Christmas Menus

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:10 pm

McConvey wrote:
TG1996 wrote: Couldn't crab legs be considered both surf AND turf? If I'm your family, I'd catch you on a technicality one year.
Which would be fine. Just means I'd eat more au gratin potatos, stuffing and pie!

Oh... and we always do cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning. No idea how this got started, but we've been doing it as long as I can remember. So I'd eat more of those too, if I knew the family was going to act like a bunch of Tonys (ie- douchebags)

We do Cinnamon rolls too! And hot chocolate. It always used to be my Aunt's cinnamon rolls, but then she went blind and crazy so we started making our own.

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:11 pm

Trying to talk my wife into the traditional- goose. I love goose! If that fails, my neighbor just bought 48 racing pigeons from California that roost on the wire right over the alley behind my house. Anybody have any good pigeon recipes?

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:26 pm

One year I'd love to make some Duck l'Orange. Might have to try it for Easter next year.

McConvey · Post by **McConvey** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:13 am

h2oville rocket wrote:Trying to talk my wife into the traditional- goose. I love goose! If that fails, my neighbor just bought 48 racing pigeons from California that roost on the wire right over the alley behind my house. Anybody have any good pigeon recipes?

Or you could just goose your wife

McConvey · Post by **McConvey** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:14 am

BGDrew wrote:
McConvey wrote:...Tonys (ie- douchebags)
That settles it. From now on all douchebags shall be referred to as "Tonys."

All in favor?

Aye!

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:38 am

AHA!

New York Strip Roast with a Port Dijon sauce.
1 whole New York strip, about 5 pounds, well trimmed of excess fat and that silvery skin, but save the trimmings.
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 cup port wine
1 cup beef stock, veal stock, or chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons grainy Meaux mustard or smooth Dijon mustard
Salt

Preheat oven 400d.

Salt and pepper the the roast. Heat good heavy stainless or cast iron roasting pan over stove medium high heat. Add olive oil and heat until there are light whisps of smoke coming up. At roast top side down along with the trimmings on the side. Don't touch the roast until there's a nice browning on the one side (roughly 5 minutes.) Continue browning remaining sides (again 5 mins or so a side).

With presentation side up, stick roast in oven until thermometer reads 140d (medium rare). Depending on the initial temperature of the meat going into the oven, this could be 45 minutes to 1:15. Pull the lovely out of the oven, remove from pan and place on serving tray. cover with foil. THe internal temperature will increase as it sits.

Sauce:
Remove trimmings and other stuff from roasting pan. Pour off all but a film of fat and place pan on the stove again. Heat on med-high. Add shallot. Once shallots sizzle, deglaze pan with port using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan of the fond.
Switch from wooden spoon to whisk and whisk in cream and reduce heat to a simmer. Lift sauce with butter one piece at a time letting each piece melt as added. Continue cooking until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add mustard, salt, and pepper.

The sauce is out of this world.

For Xmas morning brunch, I'm making a standard quiche with caramelized shallots, bacon, wild mushrooms and Emantaler cheese. I don't have a recipe yet because I haven't made it yet.

This is one I'm going to make on the fly. I'll let y'all know.

Brother-in-law is in town and he's making a tex-mex spread on XMas night.

I generally love the holidays with my family. It's all about the food.

Hope this helps.

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:51 am

Rightupinthere wrote:Brother-in-law is in town and he's making a tex-mex spread on XMas night.

Too bad its not your first wife sending you the recipe by cell phone. Then you'd have an ex-Ms. text-mess Tex-Mex for X-Mas.

bgsufn · Post by **bgsufn** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:20 am

h2oville rocket wrote:
Rightupinthere wrote:Brother-in-law is in town and he's making a tex-mex spread on XMas night.

Too bad its not your first wife sending you the recipe by cell phone. Then you'd have an ex-Ms. text-mess Tex-Mex for X-Mas.

H2O, have you been hitting the eggnog early?!?

Thanks for the laugh...

Ineedbotox · Post by **Ineedbotox** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:20 am

Hey RUIT,

This sounds AWESOME. The funny thing is I am going to be out of town a few days before Christmas, so I knew I had to do most of my grocery shopping early. So I bought a ham and a huge boneless rib roast. I decided to go with both ham and beef, and I am going to cook the roast my usual way in rock salt. I've got a Thermador oven with the temperature sensor in it, so they always turn out great. I think I am going to make your sauce to serve with the beef so thank you!!!

And BGDrew, I saw vacuum packed ducks at Costco, so if you want to try your Duck a l'orange this Christmas, I bet you could find one.

Thanks for all the awesome ideas!

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:47 am

h2oville rocket wrote:
Rightupinthere wrote:Brother-in-law is in town and he's making a tex-mex spread on XMas night.

Too bad its not your first wife sending you the recipe by cell phone. Then you'd have an ex-Ms. text-mess Tex-Mex for X-Mas.

How long were you staring at the screen to pull that one down? Thankfully, I've only been married once...............that I know of.

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:58 am

These things leap unbidden with no forethought whatsoever and I am powerless to control them. I'm not sure if the voices control them like they do me or if they are independent but I wish they'd ..What? I can't do that to RUIT. I must? At Christmas? (Sigh) Very well.

Hope everyone has a great Holiday and especially great food!

Zom · Post by **Zom** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:23 pm

I come from a long line of meat eaters, but Christmas has been hijacked by my 15 year old daughter who has left me traumatized after declaring she is now vegetarian. I am investigating gene therapy for her Christmas present. To compound matters, my 10 year old daughter has followed suit, "but only sometimes". Phew. I hate freefall.

Anyhow, everyone is agreed on salmon this year. One good sized Scottish salmon, cleaned at the fishmongers, a little touch of fresh dill, ever so gently steamed over water and a healthy splash of wine, and served with hollandaise sauce, asparagus, new potatoes, etc. etc.

It is not the same, though. So, I just had a very large Wiltshire ham delivered today, which will be part boiled, then finished off and glazed. While nobody is looking.

VDub26Falcon · Post by **VDub26Falcon** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:04 pm

Hammb...I just took a peek in the fridge and saw our glorious meat...it's a Standing Rib Roast, priced at just under $8 a pound and this years is 16.37 pounds. It's sooooooo good...I can't wait to smell it cooking tomorrow morning!

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:10 pm

VDub26Falcon wrote:Hammb...I just took a peek in the fridge and saw our glorious meat...it's a Standing Rib Roast, priced at just under $8 a pound and this years is 16.37 pounds. It's sooooooo good...I can't wait to smell it cooking tomorrow morning!

Sounds good man. I'm sure it's awesome, I was just wondering if it was actually graded USDA Prime, which at $8/lb is quite unlikely. You don't need to buy Prime beef for it to turn out awesome, but every once in awhile prime is good for a special occasion. Unfortunately in BG/Toledo I don't know any place that offers it.

VDub26Falcon · Post by **VDub26Falcon** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:16 pm

We used to get it from a local butcher, but when he died, his kids didn't want to take over the "family business." So now, we get it from the local Convenient which is where we have gotten it from for the last 6 or 7 years. The best part though is the homemade AuJus...we refer to it as motor oil in our house for it's obvious similarities in color. So good! I'm hungry.