Christmas Dinner (preparing in advance)

Penelope_Penguin

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Hi all,

I am planning on making the Delia bread sauce, but wondered if I can make it ahead of time and freeze it.

Trying to limit what I do on the run up to the day!

thanks

Yes you can As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the existing thread on planning ahead

Penny. x

kazzaw

grannytwice wrote: »

thinking about trying a pavlova this year so just have to fill it with fruit and cream i wonder if they are difficult to make , must go look for a recipe, hope its simple.

It's become a tradition in my house for me to make a pavlova before I go to Midnight Mass with my Mum on Christmas Eve.

Try Delia's recipe - I've not had a failure yet and I'm definitely no expert!

The secret is to turn the oven off and leave it in there to cool slowly overnight.

Of course that's no good if you're thinking of cooking the turkey overnight but I'm sure the pavlova could be made and stored a few days in advance.

katholicos

So far I've made a large chocolate Torte for Christmas dessert, vegetarian sausage rolls, pork sausage rolls (both with home made flaky pastry) and today I made 1.5 lbs of cranberry sauce. I've also made Christmas Chutney and Apricot jam which will be eaten over Christmas, and given as gifts also.

Tomorrow I shall be making the bread sauce and some more vegetarian 'sausage' rolls... since they all got eaten the other day, after i made them!

Essex-girl_2

Thank you Pink, I shall have a good read through later.x

knithappens

my sprouts, parsnips and carrot batons are par boiling as i type, just had to regig the freezers, arhh not a lot of room, want to do roast potatoes tomorrow, but going to pop to homebargains and get a few foil containers so they can go straight from reezer to oven.

I am loving how organise i am this year, and how stress free everything is

zippychick

And i love your user name!:rotfl:

louise3965

Hi with the Delia Pavlova can I make the meringue x 2 on christmas eve and use one on christmas day ond the other boxing day? How should I store them if thats do-able? tia x

ALIBOBSY

Was watching the old Delia Christmas series from 1990 on the good food channel (260 on virgin don't know for sky sorry) I am thinking of trying her idea for parsnips after previously blanching and freezing, then cooking from frozen.

She blanched then cooled, then rolled them in a mix of flour,parmazan and salt and pepper. She then chilled then overnight to cook (was the christmas eve programme), but I am thinking you could open freeze and cook from frozen.

I am enjoying this channel at the mo as LOADS of chrimbo programme, old Nigellas, Delias and Jamie. I even caught a fanny craddock christmas show the other day lol.
Not all the ideas are ones I would use, but it gives you inspiration and really gets you in the Christmas feel

ali x

ALIBOBSY

louise3965 wrote: »

Hi with the Delia Pavlova can I make the meringue x 2 on christmas eve and use one on christmas day ond the other boxing day? How should I store them if thats do-able? tia x

The meringe will keep in an airtight container (done that with them myself) but I wouldn't put the cream on until the day you want to use it as the cream and fruit sort of dissolve the meringe a bit and will make it soggy.

Was going to do a trifle and a chocolate log, but now you lot have got me wanting pavlova as well lol.

ali x

ragz_2

I have to precook as I'm cooking for 8 but have a tiny oven! Also, want to spend the day with the family not stuck in the kitchen peeling veg...

I've got my parsnips in the oven at the moment (though alterior motive there, boiler broken so heat is welcome!) ready to cool and freeze just as they start to brown.

Plan to freeze -
Stuffing balls, probably mostly cooked then crisp up on the day.
Yorkshire puds - make and freeze loads of little ones.
Roast potatoes, mostly cooked then just crisp up on the day as I need LOTS of these so will make several batches and freeze open then bag up.
Cheesy leeks will make up the cheese sauce and cook and freeze the whole dish ready to be defrosted overnight and reheated in the M/W xmas day.
Mince pies - mainly to stop me eating them all...

Christmas eve I will make
Red cabbage, this tastes better if made the day before, then can be reheated in its pan.
Beef cooked overnight in the slow cooker, then can use juice to make gravy.
Duck, roasted then jointed when cold and reheated in the oven on xmas day. Will use juices to make the sauce.
Gammon this will be served cold anyway
Carrot and onion this can be left on the hob and reheated when ready to serve.

Baileys Tiramasu (Nigella recipe)