Christmas Dinner Menu Planning: The Topic

[mikeycook]

Main Dishes

Beef Short Ribs

Pork Loin w/Fig Sauce

Braised Quail

Lobster-Corn Chowder

Bacalao a-Pil-Pil

Macaroni and Cheese

Sweet Yams

Potatoes in the Style of Quercy

Asparagus in Asparagus Sauce

Dessert

Chocolate Souffle

Christmas Pudding

Homemade Nougat

[tejon]

Simple menu this year:

Lunch:

creamy lentil soup with bacon

fresh baked bread

clementines

Nibbles:

Spiced nuts

Crudites

Spiced salt for dipping

Lemoncello

Dinner:

Salad with caramelized apples, feta, and pecans

Roast Prime Rib with jus

Horseradish sauce

Broccoli seasoned with garlic and turmeric

Roasted potatoes

Grandma's rolls

Gewurztraminer

Dessert:

Pecan Chantilly

Korova cookies

Meringues

Ruby Port

[mizducky]

Once again, this singleton will be going to church for the Christmas Day meal--this time a potluck just for members of the congregation, for which I understand the volunteer-elves will be making several turkeys and encouraging others to bring all kinds of sides. I've decided to go distinctly non-traditional with my contribution: I'll be making some kind of Asian rice noodle salad. I'm pretty sure, from prior experience, that other folks' contributions will range from traditional to far afield--that's what makes it interesting. (Unlike the tales from the topic on scary potluck dishes we have known, my church tends to be pretty decent to pretty danged good with the potluck thang.)

[Basilgirl]

Dinner for the Basilpeople (just the two of us) on Xmas Day will be:

Country ham on biscuits

Sirloin roast cooked in the Set It and Forget It

Yorkshire pudding

Roasted green beans

Cookies, sweeties, etc.

Champagne

[Ling]

Christmas Eve at my house (with my mom's side of the family):

before dinner...

-Pichet Ong's pate choux filled with smoked salmon mousse with dill

-goat cheese mousse in Parm tuiles (French Laundry)

main...

-prime rib

-roast vegetables

-Chinese sticky rice

-sausage, artichoke, sourdough bread stuffing

-a bunch of other Chinese items...like these tiny seasoned meat balls folded inside a thin egg crepe, braised shiitake, some "special" Chinese soup, like the one made with black-skinned chicken or fish maw

desserts...

-a simple cookie tray (Mexican Wedding cookies, shortbread, Grasshopper squares--dark chocolate brownies topped with mint ganache, pecan pie bars, lemon bars)

-the cream puffs filled with whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate

Christmas with my dad's side of the family:

-the same appetizers as above

-mains will be turkey and roast pork, with the usual sides (sweet potato mash, mashed potatoes, peas, stuffing, etc.)

desserts...

-cream puffs

-Tart Grenobloise

-caramel cheesecake

-same cookie tray as the one listed above

[Chufi]

Great dinners!

I'm doing a party for 25 on Christmas Eve. Here's the buffet I'm making:

Puff pastry tartlets with a filling of celeriac, bacon, comte cheese and cream (with home made puff pastry )

Parsnip fritters with blue cheese mayo

Garlic/ginger/coriander meatballs with a hoisin dipping sauce

Tunisian eggplant salad

Green pea/roasted garlic puree

Tortilla rolls with a spicy black bean/chipotle puree, garnished with creme fraiche and coriander

Two types of pizza:

tomato, chorizo and rucola

caramellized onion, anchovies and black olives

Cookie tray:

green tea shortbread with pine nuts and white chocolate

Peanutbutter/oatmeal/chocolatechip cookies

Christmas day we're going to my inlaws (no idea what I will be eating there ).

The 26th we're driving to Belgium with a car full of food, to visit friends who have rented a little house there for the holidays. I will cook that evening, probably a nice warming stew, and I'm definitely making Nigella Lawson's clementine tart.

[Chris Amirault]

I agree with Chufi: all sounds great to me! We've got eight for Christmas Dinner, including three who will have arrived at 4:30 pm after a day-long travel extravaganza starting from rural northwestern Montana. So we're doing a homey bistro style meal using primarily Bourdain's Les Halle Cookbook and the Saveur Authentic French book.

rillettes

crudites

gougeres

soupe de poisson

frisée aux lardons

boeuf bourguignon or daube (haven't decided)

gratin dauphinois

perhaps something verde, non?

tart tatin

[Luckylies]

for ten!

hours d'overs (?) by my sister...

seared fois with nectarine chutney and toast points pomagranite red wine redux

rack of lamb. panko persillade mustard crust

alt dinner for 1. fettucini with a white lobster sauce (cream redux, lobster stock redux, shallots etc)

chocolate cake (molten, joy) ice cream.

[FistFullaRoux]

I'm in charge of the turkey again this year. I'll be doing a combination of Emeril's and Alton's turkey brine recipe, but cooked according to Alton's procedure. I'm making the vegetable stock now that will be used for the brine.

I'm also going to try my hand at a cranberry sauce (with fresh cranberries) with ginger ale and orange as flavors. It's remarkably like Alton's, but different.

My wife has been keeping herself busy with cookies and homemade marshmallows that will accompany. Others are bringing sides and stuff.

My only concern is that we will have to cook the turkey here, then bring it 2 hours north, reheat it, then serve. There are no other options. It has to be done this way. Last year the Thanksgiving turkey survived a 1hr trip quite well, I'm hoping it works out again this year. I'm doing turkey because we were in Louisiana for Thanksgiving, and it's a command performance. So I've become the go-to turkey guy. Not really a bad thing...

edited for typoss

Edited December 23, 2005 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Cut back a bit: here's the final menu:

rillettes

crudités et cornichons

soupe de poisson

frisée aux lardons

daube

gratin dauphinois

tarte tatin

[Abra]

Wow, some of those menus make me feel like getting a plane ticket to your house! And Fistfullaroux, it's wonderful that your wife's well again and making cookies.

For Christmas Eve, for 7, just a little buffet of nibbles:

Baked Feta with Olives and Pita Crisps

Ginger Garlic Hummus and Crudites

Homemade Gravlax with Daniel Rogov's Mustard Sauce

Cheese Plate

Rockdoggydog's Lingonberry Cocktails

Chufi's Parfait - a Dutch bitter almond pudding topped with homemade advocaat

assorted (bought) sweets - panforte, torrone, Turkish delight, pismaniye

Christmas morning (just 5 of us all day)

Chufi's Boterkoek with lots of ginger

big bowl of clemtines

French Twist - yeasted cinnamon raisin bun loaf (I made this today and put it in the freezer - it's so pretty I can't resist posting it)

then, we'll all make tamales together. I'll have everything prepped ahead so we'll just fill, wrap, and steam

Black Tamales with mole

Corn, Cotija, and salsa verde (vegetarian) tamales

Then, I'm sure hoping we'll manage to find room for dinner!

Salad with Herb-Baked Goat Cheese

Dry-aged at home (for a week) Rib Roast with Porcini-Pancetta Sauce

Spinach Madeleine (spicy and creamy)

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Pecans (main dish for the vegetarian, extra starch for the rest of us)

Green Onion Parmesan Popovers

Crushed Peppermint Mini Cheesecakes

Homemade Brandied Plums

Buty 2004 Columbia Valley Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay

Chateau Lamartine 2003 Cuvee Particuliere Cahors

I've been cooking since yesterday, needless to say!

Edited December 23, 2005 by Abra (log)

[Marlene]

For 2 Christmas Day

nibbles

cranberry and brie mini muffins

welsh rarebit bread boxes

Cristal to drink

Main

Beef Fondue

twice baked or oven roasted potatoes

roasted asparagus

1998 Amarone

Dessert

Brie with chili honey

baked apple tartlets

1999 LBV Crofts Port

Boxing Day for 10

Nibbles

mini potato pancakes with apple onion confit

Brie Fritters with raspberry compote

Main

Prime Rib

Roasted Potatoes

Gravy

Yorkshire Pudding

salad or veg, haven't decided

Desserts

I have no clue. My brother insisted on bringing it.

[dockhl]

OK, just 3 of us this year.....

Christmas Eve:

Decorate the tree and open one present

Dinner:

Potato Pancakes with Red Onion creme fraiche and applesauce

Gravlax (in the fridge right now!)

Champagne/pomegranate cocktails

Christmas Day:

Breakfast

Popovers, maple bacon, maybe a strata?

No lunch !

Late afternoon

More gravlax

Pear Martinis with Lemon and Rosemary

Dinner:

Aged Standing Rib Roast (in the fridge since Sunday)

Scalloped Potatoes

Roasted asparagus

Creamed mushrooms

Dessert

Almond crescents

Green Tea shortbread

[FistFullaRoux]

Wow, some of those menus make me feel like getting a plane ticket to your house!  And Fistfullaroux, it's wonderful that your wife's well again and making cookies.

...

←

And that's the best Christmas present I could ever get. I'm thankful for everything else, but that's what I wanted the most...

[Eden]

Dinner for 10 or so on the 25th (christmas, hannukah, festivus etc)

We're planning the following:

Appetizers:

assorted cheeses from Les Fromages Anne-Marie

home cured olives

Some nice local bread

and maybe Abra's Spicy carrot dip

Le Grand Aioli with:

Tiny red white & blue potatoes

Carrots

Green Beans

baby artichokes

hard-boiled eggs

Tomatoes (if fresh enough)

poached chicken

Halibut (instead of cod)

maybe some grilled beef

Provence inspired 13 dessert insanity:

1) Chocolate fondue

2) Lemon lavender cake

3) Plain Cheesecake

4) Raspberries or strawberries

5) Mandarin oranges

6) Bananas

7) apples or pears

8) Scottish shortbread

9) Pomp al'huile (orange flavored brioche)

10) Home-made caramels (aka crack!)

11) Black currant Ice-cream

12) ginger cake

13) eggnog Ice-cream

I haven't poked in the wine cabinet yet, but Port with dessert for sure, and I'm thinking of making a batch of Gluhwein to warm folks up when they first arrive.

Edited December 23, 2005 by Eden (log)

[Jennifer Iannolo]

Abra, that French Twist looks exquisite!

This Christmas dinner was an exercise in frustration for me. Unlike most years, this year there are NO KIDS (!!!) attending, and only ten adults. We normally have about twenty people, so it's a...challenge...to do anything but a buffet. Naturally, I wanted to take supreme advantage of this low head-count to do a plated six-course menu to celebrate, with paired wines and all.

Sigh. Alas, I was met with "What's that?...I don't know if I'm going to like that...Will there be mashed potatoes?"

I've had to back off a bit, which in the end will save me some time in the kitchen, but I'm still going to grumble all the way through. My first menu was FABULOUS -- I even did plating diagrams for each course.

In any case, this is the (yawn) menu we're having:

Apps:

Stuffed mushrooms

Shrimp with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

(EDIT: Forgot the first course!!!)

First Course: Stuffed Shells (Large pasta shells stuffed with ricotta/mozzarella/pecorino romano/egg/parsley mixture, drizzled with Mom's sauce)

Main Course:

Chateaubriand with Madeira Butter

Sauteed baby spinach with caramelized onions

Spiced Carrots

Roasted purple, red, and gold potatoes (NO MASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Dinner rolls

Cheese board with honeyed pears, date and nut bread

Dessert:

Pineapple Timbales with Lemongrass Creme and Mint Syrup (I *insisted* on keeping this)

Dessert Part II:

Chocolate-Drizzled Macaroons

Rugulah

Chocolate Cheesecake Drops

All followed by very strong drinks to toast the meal that almost was.

Edited December 23, 2005 by Jennifer Iannolo (log)

[Abra]

Jennifer - get them to allow you to serve one plated course, preferably the first course. Then they can see how nice it is and next year you can expand it.

[Jennifer Iannolo]

Jennifer - get them to allow you to serve one plated course, preferably the first course.  Then they can see how nice it is and next year you can expand it.

←

I like your strategy. However, I think I might save it for the dessert course, as the first is somewhat humdrum (stuffed shells -- which I forgot to list). If we didn't have pasta they would revolt.

ETA: Of course, the fact that I am able to voice such scenarios publicly makes the grief easier to bear: Forging a Feast

A copy of this will be on the table along with the menu. Muahahahaha.

Edited December 23, 2005 by Jennifer Iannolo (log)

[Bridgestone]

As usual, a Swedish Julbord:

- Swedish ham (cured but not smoked). Ecological and picked up from a local farm. It will either be baked or boiled and coated with a mixture of egg yolks and mustard before being coated with breadcrumbs and quickly seared under the broiler.

- Small sausages and meatballs. The sausages are like small, high-quality, smoked hotdogs and the meatballs are homemade from a meat mixture of ground chuck and prosciutto

- Pickled herring (3 types: traditional "onion", creamy curry and creamy garlic)

- homemade Najadlax (cold-smoked gravadlax) and hot-smoked salmon

- Hard-boiled egg halves with bleakfish cavier

- Pickled beets

- Red cabbage cooked with onions, allspice, cloves, orange juice and stock

- Jansson's temptation. Potato gratin made with Swedish "anchovies" (they have, like most traditional Swedish foods, a salty-sweet brine), potatoes cut into matchsticks, milk/cream and butter.

- Swedish Christmas bread.

- Cheddar, Vacherin mont d'or (o.k., not Swedish but available and too good to miss!)

Have a couple bottles of 2002 Isabel Pinot Noir which works well with the heavy but varied tastes on the buffet. Swedish Christmas beer as well as mumma (a mixture of porter, Christmas beer, a soda similar sweetened club soda, port and/or sherry and spices including cardamon, dried seville organe peel and cloves) and snaps, as well.

I usually skip dessert but the kids will probably want "Ris ala Malta" - rice porridge mixed with sweetened whipped cream and served with fruit salad. We've got plenty of homemade saffron buns and chocolate toffee on hand to have with coffee afterwards, too.

Happy Holidays!

[Thesorus]

men for 6 1/2 ( the 1/2 is my niece, who a 42 months eat about anything !!! )

appetisizers : sashimi, and other fish related finger food ( salmon tartare, pressed sushi, ... )

First course : fois gras, port jelly, toasts ( a classic in the familly )

Trou normad : rosemary granité ( with vodka )

Main course : Rack of lamb, string gren beans.

Cheese : will see what is good tonight or tomorrow morning

Dessert : good Chocolat, dried fruits, nuts, ...

[cacao]

Great thread

Christmas eve dinner for two:

steamed leeks in a mustard vinagrette

Roast whole duck Peking style, with pomegranate glaze served

with winter wild mushroom fig sauce

fingerling potatoes and gold turnips roasted in duck fat

baked figs with sweet wine soaked blackberries and hoemmade vanilla ice cream

... anyone ever make duck soup from a duck carcass? My Grandmother used to make turkey soup in that way... ought to work with duck, no? WOuld make nice leftovers for

Christmas day....

[Jennifer Iannolo]

Remind me to come to your house next year.

[Genny]

Just the two of us this year. (After the melee of Thanksgiving this was most welcome ) I kind of "winged it" according to our whim.

Christmas Eve:

(started w/ pomegranite martini)

Prime Rib (roasted @170 for about 5-6 hours...OMG this was amazing! I highly recommend it)

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes (skin on)

Parmesan Creamed Spinach

(w/ 2001 Pascal Merlot)

Butter Cookies & homemade toffee for dessert

Christmas Day:

Noshed for lunch: foie gras terrine, left over prime rib, dulce blue cheese, derby cheddar, Drunken Goat cheese, carrots, celery, radishes, pickles, cucumber, apple, pear, orange, assorted crackers and toasted brioch.

Dinner: needed something simple so I made a linguini carbonara.

Monday: we both have off work so I think we will have the filet mingion tournedos that were supposed to be Christmas dinner. And I figured I'd top it with the foie gras and serve with hericot vert and sweet potato puree. Hmmm, will that go together OK?

Happy Holidays everyone!

[Richard_D]

We had a bit of change this year with no turkey.

We started with a few slices of smoked duck breast, salmon, a little prawn cocktail and a few gherkins and olives.

After a suitable break we hit the main course of a sirloin of beef (that had been hung for 4 weeks), potatoes roasted in goose fat, yorkshire puddings, carrots, broccoli, green beans, pigs in blankets, honey parsnips and gravy.

Then christmas pud and brandy cream

It was all washed down a glass or two of sparkling shiraz and some Torres Gran Sangre.

I'm still full now......

[Jaymes]

We had a bit of a change this year, too....

Instead of the turkey, we had a pork tenderloin stuffed with dried fruits -- apricots, prunes - and braised in Madeira and molasses.

Fabulous.