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.

Ooh, thanks moondog, it's on my list - dh looked at me like this . I thought as much re the extra fat. I'm planning on braised red cabbage too, although my mil usually makes and freezes ahead and then passes appropriate sized portions around the family, but she hasn't done so this year so I am doing it instead. I also have bought the ingredients for Nigellas chilli jam today too, then realised I haven't enough jars so now need an urgent trip to lakeland!

Re: drinks and nibbles, we tend to stick to g&t and a selection of nuts and crackers/pretzels (I have been to m&s for these ) and I plan to make some cheese sables flavoured with sea salt or cumin seeds as well. This should see us through I hope! Tesco do a good cava too which we tend to open for when the inlaws descend (tis only £5 ish a bottle!).

Some years ago SIL served the brandy butter with the sprouts rather than with the Christmas pud. It was foul.

Christmas Eve we will be having pierrade with steak and chicken, raclette with ham and gherkins etc, and cheese fondue for the veggies.

Why?
Was she pissed?
What a nutter.

Raclette.
Smashing.
Nowt like it.
A bit heavy though no?

No Moondog, she just seemed to think that was what you did. As we were all staying with her and she was a fairly new SIL we did not feel able to comment. It was about 20 years ago but it's always a case of "do you remember S and the brandy butter" when we get to the sprouts on Christmas day.
Raclette - no not too heavy for us, and we have lots of salad things carrots celery etc for dipping into fondue as well as bread. Love it! Puts everyone in an Alpine mood.

Yum to raclette. I wondered about doing it for Christmas Eve but decided the baked Camembert would be less faff.

Who deos a good stuffing?
I need fresh inspiration.

moondog I always wing it with stuffing and end up with something nice, but not perfect. My MIL does a lovely chestnut and porcini one but I don't know the recipe.

Gah. I wasn't going to do a fish course but my dad has just called to say he'd got a bargain on some turbot and it's being delivered on Christmas eve. Shall I just fry it and make a capery lemony butter sauce? Or try something fancier?

Just have as it is.
It will be lovely.
ou don't need to overdo it, especially the night before Christmas.

Dh does a fab stuffing ;- use 3 large chopped onions and 4 garlic cloves fry right down in goose fat or butter then add dried porcini mushrooms (presoaked) and a mix of the best sausage meat and or minced pink veal and gently cook using the mushroom liquor with a drop of water if needed to loosen. Then add cooked whole chopped chestnuts and half a glass of brandy. Put in a loaf tin and bake with yr. bird.

That is very rich and poncey of course. I make a veg. stuffing with the chopped onions and garlic, celery, carrots cooked in olive oil then add chestnut puree with some chopped up whole cooked ones and spelt or rye breadcrumbs aand the same porcini mushrooms and bake. It's still delicious but not so heart stoppingly rich!!! It's already in the freezer so one less thing to worry about on Xmas Eve.

That sounds very nice indeed.

Sadly our nice little xmas eve restaurant is not opening for Le veille Noel this year so we're having mussels and trout with a hollandaise and maybe a spinach tart if i've got the time .

Okay have any of you uber poncey foodies got fresh ideas for truffles? we went to a Trufffle Fete yesterday and have the piece of truffle sitting on the shelf i'm going to grate some on scrambled eggs for Xmas day brekkie.

Last time we had truffles we made the mistake of cooking them at all apparently.

I think what you are donig sounds lovely.
You could do with posh pasta or in a risotto but poss. overkill with all the other rich food.
Lucky you.

I am having to rethink Christmas Eve dinner of fresh crab or lobster as it's too rough for the fishing boats to go out.

Ooh justtrying we have 2 bottles of camel valley left and can't wait!

Thanks moon HAVE A LOVELY FOODIE XMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Christmas menu this year will be
amuse bouche - Foie gras on brioche toasts with homemade sauternes jelly on top

soup (espresso cup-full!) - creamed , butter roasted croutons, wild mushroom soup with truffle oil

starter - undecided

main course - beef wellington with port jus, braised oxtail and gratin dauphinoise, fine green beans and roasted parsnips

desert - st emilion au chocolat

drinks and wines will be those which we enjoy , rapsberry/clementine bellinis when everyone gets here, I have a few wines which we've been keeping in the rack for xmas, a Marcel dieus Gewurtztraminer, Saint Romain White Burgundy, Montagny Premier Cru, no doubt a bottle of Sauternes with pud!

Foie Gras...really?

Ppeatfruit - yes to grating the trufle on your breakfast eggs, but meanwhile store it in a jar of risotto rice. It will perfume the rice so you can make the most delicious risotto next time you have homemade chicken stock.

I am late to this thread, but am going to join in despite my Poncetastic leanings being seriously curtailed this year by newborn twins. Fortunately I too live in France so I am going to shop very well - many I our meals will more or less be about presentation. For the meal itself it'll just be me, DH, DD (5) and the boys so a whole turkey is a bit de trop. I may downsize to a guinea fowl or do rib of beef, with an eye on the leftovers. also I am giving myself the day off breastfeeding so I can appreciate some seriously good Burgundy. I still need to menu plan but I expect we will start things off with our favourite cocktail which is cremant (as discussed above) with Campari and blood orange juice. We might go with clementine juice (no problem getting lovely clementines here) to ring the changes. I am going to do scallops with smoked bacon and split pea purée as a starter. We'll get a buche de Noel from our next door patisserie too, and there'll be a permanent plate of clementines, nuts, crystallised ginger, dark chocolate and marrons glacées to pick at.

Oh, and at some point we'll have a whole baked Vacherin.

Babyinacorner - I went to Montagny a couple of years ago. Did you know that, anomalously, all wines produced there are labelled Premier Cru? (I love a good white burgundy too)

ppeat Hope your champagne is Grand Cru If not, I can give you a source at ~?14 a bottle.

We're having foie gras too - well dh and I are. Dd, recently turned vegetarian, asked as only a 15-year old can do "Isn't foie gras vegetarian, then?". It will either be cheapie stuff from the village shop, or more expensive stuff produced by someone on the council - depends how much grovelling.

Main course will be salmon with a lovely cream/butter/tarragon/parsley out of Jane Grigson

Pudding - traditional pudding made to my great-aunt's pre-war Atora cook book recipe. Already made, and festering under Cointreau as I type.