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.

I've posted a question about nibbles for drinks on the Nigella webchat thread. Hope she answers. If not, it will be blinis with assorted toppings and roast spicy nuts.

I'm posting this in Poncetastic because I suspect it'll get poncier more responses faster (because this is urgent, obviously ) than if I posted in general Food.

ok. Assuming DSs are both well and healthy and manage not to injure themselves over Christmas, necessitating a hospital dash - DH and I would like to get a little bit ratted. In a naice, and preferably poncy way. I'd love to have Bellinis, but peaches are out of season, darling. (am choosing to ignore the fact that these tend to be drunk before meals rather than once the bloody children are in bed) What do you do if you can't get ripe peaches? Can you get decent long-life peach juice or puree intended for cocktails? I'm thinking that the sort of granular 'nectar' you can buy in cartons will be minging, and a cruel and unusual use of decent sparkling wine.

Reshape Mmmnn I love peach Bellinis. if you live near a waitrose or better nr london with time to visit Fortnums or similar you'll find good quality peach juice or nectar and fresh peaches. If they're not ripe you could gently simmer in a little fructose or sugar and water this would also make the skins easy to remove.

If not maybe with raspberries.

MoondogWe always do nibbles for apero's etc. with good quality low salt corn chips, organic preferably, as they go soft easily we crisp them up in the oven. Olives soaked to remove that terrible vinegary salty dressing they always put them in; DH makes a lovely olive oil,garlic and fresh thyme and lemon juice dressing instead. I make a haricot bean houmous type dip with tahini, cumin, sweet paprika, lemon juice and olive oil.

Sounds lovely Ppeat.
Tapenade effectively.

Reshape, I'd not bother knowing you are not going to get good peaches or nice juice.
It's kinda summery too.
I'd go for a more wintery feel with dark berries.
Can't go wring with a kir royale either.

I do less fancy stuff as I grow older (I was the sort of person who was handrolling bloody phyllo pastry at the age if 14).
Simple, well cooked, top quality, and not an excessive choice otherwise it becomes like one of those grotesque hotel buffets with seafood in one cxorner, panckaes in 't'other, pizzas over here, noodles there. You end up so anxious about missing somethnig you don't enjoy it or stuff yourself silly.

reshape here Obviously not as fragrant as fresh white peach but needs must and it's still naice.

Actually I think you're better off with a Kir Royale too - or how about using Chambord? We did this last year and it was delicious.

Would it be totally out of the question to purée tinned peaches?

Getorf I have before me Claudia's book if there is owt you want to know, though ppeat and abs have got a much better idea than me of what is required. DP is adamant that they should be a. cold and b. sweet. This is apparently because he is of Polish stock and the Polish gefilte fish uses much more sugar than other versions. By which Claudia reckons 3 tbs for a kilo of fish, plus extra in the stock.
The fried version is apparently only found in Britain, and is (I'm quoting here) the result of the influence of Jews of Portuguese origin on the cooking of immigrants from E Europe. Also usually served cold.
Agent no, not in ED, we're in SL, Glasgow, but very very south, almost EK. We used to live in Queen's Park (when I say in...), so we usually go over there when it's on. Mostly for the Tapa brownies.

Reshape some of the drinks companies (and possibly Twatrose iirc) do little foil pouches of peach purée for peach Bellinis. They were OK not great, but better than peach juice. I'm v excited by the clementine bellinis. They are now on The Schedule for Christmas eve.

On Christmas Day I shall be drinking three things.
Tea
This English fizz that is absolutely delicious.
And Port (yet to be bought by dh, that is his department)

Quantities and timings are flexible. Although things would have to be pretty bad if I was having port with my toast and marmalade for breakfast.

midnight that's the other thing that was revolting about gefilte fish they were SWEET Yeuch!! And cold!!! Can you tell I've tried them once a LONG time ago.

That English fizz does look nice slubber We're having the most gorgeous Rose pettillant from Saumur that I was talking about earlier.

moondog IKWYM we go for the best ingredients and simple cooking but not OVER cooking. There's a restaurant that we used to go to quite a lot but it has got so up it's axxx in it's quest for a 2nd Mich. star it's no fun and you can't relax.

I don't know if you'd agree but 2 great French customs are aperos for the neighbours and going out for christmas eve supper (but getting back in time for a good sleep before the Day!).

Ha. I thought I'd seen something in the cocktails section at Twatrose. Might give them a try but I do love Kir Royale... Might even have some Super Cassis left somewhere.

Clementine Bellinis sound lush also, but I'd want to nibble my way through a lot of clementines before finding the ones that were tart enough, otherwise it's going to be a bit Buck's Fizz-y.

The Funkin' foil cocktail mixers are pretty good, I'd recommend the Mojito mix and then the Marguarita mix, the peach stuff was not to my taste (boggin').

Am intrigued by clementine Bellinis but I struggle to find well flavoured clementines.
Yesterday I bought some pounced up Clementines from M&S - hand selected for flavour etc - and they are still flavourless, Waitrose oranges are bland too - so where to buy good ones?

Any spotted blood oranges in the shops yet?

Actually Co Op have some really nice clementines in at the moment - their specially selected range or whatever its called. The ones from the grower Miguel Viana are really delicious, everything a clementine should be.

I think we should start a Citrus Watch thread, where people post up when and where they have had a really decent orange/satsuma/clementine etc. I'm so fed up with buying tasteless pappy ones.

Feeling a bit sick now reading this thread. Normally I am super organised and have my Christmas menu all written out and well researched. This year I haven't thought about it and I have 7 of us for Christmas Eve, 11 for Christmas day, 7 again for Boxing Day and then wait for it...17 adults for a Casablanca themed new year's eve party (and that's ignoring the 12 children I need to feed first and get shod of them).

I think I'm going to have to keep things simple for Christmas and for new year, would love some Morrocan suggestions. I am definitely doing Nigella's Lamb and pomegrante tagine as one of them as it is the dog's hairy bollocks. But need a chicken tagine of some sort plus sides suggestions.

For people wanting Christmas breakfast ideas, a few years back I made parsnip rostis, served with either salmon or ham on top, topped with a poached egg and a side of roast on the vine tomatoes. Were very yum and the rostis can be made in advance and frozen.

I can very highly recommend Nigel Slater's baba ganoush and Molly Wizenberg's (the blogger Orangette) white bean hummus as dippy/startery/buffet-spread-y items. We have polished off a batch of each over a game of Scrabble this evening. We are so rock'n'roll it hurts.

josh I like the idea of parsnip rostis 'cos I don't eat potatoes. I made a parsnip dauphinois last week it was delish. Blimey you'd need to be highly organised for all those guests I 'd forget the ponciness IIWY!!

I don't own a tagine they look beautiful but as DH hates stews we don't think we'd use it much 'cos i don't eat much meat ! (I'm fast loosing my ponciness rating aren't I?).

Just making my Dan Lepard mincemeat

Any suggestions for Christmas specialities from Spain (Barcelona) in particular. DS is over there at the moment and has promised to bring some stuff back - thinking jamon, almonds ... ?
(I'm probably not up to this thread having made Delia mincemeat)

I like the idea of a citrus watch, esp if it is to include the fleeting appearance of seville oranges. I am thinking of making marmalade infused with crushed coriander seeds this time. I have also been pondering the reasons for the decline of the satsuma. I am a sucker for a sweet baggy-skinned satsuma, but they seem to be much less common these days - replaced by the clementine in the supermarkets' affections.

Tagine-type dishes - have you tried Ottolenghi cookbooks for this sort of thing? I don't have one, but iirc they are very good on that sort of thing.

LOL at pesephoney's hedonistic Friday night. I actually went out last night. Was driving and therefore not drinking a drop and still feel like a big pile of garbage this morning. Tsk.

Spain - how about turron?

Yes, I am considering turron, though am addicted to South African nougat especially the one with macadamia nuts ... though perhaps I could manage both the nougat and some turron?

For Christmas Eve, we're just going to do a couple of roasted Camemberts with good bread, crackers, radishes etc. I am another one who hates buffets with something from everywhere and none of it going together. However, dp will insist on pork pie (lowers the tone!).

For nibbles, I like pitta bread and feta cheese/green chilli dip, plus nice olives etc.

Love this thread. Love it.

We are flying in the face of Christmas day this year and eating out in a (wonderful) Thai restaurant, so i am not doing all the planning and prep I would normally do.

We will probably just batter sip on champers before dinner, but I do like a good cocktail and I may make Pomegranate Martinis or 'Christmastinis' - which use vanilla vodka, creme de cacao and Chambord raspberry liquer and are divine (and not as sickly as it sounds).

Lilymaid of course you're up to this thread if you've MADE some mincemeat ! IMO Delia's is a nice recipe; I do put more booze in it (in fact I soak the fruit in booze for a week or so before making it!!) than she says and less sugar but still it's good. Actually when I made the cake,pudding etc. I used the one mincemeat mixture for everything thereby making it all easier and no one knew the difference!!

Eatmedates I know there's a hell of a lot of fuss and stress involved in Xmas lunch but oddly i would MISS it so much if we didn't do it IYSWIM. Those Christmastinis sound lethal to me esp. before dinner .

Blimey, a Thai and a Christmastini.
Brave woman.
ME, marmalade infused with coriander sounds divine.

Sorry, Bagpuss, missed your question re mash.
Very simple. Equal quantities of carrot and parsnip and swede.
Start boiling carrot first, then add the swede. Parsnip comes later as cooks quicker. When you can slide the point of a kinfe through all, drain and mash, adding salt, pepper and nutmeg. I tend not to add extra fat/butter to vegetables accompanying meat.

It's so delicious. Perfumed, almost.