drusillas_rain

I decided to make a fairly ambitious meal for Christmas day this year. I made a gigantic spreadsheet, totalling over 100 lines. In total the meal took me 3 days of prep work + everything that needed to be done on the actual day.

( picture of the spreadsheet and of my tetris-fridge )

I've never really done a full dinner quite like this before, but I had the company of good friends on twitter (who got to hear all about it live). That was actually one of the best parts. But I also had fun planning everything, double checking I had the timing done properly, etc. I was also kept in line by one of my dogs, Basil. ( picture of Basil in the kitchen (plus 1 of Chloe) )

Here's the menu. Each lj-cut leads to the recipe and pics:

1. Julia Child's Steam Roasted Goose with Port Sauce
No picture and no recipe for this one. It was really tasty, but since it was last minute, I didn't manage to take even 1.( My thoughts on making goose )

2. Boeuf Bourguignon, sans boeuf (Julia Child inspired)
( This was a rich and wonderful vegetarian stew and the highlight of the meal. Recipe can be found under lj cut. )

3. Mashed potatoes
No pics or recipe - although I did use potato water instead of huge amounts of butter and milk - it makes it nice and creamy. Next time I think I'll try adding kale or spinach.

4. Brussels Sprouts
( This is such a simple but tasty recipe. A bit plain for a basic dinner, but really nicely balanced with everything else served. )

5. Baked Butternut Squash with Apples and Maple Syrup
( These were so incredibly tasty and pretty, although cutting through raw squash was not my favourite thing. Pic and recipe under the cut )

And here are the desserts!
(Most of the pics taken are here ^_^)

7. Gingerbread Trifle with Candied Kumquats and Wine-Poached Cranberries
( I loooooove trifle. I try to make a different kind each time, and these are absolutely fantastic! Best trifle recipe I've done. )

8. Bûche de Noël (chocolate roll)
( This recipe was the most work, but was incredibly tasty and successful. Next time though, I'm probably going to try to find a slightly different recipe, one that isn't based on a mousse filling. )

Also, you get a different bonus recipe for the chocolate mousse (which acts as the filling for the roll - it's a recipe I make at least half a dozen times a year, because it's so good and so easy( continue to recipe and pics )

9. Mincemeat tarts (individual)
( I love making pie crust. There's something about how the dough comes together based on how you feel its coming together, rather than precisely measuring it all out. This particular one came out perfectly! )

So there you have it. I'm not the most domestic person in the world, but I love my kitchen. I hope you enjoyed reading this and find some recipes to copy to your own files.

( a few more pics under the cut )