Kevin's Watch

I'm just going to throw a fillet on the braai and we'll do a few salads and things.

It's gonna be 32°C so not slaving over a stove.

--A

For Christmas we had

Brunch:

Pancakes (blueberry)
Goetta
Eggs

Dinner:

Standing rib roast (cooked slowly)
Fresh green beans
Scalloped Potatoes
Squash
Apple Pie for dessert.

We rarely to anything traditional when it comes to food for Christmas .

On Monday I took the leftover standing rib roast and made stroganoff out of it. yumm...

To reduce potential confusion on the part of those who may not be following this thread from the prior page, I'll clarify that Menolly made a wonderful stroganoff from the standing rib roast she prepared last week, not the one SB mentioned in the post just before hers.

Using the leftover au jus as part of the stroganoff liquid was a particularly good move.

Avatar wrote:It's gonna be 32°C so not slaving over a stove.

Not much cooler here, this year. They predicted winter to start around Easter here.

We had a buffet on Chirstms Eve.

Chr-stmas Eve was spent enjoying seafood all day, courtesy of SD.

Last night's meal is posted on my Facebook page. My posts are set to public, so the link should work.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... =560391364

SD and Dam-sel are traveling Chr-stmas day to be with Dam-et, so if we choose to do cheats for the holiday, it will probably be for Eve and brunch. I haven't made one of the French toast casseroles in awhile, so that may be a possibility. Will have to run the idea past SD and Dam-sel...

I need to up my Christmas Eve dinner game this year after reading this thread.

One bone reverse seared standing rib roast "aged" seven days, seasoned with garlic herb paste, and cooked to medium rare. Homemade shank bone au jus made with merlot and dark chicken broth. Copycat Arby's horsey sauce. Corn pudding SD triangulated from multiple recipes. Roasted mushrooms. Dam-sel's homemade pumpkin bread.

Slight rest after clearing table. Then, a slice of homemade pumpkin pie.

My two bone standing rib roast is out of the packaging wrapped in a flour sack towel to "dry age" for five days before I smear it with the fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic paste on Christmas Eve to season overnight. I'll buy the ingredients for the Oxtail and Wine au jus tomorrow and make that ahead.

I plan to make the home made au jus tomorrow. It calls for three pounds of oxtail, but at $12.49/lb that's a bit steep for me. Last year I substituted beef shank cuts, which worked fine for the au jus and at $4.99/lb is much more within my budget.

No Yorkshire pudding this year; we all decided we would rather have homemade garlic mashed potatoes.

We haven't decided on a vegetable yet. I would love to do carrot soufflé, but with the potatoes that may be too much starch. I'll probably save it for Passover.

I'm not planning on desserts; there's been far too many sweets in the schools I've been subbing in the past few weeks. I won't turn down anything Dam-sel decides to do, though. So, we may wind up with a homemade pumpkin pie.

I am not changing my planned menu at this point, but I did realize this year Christmas falls on Shabbos. Many years ago in the bigger cities where Jewish immigrants settled, Chinese restaurants tended to be the only places open on Christmas. So the tradition, or minhag, which for many can become as important as a mitzvah, or commandment, of eating Chinese food on Christmas came to be.

This meme is a humorous look at the minhag.


In the spirit of the Chinese food on Christmas minhag, I offer this recipe.

Scallion Pancake Challah

:LOL:

Eh, it was hot yesterday, and we were lazy, so instead of Christmas Eve we did a Christmas Day dinner. Nothing crazy, I did a couple of lamb shanks for myself in the usual balsamic & red wine, as well as mash and gravy for the both of us, and some roasted vegetables, and the GF had a vegan wellington, and made some vegan yorkshire puddings. Finished off with some dark chocolate and cherry pinwheels, (soaked the cherries in Kirsch first) and then a cigar with some port.

--A

I smoked a whole beef tenderloin, served with a red wine reduction sauce simmered with lots of fresh rosemary. It was phenomenal. Sides included roasted beets served with a balsamic drizzle, roasted carrots with a honey glaze, and then the usual mashed potatoes/gravy, stuffing, deviled eggs, etc. Beers included Goose Island Bourbon County Stout and Founders Frootwood (a tart cherry ale aged in maple bourbon barrels).

That sounds amazing.

How many did the tenderloin serve? Or is it destined for a planned over meal?

Tonight I made crockpot beef stroganoff with buttered parsley egg noodles with the planned over standing rib roast.

The tenderloin is feeding just me and my fiance. We'll be eating on it all week. I've cooked a lot of meat since I started smoking in 2007. This is absolutely the best piece of meat I've ever pulled off the grill or the smoker. And I could easily drink the rosemary/red wine reduction sauce, it's so delicious!

Yum!

One day we really must arrange a festive meal together. I imagine SD would enjoy trying your home brew, as well.

Zarathustra wrote:And I could easily drink the rosemary/red wine reduction sauce, it's so delicious!

LOL I know that feeling. When I first started doing a red wine pan sauce I was totally addicted to it and made it for everything.

--A

My plans for the next couple of days. More for myself so I hopefully don’t forget anything.

Today:
Get up and have coffee to function 
Start the “oxtail” au jus, although I use beef shank bones rather than oxtail. For less than half the price per pound, the shank bones work great
Beorn’s Hanukkah gift finally arrived and his holiday package is ready to be mailed. Stand in line at post office while au jus gently simmers and reduces
Make copycat Arby’s horsey sauce
Cool: au jus and refrigerate 
Make béchamel for incorporating into dinner
Layer and then bake lasagna for dinner
Enjoy lasagna for dinner
Put together and refrigerate overnight french toast casserole for brunch Wednesday morning
Make garlic and herb paste to season standing rib roast overnight, then apply to roast
Put individual apple sauce cups in refrigerator to chill

Tomorrow:
Get up and have coffee to function 
Listen for others to awake, if not already. Pull french toast casserole out of refrigerator to take the chill off while preheating oven and opening stockings, if we’re doing them
Bake casserole while opening gifts
Serve french toast casserole and have second cuppa
Since it gets dark so early, light Hanukkiah and gift Hanukkah presents
Make note of time and start reverse sear process on roast at appropriate time 
Grate potatoes and onion for latkes
Prep honey-maple glazed carrots 
Pull roast from oven to rest
Clear Hanukkiah from table and set for dinner
Start carrots and finish au jus about half an hour before final sear
Preheat oven to 550 degrees F
Make latke batter and heat oil for cooking
Brush herbs off roast so they don’t burn and turn acrid during sear
Make latkes and put roast back in oven for 10 to 15 minutes 
Remove roast, turn off oven, and put plated latkes in cooling oven to stay warm
Put au jus, horsey sauce, apple sauce, and sour cream on table if not already done
Slice roast, plate carrots and latkes, and serve
Relax, possibly enjoying any received gifts
Enjoy Dam-sell’s homemade pumpkin pie!

Thursday:
Relax, until last minute notice of errands needing to be done is received 
Enjoy any planned overs
Package what’s left of the roast and freeze to be pulled for beef stroganoff on either NYE or NYD, depending on what we choose to do
Light second night Hanukkiah candles

Sunday:
Attend giant menorah lighting by CHABAD of Kirkland at Totem Lake

At some point later during the following week, possibly on NYE or NYD, try my hand at sufganiyot