I have to admit, I'm a feeder.
I love to make mounds of food to love and nourish those I love, - and those lucky enough to come into the restaurant! I can't help it. I love to do it, and they have to eat anyway, so we might as well do it in style.
I perfectly understand that Christmas is about many other things than just food and presents, but this is a food blog after all, so this shall be my focus today.
Due to Unforeseen Circumstances (see previous post) and Major Complications with my oven, we 'decided' to enjoy our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day this year. My fantastically talented BigJ managed to source and install a brand new element for my oven on Christmas Eve, but it then had to be burnt in and tested and we made other arrangements for the big day. A few issues had to be faced as my oven is a European model and the element wasn't the exact match, but BigJ drew on his electrician roots and rose to the occasion.
Unfortunately, this did mean that we went without a gingerbread house this year and a few other seasonal goodies, but I promise we will make up for it during the year and just wait for next Christmas's bounty! I can assure you that we didn't actually feel the need for more food, there was certainly more than enough to go round!
This is what we enjoyed for our meal:
Roast Pork Belly - the crackle to meat ratio is unbeatable, and the meat is soft and juicy
Roast Chicken - stuffed with garlic and lemon to subtly flavour the meat
Baked Lamb - crispy skin, rosy flesh, always a favourite
Gluten Free Gravy - made with all the pan drippings, a splash of wine and roasted garlic
Baked Potatoes - cooked in duck fat for crispy outside and fluffy middle
Creamy Potato Bake - with lactose free cream and smoked ham
Tri Colour Carrots - yellow, purple and orange! Braised with baby leeks and garlic butter
Various Condiments - apple sauce, spicy plum sauce, mint jelly
Dessert: Frozen Berry Mess - tastier than it sounds! Chunks of meringue, berry sorbet, vanilla ice cream and raspberries deliciously mixed together
Drinks: for me- sparkling strawberry wine (a tradition) for him- apple cider, for the Juniors- sparkling apple and strawberry juice
We also had in reserve a huge smoked ham and a smoked leg of lamb, but decided that although the spirit was willing, the flesh was full, and we would enjoy these later in the week.
Look at those potatoes!!!! Duck fat will do that - it is good to do that on special occasions, nothing quite like a duck fat potato :) I love the look of your berry dessert too! I ate lots of meat this year - turkey, pork, stuffing - it was glorious!
ReplyDeleteHeidi xo
Haazaaahhhh to BigJ. Oh for a talented electrician to save the day (I mean oven). Lady... you did gooooooood !!! :) I'm embarrassed to say I could snitch a potato from your bounty fair lady (embarrassed because how in the heck can I fit it in)... but what can I say.... I'm addicted... I love Xmas. Ahmen
ReplyDeleteI'm likin' your frozen berry mess..., it looks very dainty.... perhaps you should rename it!!! ;)
Oh good to know that you got your oven fixed Rebecca! Delicious looking spread-agree about the crackling to meat ratio being good for that! :)
ReplyDeleteIt does not really matter if you celebrated on the actual day. What matters is good food and love shared with family and friends
ReplyDeleteLook at that spread! So glad you had a great Christmas and that BigJ was such a superstar and able to fix the oven! All the best to you and your wonderful family for a wonderful 2011! xxx
ReplyDeleteFrozen berry mess sounds so good! Belated Merry Christmas to you, and all the best for 2011 :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I will be over for leftovers pronto!! What an amazing feast. And what a wonderful celebration, regardless of when you celebrated! Happy New Year to you and your family!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely Christmas post! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful feast, regardless of being enjoyed a little later than usual. Happy new year! Here's to wonderful food and fun in the year ahead :)
ReplyDeleteEverything look amazing! I need that berry mess in my life! YUM!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so fantastic. Boy you really do go all out! Thank you so much for the note you left my son Alex on our blog. I read it to him and he smiled. That was very sweet of you.
ReplyDeletewow - you sure know how to put on an awesome Xmas spread! And those tri colour carrots are just too wonderful!
ReplyDeleteA question about the tri colour carrots-yes they look great. Can you just buy the purple ones by themselves?
ReplyDeleteHello Lovely Readers,
ReplyDeleteThe start of another year! I hope you all had a nice break over the holidays.
Non Dairy Queen,Y and Heidi, I'll be posting about this soon, and it's Yummy!
Autism Mom Rising, you're more than welcome. There is no reason for Alex not to shoot for his dreams.
Hi Lisa and Simcha, yes the carrots are all available in their segregated colours, but I believe in integration! THe funny thing was that the orange carrots were very highly flavoured, the purple ones less so, and they bled just like beets, and the lemon ones were quite bland. By the time I braised them with the leeks and added the garlic butter, they blended and integrated harmoniously.
Thankyou to everyone else for your kind comments and good wishes!
The purple ones have a subtle flavor and do bleed that is why they are sooo good in a drink. You get a wonderful colour with the sublime taste of carrots all wrapped up in a fermented drink. Ill gladly give you the recipe :)
ReplyDeleteWow! :O :O :O Did you make all those foods? That's amazing! And everything looks so good! :D
ReplyDeleteMy mom made a venison potroast for Christmas dinner this year. We had it with Brussel sprouts, carrots, and potatoes. My mom and me aren't big eaters, and since I don't eat sugar and wheat anymore, I don't indulge in desserts or pies anyway, so I eat pretty much like otherwise on Christmas, with regard to the amount I eat. Nevertheless, I eat WAY better food-wise on Christmas: game and roastbeef and a lot of yummy veggies, that's more sophisitcated than I'm used to.