day they are made but if any are left they should be stored in an airtight container!

Happy Shopping

A Pre Christmas Dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a Pre Christmas Dinner chez Nous. Amazingly all were available and so to plan our meal. We decided to visit Smithfield, the London Meat market. but one has to go early, so off we trotted and were there at about 5.30 in the morning, but even so some of the traders had already left for the day. But what fun, oodles to choose from and the traders that were still there, all to a man ( and woman) were jolly.

  • Taken in Mexico City
  • Taken in Mexico City

A couple of these photos were taken in Mexico City, but meat markets seem to be the same world wide.

We thought that we would have a fillet of beef, something of a luxury, not usually cooked just for 2, and maybe not something that the kids could afford to serve. We also bought a 6 Kilo boned Turkey crown, for son who was doing his wonderful Turkey breast for Christmas day. A 6 Kilo Turkey breast is a tad on the large side, and so it was cut into 2 and frozen.

What else to have ? Well, I love Scallops and know that some of the others do as well. Right that takes care of starters, sautéed scallops with crisp pancetta and some Panko covered shrimp on a bed of leaves! Ah stop! Son in Law, allergic to shell fish, right, plan b) for him it is baked goats cheese on sourdough toast with the yummy deep pink ice cream that is Beetroot ice cream.
Onto the main event. Well roast beef, with a rich sauce, made with onions, port, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce and blackcurrant jelly, UMM! along with baked potato skins filled with cheese mash, braised red cabbage, French beans. Ah Ah, maybe not every wants beef, so another plan b came into force, a Salmon Coulibiac ( a kind of Salmon Wellington) was also made, along with a beurre blanc sauce, and maybe something else should be an alternative, YES! Biriyani Rice, chop an assortment of vegetables, cook the rice, sauté it in wok along along with curry spices, add the vegetables, umm umm the smell is Devine.


Right, so now we can move onto dessert.
What to make? Well, Miss Tess, her dad and himself all love crumble, actually Miss Tess makes a pretty mean crumble herself ( she is 8) . So crumble it is, apple and raspberry in individual ramekins. Next Master Alfie Just loves Meringues, and so it is going to be a raspberry Pavlova with him in mind. And the rest, well Molton Chocolate Pots with stem ginger ice cream. And that should do it!


  • Miss Tess aged 5 making her Crumble
  • Success
  • Strawberry Pavlova Mexican Style
  • Raspberry and Apple Crumble

    Whilst I busied myself in the kitchen, himself set the table ( it is his job and knows exactly what to do and how to do it, it might seem pretty easy but I can be kind of OCD when it comes to table settings) and after that being at a loose end he wrapped the presents. We were being conservative this year and a mere 7 hours later he had finished. We always put cryptic clues on our gifts and this was exacerbated by himself deciding to  to write them languages other than English, so constant trips to computer and bablefish !
    All duly arrived, dinner was served. I am pretty sure everyone knows how to make a crumble mix, BUT although I am not a crumble eater, I choose to make my crumble topping separately from the actual filling and put the filling on wen itself is ready. This way I can make multiples of the mix as it freezes well, and is ready for future use.
    My Crumble Mix
    12 oz ( 340 grams) plain flour
    4oz (113 grams) brown sugar  you can use more if you have a sweet tooth
    8oz  ( 225 grams)unsalted butter
    very simply if you have a food processor, put the flour and sugar into the processor and then add the COLD butter which has been cut into chunks. Switch on the machine and when the clonking stops ( in just a few seconds) it is ready!! How easy is that. You can add then if you like some ground almonds or chopped nuts to the mix.
    Spread out onto a baking tray and bake 180C/350F/Gas 4.for about 20 mins or so, occasionally giving it a stir so that it all cooks evenly. Leave to cool and then can be used straight away or frozen. To assemble the crumble, either use fresh or frozen fruit, cook the fruit first and then top with the crumble mix and bake until hot. Can be made for a more formal occasion in ramekins rather than one big crumble. When I make it for himself, I usually make one large one and then when cold cut it into portions, and freeze, so that it is there ready for his late night snack !!
    • Tempura Shrimp
    • Scallops with bacon
    • Fillet of Beef
    • Miss Tess even chose Crumble “CAKE” for her 6th Birthday !
    • Frying potato skins
    • Stuffed potato skins before baking

    Christmas Dinner anyone?

    Christmas was here, best time of year! Mistletoe and wine etc! But is Christmas dinner the best dinner that you can have?

    I questioned that concept about 30 years ago and have not cooked on Christmas Day since. Even before then, I always experimented with what we would have on that special day. My first Christmas dinner ( one that I cooked rather than my Mom) I chose Suckling pig. However it, skinny little thing was too big for my minuscule oven, so had to chop it in two and I cooked the front end first. I duly stuffed his mouth with an apple and stuck him in the oven. As he roasted tears rain down his face, or so it seemed, have not cooked suckling pig since. So we have gone from various ideas, roast loin of pork, standing rib of dry aged beef, goose, duck, wild duck to Cajun Turkey ( Turkey which is deep fried, whole, cooks in no time at all, is not greasy as the boiling oil seals the bird very quickly and is as tasty as can be) however I have never roasted a turkey, with all the trimmings! I am not sure I would know where to begin.

    So what do we have on Christmas Day. Well as it is a family day, all the family get involved, but it is very easy. We have home cured grav lax, which I cure in either gin or vodka and serve with sour cream wasabi créme, best smoked salmon, oysters, either freshly shucked or as in oysters Rockefeller , ( number one son is usually in charge of the shucking) boiled large shrimp/ prawns , cold meats such as Parma ham, fois gras with brioche, maybe home made Rillettes and some salmon pâté and an assortment of cheeses, Bleu D’auvergne, chèvre, tête de Moines, Camembert or Brie . We might also have Mont d’or, the wonderful cheese which, is so yummy when melted in its box and eaten with chunks of bread or simple plain boiled new potatoes.

    So for the first time , as a newly extended family we were all together for our Christmas dinner, and we ate more or less what I have just mentioned. However, the next day newly wedded son and his beautiful bride took on the task of feeding us all. Not for them either was the traditional Turkey, but they had been watching Tom Kerridge on T.V and produced the most amazing roast turkey ever. Turkey breast beaten flat, stuffed with a mixture of ground pork/sausage meat mixed with herbs, spices , nuts and fruits. This is then rolled, tied up with string, wrapped in cling film and put in a low oven for about 2 hours. I have to admit to being very sceptical about the cling film in the oven ( although I have used it when making potato gnocchi and used in boiling water) so I waited with bated breath and WOW, it was moist and succulent and absolutely delicious. So apologies to Tom Kerridge, a brief synopsis is below with alterations to what we had available at the time.

    It is served with a crumble topping which is made with mixture of
    100 grams crushed pork scracthings
    100 grams dried crisp crumbed bread
    100 grams chopped pistachios
    Some chopped dried cranberries, some thyme and some orange zest. We omitted the pork scracthings and the thyme, however added orange and lemon zest and chopped garlic confit.

    The turkey is stuffed with sausage meat ( about 1 lb) , 5 onions chopped and sautéed until soft but not brown, chopped chestnuts about 4 oz ( the ones that you can buy vacuum packed, ie already cooked) fresh breadcrumbs, dried cranberries and junipers berries some black pepper. We also added crisped chopped bacon bits.

    We had a turkey breast vacuum packed from Costco, which. Weighed 2.5 kilos, we unrolled it, bashed it a little and then spread a huge dollop of the stuffing on the turkey. Roll up the turkey, like a Swiss roll and place on a large sheet of cling film ( the type that is pre cut into set lengths will not work here). Completely wrap the turkey breast in the cling film and tie up with string, a bit like wrapping Christmas presents!

    Heat the oven to 120 C. Take a large roasting tine and half fill it with boiling water, put a wire rack in the pan and place the turkey on this. Cover with aluminium foil, so in fact making a bit like a Bain Marie, the turkey does not touch the water. Cook for about 2 hours, check the inner temperature of the meat it should be 70C, remember this is poultry so important that it is cooked through. Rest for about 30 mins covered with aluminium foil. Meanwhile, make a date sauce, by sautéing 1 chopped onion with 1/4 cup chopped ginger, 2 chopped cloves of garlic,, when onions are soft add one cup of finely chopped dates, along with 2 tabs of balsamic vinegar. Simmer adding a cup of vegetable stock. Reduce, until the sauce is thick and yummy, taste and adjust the seasoning.
    Brush a thick layer of sauce over the turkey and top with the crumble mix. Of course according to Tom Kerridge, you do not even have to make your own sauce as good old HP brown sauce does the trick! Yummy give it a try and for all those families who a) do not like brown meat or b) get tired very easily of inventing ways to use up turkey, then this one for you!

    Meanwhile I have learnt tow new French words. Emmerdeur ( Emmerdeuse) and Crosne.

    The former is one I can use to describe Himself, from time to time as it means “A pain in the neck” and the other, is a type of edible tuber, with mint type leaves. They are called thus in French after a town, where they were first grown in Europe. They taste similar to Jerusalem artichokes, can be eaten raw in a salad, or sauté in butter and garlic for a side dish, or cooked with potatoes in stock along with cream and garlic blended for a soup!
    They are labour intensive in cultivation hence they cost a whopping €15 a kilo! (Actually having taken a photo of them, I must admit, they look like giant maggots!) they are only ever washed and never peeled.

    2015/01/img_2751.jpg

    2015/01/img_2749.jpg