christmas dinner starters and pudding

[hatwoman]

I was thinking of a glass of fruit juice and maybe black forest gateau.

well, i wasn't, but they reflect the level of inspiration I currently have. any ideas?

the only half-way serious one is a panetonne bread and butter pudding

how about spicy chick pea cakes, they are really easy, and then chocolate torte for pudding....it is really easy believe me!
you'll find them in Delias veg cook books...and they sound dead posh and taste nice...and are cheap and easy!

we never have a starter. Spoils the main course. [esp after nibbles earlier in the morning). Honestly I think the fruit juice is a jolly good idea. Or how about turning it into Bucks Fizz?

No one ever really wants pudding either, we seem to end up forcing down a mince pie! If you're doing a nice choccy cake, isn't it better to save it till teatime when people might actually be hungry again ? B&B pud is a lovely thing but not after xmas lunch...perfect for boxing day after a long walk I'd have thought...

Black forest gateau can be gorgeous.

Dinner is going to be a vast affair but it will last about 8 hours. I will be spacing the course through the day, starting with.

1pm. Starter Chinse chicken, spring onion and noodle soup (nice and light) followed by Thia tuna fishcakes and sweet chilli dip.

A break for washing up etc.

3pm ish. Main cousre. Traditional turkey dinner and all the trimmings.

Break

5 pm ish. Christmas pud and brandy sauce.

Break.

7pm ish, Cheese and crackes with Christmas cake.

All the timings are ish, to allow for time to digest, watch a film etc.

i want to go to discoverlife for xmas dinner...sounds tops x

I do a really simple starter on Xmas Day:

Triangles of brown toast (or small slices of Pumpernickel bread, but I know not everyone likes this...) with smoked salmon, a wedge of lemon and a dollop of dill & creme fraiche dressing. Make the dressing beforehand & refrigerate (half soured cream, half creme fraiche, finely diced red onion, fresh dill, black pepper, a drop of sherry if you fancy...), then it really is as simple as opening a packet of smoked salmon and toasting some bread. Small, plated portions for each person, so it takes the edge of that pre-dinner starvation feeling, but doesn't ruin your appetite.

this year we're having cream of mushroom soup
puddings will be a variety from marks as noone is that good a cook nin my house!

LOL hatwoman, for a minute I thought you were serious. My Mum is the only person in the world who really thinks a glass (well, actually a thimble of fruit juice because you wouldn't want to overdo it and spend all day in the loo ) is a viable starter.

Pavlova in this house for pud. I changed it last year and did two puds, one lemon moussey thing and a chocolate souffle. Souffle was OK, but lemon thing didn't go down so well with DDs so back to pavlova this year. I like soup to start, or mushrooms of some description, but mushrooms don't please DDs, so soup it is.

Saw a nice variation of trifle on 'Christmas Kitchen' yesterday.

Make a fresh custard (or buy a carton of creme anglaise from M&S - I would!), mix in half mascarpone cheese.

Meanwhile, whizz some raspberries & sugar in a blender until you have a thick 'soupy' consistency (I have a friend who makes something similar and she also adds a drop or two of rose essence to the raspberries).

Then, get a shop bought madeira cake and cut out 'discs' of cake with a cookie cutter. Brush each disc with marsala wine.

Layer the mixture in fancy individual serving glasses - some custard, some raspberry mixture, a disc of cake - and regrigerate for an hour or more. Top with a couple of raspberries and some pistachio nuts and serve.

Looked yum.

at 1pm
starter;
smoked salmon fillet
on potato cakes
with wasabi dressing

main
stuffed sliced turkey breast wrapped in bacon
thinly sliced baked ham
with cocktail sausages
sprouts with chestnuts
roast butternut squash
roast potatoes
cranberry sauce
gravy

Pud:
Chocolate and cranberry log
homemade vanilla bean ice cream

pressie opening

then at 6pm
cup of tea or mulled cider
filo mincepies
slice of christmas cake
then send everyone home so we can watch Dr who Christmas special.

Hmm starters I am not sure, I have some nice prawn sin the freezer, but I have not really decided. Pud is trad christmas pud that I made myself with brandy butter (yuck) and iced rum sauce - yum.

Main course is trad turkey and all the whatnots, but I think my main (I am begge) will be a bought in number!!

Message withdrawn

no starter
christmas pudding

You could change the fruit juice for prawn cocktail in a halved avocado and replace the Black Forest Gateau with an orange milk jelly decorated with tinned mandarin segments...

We have scrambled eggs & smoked salmon for breakfast and skip first course at lunch. If we're too late for breakfast then I do smoked salmon on brown bread not unlike LoveAngels.

If you're not having Christmas pudding weirdo then bring out a tray of little pot au chocolats and/or creme brulees and/or teeny cheesecakes.

oooh duchess. milk jelly. I thought that was just the hat house. mum says to me that it felt like putting some nutrition in. I guess she's right! even though I remember loving it (complete with tinned segments) the thought of it now makes me feel vaguely nauseous.

We have Christmas dinner on christmas eve. we'll have 4 adults and 5 kids (our veggie guests have declined. maybe they heard about the lard). part of me wants inspiration. part of me wants to bung some nice meats on a plate and not even eat starter at the table. wnat a nice pud though. having christmas pud proper on christmas day - after jacket pots, cold turkey, cheese, soup etc

No starter at our place on Christmas Day.

Main for DH and DD: pan fried duck breast with marmalde glaze
Main for me: pan fried citrus cod
Veg: very finely chopped and lightly cooked strips of yellow and green courgettes and yellow and orange sweet peppers; potato rosti

Pudding: Christmas Pudding