What are you serving for Christmas lunch

[CMN]

I host Christmas each year for the family. I tend to stick to a similar menu each year with minor changes to grazing board and desert to mix things up. Looking for some inspiration. By popular demand from the family I am told the honey glazed ham is non-negotiable.

My menu as below (it is summer here as an FYI)

Grazing
carrot sticks
dip: salmon, tzatziki
Lavosh
white baguette
truffle oil
cheese: goats, blue, D’Affinois
quince paste
Fresh fruit: (varies each year) eg strawberries, cherries, grapes, apricots

variations
dolmades
Corn chips/plain salt chips
I made fresh tomato salsa last year with corn chips. I thought it was great but it didn’t seem that popular.

entree
oysters
prawns

Main
Honey glazed ham with cloves
garden salad
roast vegetables: pumpkin, potatoes
green beans

dessert
(varies)
Christmas cake (fruit cake)
gingerbread
shortbread

 

[Missy]

Wow that's a lot of food and great variety. Sounds delicious. Enjoy!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i thought we'd have our Christamas dinner at night so for lunch we are going to have venison medalions with salad and new spuds with cheesecake
if we are too full from breakfast maybe just the meat

i plan on having a biggish breakfast of ham and cheese probably on nice crackers and fruit probably also chocolate

dinner will be turkey (maybe cold) salad, new spuds, with pavalova for desert

cats (including any stays who turn up to the backdoor) will be having chicken, Borris and Fluffa Duffa will have a bit of ham also

 

[Missy]

If Oliver doesn’t behave we might just be having him for lunch.



Grilled on the BBQ with sweet potatoes perhaps.

 

[LorettaB]

i thought we'd have our Christamas dinner at night so for lunch we are going to have venison medalions with salad and new spuds with cheesecake
if we are too full from breakfast maybe just the meat

i plan on having a biggish breakfast of ham and cheese probably on nice crackers and fruit probably also chocolate

dinner will be turkey (maybe cold) salad, new spuds, with pavalova for desert

cats (including any stays who turn up to the backdoor) will be having chicken, Borris and Fluffa Duffa will have a bit of ham also

There is a company locally who makes the most delicious cheesecakes! It's called Cotton Blues. I have ordered one as part of a fundraiser to have during the holidays. It's salted caramel...and I didn't have to make it myself! Your menu sounds delicious!!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

There is a company locally who makes the most delicious cheesecakes! It's called Cotton Blues. I have ordered one as part of a fundraiser to have during the holidays. It's salted caramel...and I didn't have to make it myself! Your menu sounds delicious!!!

thank you Loretta and compliments of the season to you

i do love an American style baked cheesecake but the other half has grown up with the Euro kind
this year mine is going to be elderflower and lychee, as mine is the unbaked kind i use a lime jelly (thats jello) rather than muck around with gelliotene (excuse spelling)
you make the jelly up with the juice from the fruit

the other half does not enjoy lychee im thinking because of the texture and the eye ball like look but i have my fingers crossed once its been wizzed up in the nutri bullet ......

its bassed on a recepie that never failed me, (usually apricot )
the base will be made from ginger nuts (a very hard very gingery plain biscuit/cookie popular for dunking in these parts)

im going to make it today and freeze it into largish ramkins .....there is only the two of us and we will overindulge otherwise .......

so we might just be having early bird 'left over' cheesecake tonight !

 

[LorettaB]

thank you Loretta and compliments of the season to you

i do love an American style baked cheesecake but the other half has grown up with the Euro kind
this year mine is going to be elderflower and lychee, as mine is the unbaked kind i use a lime jelly (thats jello) rather than muck around with gelliotene (excuse spelling)
you make the jelly up with the juice from the fruit

the other half does not enjoy lychee im thinking because of the texture and the eye ball like look but i have my fingers crossed once its been wizzed up in the nutri bullet ......

its bassed on a recepie that never failed me, (usually apricot )
the base will be made from ginger nuts (a very hard very gingery plain biscuit/cookie popular for dunking in these parts)

im going to make it today and freeze it into largish ramkins .....there is only the two of us and we will overindulge otherwise .......

so we might just be having early bird 'left over' cheesecake tonight !

It sounds absolutely delicious...and even exotic!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

If Oliver doesn’t behave we might just be having him for lunch.



Grilled on the BBQ with sweet potatoes perhaps.

good to see you young Ollie

i licked Borris' ear the other day (its the furthest thing from her bum)
well actually and i dont know why, but i just sucked the whole thing up to see what she would do
it 'tasted' like a wet wallet not that ive ever licked a wallet wet or otherwise

the next time i walked past her scratcher tower she lay the ear closed to me low down aganist her head and gave me a dirty look

 

[Dandi]

We are serving lamb shoulder and a pork roast, both done on the BBQ rotisserie. Served with oven roasted potatoes and carrots, with cheesy cauliflower and broccoli bake. Lemon tart and the most beautiful locally handmade chocolates for dessert, and more wine than we can cope with

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

my tummy is rumbling
my one piece of french toast and one misserable strip of bacon (didnt want to open a new packet just for me) was hours ago

 

[jaysonsmom]

We usually have a 2 meals on Christmas day.....brunch casserole, and "linner" at 4:30ish. For linner we always have a prime rib roast, honey ham, creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes, a bunch of pies, cookies and tamales!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

We usually have a 2 meals on Christmas day.....brunch casserole, and "linner" at 4:30ish. For linner we always have a prime rib roast, honey ham, creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes, a bunch of pies, cookies and tamales!

yum !
i knew there had to be a word for a late lunch crossed with an early dinner !

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Garnishes (and sauces)
what makes the festive meals - well festive

here as we dont have thanksgiving so turkey is a Christmas thing
this year we got a bonless stuffed roast as the oven is on the blink and i know Gary wont feel like lighting the webber as delciouse as that would be so im using the nutri oven

now i know from all you good American girls and boys that the cranberry sause in the jar is subpar when compared to home made and last year i did just that and it ws so easy and delicouse i swore id never buy ocean spray in a jar ever again
unfortunatly this year( im thinking due to the pandemic) frozen cranberries are out of stock and have been for months
i do have most of a bag of dried cranberries, but they are so sweet ?
thoughts and ideas welcomed ?

because it summer its all about seasonal fresh fruit
the height of the cherry season
i would still buy strawberries if they were $10 a punnet
i usually decorate the pav with strawberries, green kiwifruit, blueberries, passionfruit (out of a can because if im buying strawberries regardless of the price i have to ecconomise on something ) although i did already buy a pomigranet

but the one thing i use in excess used to repluse my step daughter
tinned manderines
i love them

we never had them at home growing up but my aunty would use them on special occasions

they cannot in any way be compaired to the real thing

but its a nostlegic thing and i have stocked up !

i dont know why mum never brought them- they are so cheap

i have them in chicken salad and over almost all deserts all year around
the colour is so pretty especailly at Christmas beside a sprig of fresh mint from the garden and like kids the two of us fight over who is going to drink the tiny glass full of syrup let over

Im trying to think of a gentle flavour to garnish the cheesecakeso as not to overpower the lychee and elderflower flavour and im thinking the maderines and passionfruit with strawberries (kind of as usual)

also out of stock at the supermarket - but it could just be a seasonal thing - are frozen bosenberries for the ambrosa so ive had to buy tinned
its kind of a waste making it from fresh bosenberries, i like a juicy ambrosa
Gary isnt a fab of ambrosa - i think its the marshmelows he doesnt like so im going to serve it into marange nests and hope he doesnt realise what he's eatting

i would like to go to the large berry farm on the outskirts of town to stock up on fresh berries and to have one of their ice creams but with covid im not risking it
but id kill for a bottle of their strawberry wine


anyway thank you for the thread @CMN
posting is helping to cement my menu plans

 

[Bron357]

In Australia it’s summer but we still do some hot meats.
Nibbles include Smoked Salmon with cream cheese and caviar on fresh crunchy bread.
We have BBQ battered and crumbed in Macadamia nuts King Prawns served with fresh sliced Mango and a dollop of sour cream for entree with Champagne.
Main meal is cold sliced leg ham plus hot duck in Peking Sauce, hot roast pork with apple sauce and hot Turkey breast with cranberry sauce. Also cook some potatoes and pumpkin with the pork.
Salads will be Rocket with Pears, sliced Parmesan cheese and French dressing, Potato Salad, a fresh Green salad and my favourite, fresh fruits (peach, mango, banana, grapes, nectarines, apple ) served with sour cream. Absolutely delicious.
Dessert is always hot plum pudding with with King Island double cream and/or vanilla custard plus brandy snaps and a “remade ice cream”. Using a tub vanilla ice cream I add glacéd cherries, and broken up white and mild chocolate plus either bits violet crumble bars (honeycomb) or Turlish delight or mint crisps. Mix it all through and let it reset.
We then eat the leftovers until mid January

 

[Austina]

We’ll be having

Roast turkey
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips (if we can get them)
homemade pork, sage & onion stuffing
mini sausages
bacon rolls
brussell sprouts
cauliflower/broccoli cheese
Carrots
yorkshire pudding
gravy

My DIL wants apple crumble and custard for dessert, I’ll also be making mince pies.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

We’ll be having

Roast turkey
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips (if we can get them)
homemade pork, sage & onion stuffing
mini sausages
bacon rolls
brussell sprouts
cauliflower/broccoli cheese
Carrots
yorkshire pudding
gravy

My DIL wants apple crumble and custard for dessert, I’ll also be making mince pies.

yum
i adore roast parsnip but the OH not a fan
not parsnip season here
parsnip was my first 'grown up' vege

will you make the Yorkshire pudding ?

 

[CMN]

@Daisys and Diamonds that lime cheesecake sounds so summery. I would like to try some

@Bron357 - do you make the applesauce from scratch?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds that lime cheesecake sounds so summery. I would like to try some

@Bron357 - do you make the applesauce from scratch?

Thank you CMN
i just finished making it so im feeling quite pleased with myself

it made 6 serves for over xmas and new year that have gone into the freezer
and two small tea cups for us to try tomorrow
when i licked the bowl it was delicouse

i want @mellowyellowgirl to know i finally got a tin of lychees to make this
i was worried the lime would the overpowering as i couldnt get the really good elderflower cordial but a lime and elderflower one (all be it a good quality brand)
but i remembered i had both elderflower and also lychee liquior in the pantry hidden behind the cat food
so i also put extra in the cream before i folded it into the cream cheese / lychee & jelly mixture
have desided to serve it just with the gingernut biscuit waffer style, not as a base

Its a very pale green due to the lime jelly like reminds me of the praiserlite that so dissapointed me in person so hopefully the colour wont put Gary off

its very delicate so im thinking the tinned manderines will be right on the money -ill try a few options tomorrow
id still like something fresh on it because it is christmas

first time ive used the nutra bullet for anything but raspberry milk
two seconds and the lychees were soup but there will be no cream cheese lumps at least

 

[Austina]

Of course @Daisys and Diamonds, whilst I maybe a new transplant to the US, I’m British born and bred

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Of course @Daisys and Diamonds, whilst I maybe a new transplant to the US, I’m British born and bred

you know what i do for apple sauce ?
well sometimes i just roast an apple in the pan with the meat and just plop it down on the dinner plate under the sliced meat


but i have been known to buy a can of apple baby food

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

just had our tea cups of christmas cheesecake
Gary liked it but said it was runny so i gotta maybe ever so gently boil down the tinned passinfruit so its thicker
he did not say anything about not enjoying lychee (not that he would know what they taste like anyway) and the gingernut biscuit on the side worked really well

 

[Miss Confused]

Trying to finalize menu for Christmas right now, wanting to add something different this year but not sure I will have the energy.

Im Swedish so food is very important, it is a full buffe but the traditional way of eating it is in different rounds, with a grand total of 7, although often kids (and my sister haha) just pick their favorites.

• Filled eggs with caviar and shrimp
• Gravad salmon
• Hovmästar sauce
• Either cold smoked or hot smoked salmon
• Still to confirm but at least one type of shrimp canapés
• Pickled herring in various styles, some homemade and some storebought
• Boiled potatoes
• Creme fraiche
• Red onions, chives, etc.
• Smoked salami from various animals
• Mustard baked ham (very important)
• Potato salad (not traditional but my mom likes it)
• Red cabbage, orange and pomegranate salad
• Meatballs
• Beet salad
• Prince mini sausages
• Baked Ribs
• Jansons frestelse ( its a type of gratinated potatoes made with cream and anchovies)
• Green sallad
• Various cheeses
• Various breads and crackers

Desserts incl. a variety such as rice pudding, fruit sallad, ice cream, gingerbread, saffron baked goods, chocolates, nuts, etc.

 

[Miss Confused]

Hmmm reading this maybe I should add something american or british - would be fun

 

[dk168]

Late to the party!

When I get up on Christmas Day, I shall start with a Bucks Fizz, and nibbles:
- King prawns with Marie Rose sauce topped with lumpfish roes on Ritz crackers
- Gravlax with dill sauce made with Dijon mustard, half and half of crème fraîche and mayonnaise, topped with trout roes on poppy seeds sourdough crackers

Starter is most likely to be prawn on toast (butterflied king prawn on bread then deep fry) with a spicy soya sauce dip with toasted sesame oil and seeds and chilli oil with shrimp. The alternative is satays of prawns and beef and spicy peanut sauce.

Main course is a roast duck with Chinese 5-spice marinade, with a spicy plum sauce, with bacon and aromatic sausage meat bites (instead of pigs in blankets), roast potatoes and parsnips, stir-fried vegetables of carrots, sprouts, fine beans etc., and Yorkshire pudding.

I shall have a large glass of red wine with the main meal.

Dessert is a chocolate truffle torte made with dark chocolate, glucose syrup, double cream and Amaretti biscuits.

If I have room left, there will be cheeses, crackers and quince jelly, and celery.

And I have bought a nice spice rum to go with the cheeses.

Boxing Day is another feast.

The start of the day is the same as Christmas Day with Bucks Fizz and nibbles.

Starter is crispy duck skin pancake with duck sauce leftover from the day before, with shredded spring onions and cucumbers.

Main course is a joint of roast sirloin (I'll use some of it to make satays for the day before), cooked rare, with all the trimmings as the day before. Again, wash down with a large glass of red.

Same dessert as the day before as I CBA to make another dessert.

Cheeses etc. as the day before if I have room with spice rum.

I shall make everything from scratch except for the crackers.

All the above just for me and the pets - I love to cook up a feast on these two days, and prefer to spend them alone with just the pets for company.

DK

 

[seaurchin]

Oh my, you all are outclassing me horrendously lol. I'm having turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and pie, store bought wherever I can get away with it. And here I thought I was getting fancy by considering adding on a salad.

 

[CMN]

I’m going to try salmon blinis as something different for grazing. I have cheated a bit by buying readymade mini blinis pancakes. Bought both salmon roe and lumpfish roe to garnish. @dk168 what is lumpfish roe like compared to salmon roe? I don’t specifically recall having had it before.


prawn toast…yumm….

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hmmm reading this maybe I should add something american or british - would be fun

i just watched Jamie Oliver on tv
honestly very unappropreate recipes for summer

some people still have a big tradional cooked Christmas dinner here but the rest of the holidays its salad and new spuds are minted and boiled not roasted

and no ! brussel sprouts are not in season
swap it out for lovelly fresh asparigus

my mum always cooked a hot new years day lunch to start the year off well
sweat pouring down all our faces
but the rest of the holidays it was salads, ham and other cold cuts and cold leftovers

although i do remember one particulatrly large turkey that was the gift that just kept on giving for days and days and she got quite inventive with it !

 

[dk168]

I’m going to try salmon blinis as something different for grazing. I have cheated a bit by buying readymade mini blinis pancakes. Bought both salmon roe and lumpfish roe to garnish. @dk168 what is lumpfish roe like compared to salmon roe? I don’t specifically recall having had it before.


prawn toast…yumm….

They are tiny in size compared with Salmon roes, however, bigger than Flying Fish roes.

I get the black ones as the orange ones are not that common.

I bought trout roes instead of salmon roes as the former are readily available in a local supermarket and about a third cheaper. However, the roes are smaller than Salmon ones but not by a lot. If I could find orange lumpfish roes I would have bought them instead of trout roes as they would have been fine as a garnish.

DK

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i just brought a bag of frozen prawns
im thinking like an old fashioned shrimp coctail to go with the venison but with more things in the salad and no dressing in mine because i hate thousand island dressing

 

[lambskin]

yum
i adore roast parsnip but the OH not a fan
not parsnip season here
parsnip was my first 'grown up' vege

will you make the Yorkshire pudding ?

I have learned, way too late in life, to make the foods I only adore as well as the foods the others like. I am happy, so very happy, eating my rutabaga and mom’s special, Christmas jello mold. (Now I see others chomping on my faves too and I do not say a word.) So please throw a few parsnips in your oven while you are cooking other things. Treat yourself!