Thread: Time to start sorting the Christmas menu

With just under a month to go...........

So far.......

Zucchini cakes with lemon prawns

Chargrilled Prawns with flavoured butters

Rolled pork loin roast, with rocket, pine nut and fetta stuffing.

Coconut and white chocolate mud cake (which may turn into a dark
chocolate!!)

Brandy snap baskets with brandy or triple sec flavoured mascarpone and
topped with fresh mango and raspberries.

Double delight ganache tarts

Mini black forest gateaux


Either frozen mango Daiquiri's, or Mai Tai's, or both!!



Hmmmmmmmmm, looks like dessert is all sorted......... I'll have to get a
couple more 'starters'.


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

Peter wrote:

> With just under a month to go...........
>
> So far.......
>
> Zucchini cakes with lemon prawns
>
> Chargrilled Prawns with flavoured butters
>
> Rolled pork loin roast, with rocket, pine nut and fetta stuffing.
>
> Coconut and white chocolate mud cake (which may turn into a dark
> chocolate!!)
>
> Brandy snap baskets with brandy or triple sec flavoured mascarpone and
> topped with fresh mango and raspberries.
>
> Double delight ganache tarts
>
> Mini black forest gateaux
>
> Either frozen mango Daiquiri's, or Mai Tai's, or both!!


Sounds like a good first draft, if a bit "prawny."

I might take a Malaysian slant on the menu this Christmas:

peppered tamarind broth
pomelo salad with grilled shrimp and crispy shallots

Penang "Kevin's" roasted chicken with butter, onions, and potatoes
curried green beans with coconut milk
sweet-sour cucumber and carrot pickle with turmeric
lime-chile "Nyonya" sambal
jasmine rice

Indonesian spice cake (nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon)
passionfruit sorbet

If I do decide on that menu, the beverages will probably be hot tea and
Singapore Slings.

Bob

Peter wrote:

> Zucchini cakes with lemon prawns
>
> Chargrilled Prawns with flavoured butters
>
> Rolled pork loin roast, with rocket, pine nut and fetta stuffing.
>
> Coconut and white chocolate mud cake (which may turn into a dark
> chocolate!!)
>
> Brandy snap baskets with brandy or triple sec flavoured mascarpone and
> topped with fresh mango and raspberries.
>
> Double delight ganache tarts
>
> Mini black forest gateaux
>
>
> Either frozen mango Daiquiri's, or Mai Tai's, or both!!


My household is in a bit of an uproar since we lost a house to wildfire.
We've relocated to a different house, and I _will_ make Christmas dinner for
my husband and friends. I can't bring back the lost lives or the lost
treasures, but this, THIS, I can do:


- Grilled prawns with gooseberry salsa and guacamole

- Cucumber sandwiches with creme fraiche and cold-smoked caviar

- Tomato & zucchini blossom salad with savory vinaigrette

- Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper

- Eggplant Provencal

- Asparagus with Maltaise sauce

- Grilled lobster halves with herbes de Provence and butter

- Grilled lamb-oregano sausages with yogurt-mint dipping sauce

- Cold ham with Parisienne chaud-froid

- Sweetcorn custard in bacon tuiles

- Lemon-mulberry sorbet

- Apricot gateau with rambutans in Tahitian-vanilla syrup and whipped cream

- Macadamia butter cookies

- Buche de Noel of genoise filled with passionfruit curd, covered with white
chocolate ganache, and decorated with starfruit


My husband is much more "English" than I am, and he's putting on his stiff
upper lip. Making a lavish Christmas dinner might seem a bit strange under
the circumstances, but... well, what else am I supposed to do?

Cheerio!

On Tue 01 Dec 2009 02:55:43a, Julana Benaroon told us...

> Peter wrote:
>
>> Zucchini cakes with lemon prawns
>>
>> Chargrilled Prawns with flavoured butters
>>
>> Rolled pork loin roast, with rocket, pine nut and fetta stuffing.
>>
>> Coconut and white chocolate mud cake (which may turn into a dark
>> chocolate!!)
>>
>> Brandy snap baskets with brandy or triple sec flavoured mascarpone and
>> topped with fresh mango and raspberries.
>>
>> Double delight ganache tarts
>>
>> Mini black forest gateaux
>>
>>
>> Either frozen mango Daiquiri's, or Mai Tai's, or both!!
>
>
> My household is in a bit of an uproar since we lost a house to wildfire.
> We've relocated to a different house, and I _will_ make Christmas dinner
> for my husband and friends. I can't bring back the lost lives or the
> lost treasures, but this, THIS, I can do:
>
>
> - Grilled prawns with gooseberry salsa and guacamole
>
> - Cucumber sandwiches with creme fraiche and cold-smoked caviar
>
> - Tomato & zucchini blossom salad with savory vinaigrette
>
> - Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper
>
> - Eggplant Provencal
>
> - Asparagus with Maltaise sauce
>
> - Grilled lobster halves with herbes de Provence and butter
>
> - Grilled lamb-oregano sausages with yogurt-mint dipping sauce
>
> - Cold ham with Parisienne chaud-froid
>
> - Sweetcorn custard in bacon tuiles
>
> - Lemon-mulberry sorbet
>
> - Apricot gateau with rambutans in Tahitian-vanilla syrup and whipped
> cream
>
> - Macadamia butter cookies
>
> - Buche de Noel of genoise filled with passionfruit curd, covered with
> white chocolate ganache, and decorated with starfruit
>
>
> My husband is much more "English" than I am, and he's putting on his
> stiff upper lip. Making a lavish Christmas dinner might seem a bit
> strange under the circumstances, but... well, what else am I supposed to
> do?
>
> Cheerio!
>
>

Your menu sounds wonderful, and I don't think it's the least bit strange to
do this. It's certainly one way to bring back a sense of normalcy and
balance to your family.

I'm very sorry for your losses...

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

************************************************** ********

Wayne Boatwright

Julana wrote (much snippage on my part):

> My household is in a bit of an uproar since we lost a house to wildfire.

WHAT?? Holy crap!


> - Grilled prawns with gooseberry salsa and guacamole

I don't believe I've ever seen gooseberry salsa. Is it cooked?


> - Cucumber sandwiches with creme fraiche and cold-smoked caviar

Is cold-smoked caviar something you can buy, or do you have to smoke it
yourself? (Before posting, I checked Google Shopping for smoked caviar and
didn't see any for sale. But I did see that creme fraiche was for sale as an
accompaniment for caviar, so your sandwiches should be pretty interesting.)


> - Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper

I've seen James Beard and others recommend radishes with butter. I confess
that I don't understand the appeal.


> - Cold ham with Parisienne chaud-froid

Made me look up Parisienne sauce! I think this will be good as a late-spring
or early-summer dish.


> - Buche de Noel of genoise filled with passionfruit curd, covered with
> white chocolate ganache, and decorated with starfruit

When you make this, please post a photo!

How many people are you serving? If one person ate a little of everything,
it would still be a huge meal.


> Making a lavish Christmas dinner might seem a bit strange under the
> circumstances, but... well, what else am I supposed to do?

We all cope in our own ways. If my house burned down I probably wouldn't
consider doing as you are, but if it helps you and your husband make it
through the holidays, who's going to say it's wrong?

I'm a bit curious as to how long you've been reading this group. Sqwertz has
mentioned long pepper in some of his posts this year, but I don't remember
seeing it before that. Maltaise sauce has been mentioned here now and then,
but it's not all that widely known. I mentioned chaud-froid back in
September, but it's been DECADES since I've seen anyone actually make the
stuff. Do your menus pull inspiration from this list, or does your knowledge
of cooking and your culinary palette (so to speak) come from somewhere else?

Bob

On Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:53:08 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
<virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:


>I'm a bit curious as to how long you've been reading this group. Sqwertz has
>mentioned long pepper in some of his posts this year, but I don't remember
>seeing it before that. Maltaise sauce has been mentioned here now and then,
>but it's not all that widely known. I mentioned chaud-froid back in
>September, but it's been DECADES since I've seen anyone actually make the
>stuff. Do your menus pull inspiration from this list, or does your knowledge
>of cooking and your culinary palette (so to speak) come from somewhere else?
>
>Bob

Bob, I think this is the person that did a spoof of an elaborate
dinner party a bit ago. Not for real. I could be wrong, but you
just got your leg pulled really hard, I think.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Nov 27, 5:30*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz>
wrote:


> I might take a Malaysian slant on the menu this Christmas:

>
> If I do decide on that menu, the beverages will probably be hot tea and
> Singapore Slings.
>
> Bob

Do you have the book, Cradle of Flavor, Bob? It is an award winning
cookbook on Malaysian cooking. I am bringing it with me, but it is
packed away right now.

Christine

On Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:23:20 -0700, Christine Dabney
<artisan2@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:53:08 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
><virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm a bit curious as to how long you've been reading this group. Sqwertz has
>>mentioned long pepper in some of his posts this year, but I don't remember
>>seeing it before that. Maltaise sauce has been mentioned here now and then,
>>but it's not all that widely known. I mentioned chaud-froid back in
>>September, but it's been DECADES since I've seen anyone actually make the
>>stuff. Do your menus pull inspiration from this list, or does your knowledge
>>of cooking and your culinary palette (so to speak) come from somewhere else?
>>
>>Bob
>
>Bob, I think this is the person that did a spoof of an elaborate
>dinner party a bit ago. Not for real. I could be wrong, but you
>just got your leg pulled really hard, I think.
>
>Christine

Actually, I did a search on the profile of this person, and I think
Bob is spoofing all of us. The first post I saw of this person, was
signed by Bob, earlier this year.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

In article <008da024$0$1614$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
"Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:

> Julana wrote (much snippage on my part):

> > - Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper
>
> I've seen James Beard and others recommend radishes with butter. I confess
> that I don't understand the appeal.

I've seldom eaten cooked radishes, but I think they need some sort of
sauce, and butter sounds good.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
dabel@sonic.net

In article <008da024$0$1614$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
"Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:


> I'm a bit curious as to how long you've been reading this group. Sqwertz has
> mentioned long pepper in some of his posts this year, but I don't remember
> seeing it before that.

I've seen it referenced here before, but darn if I remember anything
about it, other than, of course, that I looked it up here:

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/index.html

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Pipe_lon.html

You can reach this site from the rfc home page, and it has truly amazing
details about spices. Lots of good pictures, also.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
dabel@sonic.net

On Tue 01 Dec 2009 11:26:34a, Dan Abel told us...

> In article <008da024$0$1614$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>,
> "Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:
>
>> Julana wrote (much snippage on my part):
>
>> > - Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper
>>
>> I've seen James Beard and others recommend radishes with butter. I
confess
>> that I don't understand the appeal.
>
> I've seldom eaten cooked radishes, but I think they need some sort of
> sauce, and butter sounds good.
>

When I was in Jr. High School, my cloest friends were two brothers who came
from Germany. Their mother sometimes made us sandwiches of sliced black
radish (peeled)and emmenthaler cheese on buttered pumpernickel. The black
radish is very peppery.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

************************************************** ********

Wayne Boatwright

Wayne wrote:

> Your menu sounds wonderful, and I don't think it's the least bit strange
> to do this. It's certainly one way to bring back a sense of normalcy and
> balance to your family.
>
> I'm very sorry for your losses...

Thank you for your kindness. To be honest, my losses are not all that great.
Some of our animals were injured, and one of the ponies had to be put down,
which was horrible. I had no sentimental attachment to anything in the
October house which burned, and we have other houses. I was taught in my
youth that dwellings need not be costly to be comfortable, and material
goods are just baubles; the most important thing in life is life itself.

Jon feels the loss more keenly than I; he is much more plutocratic than I
am, and he is working long hours to "catch up". He is quite proud of the
fact that his business maintained a profit though the whole ordeal. White
Aussies spend even more on intoxicants when money is scarce! Some of our
friends and acquaintances were much less fortunate, which is one reason I
want to give them one holiday evening when they can try to forget their
woes.

Since our evacuation, I have mostly been feeling a kind of creeping
emotional numbness, which is probably a precursor to grief. I was distraught
yesterday because we were having some friends over to celebrate the return
of a new Hajji, and I realized that my best white damask linens had been
lost in the blaze! I was momentarily overcome, but I managed to set my
feelings aside until after the problem was solved, and then - as if from a
distance - I put things into perspective. But this mechanical being who can
set feelings aside isn't me! That isn't like me at all! Is it possible that
I've been drugged?

G'day!

Christine wrote:

>>On Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:53:08 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>><virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I'm a bit curious as to how long you've been reading this group. Sqwertz has
>>>mentioned long pepper in some of his posts this year, but I don't remember
>>>seeing it before that. Maltaise sauce has been mentioned here now and then,
>>>but it's not all that widely known. I mentioned chaud-froid back in
>>>September, but it's been DECADES since I've seen anyone actually make the
>>>stuff. Do your menus pull inspiration from this list, or does your knowledge
>>>of cooking and your culinary palette (so to speak) come from somewhere else?
>>>
>>>Bob
>>
>>Bob, I think this is the person that did a spoof of an elaborate
>>dinner party a bit ago. Not for real. I could be wrong, but you
>>just got your leg pulled really hard, I think.
>>
>>Christine
>
> Actually, I did a search on the profile of this person, and I think
> Bob is spoofing all of us. The first post I saw of this person, was
> signed by Bob, earlier this year.

I regret that

you want to deny my

very existence!

Not a haiku, not at all.

Julana Benaroon wrote:

>
> Since our evacuation, I have mostly been feeling a kind of creeping
> emotional numbness, which is probably a precursor to grief. I was
> distraught yesterday because we were having some friends over to
> celebrate the return of a new Hajji, and I realized that my best white
> damask linens had been lost in the blaze! I was momentarily overcome,
> but I managed to set my feelings aside until after the problem was
> solved, and then - as if from a distance - I put things into
> perspective. But this mechanical being who can set feelings aside isn't
> me! That isn't like me at all! Is it possible that I've been drugged?
>


Traumatic stress does strange things to people.

I hope that when the feelings do return they are not too much to
deal with.

gloria p

On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 03:42:37 -0800, "Julana Benaroon"
<Peter-Mocker@dingoballs.au> wrote:

>I regret that
>
>you want to deny my
>
>very existence!
>
>Not a haiku, not at all.

and I regret that I put you into a temporary kill file.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote in news:hf66lm$cfk$1@news.eternal-
september.org:

> Julana Benaroon wrote:
>
>>
>> Since our evacuation, I have mostly been feeling a kind of creeping
>> emotional numbness, which is probably a precursor to grief. I was
>> distraught yesterday because we were having some friends over to
>> celebrate the return of a new Hajji, and I realized that my best white
>> damask linens had been lost in the blaze! I was momentarily overcome,
>> but I managed to set my feelings aside until after the problem was
>> solved, and then - as if from a distance - I put things into
>> perspective. But this mechanical being who can set feelings aside isn't
>> me! That isn't like me at all! Is it possible that I've been drugged?
>>
>
>
> Traumatic stress does strange things to people.
>
> I hope that when the feelings do return they are not too much to
> deal with.
>
> gloria p
>



Gloria, please be aware that the 'person' you are replying to is a troll.
Anything it posts is a lie.



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

Christine wrote:

> Do you have the book, Cradle of Flavor, Bob? It is an award winning
> cookbook on Malaysian cooking. I am bringing it with me, but it is
> packed away right now.

Yes, I do have that book. The recipe for "Kevin's" chicken is what
interested me in making a Malaysian-themed Christmas menu in the first
place. The attributions for the menu are as follows:

peppered tamarind broth: _Terrific Pacific_
pomelo salad with grilled shrimp and crispy shallots: _Terrific Pacific_

Penang "Kevin's" roasted chicken with butter, onions, and potatoes: _Cradle
of Flavor_
curried green beans with coconut milk: _Cradle of Flavor_
sweet-sour cucumber and carrot pickle with turmeric: _Joy of Pickling_
lime-chile "Nyonya" sambal: _Cradle of Flavor_
jasmine rice

Indonesian spice cake (nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon): _Miami Spice_
passionfruit sorbet -- winging it

Bob

LucAss wrote:

> Gloria, please be aware that the 'person' you are replying to is a troll.
> Anything it posts is a lie.

Aren't YOU calling the kettle black! It behooves you to confine yourself to
posting about things you know, rather than posting flabby-jowled speculation
about others. If anyone wants to know how to feign a disability, can you be
counted on to impart the extensive knowledge you have? That's the entirety
of your potential usefulness.

--