|
Christmas Hints & Tips |
 |
 |
Christmas Day - a day that sends chills up the spine of the cooks, produces cheers from the children and promises from everyone to be nicer to Great Aunt Sophie or to keep the beer away from Uncle Joe.
Christmas Day - a day that sends chills up the spine of the cooks, produces cheers from the children and promises from everyone to be nicer to Great Aunt Sophie or to keep the beer away from Uncle Joe.
Cooking for Christmas needs only to be as elaborate as you make it. Do you really want to spend time making a traditional stuffing for turkey when you can produce a delicious bird by cutting up orange halves for the cavity and placing them in the space along with a handful of fresh herbs and salt and pepper? Spread the breast with marmalade and squeeze more orange juice over the bird and place in the oven. Keep an eye on it as it cooks as the jam can caramalize, but keep the orange juice flowing and have baking paper or foil to cover the breast should it be catching. Turn the bird at least once to maksure that the breast keeps moist. The secret is to buy a fresh turkey that is plump and full of juice.
If you are going to stuff the turkey don't do it until just before roasting. You don't need to always do a full chestnut or chicken liver stuffing either. Easy stuffings such as lemon zest, roast breadcrumbs, herbs (I suggest rosemary or thyme), garlic and seasoning is perfect for any bird and sliced apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and a spoonful of honey goes wonderfully with duck if that is your choice for the festive table. Prick the skin to get rid of the fat, put the duck on a rack and cook in apple juice. This makes a wonderful not too rich duck for a different Christmas lunch.
What most families love for Christmas is a ham. Hot or cold it is the most versatile of the meats served on the day because it lives on so that it can be used for salads, picnic sandwiches, in pies, with eggs for breakfast, in pancakes and as an ingredient in pasta dishes.
Storing a ham however is important. Before storing get rid of the fat as that can turn rancid quickly. Never wrap it in plastic as it can sweat but roll it in a damp tea towel, pillow case or a piece of calico. Keep in the fridge, check every few days that the cloth is still damp.
Like the turkey, the ham should as fresh as you can get. A lot of commercial hams are cured months before Christmas so that stocks are built up for the busiest time of the year. If you have a butcher that cures and smokes his own hams you have a better chance for it to keep longer.
When you are planning your Christmas lunch make sure that you also serve dishes that can be prepared ahead of time either by you or by friends and relations! Make a list and try to balance your menu so that not everything you serve is heavy and rich. Because the weather in the some States can be variable there is no point in having a whole meal of rich dishes when the temperature can be in the late thirties.
Ask yourself do you need Christmas pudding as well as Christmas Cake. Would a big bowl of fresh or poached fruits not be a better idea to serve with the pudding instead of brandy butter? Some of your family may feel cheated but your doctor will be extremely pleased.
Don't forget that you might be the cook for the day but you also want to have fun as well so don't take it too seriously. It is much more important to be together with your loved ones to share this special time than to be spending it in a hot kitchen.
|
|
