23 to cook for tomorrow. 3rd time in a row that we've had to do xmas for her side; always an excuse as to why we have to do it. Fairly shitfaced. Some stuff peeled. It will all sort itself out in the morning. What could possibly go wrong..
Nick or Stoph I want an invite next year, Stoph you could easily deal with 5 more!
Our kitchen is out of action due to building this Christmas, off to Ealing tomorrow to the in laws to get traditional turkey with all the trimmings and some of the best roasties I've ever had.
As you can see, it probably needed more layers in the middle, and possibly the bottom...
Crap method in the recipe... Tastes more than adequate though.
Now need to make some butter cream icing for the cake...
I don't know where this... Thirst came from... : P
"I didn't get it. BUUUUUUUUUUUT, you fucking do your thing." - Roujin Ninty Code: SW-7904-0771-0996
A nice glass of port and a double ibuprofen for now after a good either hours at it. That’s me done for 3 days now.
After looking after the BBQ all night, that is. I’ve fired it up and set my pork shoulder in there at 120 degrees, with wood chunks set to sequentially smoke. Riskiest CD dinner I’ve ever attempted but I’m hoping for one of the best.
That should be spot on Dante. Dyno, I’d demolish some of that baklava right now. Looks great. Skade, you’re welcome any time. I mean, I’m spending hours cooking for these familial heathens and a couple of them will put salad cream all over rack of beef.
Prawn salad starter, or for vegan bois all the prawns and for some reason all the salad removed except avocado and replaced with pineapples and grapes.
"Let me tell you, when yung Rouj had his Senna and Mansell Scalextric, Frank was the goddamn Professor X of F1."
Xmas lunch done, nothing extravagent. Honey glazed parsnips and carrots. Garlic butter broccoli and sprouts. Yorkshire puds with gravy, tikka masala chicken. Apple crumble and vanilla custard for desert and then mint chocs (from my secret santa) with tea or coffee.
Last quiet Xmas for me and the missus, told her to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Dinner here was great. My brother had done that thing, soaking the turkey in a bucket of stuff yesterday. All the usual trimmings, all perfect.
Dinner last night was a ham, which had been cooked in ginger ale, with a ginger and muscavado glaze, served with macaroni cheese. I’m not a ham fan, but it was delicious.
The first thing I'll say is that there is a slightly dangerous feeling to cooking something in a smoldering back-yard BBQ for 9 hours as you sleep, well, sleep in-between checking it. Almost stopped me starting, but I'm glad I continued. However, it did feel good to start a nice big old fire in the garden on Christmas eve. Warmed me up a treat.
When my alarm went off unreasonably early, as a my son lay completely asleep and unphased still, I followed its prompt to go down in to my silent, very cold and pitch black garden well before sunrise. On a Christmas morn, shuffling coals and delicious meat around. It did make me question just quite what the fuck I was doing.
I was met with this after its allotted 9 hours in the kettle, smoking with mesquite chunks. The smell coming off it made me want to see it through.
It did still feel tough to the touch at this point though. I think the main reason was the wind and rain had dampened the fire through the night. I started at a very consistent 120c.
There was still a great deal of time until the main meal. I wrapped it up in foil with some cider vinegar, a little brown sugar and some butter, then set it in a 100c oven for 7 hours.
Made boeuf bourguignon tonight, like my mom always used to. Roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts with rosemary and garlic. Simple, but our only guest seems to be enjoying it (but I think he'd enjoy anything if it's free, we asked if he could buy some eggnog for us to try, but failed. My bet is laziness).
Feels good to be cooking something I know my parents liked.
Great efforts, all. I’m also enjoying a nice Buck’s Fizz.
And it’s ham day. Been marinading that thing for a couple of days in proper jerk paste. It’s in for its final bake and glaze now. We’ve made picalilli and green coleslaw to go with it, to be served up with a giant pork pie from the butcher and slections of cheese.
After two days of full Christmas dinners my body has gone into a meat coma. Girlfriend is currently making pancakes to be had with fresh fruit and washed down with cava. That’ll sort me out.