[Closed] What's your Christmas dinner menu?

Battered haddock goujons with a creamy curry sauce

Roasted rack of local salt marsh lamb with roast potatoes in garlic and rosemary, roasted beets, roast carrots (in honey and whole grain mustard) and freshly minted peas

A huge Christmas pudding soaked in Madeira and spiced orange juice served with clotted cream

Nom nom nom

And I shall be cooking it with a large glass of red wine in my hand. I can assure you it will all reach the table in better condition than I will.

Whatever my sister is cooking 🙂

whatever my sister in law i cooking + a heap of BOOZE

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we are having lamb this year. turkey bores me.

we are having lamb this year

how are you doing it?

I have to endure the mindless roasting of some minging turkey that apparently is so "lovely" that they only eat it once a year!

enough to turn me veggie for the day

Beef Wellington here, lots of roast veg, dauphinoise potatoes, and probably a fine burgundy

whatever Disney's Contemporary Micky Buffet is serving 🙂

Battered haddock goujons with a creamy curry sauce

yossarian details please!? 🙂

Duck. Probably. I'll be the only carnivore so a duck is approximately one portion, but Christmas day tends to be something I plan for on christmas eve. Got a bunch of silicon cake moulds I used for some props I made earlier in the year for a science telly thing, so might do some novelty shaped yorkshire puds. I'm quite happy with turkey if its a good, slow grown, small one.

God knows yet. Flying out to the future in-laws in Estonia for Christmas, I have no idea what to expect. All I know is its going to be effing cold.

Vegan one for me

You sure you want to know what it will all be 😉

We are having pork belly! Can't wait, yum.

Nut roast. I shall be making it on Sunday after the cross at Hillingdon.
Maybe also some roasted sweet potato slices done Ottolenghi style. With sprouts, and other nice things.
Eaten in the evening, after a good 60 mile road ride in the morning.

An airline meal on a charter flight. It'll be worth it to be away.

I'll be working on Xmas eve, Xmas day, and Xmas night- so I might have a bit of pizza or something.

@albanach

I'll need to look out the recipe to remember it exactly but it's something like haddock fillet cut into long thin strips, rolled in normal flour then coated in a batter of self raising flour and whisked egg and deep fried in a mixture of low salt butter and oil. The curry sauce is mild, Kashmiri affair with yoghurt and almonds. I seem to remember adding some ale to the batter last time which was great, a strong dark porter I think.

Were along the same lines as Lionheart, but Venison wellington, packed around with either veggie haggis or the Stornoway black pud, Roast veg etc etc...

Cheeseboard and port possibly to follow...

cheers yossarian sounds class...if you find the recipe can you pass it on please?

We're having a big **** off chicken (we live on chicken in this house) It'll be like a posh Sunday dinner but posher. No pud though cos I'll be too full of chicken & stuffing & sausage meat & chipolatas wrapped in bacon & sprouts & roast taties & turnip & peas & mash & Yorky puds & gravy &....EVERYTHING!
I think.

turkey
roasties in goose fat
roast parsnips
carrots in clementine juice
braised red cabbage with apple
shredded Brussels sprouts with panchetta and peas
white onion puree
white wine gravy
chestnut stuffing

and i have to cook the bastard lot for 16!

Turkey, all the trimmings.
I love turkey, one of the nicest meals, if done right.
Have it quite regularly.

Not having turkey is a bit of an affectation, a sad attempt at misguided individuality, like pretending not to like The Beatles. 8)

Since we're not having a house full of relatives this year a turkey crown with all the trimmings washed down with a nice red and some good cheeses for later and a good port.

Will be Roast turkey and Roast beef.
Roast spuds and parsnips
Boiled carrots,Cauliflower,Cabbage,Sprouts
Plenty of Gravy.

And then a Skin full of whisky

A picnic including a flask of proper coffee, on an empty trail somewhere but with a view obviously. 8)

Turkey (Brined and roasted)
Roast potatoes
Sprouts with pancetta, chestnuts and madeira
Carrots, probably roast
May do cauliflower cheese
Mashed celeriac with garlic and chilli
Stuffing
bread sauce
gravy
sausages

Not sure about pudding yet.

swan

Surely eating turkey in the UK only started in the mid/ late 70s. I guess it's an age old tradition now, a bit like scotchmen, tartan and kilts.

we're going for goose again this year
roast new potatoes,carrots,parsnips,kale and redcurrant jelly.
lots of claret and whiskey 😀

Whatever the inlaws are cooking. Probably salmon starter followed by turkey.

2 bags of seabrook crisps and half a jar of pickled onions(silverskin) i've been saving...I am not joking 🙁

Family gathering at my elder daughter's; turkey with all the trimmings, pigs in blankets, etc., plus yorkshire puddings 🙂

I have managed to get to 37 years old never having had turkey for christmas dinner. This year will be the first. Turkey, a ham and all the lovely trimmings.

tbh, I get most excited about eggs benedict for breakfast!.

Prob melon to start with and being vegi i guess i'll be having a nut roast along with whatever veg my mum is doing, brussels, carrots, parsnips, sweetcorn etc, roast tatties, vegi gravy, followed by pavlova or i may make dark chocolate profiteroles depending on how pissed i get on veuve beforehand.

Smoked salmon with Macon Verze Domains Leflave 09
Daube of beef with everything - roasts,carrots , dauphinoise pots,broccoli,sprouts with bottle or two of Gevery Chambertain Domain Trapet 08 and some psi ribera del duero 2009
Christmas pud with a glass of lustau pedro ximenez sherry
Then a trip to the hospital for an artery flush out......

Turkey. Roast breast down on a lower heat for longer, don't totally stuff it so the airflow is good, and even the meanest bird is generally quite tasty.

Chestnuts
Greens with smoked lardons
Home-made curry spice sausages

and i have to cook the bastard lot for 16!

i salute you...

but sod that this year, were off to the local 5 star hotel for 6 courses... 🙂 yes its not the same as having it at home but one million times less stressful.

Kid (goat). As cooked by my mother-in-law.

I might make the dessert.

lobster to start
Three meat roast (Turkey/Pork/Chicken with all the usual stuffing, roasties and veg
Not sure on the pudding yet =- kids to tell me what the choice is

Drinks will be from wine, champagne, sparkling water and various fruit juices

Looking forward to it

Homemade sourdough pizza and a bottle of Chateauneuf followed by Eton Mess. Leaves plenty of family time and no dishes and it is delicious too.

We do have a very nice continental breakfast in the morning and on Christmas Eve we always have Lobster Thermadore & other shellfish with a nice bottle of petit chablis.

We try to spread the occassion out a bit.

Vegan one for me

You sure you want to know what it will all be

Yes, please.

white onion puree
white wine gravy

They're new ones on me. *goes to google*

I think I'll be doing a roast on Boxing Day rather than Christmas Day, for long and boring reasons. Just me, OH and my mum.

Probably some sort of veggie roast, might try doing a nut roast from scratch. I might chuck some pre-cooked Tesco chicken in the oven for the other two if I'm feeling generous.

Roast veggies; spuds, carrots, parsnips. Yorkies, peas, sweetcorn, caramelised onion and red wine gravy.

Afters, not sure yet. Oh, wait, yes I do, OH's got some Heston Bloominhell pudding or other. *dubious*

I love cooking for Christmas.
I rarely do a big roast though, preferring to do lots of small courses stretched over the whole afternoon. This year it's

Carpaccio of beef filet with parmesan
My homemade Gravadlax with dill sauce
Mini decadent fish pie with asparagus
Herbed Potato cake (with something I havent figured what yet, maybe samphire)
Dad's 2year old xmas pudding
A cheeseboard of Stilton, aged comte, a brie that's making a bid for freedom and if I can find some a Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.

And Im raiding the wine cellar for the good stuff. Got a collection of White and red Burgundies, a Bordelaise and a couple of Savennières Im looking forward to.

i think we're planning on mexican themed vegan food for this year.

tamales of some description. and either enchiladas, or a chilli sin carne. and some form of green veg side dish, probably with chilli cornbread instead of more traditional carbs.

Turkey is crap, which is precisely why nobody eats it for the rest of the year. So we're having beef, among other things

We've got a veggie round for christmas dinner with us, Mrs Binners is getting in a tiz about what to do for her. I have clearly stated that we should stick with time honoured British tradition, and offer to rustle her up on omelette 😉

Full English Breakfast

Salmon and Horseradish starter

Chicken* & Pork joint*, rice & peas, carrots, pea's roast 'tatoes, parsnips, pigs in blankets, maceroni & cheese*, wine.

Blackcake and XO rum*

Cheeseboard.

*all done the West Indian way

Brekkie.
Scrambled egg & smoked salmon for her ladyship.
Bacon butty for me (class act!)
Washed down with buck-fizz & cappucino's

Go for a walk.
Walk finishes at The Local (Riverhead)

Amuse Bouche - nuts & crisps in above pub.
Starter - likely to be pate
Main - ham - got a 3kg one on order. Yet to decide on the glaze. It will be cooked on Christmas Eve. There may be some left for Christmas lunch.
All the usual veg trimmings.
Crimbo pud - little one each, home made by the local greasy spoon, they are delicious!
Cheeses - selection form the local deli / veg shop.
Wine - a selection from Hoults. Local independent outlet.
Told him the kind of thing we like.
Gave him a budget.
Gonna have fun working through the 12 bottles we have 🙂

Wait for it - oh, how we'll get a kicking for this......
Main lunch will likely be a 'knee tea' fire lit, bad film on TV, totally chilled.
It will definately be at a relaxed pace - starter - chill - main - chill - you get the drift.
Starting eating around 3. Probably hit the cheeses course about 8 🙂
Just the 2 of us and the dog.
Last Christmas in our current house.
Move in January

edit - delete double post.... sorry

I do like a bit of turkey but have never tried brining it before roasting it.

Is it worth the faff??

@binners - surely a nut-roast needs preparing for the veggie?

All that lot i'm preparing is just the main, we've got a starter prepared by my bro-in-law, a massive cheese course and puddings to follow. Takes 6 hrs to get through the lot in our family especially as there's 5 nippers to deal with as well.

@cougar - both the gravy and the puree are dead easy

gravy -
1 bottle of white wine reduced down to a third of it's previous volume (flame off the alcohol if serving to kids)
Add a bit of stock made with the turkey gizzards
Add the cooking juices from the turkey whilst its resting (i cook my turkey on top of carrots, onions, leeks etc. so chuck them in as well)
Cook for a bit then pass through a very fine sieve.
Into a clean pan with a shit-load of butter and emulsify to a smooth shiny, near-syrupy consistency
season at every step and bob's your auntie jess's new name

The onion puree is lots and lots of onions cooked down for a long time with some bay leaves and a couple of peppercorns. Blitz up in the blender then refrigerate overnight.
When ready heat through gently in a pan and finsih off with butter and a bit of cream (or sour cream for adults)

Both can be adorned with various herbs how you see fit

Cheers for that. The only problem there is that whole 'gizzard' business.

I did find a [url= http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/577/white-wine-and-onion-gravy/ ]veggie version[/url] of it though. It doesn't sound overly exciting (probably because most of the flavour traditionally comes from turkey lard) but I might have a go anyway, see if I can tweak it.

What do you do with the puree, just add a spoonful on the side as a sauce? I've never come across such a thing.

nice one spawn - that puree sounds good.

Ive got 10Kg of onions in the cupboard (morrisons were doing 5Kg string bags for £2 each! 😯 and I love caramelised onions on anything, nom )

We're going to her folks in that Yorkshire 'appen.

We're taking a stuffed turkey crown (free-range from Waitrose, obviously darling), 'cos her mum's a veggie, and I've been warned that it'll be accompanied by assorted massacred vegetables, 'cos her mum ironically can't cook veg very well. And apparently a terrible trifle for afters.

But we'll also take enough wine and champers that I won't care.

I do like a bit of turkey but have never tried brining it before roasting it.

Is it worth the faff??

I've brined chicken, and it did seem to be juicier.

I bloody love roast turkey. I wish we had it more often.

No idea what we'll be having. Whatever the chalet host decides to rustle up as we're skiing in Italy for the week *smug mode off*

The other year we had a turkey and cheese panini at lunch time followed by a crepe.

sorry, didn't clock the need for veggie. Yep the meat juices are a big part of the flavour.

The onion puree is an accompaniment to replace the bread sauce we usually have. It works great with poultry and roasted veggies and isn't too heavy.

We're going out for dinner this year, its going to be weird! Think i'm having steak.. so long as i get some pigs in blankets at some point over the festive period I'm not fussed!

I love the roast turkey, its not really about the bird, but all that goes with it, though I do like turkey, wrap it in 2 layers of bacon, the bacon then forms a late breakfast to soak up the early booze.

@marsdenman - rob hoult just did very very well out of my family as he does every xmas.

Good bloke though and he's not steered us wrong once yet.