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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Good food during Christmas week

53 replies

MissPB · 11/11/2012 19:08

I am thinking of what good things to get to eat during Christmas week - ie not actual Christmas Day but the few days (before and) afterwards. Things are either non-cook or easy to prepare.
I was thinking of smoked salmon, getting a gammon to roast so lots of ham to eat but can't think of other things to make my life easy while we have lots of visitors! Any ideas? What do you do?

OP posts:
Taffeta · 11/11/2012 21:17

Make 2 big Kilner jars

Cranberry and orange compote

675g cranberries
Pared rind 2 oranges cut into strips
100ml fresh orange juice
130ml red wine
2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly
1 cinnamon stick
3 or 4 cloves
120g granulated sugar
100ml port

Put cranberries, strips of orange, orange juice, red wine, redcurrant jelly, cinnamon stick, cloves and sugar into saucepan. Dissolve sugar and jelly by whisking over a low heat and then bring to boil ( I use one of those weeny whisks as otherwise you mush the cranberries, although suspect it doesn't matter much ), and then bring to boil. Simmer for 5 mins until cranberries are tender. Add the port and test for sweeteness, add more sugar if you wish ( I don't ). Ladle into warm sterilised jars, eat within 2 months. Once opened keep in fridge. I think its at its best 2-3 weeks after its made, so I make mine early second week Dec.

Coffeeformeplease · 11/11/2012 21:18

What about Sushi?
I always have all ingredients in the house (Nori, Rice seasoning, Sushi rice, Tuna in tins, cucumber) and they are not too hard to make. I get smoked salmon in over Christmas, so we have a variety, and we always have soy sauce.
I would like the boozy recipe, too please Smile

Coffeeformeplease · 11/11/2012 21:19

ah thanks Taffeta

SkyFell · 11/11/2012 21:26

Sounds like some of you are real professionals! Binfull - do you freeze your pigs in blankets cooked or uncooked. I would love a complete guide to freezing for Christmas. I'm really not sure what I can freeze, if it should be cooked or uncooked, etc..... and I'm very scared of poisoning all my guests! Any tips or website please .....

SkyFell · 11/11/2012 21:28

Thanks Taffeta - I'll be cut and pasting that into my Paprika app. Best recipe app I've found. (I promise to credit you in the title :) )

Taffeta · 11/11/2012 21:31

Yes yes credit me its Sarah Raven

Whatevertheweather · 11/11/2012 21:31

That sounds lush taffeta thank you. What sort of consistency is it? Off to center parcs 14th-17th so am tempted to make a trial run jar for there before unleashing my experiment creation on christening guests Grin

Good name taste 70 she was born 15/8 but was due first week of September......9 months earlier was.......Grin This did not occur to us until after she was named!

Taffeta · 11/11/2012 21:34

Its chunky. I'm sure you could get it smoother if you boiled the bejeezus out of it but suspect it would lose some of its zing then, and some of the alcoholic content which is the whole point of it IMO

SkyFell · 11/11/2012 21:38

Taffeta - credited as promised :). Sure that will cause head scratching in years to come.

Taffeta · 11/11/2012 21:39

Oooo will I be sued for intellectual property or summat?

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 11/11/2012 21:42

I am almost military about Christmas food planning. I love it. Can't shake off that A level Home Ec training. Blush

I froze them raw, just wrapped ready (I live abroad so have limited opportunity to get Brit sausages and bacon - got them well in advance).

Hard cheeses freeze well. My mince pies were cooked, my sausage rolls were too, but I have frozen them raw in the past and they were good too. I blanched and froze a load of parsnips for the sane reason too. Just dusted them in a little flour and into plastic bags.

I would really recommend picking up Deliahs Happy Christmas book, or Nigella's Christmas one. Just. Second hand copy from a Charity shop. There are lots of freezer guides, planning tips etc. You also get good value from a Good Food magazine at this time of year.

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 11/11/2012 21:43

Same reason, but it was a sane reason too!

Taffeta · 11/11/2012 21:47

Bin - I froze cooked mince pies before but found they dried out a bit?

SkyFell · 11/11/2012 21:47

Me too Binfull - another one who lives abroad. Have already done a car run to get the things I really miss and have a quick weekend in London in December for the last bits and pieces. I love the combining of traditions and making my own Christmas :)

fuzzpig · 11/11/2012 21:48

We will probably make our 'walslaw' salad - a yummy cross between Waldorf salad and coleslaw!

Also going to try doing the ham cooked in cola.

Definitely a lovely homemade potato salad with lots of spring onion.

Barbary smoked duck (have to ask my dad for it as I've not found it here) is utterly gorgeous with mango and rocket.

Melon, Parma ham and goats cheese drizzled with honey...

Ok drooling now.

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 11/11/2012 21:57

Taffeta were they home made? As soon as they cool, I put a layer of baking paper in tupperware and a layer on top. Then straight in the freezer. Make sure they are really well sealed. Freezer "burn" tends to dry out bread and pastries.

I don't put lids on mine, I cut out stars and place them in the centre. Milky egg wash (slightly sloppy). I don't brown them. Get hem out quite pale, then bung them into the oven for 5 mins once defrosted. Always chill the pastry well before rolling is a tip I have learnt well too.

Taffeta · 11/11/2012 22:07

Yes, home made. I do seal them well and chill pastry before rolling, but I have proper lids and I do brown them, maybe thats where I was going wrong.

I do love them fresh though, they are just THE best thing about Christmas IMO. Oh yeah, and the DC's smiling faces etc.

BiddyPop · 12/11/2012 11:27

I buy plenty of part baked french stick batons (half size of a french stick) and ciabattas so that I can bake extra bread as needed in minutes. I always buy some naice sourdough kinda bread for Christmas Eve (we do a nice buffet of cold meats, pate, cheese, salad bits etc Christmas Eve so it gets well used then).

I have enough cheese, pate, olives, pickles, chutney, salady bits etc to nibble on for the next few days. The Christmas Ham and Spiced Beef are great for sambos too. And a full dozen eggs or more for various uses (scrambled, fried, boiled, poached, baking, crab cakes, ...).

Bags of nice crisps and nuts, amaretti biscuits and regular biscuits for nibbles. Mince pies, or frozen pastry and jars of mince meat (I happily use pre-rolled at this time of year, but it's HM mince).

I try to have a lasagne in the freezer in case we get visitors 1 evening. I like to have sausage rolls roo (I try to make my own, but don't always manage it) or at least cocktail sausies.

Plenty of soft drinks (we generally use cans all year as bottles go flat before we finish them, but I do get bottles for Christmas), and tonic. I'd always have tea and coffee for the plunger anyway, but I need to remember cream for Irish coffees.

I always have a couple of the tins of croissants you roll and bake yourself, for breakfasts. And a bag of brioche type pastries too. Oranges and grapefruits for juicing for breakfasts (and lemons and limes for drinks and a cheesecake if enough visitors are likely).

And the freezer also has things that I normally have but am doubly sure to keep at Christmas - cooked prawns (to serve cold or throw into a sauce with rice or pasta), crab meat (to make crab cakes from leftover mash, tin sweetcorn and leftover bread crumbed), frozen peas, and some decent chicken nuggets and oven chips.

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 13/11/2012 12:52

Biddy you are a woman after my own heart. Smile

DewDr0p · 13/11/2012 14:42

Yum like the sound of all of this.

I like some soup in the freezer - curried parsnip always seems festive for some reason Grin - good after a nice bracing Boxing Day walk. Part baked ciabatta is handy to have in the freezer and I think nicer than the French bread.

Also agree a ham in a great thing to have (I poach mine in cider) and a side of salmon is super easy to cook in foil in the oven. Add some baked potatoes, homemade chunky coleslaw, salad and bread and you have the makings of a great buffet.

Having said all of that, a buffet can be more work I think than doing a huge casserole in advance and freezing it.

Whatevertheweather · 22/11/2012 14:37

Taffeta just made the cranberry and orange compote - it tastes/looks fab but it is very liquidy and runny. Will it 'set' in the jars if I leave it?!

XBenedict · 23/11/2012 17:49

Biddy - what day would be good to pop by just for lunch! Wink

XBenedict · 23/11/2012 17:49

Anyone got a good homemade coleslaw recipe?

cathers · 23/11/2012 18:04

I usually make a nice big beef in beer around now to freeze for eating on Christmas Eve. Then reheat it when back from crib service and put on some horseradish dumplings.

I also make a roasted tomato and red pepper soup to freeze for a lunch between Xmas and new year and a 'posh' fish pie made with filo pastry so it's a bit lighter.

Usually, that's all I freezer. I find that with the turkey colds and a gammon in the fridge, often that is preferred with some cheese,chutney, bread and salads than anything else.

SaigonSaigon · 23/11/2012 18:24

Rick Stein's Beef Stroganoff recipe on the BBC website makes for a beautiful Xmas Eve dinner. Luxurious but simple to make. What's not to love about beef fillet, sour cream, lots of sliced onions and hot paprika (unless you're veggie...)Grin

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