Ok I am resurrecting Christmas menu for uber food ponces discussion. Purchasers of Tesco mince pies and Bacardi Breezers need not apply.

[moondog]

I need details of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and NYE food and drink.

No, no, no to jelly in trifle.

Christmas Eve port and raspberry trifle =

layer of sponge (madeira best)
slurp port all over sponge
layer of raspberries
slurp port all over raspberries
layer of sponge
more port
custard
cream

Make a syrup from sugar and more port and chill it.

Drizzle the syrup over the trifle just before serving and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

As the lovely 'Blur' said - There's no other way.

The nicest trifle I ever had was a peach melba trifle - containing softly set homemade peach jelly - and it was dee-lish-uss.

I think I prefer jelly in my trifle, but it has to be homemade jelly made with fresh fruit juice/muscat etc and set very lightly using leaf gelatine so that it slips down like a satiny melty delight. I don't see how anyone can object to that.

So ner.

Oh now getorf, gefilte fish I might be able to help with. DP is Jewish, so I shall ask him about required mouthfeel etc. I also have Claudia Roden's Jewish Food book (bought for him by my DM, I think as some sort of weird gesture of goodwill between the (both utterly non-practising) faiths. She seems to think he is some sort of rabbi.

All of which to say, I'll have a look at it tomorrow and get back to you.

Ooh thank you midnight.

I am hoping that the Nigella recipe is somehow correct, as she has jewish heritage. It looks a lot easier (and less spooky) than that can of fish, I must say.

I think we will eat them hot, or warm, though. I don't really like the idea of eating them cold.

If there's something I REALLY hate it's jellied eels and IMO and E gefilte fish are on the same level as the eels YUUUUKKKK; old boiled up fish and bones with no flavour in a jellyey potatoey mix.

Oh YES Remuslupins That's how a trifle should be!!

midnightexpress I suspect your nearest farmer's market may be the same as mine. Do you live in ED?

The Manischewits gefilte fish in a glass jar is pretty good (it doesn't look good, but on the whole gefilte fish is an acquired taste).
It has to be cold; warm gefilte fish is just odd. Best served with chrain and challah. Soooooo nice (poor DP is well upset; he's Sephardi and me being a gefilte and chrain loving Ashkenazi is sometimes a bit much for him. Particularly last week when I told him I was craving it. He nearly cried).

Abs I'm half Ashkenazi; well I think D was Ashkenazi (his parents were from Lithuania and Russia) so we didn't have much Jewish food I DO remember My goy mum making a mean cholent though!! I always loved toasted challah and pnut butter after school as well.

Is chrain the gently pickled cucumbers?

If your family's from eastern Europe, then you're most likely Ashkenazi.

Chrain is a type of pickled horseraddish stuff that's normally red/dark purple.

ThanksAbs That's what they serve at the Passover supper isn't it? to symbolise the bitterness. I didn't like it!

Either that or just horseradish or other bitter herbs

Do you celebrate Christmas Abs? If so what's on your menu for that day or for NYE?

No, not at all.

For NYE, no idea at the moment - I don't know where we'll be.

Get0rf - I've never been a siever - never found it particularly gritty either. I can imagine the texture would be incredible if you could be bothered with the faff though.

Sooooo, what's everynoe up to on the booze front?
Are you folks who do nibbles?

Tesco Premier Cru Champagne got 6 a couple of bottles when it was on offer.

tesco zinfandel is brilliant

nibbles: smoked salmon and blinis, mini yorkshire puddings. rare roast beef and horseradish, parmaesan cheese straws...

Booze = winter Pimms and ginger beer / Amaretto and cranberry juice / Prosecco and something with Christmas lunch (some sort of nice puree or juice but don't know what yet, or maybe a splash of raspberry liqueur / Baileys hot chocolates on Christmas Eve - I suspect none of those are poncey enough for the purposes of this thread though.

Oh and port, of course.

Booze wise we do black Russians on Christmas eve. Ot sure why, but is tradition - my mum always used to make me one before I went out to the pub with friends for Christmas eve. Delicious.

Ooh pretty

Not at all Remus, soundfs great.
I love the sound of winter PImms.
Ilove, that's a really nice Champagne-far nicer than a lot of more expensive stuff.