My first Christmas dinner.

[rivka]

Christmas dinner turned out pretty well. The steaks, as steaks are wont to do, went from not-quite-done-enough to a-bit-too-done in about two minutes. Carrying on that theme, the crispy leeks (for the "peas with bacon and crispy leeks") got a little too crispy. I think the oil must have been too hot, because the recipe suggested that it would take about ten minutes for them to become golden brown and crispy and in fact they were medium brown and on the verge of burning in less than five minutes.

I still thought the peas were pretty damn good. They were in a sauce made with cream and broth, studded with little bits of crumbled bacon. The wild mushroom saute was excellent - although it wasn't as garlicky as I intended it to be, the mushroom flavor stood up beautifully on its own. For the first time, I used cream instead of milk to make the mashed potatoes and parsnips - there was cream left over after making the pea dish. Wow did it ever make a difference. The potatoes were incredibly good.

I forgot to take pictures until we were ready for dessert, so the quantities pictured are kind of sparse. (For example, there was not a shred of beef left over at that time.)





If I had the meal to do over, I think I'd want to include something tart or sour. I'm not sure I'd serve cranberry sauce with beef, but I think something of similar tartness would've been a great complement to the rich, rich, rich flavors of this meal.

The gingerbread roll? Was amazing. I was genuinely worried, especially about how the cream filling would taste. But it was delicious! It all melded together as it chilled, and the separation/lumpiness of the filling resolved completely. The gingerbread was moist and spicy, the cream was rich and cinnamon-y, and minnaleigh brought a big bowl of ginger whipped cream that made the world's most perfect topping.



"So, should we make the gingerbread roll an annual thing?" I asked Michael, who had been there through the stress, anxiety, and vast quantities of dishwashing involved in baking it.

He looked at me blankly. "Why so infrequently?"

Comments

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sounds wonderful! And the pea thing looks amazing.

-J

[redbird]

Did you accept his offer to make the gingerbread roll and do the dishes?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

He actually did most of the dishes the first time around. And honestly? He might be able to make the gingerbread roll by next Christmas if he started intensive baking lessons now, but it certainly wouldn't be a sure thing.

As long as he does the cleaning-up, I don't mind being the cook in the family.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

we had a similar meat experience - Andy made a standing rib roast which went from French version of rare to medium in far too short a time. But it all worked out in the end.

I am going to do cream in the mashed potatoes - the last few times, our potatoes came out watery, yuck. Andy likes to put cream cheese in, as well as milk, but I think it is too creamy that way.

he also made cream of asparagus soup, which was yummy and made our pee smell funny.

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

You mentioned that you thought the gingerbread roll would be easier with a second stand mixer, and I wanted to say - have you considered just getting a second stand mixer bowl? I find that having a second bowl eases fancy baking more than I'd expect, and means I don't ever have to stop, scrape, and clean in mid-recipe. Well, I have to clean the beaters, but they're little.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

That all sounds and looks delicious!

[mcduff.livejournal.com]

Might I make a suggestion that cooking Christmas dinner almost always favours those foods for whom 10 minutes either way doesn't make any difference? The day can be so busy that you can't always be watching things. Although I do confess to doing something froofy and chefy (brussels sprouts pan-fried in butter with bacon) it was a definite exception, which helped a lot because some things did invariably get left in a bit longer than planned. It cuts down on the stress a lot.

Still, it sounds like you did very well indeed! Bravo!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The gingerbread roll? Was amazing.

Indeed it was! Two days of aging didn't hurt it one bit.