Alternatives for post-Christmas entertaining dinner
Discussion
Have the in-laws coming round on the 27th, and they'll have had turkey roast twice, so want to think of something else to cook for them. Something modestly impressive (as step-MIL is a good cook and I'm not letting the side down), but not something stupidly complicated, nor something that'll take all morning and more to prep. (I've decent kitchen skills, but don't want to risk fking-it-up first time around if it's something I've not cooked before)
Ideas so far:-
- Beef wellington - always wanted to try it, but discounted as I've not practiced it and half the diners like their beef medium or better.
- Boeuf bougignon (sp?) - like this idea but wondering if 'special' enough. Can serve with a celeriac puree and rosemary-&-garlic sautee'd new potatoes to jazz it up a bit.
- Pan-fried duck breasts with a red-wine & berry jus. Done it before, probably same potatoes & celeriac as above. But the step-MIL doesn't like sweet food, and the sauce tends to be sweet (+runny...I can't seem to reduce it enough)
- Steak & something. Bit mainstream, but I've now worked out how to reverse-sear properly. Might not have enough hob-space to do everyone at once though.
- Lamb tagine. Very leftfield for Xmas, but I've got a good recipe. Would need to find a good 'side' and/or starter for it though.
- Pan-fried fish (sea bream / brill if I can get it / etc) with a modified sauce albert - but given the day the fish will have to be frozen and defrosted.
- Mixed tapas. Like doing stuff like this, but a lot of work and difficult to get timing right.
- Thai green curry + pad thai + coconut rice. Can prep the curry that morning and re-heat, leaving me the time to concentrate on getting the pad thai right.
Any other thoughts / ideas?
Edit: Simple starter ideas also very welcome. Don't normally do starters (but they do at Christmas), so I've not got a go-to-list of trusted recipes I can rely on.
Ideas so far:-
- Beef wellington - always wanted to try it, but discounted as I've not practiced it and half the diners like their beef medium or better.
- Boeuf bougignon (sp?) - like this idea but wondering if 'special' enough. Can serve with a celeriac puree and rosemary-&-garlic sautee'd new potatoes to jazz it up a bit.
- Pan-fried duck breasts with a red-wine & berry jus. Done it before, probably same potatoes & celeriac as above. But the step-MIL doesn't like sweet food, and the sauce tends to be sweet (+runny...I can't seem to reduce it enough)
- Steak & something. Bit mainstream, but I've now worked out how to reverse-sear properly. Might not have enough hob-space to do everyone at once though.
- Lamb tagine. Very leftfield for Xmas, but I've got a good recipe. Would need to find a good 'side' and/or starter for it though.
- Pan-fried fish (sea bream / brill if I can get it / etc) with a modified sauce albert - but given the day the fish will have to be frozen and defrosted.
- Mixed tapas. Like doing stuff like this, but a lot of work and difficult to get timing right.
- Thai green curry + pad thai + coconut rice. Can prep the curry that morning and re-heat, leaving me the time to concentrate on getting the pad thai right.
Any other thoughts / ideas?
Edit: Simple starter ideas also very welcome. Don't normally do starters (but they do at Christmas), so I've not got a go-to-list of trusted recipes I can rely on.
Edited by havoc on Tuesday 5th December 23:09
I would stay away from roast or slow cooked meat. 2 days of heavy christmas dinner will have taken its toll.
Fish will go down well.
Something simple like Salmon fillet with hollandaise sauce, green beans and new potatoes
or Cod loin wrapped in pancetta baked in the oven served with the same as the salmon.
Fish will go down well.
Something simple like Salmon fillet with hollandaise sauce, green beans and new potatoes
or Cod loin wrapped in pancetta baked in the oven served with the same as the salmon.
Getting a wellington right is more difficult than it might appear, and doing it for the first time with a knowledgeable critic is a risky strategy.
Cooking anything "on demand" like duck breast or (hot) tapas can be stressful and again difficult to get right at the time. I would go with something low effort and maintenance - your lamb tagine idea is perfect because it is not time sensitive and can be left alone for most of the cooking time.
Cooking anything "on demand" like duck breast or (hot) tapas can be stressful and again difficult to get right at the time. I would go with something low effort and maintenance - your lamb tagine idea is perfect because it is not time sensitive and can be left alone for most of the cooking time.
simon_harris said:
Getting a wellington right is more difficult than it might appear, and doing it for the first time with a knowledgeable critic is a risky strategy.
Cooking anything "on demand" like duck breast or (hot) tapas can be stressful and again difficult to get right at the time. I would go with something low effort and maintenance - your lamb tagine idea is perfect because it is not time sensitive and can be left alone for most of the cooking time.
Agreed on a wellington, hence why I'm not risking it.Cooking anything "on demand" like duck breast or (hot) tapas can be stressful and again difficult to get right at the time. I would go with something low effort and maintenance - your lamb tagine idea is perfect because it is not time sensitive and can be left alone for most of the cooking time.
Duck I've done a few times and (jus aside) I'm quite confident about. Tapas I cook in smaller quantities/varieties but you're right, it tends to be "dished up when it's ready"
Tickle said:
A big pie; beef, rioja and chorizo or chicken, mushroom and tarragon are recent favourites.
Buttery mash and greens to go with
Hmmm...nice idea. Pastry's not my forte, but worst-case I could cheat and use pre-rolled puff pastry to go on-top.Buttery mash and greens to go with
How about individual fish wellingtons? You can either do a bed of liver pate with cod on top or smoke salmon pate with salmon on top. Wrap either in pastry and when the pastry is cooked so is the fish. There are variations with smoked haddock too.
I've not made it for a while but it always goes down well.
I've not made it for a while but it always goes down well.
As much as I love a Roast, by the 27th I want something different to wake up the tastebuds
Fire up the BBQ - you could always chuck a rib of Beef on it, gratin dauphinois, which can be prepped the day before. I'd be onto dirty burgers by choice. Something like a 12hr Chilli with Short Ribs, Curry.
Starters. Something light, but good to wake up the palate -. buckwheat pancakes/blinis, sour cream, smoked salmon, gherkins etc. Could always chuck some caviar on them.
Fire up the BBQ - you could always chuck a rib of Beef on it, gratin dauphinois, which can be prepped the day before. I'd be onto dirty burgers by choice. Something like a 12hr Chilli with Short Ribs, Curry.
Starters. Something light, but good to wake up the palate -. buckwheat pancakes/blinis, sour cream, smoked salmon, gherkins etc. Could always chuck some caviar on them.
bigdom said:
As much as I love a Roast, by the 27th I want something different to wake up the tastebuds
Fire up the BBQ.
We used to do a three course Beef for Boxing Day meal but in recent years have switched to an indoor BBQ instead. Fire up the BBQ.
Get some of these from t'Internet https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Teppanyaki-Non-S...
And prepare some raw steak, lamb, prawns, Tuna, veggies, etc plus various dipping sauces and sides.
Everyone gets to sit round and "cook your own".
Whenever we have done this for people, it has always gone down incredibly well.
bigdom said:
Starters. Something light, but good to wake up the palate -. buckwheat pancakes/blinis, sour cream, smoked salmon, gherkins etc. Could always chuck some caviar on them.
BBQ is a leftfield idea but I quite like it (plus I've a great recipe for Korean Tonkatsu ketchup - think asian-style BBQ sauce)Starters - oh yeah, blinis, crackers and other finger food is perfect...can put them out while I'm cooking and people can just pick and nibble.
Teppanyaki grill...we've a 5y.o. in the house so I'll refrain from any hot things in the middle of the table for a few years!
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