Christmas Eve Meal- something special but what?

[Mummabear82]

Hello!
We’ve had a bit of a change around to our usual Christmas arrangements this year and I’ll be cooking a ham on boxing day. I usually do ham on Christmas Eve and it’s a lovely special meal. So I’m a bit stumped for what to do this year. Nothing heavy bearing in mind the roast the next day. So my question is, what special meals do you have on Christmas Eve? I need some inspiration!

Thanks in advance! Xx

Aubergine Parmigiana with rice and garlic bread. My favourite. Best when my mum makes it but worth the faff when I do it.

Always some form of seafood here too. How about salmon en croute (Cook do a great one), or a big seafood platter?

Snacky foods as dc call it so the nice party foods plus bread, cheese, crackers olives etc

It's DDs birthday Christmas Eve and she's chosen.... McDonald's @LazyArsehole I feel your pain! DSs birthday and has has chosen Domino's ...

Sigh.

We’ve just been with the kids to do our Xmas shop. Full on beige buffet on Xmas eve for us 😀. Pjs on, Xmas film. Bliss.

We have lasagne,but the fillings are meatballs the use of hazelnuts and mozzarella pearls in tomato sauce. There's no bechamel on top just the sauce.I suggested a change this year but was told no.

We had prawn linguine for the last couple of years with wine - starting to think it’s not special enough though! It’s quick and not much cooking.

Teriyaki chicken wings for us. It’s strangely the only time we make them and they’re amazing. We got chicken wings in a mixed organic festive meat box one year and it started from there. Can’t wait.

I'm starting a new tradition this year of baked Camembert, bruschetta, cornichons, silverskin onions and Parma ham.

We're ordering pizza. I refuse to cook on Christmas Eve, so we rotate takeaways

I wanted Chinese but they're mainly shut on Tuesdays around here so saving that for next year

Our house works with me doing most of the cooking and dp doing most of the cleaning before anyone asks why I'm cooking. I'd rather prepare a meal than scrub the shower and he's the opposite so works for us.

We always have a takeaway whilst wearing our Christmas pjs and watching a film. Otherwise we'd be cooking for all of Christmas.

Ooh hot beef sarnie sound good. @Ruth2009 how do you do your beef in the slow cooker if you don’t mind me asking?

Dh bough a slow cook joint last weekend but we only had normal time to cook it and didn’t have any stock, or know timings, sonhad to guess and it was a bit dry but had potential if I have a decent recipe to work from.

Does it come out as a nice joint you can carve slices from or is it more like a giant stew but with meat all in one lump? (Hoping from the former!)

Thanks for any directions - they’ll be appreciated!

Always seafood for us - something special but light. I like the idea of fondue though!

We have got into the buffet habit too and I really like it cos I'm always too full up to enjoy it on Xmas evening. This year we are going out for lunch as it's our 10th wedding anniversary so we won't want much at night just a bottle of champagne.

We’re having Jamie Oliver’s Rogan josh. I’ll bung it all in the slow cooker in the fridge on the 23rd and plug it in when I get up on Christmas Eve easy peasy and yum!

We are at home for it this year so we are having a buffet style so we can just all pick and watch films and get in to the Christmas spirit.

@wibdib something like this
www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-hot-roast-beef-sandwiches/
I've not done it with beef before, only pork. You have to shred it yourself at the end, so you could slice it instead

Alpine supper here. We have of those Pierrade gadgets with a hot stone on top for cooking small pieces of meat, and little shovels below for toasting potatoes, ham, cornichons and cheese and so forth.

A cheese fondue for non meat eaters including DS2’s GF who is Italian and keeps to the custom of not eating meat on Christmas Eve. We had never heard of this tradition until she mentioned it.

We have this meal in the conservatory which means the dining room table can be laid well in advance. Extra fun last year when DH somehow burnt the tablecloth and table with the fondue burner.

We did fish a lot until DD arrived, whole trout in the oven with baby potatoes and greens. Fish curry, pan fried salmon or other toys depending on what the fish monger had.

We also did lots of what DH class “fancy bread”, nice artisan bread or baguette, cured meat, really nice cheese etc. Works very well if I have to work on Christmas Eve.

Other fast but nice looking food is pork loin with mushrooms and apples, in calvados sauce with cream fraiche, potatoe croquettes in the oven. The croquettes take the longest and it is otherwise just one pan but looks really impressive.

We eat out on Christmas Eve, a 3 course lunch in a nice restaurant with bubbles. My parents will be with us.

Later that evening I cook the ham and late that night we have freshly cooked ham with bread, pickles, mustard, chutney and there will be a cheese board etc. This has been our tradition for years now.

But if we were at home I think I would cook fillet steak, peppercorn sauce, roast veg and potato gratin. With red wine to drink.

were having home cooked ham & cauliflower cheese with chips

But have had salmon wellington

Steak pie & chips here.... local butcher does award winning pies- yum!

I did Delia's salmon coulibiac one year and it was amazing, really delicious and not heavy.

We're having seafood linguine

Delicious, celebratory, but no prep and not much washing up. Plus really different from a roast. Can't wait!

I think I am doing roast duck with plums but I keep changing my mind. It's when our guests are arriving so it needs to be festive.