Festive Food!

L_Volunteer

Yule log for me! Because I am also not keen on Christmas pudding or cake @JoOfVengerberg.

Having said that, I have also seen some free-from-white chocolate and gingerbread pies advertised. I want to try and locate some if I can! 

Steve_in_The_City

@JoOfVengerberg Duck always goes down well. I haven't tried it with marmalade sauce and will look in to that one.

JoOfVengerberg said:

Steve_in_The_City said:

Waitrose do a lovely cinnamon bun. I don't want to be a complete Xmas spoil sport, but I am not keen on Xmas pud or Xmas cake! I eat these buns year round 'cos a bun, like a dog, is just not for Xmas! I go the whole hog, split them in half, butter them in a way that my doctor would not approve of, and then I don't have to wish it was Xmas everyday, because it truly is.  

I'm not really keen on xmas pudding or cake either, mostly because so many of them have alcohol and I don't like the taste (and the cake is like a brick...) I should get back into baking really, though I'm not particularly good at it. Much more of a 'chuck things in a pot and see what happens' person than a precise baking person.

I'm not particularly good at baking either, but I bake bread regularly (not in a bread maker) and the results are very good. Bread making is part of my regular routine, so I don't really think about. I do use a table top mixer to knead the dough, otherwise it is too much like hard work. I make a couple of cakes every month, and I think the best way to describe them would be say they look different but taste nice!

JoOfVengerberg

@Steve_in_The_City I haven't tried marmalade sauce either, I just have a jar of marmalade I don't know what to do with! I tend to just throw things together. Last year I made a sauce from a bottle of white wine, several oranges and herbs and it was delicious. I think having the marmalade as a base will help it along somewhat. I'm going to dry brine the duck with sea salt (because it's what I have, I don't really use table salt) juniper and rosemary, and see how it goes. I love experimenting in the kitchen

Steve_in_The_City

@JoOfVengerberg I love experimenting in the kitchen, too. I Googled Duck with Marmalade Sauce and there were lots of links. I think you are a better cook than you are telling us! I have never had duck with marmalade myself, so can't comment. Two seasonings I do love are Smoked Sea Salt Flakes and Porcini Mushroom Powder. The powder seems expensive, but a little goes a long long way. I always put a pinch on top of a fried egg, it seems to transform the flavour. I also like Szechuan Peppercorns. 

JoOfVengerberg

Steve_in_The_City said:

@JoOfVengerberg I love experimenting in the kitchen, too. I Googled Duck with Marmalade Sauce and there were lots of links. I think you are a better cook than you are telling us! I have never had duck with marmalade myself, so can't comment. Two seasonings I do love are Smoked Sea Salt Flakes and Porcini Mushroom Powder. The powder seems expensive, but a little goes a long long way. I always put a pinch on top of a fried egg, it seems to transform the flavour. I also like Szechuan Peppercorns. 

Ooh I love smoked salt too, haven't bought it in a while though. I've just recently started eating mushrooms, I hated them as a kid but find I don't mind them now as long as I cook them right. It's mostly a texture thing for me, but that powder sounds like an umami bomb. I need more Asian flavours I think, I use sriracha hot sauce with basically everything but I bet fish sauce and gochujang would add lots of depth to so many dishes!

For the Yule meal, I'm gonna stuff the duck with oranges and chestnuts too, and I thiiink I've got to the point where I've decided on duck fat roasties, parsnips and cavalo nero. I'll probably add more veggies as I go, they're honestly my favourite part of a meal

JoOfVengerberg

Duck with lots and lots of roasted veg, pigs in blankets, chestnuts etc. 

Sandy_123

That's looks yummy @JoOfVengerberg

JoOfVengerberg

Sandy_123 said:

That's looks yummy @JoOfVengerberg

Thanks so much! It was really good, quite proud of myself

L_Volunteer

I think you should be proud of yourself @JoOfVengerberg. It looks delicious 

Steve_in_The_City

@JoOfVengerberg I wish I could come and have Xmas lunch with you, 'cos I am sure it would be perfect! This year I am just going to have smoked salmon with radishes and homemade Melba toast to start. Then a fillet steak and oven chips because I really can't be bothered, now that I am by myself, to do sprouts, turkey and roasties. My neighbours who lives upstairs came down to visit me on Wednesday. I had a few Xmas bits and bobs for them, as I knew they were coming. But they brought down the full Xmas dinner. Turkey and all of the trimmings. I had never used my dining table before, it was just something to make my flat look lived in. But fortunately I had all I needed to lay the table and make it look beautiful. So I managed to get a proper Xmas dinner after all, without cooking. They even did the washing up! I was one happy bunny. After they left I thought the meaning of Xmas is to make things nice for other people.

SueHeath

Very nice @JoOfVengerberg i hope you enjoyed your day.
That was a lovely thing that your neighbours did for you @Steve_in_The_City so glad you have good folk to look out for you. x
ps your own Christmas dinner day meal sounds great to me x