Today is prep day. I got up at 10 am (nice lie-on), and although I was dreading the spin to the supermarket for the few bits I forgot yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised at the absence of mania. Still, I managed to forget the icing sugar. It’s Sunday hours, so the off-licence (liqueur store to my US friends) was closed, so we’ll have to grab the booze later...and the icing sugar.
On the menu this year, and every year, is roast turkey and stuffing, ham, roast potatoes, carrot and parsnips, york cabbage, and gravy. For dessert, it’s homemade chocolate ice cream (semifreddo) and a choice between cinnamon buns or mince pies with cream later - or maybe both. And today’s the day I spend putting it all together. It’s tradition now, my family expect it, and I enjoy doing it. I hinted that maybe I wouldn’t bother making ice cream this year, and there was outrage. So I’m obliged. It’s easy really, eggs, double cream, sugar, vanilla, and chocolate. Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks, the yokes with the sugar and vanilla until creamed, and the cream until semi-firm. Fold them all together and add the melted chocolate, then bang it in the freezer.
Ice cream is made. Cinnamon bun dough is proving. Mincepie filling is made, and the pastry is nearly there - just waiting on the icing sugar I forgot. Next up, the stuffing; onion, shallots, garlic, bacon, thyme, parsley, all fried together in olive oil in a large cast iron pot. Once they're fried off, and the room is filled with Christmas smells, the animal fat goes in and then bread crumbs. I’ll give that a good mix and leave it to sit overnight. I’ll get some turkey juices over it as it goes into the oven. It’s done when there’s a nice brown crust formed over the top.
Later tonight, half pissed, please god, I’ll prep the spuds, carrots, and parsnip and probably get the turkey on around 11 am tomorrow. Wife does Christmas morning breakfast so I’m off the hook there. I’ll see my dad around 11 am; he’s with my sister for dinner this year. The five of us will sit down at about 4 pm, and we’ll feed ourselves well and be thankful for what we’ve got. We’ll finish off the meal with our highlights for the year and then veg out for the night.
Whatever you’re doing for Christmas, if, in fact, you celebrate it, I wish you and your families a good one. For us, it’s not a religious thing; it’s a way to celebrate the year, and that we’re all still here…most of us anyway. I’ll remember my mother and the enjoyment she got from her grandchildren at Christmas. And I’ll enjoy cooking for my family and being around the table together. Our time is short, so let’s be grateful for what we have when there are so many who have so much less. Not material things, but the freedoms that we take so much for granted.
Chat in the new year.
Slán, Larry