Please help with a small but nice menu (2 people only)

[FridaRose]

Hi, unfortunately DH and I cannot see family this Xmas (due to numerous circumstances).

What can we cook on Xmas day (and days before/after) just for the two of us? Obvs can't do massive turkey. Chicken then? I think I should do only few side dishes, but which ones?

Im also pregnant so can't really do seafood or alcohol. Cheese is limited too

Please help us with your ideas, I'm absolutely gutted about not seeing our family so need to have a good menu so we can have a lovely day just the two of us.

Thank you!

DH and I often do Christmas dinner just for the 2 of us. We'd have starter and then a break of about an hour (or a movie length) then main course.
We do Turkey and Ham and all the trimmings - but I order turkey boned and rolled from the butcher and specify enough for X number of people. We order enough for 8 - freeze half for later in the year and cook enough for 4 and then have enough for leftovers.

I didn't even know you can buy turkey crown that could be great. Although like op mentioned will it be difficult to get as moist..?
Love the idea of guinea fowl, and Beef Wellington. And I completely forgot about red cabbage - added to the list now.

Yes the mindset is currently negative and I need to shift it. I haven't seen my family for 3 years (in Aus) and not seeing them this year stings a lot!

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I'd just do all the usual trimmings but smaller portions. Leftover turkey and gammon I normally chop up, add leeks and cheese sauce and do a puff pie to have in the week between Xmas and New year.

The pie with leeks sounds delicious.

Most sides can be cooked together- roasties with brussels and bacon, pigs in blankets in the same tray etc so you don't have to do massive trays of food.

Instead of cheese and wine you could do a charcuterie board with crackers, cheese you can eat, cooked meats, grapes, olives, etc.

For the following days, party food/picky bits or leftover turky sandwiches/curry/salads/pasta.

Dh and I had a lovely christmas with just the two of us before DD arrived, it was very relaxed and fun and we had no timetable. We didn't feel all alone and shit at all!

We love everything food-wise, but doesn't make sense to have all the sides for just two people?

Why not? I will still make a Sunday roast just for me if I am home alone. My reasoning is why make less effort for myself than other people? Plus all the leftovers make life easy for the next for days.

I would just get a small turkey crown or make/buy individual turkey paupiettes - bacon wrapped turkey breast wrapped around stuffing.

I might make it more special by having lots of small courses, more of a tasting menu, most of them no cook or preprepared/shop bought eg canapés and champagne or an amuse bouche, a starter, a soup course, a sorbet, the main course, pudding, a cheese course, coffee and petit fours/chocolates. You could throw in a fish couse too.

Unless you prefer an easy and quick to cook alternative? It depends whether you would enjoy spending time together cooking or it is a chore.

Christmas dinner for me is all about the side dishes.
We’re having roast pork belly this year with roast potatoes, cabbage, carrots, Brussels, cauliflower, red cabbage, pigs in blankets, 2 different stuffings and Yorkshire puddings.

Will cook more than needed so there’s plenty of leftovers to heat up for Boxing Day.

Here are my ideas for a Christmas menu for two, I've avoided seafood and soft cheeses.

Starter of melon and Parma ham, or fresh figs and Parma ham, you could dress this up with parmesan shavings or pine nuts if liked. Add a vinaigrette dressing with herbs. Easy to put together, and a pack of Parma ham is just the right size for two.

Main course of roast duck, again duck is a good choice for two people. I'd do parmentier or Greek style roast potatoes, as they need less preparation than traditional roast potatoes. For vegetables I'd do a medley of asparagus, broccoli florets, and peas all cooked together.
You could enrich the duck gravy with some orange juice and some redcurrant jelly.

If there is any leftover duck, you could have it in wraps with lettuce, spring onion, cucumber and hoi-sin sauce for a quick boxing day supper.

Pears baked in apple juice with Christmas spices, served cold with thick cream or chilled custard would be a light pudding with a seasonal flavour. You could cook the pears a day or so beforehand, so Christmas Day had less pressure on the cook.

Enjoy your special Christmas together with your husband!

I'd have a small wild mushroom fricasse to start on sourdough, a big fuck off tomahawk steak (get the butcher to cut the bone so it fits in the oven to finish), peppercorn sauce, dauphinois and green beans. Cheese.

Dauphinoise and rib of beef 🤤

Just realised you're in aid, I'd be sticking the tomahawk on the bbq

My mum always buys a turkey crown as my parents don't like dark meat. She always wraps it in bacon to stop it drying out. It's delicious, especially when you get to eat the bacon off the top afterwards

If you want turkey get a breast joint from the butcher, stuffed and wrapped in bacon. You could feed a lot more than two on it but it doesn't dry out if you cook it properly. Get a crown you have to carve, deal with the bones and tends to dry out quicker.

I’d do chicken with a lovely stuffing, hasselback potatoes, a small glazed ham with cloves, sprouts with pancetta and garlic and honey roasted parsnips.

When we have Christmas at home just us, we have roast duck. We buy a larger duck from the local farm shop and just roast it with an orange. We make hazelnut, pancetta and orange stuffing. Our Yorkshire’s have a bit of nutmeg in them. We sometimes do Brussels with pancetta too. We do all the sides because we are quite happy eating leftovers.

We will also make something on the 23rd (24th is a curry) so a favourite is slow roasted pork with cranberry and orange. DH will make a gingerbeer ham. So we’ll have the leftover duck, ham and pork between Christmas and new year. We also make a duck fried rice a few days after Christmas when we need a different palette.

To make Christmas nice just the two of us - we usually have pastries and Buck’s Fizz. I would buy a nice orange juice or nice hot chocolate as you’re pregnant. For starters we have a baked Camembert which you can still have pregnant. Last year we had it with baked balsamic figs and was fantastic.

Just the two of you is really freeing. You can eat what you both want. You don’t need to eat Brussel sprouts because it’s the done thing, you can have roasted peppers and courgettes if you want. Pick something that you want, have a special meal of whatever you want.

We love everything food-wise, but doesn't make sense to have all the sides for just two people

Of course it does, because then you have the joy that is leftovers.

There's usually only two of us, which we don't mind and we always have a turkey butterfly, which is a single large turkey breast. We then have stuffing, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, sprouts, parsnips and cauliflower cheese.

We will probably have a second helping of reheated leftovers on Boxing Day, that's after breakfast of roast potatoes fried up with pigs in blankets with fried eggs on top.

When it was just DH and I we always had guinea fowl, which was very nice. These days I'd be tempted by partridge as I've never had one and it reminds me of the 12 days of Christmas song. Some sort of pear dessert would also have to feature.

Have anything and everything you want! It will be a lovely casual Christmas Day with lots of food and the TV!

I've got 3 for Christmas, but one of us is an extremely picky toddler, so really just the two of us. I'm also pregnant, so not too keen on prepping too much. Plus working (12 hours) on Christmas Eve.

I'm getting in a turkey crown, and doing stuffing, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes. Veg I'm getting in as much prepared as I can. Boxing Day we're having a couple of people over, but even if I wasn't, I'd still be doing a buffet of nice little bits. Should be enough left over from those two meals to tide us over through the two bank holidays.

Delia Smith duck with cherry sauce.

Prick the duck all over and put o an oven shelf with a roasting dish under to catch the fat.

For the sauce 1/2 a jar of morello cherry jam and half a bottle of wine, put in a saucepan and reduce.

Use the duck fat for roast potatoes and do a couple of veg.

Or have a look at Iceland, order on of their frozen joints, frozen roast and mash. sprouts with chestnuts and something for pudding.

Shove the meat in the oven, set timers for the roasts and other veg, not the same as home cooked but so easy.

Or order a take away.

Just us and DS last year- Beef wellington for xmas dinner with all the sides (just small quantities and ready made).
We spread the favourites out over the time we're off and sort of mix and match tbh. LIke we'll always have pigs in blankets as DH and DS like them but might just be part of a buffet type meal

Favourite probably duck...did a moro recipe, along with moro rice and beans and an orange salad with pomegranate seeds ....all moro cookbook and lovely......but we're not massive roast fans..
This was enough different but festive, fresh and tasty too.. got some nice tapas bits and good olives as starter...
Also done venison and more trad sides..
Good desert from waitrose/m&s although I've made tiramisu or cheesecake in the past or brownies and good ice cream

One year got a really nice game pie and had that with lots veg sides....Something we would never make as well...

Thinking fish this year.....although the duck was good or possibly something from Ottolenghi with a mushroom and chestnut stuffed squash as maybe a vegetarian visitor..

Your last Christmas as a couple I'd be tempted to stay in bed as long as possible...then watch inappropriate for children movies all day :)..maybe go to midnight Mass if you've never been....have a long soak in the bath etc etc...enjoy it

@2021namechanger Our greedy Border Collie has been on the canine version of "fat fighters" for the last couple of months and is doing so well that she is too getting a full Christmas Dinner.

One day only though! :)

Merry Christmas from your our mutt to yours!

I’d maybe go turkey crown so you still have the traditional bird. Roast potatoes. Gravy. Then buy some of the ready prepared sides from M&S.. maybe cauliflower cheese, some kind of mixed green veggies, and one other.
Nice pastries for breakfast. Or bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon (is that allowed?) Then plan something nice with the leftovers for Boxing Day. Maybe cold turkey and fresh salad with crusty bread, an antidote to the richness of Christmas Day. And have a pot of a good homely lentil soup on the go for a cosy supper or easy lunch.

Just the two of us also this year (son, dil & grandson coming on the 27th) so we are having lamb chops Xmas day with all the trimmings and I will actually make double the amount of veg we need and boil up some potatoes for mash so that I can make bubble and squeak to have with cold cuts and pickles on Boxing day which is our annual tradition.

We're regularly 'a deux' for Christmas. Usually cook goose roast with all the trimmings - and the save the goose fat (frozen as ice cubes) for use for roast potatoes for much of the rest of the year.

Trimmings will include Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, home made cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets etc.

DW breaks down the goose after we have eaten, and we usually get another meal from it, plus we render down the fatty bits in a low oven to make more cubes of goose fat for future roasts. The stripped carcass will then go in the Instant Pot together with any saved chicken roast bones to make stock.

Not a cheap option, but very tasty.