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What additions to Christmas Dinner do you have that others consider strange?

172 replies

MyGazeboisLeaking · 21/11/2020 19:05

Off the back of the Thanksgiving thread (I'm drooling!), I thought about our Christmas dinner.

Over the years, we've added the following that have now become standard:

Cauliflower cheese
Steamed red cabbage & raisins
Sweetcorn (for me!)


What additions do you have?

OP posts:
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Tangledtresses · 21/11/2020 20:49

Red cabbage and apple braised in beef stock

I did a celeriac and fennel dauphinois last year and it might re appear this year

Never had pigs in blankets until 2 years ago but the kids love them so they have to stay

Never had Yorkies with Xmas lunch 😬

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CarolinaPink · 21/11/2020 20:49

I love this thread!

'Prunecentric' GrinThanks

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Benjispruce2 · 21/11/2020 20:52

I dislike Yorkshire puds on Christmas dinner though I love them with roast beef. What I like about Christmas dinner is that we never have that combination any other time and that’s what May it special .

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mumsiedarlingrevolta · 21/11/2020 20:52

@Flamingolingo ooh brilliant. love a time warp! And any excuse for cointreau...

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KatherineJaneway · 21/11/2020 20:52

I don't understand the Cauliflower cheese thing. It has no place with a roast. It's delicious when done well, but no place with a roast.

Bread sauce - never understood it. Why?

Sweetcorn - lovely but never with a roast.

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Benjispruce2 · 21/11/2020 20:52

makes

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LH1987 · 21/11/2020 20:52

Cheesy spinach gratin (delicious)!

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Tessiot · 21/11/2020 20:53

@MyGazeboisLeaking

Your steamed red cabbage and raisins sound great. Not seen that before. I am going to do that. Let me know if there is a special way to cook the dish.

FWIW, I layer raw red cabbage and raw cooking apple together in a deep oven-proof crock with a lid. A little but not of the same quantity of shallots. You can put cinnamon or black pepper, crushed and intermingled between the layers. Add a bit of clove, garlic and nutmeg and, if you like, some vanilla. For liquid I nowadays put in apple cider vinegar - liberally. I first tried this about 30 years ago and initially it turned out a bit blue, but eventually by pouring off the liquid exuded during the long slow cooking it worked OK. It was either Gary Rhodes or Delia Smith, I can't remember but probably both who got me on this.

I am going to try your raisin and red cabbage mix and experiment with the vanilla I think. Never thought of raisins before but that is an ideal match - thank you.

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Tartyflette · 21/11/2020 20:53

Cookerhood you can get the small silverskin onions, frozen, from Ocado. Defrost them, make white sauce or buy a tub of it from the supermarket and heat it all up together.
We usually have roast goose as we're not keen on turkey. I roast it with two stuffings, sausagemeat and apple in the neck end, and 'Granny's Irish stuffing' in the main cavity. I.E. mashed potato, well seasoned, with chopped parsley and thyme, plus a chopped onion fried in butter till soft and turning gold. Mix it all together, stuff the goose and roast. The potato stuffing soaks up loads of juices and fat from the bird and is totally delicious.
I also do roast potatoes (so double spuds here too), parsnips and braised red cabbage with apple. More apple sauce to serve with it, made with Bramleys for sharpness, and finished off with a glug of Calvados. (Other apple brandies are available.)
Sticky toffee and date pudding for dessert, with clotted cream and ice cream.

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Impatientwino · 21/11/2020 20:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Benjispruce2 · 21/11/2020 20:54

Bread sauce is a must. It’s such a strange concept but I make it in Christmas Eve and the smell of nutmeg, clove, onion and bay is Christmas to me.

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Impatientwino · 21/11/2020 20:55

Sorry wrong thread Blush

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SonjaMorgan · 21/11/2020 20:55

Brussels with chestnuts and plenty of butter.

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Tartyflette · 21/11/2020 20:56

Gah, cross post on the silverskin onions ...... ☺️

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CheesePleaseLoueese · 21/11/2020 20:57

@IvanTheDragon

We eat beef on Christmas and I insist on both Yorkshire pudding and stuffing, which my grandma thinks is very strange and wrong.

So does my husband!!! And my mum disapproves too!! 😂
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LubaLuca · 21/11/2020 20:57

Baked beans.

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dementedma · 21/11/2020 20:58

Cauliflower cheese with a roast is an abomination. Cheese sauce and gravy will look like curdled sick

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Gindrinker43 · 21/11/2020 20:59

Celeriac grated and mixed with horseradish and cream cheese and baked, add that to 2 types of stuffing, chippolatas and pigs in blankets, could probably do away with the sprouts and carrots!

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lazylinguist · 21/11/2020 20:59

I love cauliflower cheese with a roast, but not with Christmas dinner!

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FannysSteadiedBuffs · 21/11/2020 21:02

Bread sauce and cauli cheese were compulsory growing up as my parents only ever produced disgustingly dry turkey which needed excessive rehydration Grin

I once went to a friends for Christmas dinner and her entire freaky family had a spoonful of marmite on the side of their plate.

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MyGazeboisLeaking · 21/11/2020 21:04

[quote Tessiot]@MyGazeboisLeaking

Your steamed red cabbage and raisins sound great. Not seen that before. I am going to do that. Let me know if there is a special way to cook the dish.

FWIW, I layer raw red cabbage and raw cooking apple together in a deep oven-proof crock with a lid. A little but not of the same quantity of shallots. You can put cinnamon or black pepper, crushed and intermingled between the layers. Add a bit of clove, garlic and nutmeg and, if you like, some vanilla. For liquid I nowadays put in apple cider vinegar - liberally. I first tried this about 30 years ago and initially it turned out a bit blue, but eventually by pouring off the liquid exuded during the long slow cooking it worked OK. It was either Gary Rhodes or Delia Smith, I can't remember but probably both who got me on this.

I am going to try your raisin and red cabbage mix and experiment with the vanilla I think. Never thought of raisins before but that is an ideal match - thank you.[/quote]
Ooh, yours sounds very similar to the way i do mine, @teapot, with the exception that I also include an extremely unhealthy amount of butter in the mix, along with handfuls of raisins, of course.

Delicious. We make a tonne, to have with stir fried sprouts, garlic, Parmesan and cream the next dayx

OP posts:
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DelphineWalsh · 21/11/2020 21:05

My nanna used to put black pudding on the side of a roast. Lovely with a bit of stuffing and gravy.

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Acarerformum · 21/11/2020 21:06

Instead of a starter we always have canapes with a glass or two of champagne before our Christmas lunch. We then have goose (so much better than turkey) with roast potatoes roast parsnips, carrots, sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, mash potato, cranberry sauce and bread sauce. Followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and cream. Very traditional and totally yummy.

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FluffMagnet · 21/11/2020 21:08

My weird family always serve their cranberry sauce dolloped into a tinned peach half with their Christmas dinner. My gran saw it in a magazine many decades ago, and has served it ever since. Even as a child I realised it was weird and refused the peach (love cranberry sauce though).

Mash has no place on a roast plate IMO!

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Acarerformum · 21/11/2020 21:08

Sorry forgot two types of stuffing Irish stuffing and sausage chestnut stuffing and of course all served with gravy.

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