Make it all ahead? Help me, oh Cooks-Amongst-Us

[MademoisellePraline]

This year, we're doing a luxury type meal as opposed to Christmas dinner. I'm not too sold, but DH thinks try it for one year and see, so we shall.

Part of the reasoning is that we want to have the meal later, more like 4pm/5pm. Otherwise we aren't hungry after a fancy breakfast, and secondly, a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings at 2pm means I spend virtually all morning faffing in the kitchen. We go out for a lovely full Christmas carvery the week before also.

So... We'd like to make ahead as much as possible. 6 adults, 2 children to have starters, mains and pudding, and we think we'd like to do some kind of elevated prawn cocktail (to keep some tradition damnit!) followed by châteaubriand, then maybe fruity pud of some kind. Thinking fruit will cut through the richness of the main.

If I do the PCs the night before, will the lettuce brown overnight in the fridge? Will the toms go watery and I'll have a mushy bottomed PC, God forbid.

What's a lovely fruity pud to make ahead? Pavlova? Will that start to bleed and go watery if the fruit are cut if assemble it the night before too? Better options?

Accompanying Châteaubriand will be dauphinoise. Anyone have a stellar recipe?

What's a good green veg dish I can do the day before and won't be any the worse for being reheated. DC love broccoli, cabbage, peas. Not so much leeks.

Does anyone have a tried and tested jus recipe that I can serve with the CB? Red wine jus? Shallot?

Hopefully, everything will just need heating/serving other than the CB. And that's very doable on its own, for 5pm. Can anyone see any flaws? Make any further suggestions?

We'll do a little canapé selection around midday to curb post breakfast munchies, but not fill anyone up too much. Plus nibbles in bowls dotted about.

Also, DC love Yorkshires. I can do them alongside the CB, even if it's a tad uncouth!

I’m eating Christmas meals at @DaisyDooley’s 👌

I mean, we've ordered them before, from our local butchers on an huge estate (think it's 13,000 acres) farm shop... and they call them Châteaubriand whether it's for 2 or 6 🤷

Does all the cream/juice not squeeze out and rise to the top if you put tins on?

I think lemon posset is looking like a winner...

Dauphinoise will be fine made the day before. I don't do the squeeze thing, I do parboil the potatoes to ensure they cook through in a deep dish.
For pudding, my favourite is Nigella's honey semi freddo - semi set creamy pudding and not as cream plus cream as dauphinoise and pavlova or posset may be.
Make the sauce for the prawn cocktail then just chop a lettuce (and any other bits) on the day? As you are going retro, may I suggest Melba toast on the side for a bit of crunch?

I do the Jamie Oliver Bloody Mary prawn cocktail it’s a fancier pc sauce and just prep all the bits the night before in separate containers and put in the fridge. It’s DS2 job to assemble on the day.

For the green veggies, I’ve sometimes taken inspiration from the side dishes in the M&S “meals for £10” or whatever they cost now. The packs of microwave “green vegetable medley” with eg peas, sliced leeks, cavalo Nero, tenderstem broccoli etc with a pat of herby garlic butter. I make my own up in a Pyrex dish with lid, and just microwave it - the veggies all steam and are v nice.

Attached pics of the sort of thing I mean.

For the prawn cocktail I’d chop all the bits up and box up separately, then quickly assemble on the day. Otherwise the salad will get soggy if you have tomatoes in it.

With Prawn Cocktail, I have the prawns mixed up with the marie rose in a bowl, buy bags of shredded lettuce and the smallest tomatoes then it's literally put a handful of lettuce, spoon of prawns and a couple of tomatoes in each servicing dish, takes seconds