Christmas Dinner
What are people having for Christmas dinner this year?
I figured this would be a nice Christmas thread for everyone to waste some time on
This isn't a debate about what food is the best, except vegetarian which isn't allowed (joke), I'm just curious as to whether people prefer a traditional approach or not.
This counts drinks as well.
For example in my family we never have turkey. We normally have pork, beef or duck(though we have been known to try other things such as veal or venison). The joint is accompanied by all sorts of roasted veg(spuds,carrots, broccoli etc.) we make pig in blankets and have PROPER GRAVY. On boxing day my mum also cooks a ham joint glazed in orange (a tradition in my family). We drink beer(obviously), whiskey, champagne(not actually champagne), wine(including mulled wine) and we generally finish off a bottle of something used in the cooking(normally sherry or port I think).
Please share the sorts of things you eat for Christmas dinner and any family traditions/preferences that deviate from the "normal" Christmas experience.
I figured this would be a nice Christmas thread for everyone to waste some time on
This isn't a debate about what food is the best, except vegetarian which isn't allowed (joke), I'm just curious as to whether people prefer a traditional approach or not.
This counts drinks as well.
For example in my family we never have turkey. We normally have pork, beef or duck(though we have been known to try other things such as veal or venison). The joint is accompanied by all sorts of roasted veg(spuds,carrots, broccoli etc.) we make pig in blankets and have PROPER GRAVY. On boxing day my mum also cooks a ham joint glazed in orange (a tradition in my family). We drink beer(obviously), whiskey, champagne(not actually champagne), wine(including mulled wine) and we generally finish off a bottle of something used in the cooking(normally sherry or port I think).
Please share the sorts of things you eat for Christmas dinner and any family traditions/preferences that deviate from the "normal" Christmas experience.
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Comments
I must confess I'm mad for turkey at Christmas. Being Australian, we don't do the whole turkey at Thanksgiving thing, so turkey was always our traditional Christmas lunch meal growing up and I tend to stick with that. Give me turkey, ham, and roast vegetables with gravy, I'm happy. For my wife, it's just not Christmas without the groaning table load of snacks that get munched on throughout the day: homemade chocolates, rumballs, nuts, cheeses, fruits and a ridiculously large bowl of fruit punch. She also had a tradition of making a chocolate ripple cake each year until illness has prevented her enjoying it for the last few years :-(
Starts with Homemade Sea food chowder. Mussels, shrimp, cod, scallops, bacon, and potatoes in a cream broth.
Homemade bake beans made with bacon and maple syrup and other top secret spices.
Roast Beef this year, with a side of mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli served in a cheese sauce, and honey glazed carrots.
Beverages range from white and red wine, to different juices, sodas, beers, and hard liquors.
Dessert is usually some sort of pie (usually homemade apple) severed with ice cream and coffee (with or without irish cream), or tea (different varieties).
Before dinner there is usually things to snack on like different cheeses and crackers, cold cuts, cream filled pastry puffs, Belgian cookies, vegetable and fruit trays and (home made) fruit cake.
Everyone is welcome at our home for Christmas dinner, especially those who have no other place to go. This has more to prevent the family from fighting among themselves and storming off, than anything else though.
Normally, we have ham for Christmas dinner, though I'll be visiting family out-of-state this year, so the dinner plans are all up to them.
If all else fails there's always instant noodles on my shelves.
Even though I'm back in the UK I still can't get over the cognitive dissonance of eating a roast dinner whilst sitting in the shade of a thorn tree in the middle of summer which was par for the course in Africa.
Due to the fact that I come from a long line of scatterlings our family tradition is to play a game called 'who can spend the most on international phone calls' - this Christmas I'll be speaking to family in South Africa (Johannesburg), NZ (Nelson), Canada (Montreal) and the US (Miami) as well as the UK (I really hate time zones).
And Christmas in the summer can't be that weird, it's not like we ever have a white Christmas in the UK anyway.
Beer
Cloudberry cream for dessert
Cant wait - best meal of the year!
I also forgot to mention Tourtiére. How I ever forgot that is beyond me.
Kidding, turkey dinner with all the trimmings. There will be a bottle of scotch involved, however.
Which means chances of nobody bringing food
Entree - Giant Mushrooms stuffed with Stilton
Main - Salmon en Croute with Potatoes Dauphinoise and leak/mushroom/walnut stirfry
Dessert - no added sugar trifle (yep, it's possible! I make it myself)
I hate roast turkey dinners because
1/. They are wayyyy to much work
2/. You can never serve them at the right time so you always get dried out turkey, leatherised roast spuds and mushy sprouts. Served at the right time, and all arriving co-ordiated thats actually a nice meal.
3/. Turkey for two seems a bit sad - even if its just a turkey crown.
Mmmmm roast beef...
Is it wrong that I'm already salivating in anticipation of Christmas?