What is Your Favorite Christmas Dish? (PARTY!)

[TheChiggens]

When my kids were in grade school the rule was only homemade presents for the teachers. My kids used to make gingerbread houses for them. Three kids, two teachers each. It was quite a production! But they loved it and the teachers did too.

That's kinda the rule for our family.

 

[N F C]

When my kids were in grade school the rule was only homemade presents for the teachers. My kids used to make gingerbread houses for them. Three kids, two teachers each. It was quite a production! But they loved it and the teachers did too.

A couple years back, we had a gingerbread contest. This was my favorite entry (from Blooie)

 

[IamRainey]

We don't really have traditional christmas dishes over here.. Everyone just makes whatever is hip/in/the fad that year. Some my mom made were nice; some a disaster.. I think the year of the revival of the oil-fondue..she remembered (and we understand too) why she didn't do that after somewhere in the 70's anymore.. sooo fatty...everything soaked with fat untill the point it was gross.. and the smell!

I guess my favourite will be (some sort of Dutch classic with christmas) is the shrimp cocktail. Also became a thing around the 60's? And stayed. Just lettuce, cocktail sauce, and really expensive and most tasty brown shrimp/common shrimp/bay shrimp/sand shrimp. None of those boring tasteless Palaemonidae shrimp (wiki does not give me the common English name).

Oh dear! Cooking in oil is tricky. If the oil's too hot things burn quickly. More often, when it's too low things are undercooked or so oil-soaked by the time that they're done that they're unpalatable.

It's very difficult to get the right temperature in a fondue pot with a small heat source.

Hope whatever you do this Christmas works out much better!

 

[IamRainey]

That's kinda the rule for our family.

It was the school's rule and a very good one, I think.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Ok, day 2; our latest traditional recipe is game pie!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/raised_game_pie_90104

We use an altered version of this recipe for it. Ours is also bigger. It has 4-5lbs of meat in it. Our local market sells elk, so we get 1lb of ground elk, 1lb of duck breast, 1lb of pork belly and a lb or two of rabbit from our own rabbit herd. Instead of Madeira specifically we use just regular red wine.

We cut the meat into chunks, dice the pork belly, and mix it with the chopped shallots and garlic and spices then let it sit for a bit to soak up some flavor. Then we use a big heavy bottom pot with some olive oil to start it cooking, browning it thoroughly but not cooking it through. This cooks it a little so it doesn't take as long to cook and releases some liquid so the pie isn't soggy, then the meat releases more liquid as it cools. Then we deglaze the pan with the meat liquid that drained out and 1/4 cup nice red wine instead of Madeira and cook it down. Pour it over the meats and then make the hot water crust as listed. Fill the pie to the brim, pack it in, throw the top on, put nice patterns on it, then bake until done as instructed, but for a bit longer time.

We liked it so much when we made it the first time that we're doing it again!

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

Ok, day 2; our latest traditional recipe is game pie!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/raised_game_pie_90104

We use an altered version of this recipe for it. Ours is also bigger. It has 4-5lbs of meat in it. Our local market sells elk, so we get 1lb of ground elk, 1lb of duck breast, 1lb of pork belly and a lb or two of rabbit from our own rabbit herd. Instead of Madeira specifically we use just regular red wine.

We cut the meat into chunks, dice the pork belly, and mix it with the chopped shallots and garlic and spices then let it sit for a bit to soak up some flavor. Then we use a big heavy bottom pot with some olive oil to start it cooking, browning it thoroughly but not cooking it through. This cooks it a little so it doesn't take as long to cook and releases some liquid so the pie isn't soggy, then the meat releases more liquid as it cools. Then we deglaze the pan with the meat liquid that drained out and 1/4 cup nice red wine instead of Madeira and cook it down. Pour it over the meats and then make the hot water crust as listed. Fill the pie to the brim, pack it in, throw the top on, put nice patterns on it, then bake until done as instructed, but for a bit longer time.

We liked it so much when we made it the first time that we're doing it again!

Mary Berry would be so pleased - no soggy bottom. Please post a picture if you remember. What are you using as a mold?

 

[ValerieJ]

I win!

View attachment 1981925

I got this far in decorating 2 dozen when DH came inside and told me to quit messing up his cookies

But those are adorable! Definitely not ugly. Well, if they were a real sweater, that might be ugly. Good job!!! Just tell DH you are having a party of one and he's not invited.

 

[N F C]

But those are adorable! Definitely not ugly. Well, if they were a real sweater, that might be ugly. Good job!!! Just tell DH you are having a party of one and he's not invited.

Thank you Val! DH's comment wasn't based so much on my lack of decorating skills, he just prefers his sugar cookies plain.

 

[TheChiggens]

Thank you Val! DH's comment wasn't based so much on my lack of decorating skills, he just prefers his sugar cookies plain.

I usually just decorate simply yet neatly.

 

[TheChiggens]

I remember when I was younger I decorated a gingerbread man with almost an inch of frosting. Then topped it with all sorts of candy...
Well, let's just say my parents did not get much sleep that night because al they heard was..
well, me puking.

So I've learned to decorate more modestly.
And surprisingly have not lost my sweet tooth though.