Hosting Christmas dinner for the first time. Tips?

[Tokyotwist]

I know I've got over two months yet, but I like to know what I'm doing.

OH and FIL talked me into hosting Christmas dinner this year. It will be the first one I do and I am a bit worried about messing it up.

Have already thought about forgetting to defrost the turkey, etc. And when should I buy the veg? I suggested ordering it all and FIL eyebrows hit the ceiling .

So in the interest of keeping me sane for the next 2+ months, what are your Christmas dinner tips? Recipes for starters will also be most welcome.

Lol coca, I usually arrange for someone to come and ply me with a nice aperitif while I'm cooking - but not too much too early .

One of the best tips i read (i think it was jamie Oliver) was to make and freeze the gravy well before, it stops that last minute fight for space on the stove. I'd ask yr ILs to bring the starter and pudding and to help with prep.

I have a timetable detailing exactly what I need to do at what time - very ocd but it helps me e.g.

2:40 Remove sausage blankets and cover in foil
Baste turkey
Parboil Potatoes
Top Oven at 250 Trays in with Fat

2:45 Turkey in the main oven

3:25 Baste Turkey

Just doing the timings backwards from when I want to eat

Dont forget to enjoy christmas as well make sure you have time to enjoy the spirit of christmas I find with a timetable it is a simple case of flitting in and out the kitchen at certain times and I do all of the prep work the day before or in the morning before most are awake (my boys never surface before 7:30 normally but that may change this year)

Agree with everyone else that planning is the key. And if you have guests for a few days sit down and work out meals/numbers and decide what you will have and make as much of it things you can cook in advance and freeze.

And go out for a couple of meals so that you don't feel you are doing it all!

re other meals: our family fave (and better than Christmas lunch) is "Boxing Day pie" - chop up leftover turkey, veg & all the trimmings - even including bread sauce & stuffing. Put in dish & cover in white sauce. Top with puff pastry.Gorgeous. Esp if you have an oblong dish which is just a bit smaller than ready rolled puff pastry - scrummy and easy.

Turn turkey upside down to rest, juices run back into the breast. Put unpeeled cooking apple into the cavitybefore cooking, helps keep moist and nice but subtle flavour in the juices for the gravy.

Par-boil pots ahead of time - white veg fat (e.g. Trex) is great for cooking potatoes and far cheaper than goose fat.

Taking note as its our first time hosting xmas dinner this year too.

Thankfully will be all hands on deck :)

I do the timetable thing too (so work backwards, work out times, stick in visible place)

I ordered the veg lol, was my one totally unnecessary luxury, but as I was cooking and I didn't have that many helpers, I couldn't bear the thought of peeling the carrots and cutting the heads off the sprouts so ordered them all ready prepared for cooking

I tend not to do a starter but put out fairly substantial nibbles and dips - I always think the main meal is so large that having a starter feels almost Mr Creosote

and fgs, don't do what I do and have too much champagne BEFORE you start cooking

last year I was 2 sheets to the wind before the turkey had even gone in. I remember standing in the kitchen saying 'I MUST SOBRE UP' and then giggling like a child

or even sober

I usually cook the ham on xmas eve, either to have hot with jacket potatoes and veg or (DCs fave) in warm crusty rolls in front of The Muppets' Christmas Carol. Cold ham will keep cling-filmed in the fridge for a week, but we usually have most of it on Boxing Day.

Agree with whoever said get a stuffed breast/crown. Saves loads of oven space and much easier to carve, plus our butcher does his own recipe stuffing which is marvellous. No good if you are planning other dishes around left-over turkey for the rest of your guests' stay.

Most veg can be prepared the night before. Bread sauce can be made in advance and re-heated.

Must you have Xmas pudding on the day? We save ours for Boxing day because it is so filling and have something lighter on the day. Grand-parents and children love a trifle, Nigella has several recipes.

Next month look out for any glossy magazines that have a free 'countdown to xmas' type feature. I got a little booklet with 'Red' years ago and it is really handy for timings and so on.

Best tip ever - don't send your DH for Tesco's Finest fresh custard the day before. You will end up with long life bright yellow rubbish and be hissing at one another through gritted teeth in the kitchen all day 'This is the last effing Christmas we spend married'

I pre-do and freeze as much as poss a few days before, usually the weekend before but I have been known to have my carrots & parsnips parboiled by the end of November . Delegate if you can and only to people who you trust and you know will be sober. Otherwise ply everyone with bucks fizz and hope for the best. Good Luck!

Delia is your friend.

Ahem. St Delia
And she's my friend! LOL

lists.
that's my tip.
and don't forget to work out how much extra tea, coffee, milk, toilet paper, etc, you will need for all those extra people in your house.

Canapies to start. I get dp or dcs to make them and pass them round while I booze cook in the kitchen.

Gravy and white Sauce heated up in advance then put in flasks to save stove space.

I never cook a whole turkey - I get a stuffed joint from Marks and get everyone so pissed they don't know the difference.

Last year i cooked my turkey the way phil vickery did on this morning. If you do a search on youtube you can watch it. I can really say it turned out great and very straight forward. Mine was a 24lb bird and it cooked much quicker his way than any other year.
Also make a really detailed list including everything from foil to kitchen roll. Everyone raves about my sprouts each year but they are actually frozen button sprouts fron Iceland. I buy them a) because sprouts are so fiddly to prepare and b) its what you do to serve them that will effect the taste. I boil them and then drain and cover. Then after starters are eaten I stirfry red/gree/yellow peppers with some chopped merchant gourmet chestnuts and add my sprouts to the pan. Heat for a few minutes. Really tasty.
Set your table if possible the evening before and just picnic under tree for breakfast.

Seem to remember last year, one of the papers had 4 chefs/cooks doing a timing for Christmas lunch - was it Jamie, Delia, Gordon and 1 other?

Talking of custard, we used to have sweet white sauce with the pudding, yuck! Then, one year there was a cookery programme in which they suggested sifted icing sugar and cream. Much better. Even better with greek yoghurt and sugar - seems to make it much less rich.

Another vote for prepping everything the night before.
Potatoes, carrots and parsnips peeled and chopped, sprouts and brocolli done. All kept in water in sealed tupperware ready for the morning.

Christmas pud goes in the slow cooker in Christmas Eve as well.

If turkey is your thing, I highly recommend (as someone else has above) going to a local butcher and ordering a boned and rolled turkey crown. It's a generous sized piece of meat, still looks good as a whole roast, so easy to carve and you can put a large hunk of it in the freezer if there is plenty left over. Make sure you cover the turkey with streaky bacon and plenty of black pepper for that extra taste. Having a joint like this also means you don't have to pick over a carcass later on, a job I particularly hate.

My favourite starter (though not everyone would want one) is a chestnut, apple and bacon soup courtesy of the Harrods cookery book. Again, easy to prepare the day before and warm up when needed.

As well as the normal puds, we always have a fresh fruit salad made up for those that have almost had enough by the end of the meal. Don't forget the mince pies to go with coffee.

Christmas night, if anyone is hungry, this is when we might have salad stuff, coleslaw, smoked salmon, sausage rolls, cheese & bread etc. Little preparation required and stuff people can pick at if they want.

Another dish you can make well in advance which can be good for Boxing day or later is a large pan if chili. This is a great dish for coming back to after a bracing walk. Can be served with rice (again cooked and frozen if you want) or chunks of bread.

I always try to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen on Christmas Day - thank goodness for dishwashers !

Lists!

List of food for each meal and prep as much as possible in advance.

List of what needs doing when on Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Delegate

Drink!

It's just a roast, and you have at least 8-10 weeks to practice and get timings right for a roast on Sundays.

Meat needs time to rest after cooking. Therefore cook the turkey, then get a coolbox and put the turkey to rest in it for an hour while you cook everything else. MIL thinks I'm mad, but keeps it warm and makes it very moist.

Relax. And if it goes wrong, laugh, offer champagne and treat it as a floor show.

Some great advice on here. If you want to stretch the turkey for other meals after Christmas - assume your guests are staying afterwards - eg risotto, chinese style pancakes, asian salad, cold cuts etc then a whole turkey is best.

I think a few meals prepped ahead is OK but sometimes I like escaping to the kitchen to cook to get away from everyone, I find all the company a bit much by Christmas Eve Boxing Day. And there's only so much sitting around I can do, I'm not very good at it. What I do object to is laying the table, clearing away and washing up after every meal - you need to delegate these tasks very clearly either straight off or at the start of each meal.

Re the internet delivery - I also do this, but inevitably there are some missing items, so I normally get the internet shop by 21 Dec and then plan a dash at an odd hour to the local supermarket on 23rd, to include the veg. We also tried running the gauntlet with our turkey last year, leaving it til Christmas Eve as the previous year Waitrose reduced their Norfolk Bronze ones to half price. Typically, this didn't happen last year. Even on Christmas Eve mid afternoon, there were loads of turkeys to be had in the 4 supermarkets DH visited in town at work, so I wouldn't worry about empty shelves.

Totally agree with the theskiinggardener - don't worry about doing everything at the same time, cook the bird first, wrap it in lots of foil and teatowels to keep it warm and then crank up the oven and do everything else. Much less stressful.

One year I made masses ahead, and had about 10 things on the plate incl home made bread sauce, mashed swede, red cabbage, sprouts with bacon, etc etc. Ludicrous - far too much, loads thrown away, this year its just sprouts, carrots, one other veg, roast pots, pigs in blankets and I will buy the bread sauce.

sorry if i sound daft but what are pigs in blankets?

LL bacon wrapped around sausage yumyum

LL did you get an apology and refund from Mothercare?

ah we have them too they are yum :) great name aswell :)

no aristocat i havent recieved either :( i am still furious with them!!

Get the turkey out of the fridge well in advance to allow it to come up to room temperature - fridge-cold meat will affect cooking timings.

Stuff the turkey with a sausagemeat stuffing under the skin - this keeps it really moist even if you keep forgetting to baste like I do

I do canapes rather than a sit-down starter. It's nice to have some picky bits ready for when people arrive, or if you've cocked up the dinner and are running a bit late. You can get on with the cooking while others eat if need be.

Good idea re cold pudding as well. I usually do a chocolate torte, and then christmas cake and cheese later on in front of the telly.

Don't forget- ENJOY IT :)
I first did Christmas at our house two years ago. I loved it so much, after going to my dad's for years, that I'd be gutted about not doing it now. My dad likes coming here so all's well. There's DH and I, our two DDs, my sister and her DP, and my DDad.
last year I did a turkey crown, guinea fowl (DH gets them from his work), pigs in blankets, mash, roasties, carrots/peas/broccoli. Puding was Nigella's chocolate christmas cake with cream which was gorgeous.
I always keep out a snack selection so people can graze, it really cuts down on cooking. Making mulled wine/cider/punch helps too :o