Ye Gods! The Boffinator kills his tastebuds w/ smoke and smothers everything in chilli... [points finger]So his taste itself is in question![/points finger]
Roast Lamb - for us normal people; what's a really good cut? Was thinking rosemary/garlic to flavour (xmassy enough?) and use some of the fat with some Red Vino for the gravy
Posted by: Graeme78Insert QuoteQuote from: saintlade on Today at 06:32:54 amRoast Lamb - for us normal people; what's a really good cut? Was thinking rosemary/garlic to flavour (xmassy enough?) and use some of the fat with some Red Vino for the gravyI would do a shoulder of lamb, whack it in the oven with a bit of water in the roasting tray, stops it drying out, for about 4 hours, I think, at about 150, don't know the gas mark. The meat will fall off the bone.Skim off the fat from the juices for your roasties. Take the remaining juices and make gravy with that.That should do for your lamb, although some may find that a bit too basic. Serve with red cabbage etc.
I would counsel against taking the fat from a roast for making roast potatoes as it usually has a lat of water in it and will smoke like fuck.For an easy 'posh' Christmast dinner Ii'd suggest roast pheasant with chestnuts and truffles.Cost <£25 for four or £35 for 6 so more than reasonable.Time to cook and prepare <2 hours,Knowledge and skills, basic.MenuSmoked fishRoast Pheasant with chestnuts and truffleChristmas pud.TIPSYou should be able to get a breast of pheasants for around £7.50 from a butcher don't buy supermarket birds they're usuall smaller, less well shot (eg the beater stands on their head and rich twat shoots them up the arse) which means the breast can be bruised and damaged.Buy ready roasted and pealed chestnuts from a supermarket for around £2 life's too short to roast and peel your own.Truffle oil is available in many supermarkets for around £4 and keeps reasonably well in the fridge. For a starter KISS, get some smoked eel and smoked salmon and serve with finely grated onion and lemon horseradish mascapone. (get pure horseradish not stuff mixed with turnip and mayo) and good brown bread.Wine anything white and crisp.For the main, Take the breasts of the pheasants (easy really, be confident, take a sharp knife and turn the pheasant on its back, now run your finger nail down the side of the breastbone and run the knife along side the breast from front to back, this will give you a good view of removing the reast around the collar bone. Use scisors to cut throught the wing joint (try and leave the stump it looks better). Marinade with a little truffle oil and fersh herbs.Take of the thighs (save these for a casserole) then chop the carcass and legs and fry with onion, carrots, parsnip cores a bit of garlic and herbs, when browning nicely add a tablespoon of cornflower and shortly afterwars 1 pint of water and allow to simmer nicely for about 40 minutes. Add some brandy and strain, season and reduce to the right consistency.To roast the breasts brown them off in a hot frying pan with the chestnuts then place in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, test how done they are an then leave to rest for 5 minutes.While the breasts are restsing deglaze the pan with the sauce and add a good drop of truffle oil.Serve the breasts with hearts of spring greens and roasted carrots, parsnips and other root veg eg swede, celleriac, jurasalem artichokes (no turnip) and of course roast potatoes.Wine, don't go over board a decent burgundy would suit, not a heavy rhone.Christmas pud with mascapone.Buy the best christmas pudding you can afford, those in ceramic bowls really are worth it. Steam it slowly and if desired flame it (tip put the plate in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes before you put the pud on it, most brandy needs to be warm to burn) and serve with mascapone, which is really easy to flavour if you like
Isn't truffle oil much more expensive than €5 a bottle?
Waitrose have it for about £5 and I'm sure I saw some in tesco's on a nappy buying / prole spotting trip.
Isn't truffle oil much more expensive than €5 a bottle?Father-in-Law always asks for truffle oil from his daughter when she goes to Italy, but they never buy him any as it's 50 or €60 a bottle (they say).On a similar note, is it really worth paying top dollar for Balsamico Modena? I've never coughed up more than €10 a bottle.
Can anyone give me some inspiration for xmas eve. Needs to be fairly easy - as we've got pressies to sort, have a christmas feel/taste - but not be rehearsal for the full chrismas experience on the day itself.Cheers Rich
Can anyone give me some inspiration for xmas eve. Needs to be fairly easy - have a christmas feel/taste, Cheers Rich
Venison is tricky to get right and not exactly cheap