Notes To Myself about Christmas

So here we are, the day after the day that warrants all the hype ... the day that makes sane people crazy and crazy people certifiable. The day of "good cheer", gifts that some people don't want and others can't afford to give anyway and the day that this foodie spent hours and hours preparing for, only to have it gone in a couple of 20 minute intervals. Gone, except for the fridge full of leftovers that is and the tell tale signs of disaster.

In case you're wondering, I hate the day after Christmas so it's a really good thing the guys left the house at 5:30 this morning to go bird hunting, although it's beyond me what kind of birds they expect to see when it's pitch dark outside until at least 7 bells. But good for them. By the time they roll up the garage door at 6:00 tonight, the Christmas mess will be cleaned up, all signs of the fire I had in the oven yesterday will be removed,the loads of laundry will be done and the floors washed. Does it sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself?

Well, since this is a food blog after all and not my journal, I'd best get on with telling you about at least a few of the things we ate yesterday and the grade they earned for all the effort. Course on the other hand if I'd waited until tomorrow when my sense of humor has been restored, I may not have been as harsh a critic.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cherry Muffins - a delicious combination, I might add. Lovely melted dark chocolate chips and sweet/sour dried cherries hiding in a moist cakey buttermilk battered vanilla kissed muffin. MAKE AGAIN - you betcha. These guys get an A plus. Download Chocolate Chip Sour Cherry Muffins

Bacon, Beer and Cheddar Soup - while we normally have a large breakfast on Christmas day then wing it through lunch and wait for the main event in the evening, with the Big Guy's huntin' partner arriving around noon, we thought lunch would be more appropriate.
This soup is courtesy of Food & Wine magazine and admittedly it is a manly kind of nosh. Loaded with some of our special homemade bacon, spiced with jalapeno and pilsner along with sharp cheddar and smoked gruyere, it's a heavy stick to your ribs kind of soup, that along with a loaf of sourdough bread kept the guys out of the kitchen for most of the afternoon. Personally, I didn't like it much but the Big Guy had 3 bowls and John had 2 which kind of tells you something. MAKE AGAIN: Not necessarily. I give it a C minus.

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Of course we had to have dessert at lunch, after all it's Christmas. We've made this one before and really, it is just an excuse to enjoy a moist, heavy, date filled, taste sensation of a sweet pudding slathered in a rich warm toffee sauce. I love the things - in fact there's one left hiding in the freezer for nuking at about 11:00 am. I'm gonna' call it lunch today! Sticky Toffee Pudding excels in the sweet department and definitely earns a superior in my books. MAKE AGAIN - ya man! Grade - A plus, plus. Download Sticky Toffee Pudding .

Because the soup filled the gap, I was unable to entice anyone to eat one bit of any of the appetizers we'd whipped up to pick at during the afternoon, so they've lived for me to tell you about them another day.

Our dinner menu included the following:

Riviera Pear Salad with Rogue River Blue Cheese, Toasted Pecans and Shallot Vinaigrette - The pears and cheese are courtesy of John and his Oregon home and honestly, there's nothing can compare with either. Juicy, perfectly ripe, incredibly sweet pears and a blue cheese that is creamy, sharp but easy on the palate - all on a bed of mache lettuce in a tangy shallot vinaigrette. I could easily call this salad dinner. MAKE AGAIN - Absolutely. Grade A plus plus. Download Pear-and-gorgonzola-salad-with-shallot-vinaigrette

Mustard Seed Crusted Prime Rib Roast with Roasted Balsamic Onions, and a Creamy Horseradish Sauce - this one's courtesy of Epicurious.com, normally a source I find to be quite reliable, especially if you study the comments about what people really think. They all passed this one with flying colors but I beg to differ. While the crust on the roast is lovely and flavorful, it's really hard to mess up a great prime rib roast. On the other hand, I give the onions a definite failing grade as a perfect waste of time. I mean whatever did roasted onions and shallots do to you that you'd treat them with such disrespect? Definitely disappointing, in my opinion they did absolutely NOTHING for the jus either. The real keeper is the horseradish sauce made with heavy cream, creme fraiche, horseradish and dijon mustard. It gets an A, while the roast gets a B but the onions are a definite, unequivocal F. MAKE AGAIN - uh NO.

Elsie's Make Ahead Potato Casserole - a perfect make ahead failure proof method of making mashed potatoes, and courtesy of the Best of Bridge series cookbooks, this casserole has been around for at least 30 years. Potatoes cooked and mashed with sour cream, cream cheese and butter, it goes with just about anything. MAKE AGAIN - Absolutely. Grade A.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts - our favorite green veg, we have and enjoy them often. It's not fair to name something as perfect, especially brussels sprouts, so we'll leave this one out of the grading scheme. Suffice to say if you're a regular visitor, you'll have noticed they're frequently shown on our plates.

Yorkshire Pudding - ah, the bane of my existence. As much as I love these things, they made a real mess of the oven and more importantly it's gonna' take me days to wash the smoke and soot off the ceilings in the house and get the smell outa' the curtains. Here's the link for the perfect method of making these beauties, but for heaven's sake be forewarned. While they rise to great heights every time, too much grease in the muffin pan can mean a smoky fire in the bottom of your oven so plan accordingly. I NEVER learn to put the muffin pan on a rack with a sheet pan below to catch the drips! Give the recipe an A plus, plus but give the cook an F for this one. MAKE AGAIN - yes, likely just so I can spend days cleaning up the mess.

Chocolate Caramel Tart - if I can say there was a perfect thing about yesterday's dinner, it would have to be this tart. A chocolate shortbread crust makes a crisp and tender base for a layer of rich, buttery caramel that is covered by a layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache. The key to this one other than making it all in advance, is to bring the tart to room temperature before serving for two reasons; you have to be able to cut the darn thing without having to use a hammer and chisel and you really want the caramel to string off your fork and land half way down your chin, just so you can dip into it later. It is really delicious. Don't forget the sea salt - we did when we took the picture, but it really adds a lot to the flavor of the tart. We have Saveur to thank for the recipe and Alexandra Guarnaschelli from Food Network for my inspiration to make it in the first place.  MAKE AGAIN - Without question. It gets an A plus, plus. 

So that's it people. I've provided the links for the recipes if you're so inclined and certainly if you've any questions or comments, don't be afraid to leave a note. Otherwise I'm off to wallow in my misery and no, this would not be a good day to pop in uninvited for drop of Christmas cheer. It's unlikely you'll find any cheer here, although there is something worth celebrating today. This is the 1,000 post on JBug's Kitchen Antics! Is that amazing or what?

 

Comments

[Lea]

Wowsa - congratulations on the 1000!!!!!!!
Your meals looked divine - even that soup - I would have loved that to be sure!
The salad - a thing of beauty - almost too beautiful to eat!

I am with you, my friend, on the day after blahs...

[June]

Thanks Lea. Hard to believe there's at least that many recipes on the site too. I really MUST finish that index I've been working on. As for the blahs, I'm about half way through the chores and starting to feel better ...especially since I just finished the last sticky toffee pudding. LOL

[pam]

What a feast you served up! I am sooo over Christmas. The tree is coming down tomorrow and my house is getting back to normal.

[June]

Thanks Pam and I hear ya'. I'm over it too!