What are you cooking now?

[Anna]

Yesterday pasta with mushrooms, spinach, creme fraiche. Tonight fish, toms, mangetout. Always try and have a pre-Christmas week of vegetarian/fish.

But I wanted to ask: Heston's pigs in blankets came top in taste tests because they have a layer of quince and apricot paste between banger and bacon. Not sure if they would be too perfumed but is anyone doing anything different/quirky with the festive trimmings - carrots in particular?

[jean]

Quince and apricot? The things you miss when you haven't got a Waitrose to hand!

I usually leave the festive stuff to others, but there seems to be a bit of a brussels sprout price war on at the moment so I am making large quantities of sprout and caramelised onion soup.

[Beef Oven!]

Quince and apricot? The things you miss when you haven't got a Waitrose to hand!

I usually leave the festive stuff to others, but there seems to be a bit of a brussels sprout price war on at the moment so I am making large quantities of sprout and caramelised onion soup.

Gone With The Wind, again this Xmas, I fear.

[teamsaint]

Gone With The Wind, again this Xmas, I fear.

turkey?

I'd have thought that if you caremlise soup, something had gone comprehensively wrong.

and just for Jean...

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/Browse/Groceries?tsrc=vdna&gclid=Cj0KEQiAqemzBRDh2vGKmMnqoegBEiQAqJPuyDzHLCeDcmpeujgX2zL-nqDK0Ev0ACL37_NtHhsT50caAhjc8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

( just an extension of what my folks used to do from their grocers shops, really.
but with better vans.)

Toad in the hole tonight.

[jean]

You caramelise the onions, and then you make the soup. It's very good.

http://yumblog.co.uk/archives/275

[teamsaint]

You caramelise the onions, and then you make the soup. It's very good.

http://yumblog.co.uk/archives/275

just me having a little festive fun , Jean.

I think I bought too many bags of sprouts at 39p each, so I might give this a whirl on boxing day.

If I have Thyme.

[cloughie]

Quince and apricot? The things you miss when you haven't got a Waitrose to hand

I guess yours is nearer than mine!

[Beef Oven!]

Spinach and minced beef cannelloni verdi - well we didn't cook it, my Italian mum did, we're just heating it up!

Avocado salad and some more gin

No music, my family don't seem to like music

[teamsaint]

Spinach and minced beef cannelloni verdi - well we didn't cook it, my Italian mum did, we're just heating it up!

Avocado salad and some more gin

No music, my family don't seem to like music

Food sounds good, Beefy !
Re the music,my advice is set up a little "Mahler room" over the festive season.
I have.

smoked Haddock Hash here tonight.
A house tradition.

Since last year.

[Beef Oven!]

Food sounds good, Beefy !
Re the music,my advice is set up a little "Mahler room" over the festive season.
I have.

smoked Haddock Hash here tonight.
A house tradition.

Since last year.

Love smoked haddock hash

Bloody cannelloni didn't go around! Had to get the smoked salmon out, that my cousin brought back from Norway!

Gonna have some mince pies now - I'm beginning to remember what Xmas is all about.

[Anna]

Gonna have some mince pies now - I'm beginning to remember what Xmas is all about.

Talking of which, and seeing as Heston has been mentioned above - I bought some of his "spiced shortcrust pies filled withe mincemeat with added lemon curd, rosewater and apple puree plus a sachet of tangerine sugar for dusting" Sometimes I think his tweaks to established foods are rubbish (such as his Earl Grey & mandarin hot cross buns or putting rosemary into a rhubarb and raspberry crumble) but I have to say these pies are absolutely smashing. They're flat, very brown, the pastry is really a soft gingerbread and they're heavy on the nutmeg and cinnamon. Rather Christmas puddingy and looking rather rustically medieval. Other best mince pies I've had this year were bought at the Church bazaar, were homemade mincemeat and had a Victoria sponge type topping lightly flavoured with lemon and heavily dusted with icing sugar.

And it's 10o'clock and not a sprout has been peeled here and I confess Classic FM is on because they play non-stop Carols. It's Welsh leg of lamb for our Festive Fare so no rush to get anything in the oven.
Happy Eating to one and all.

[Stanfordian]

Turkey! Makes a change from the Lancashire Hot-pot that wi hav every neet up ere int NW of England

[Stanfordian]

Spinach and minced beef cannelloni verdi - well we didn't cook it, my Italian mum did, we're just heating it up!

Avocado salad and some more gin

No music, my family don't seem to like music

Hiya Beefy.

I thought you Londoners served up pie and mash with jellied eels to start!

[Beef Oven!]

Hiya Beefy.

I thought you Londoners served up pie and mash with jellied eels to start!

My dad and I are the only cockneys left in the family. The rest have gone 'continental', or are 'continental' in the first place!

I think we're having turkey today, must check

[Anna]

Turkey! Makes a change from the Lancashire Hot-pot that wi hav every neet up ere int NW of England

Nowt wrong wi' Hotpot - as long as it's ower Betty's recipe from t'Rovers!!
Turkey's ok if you have many mouths to feed and want leftovers, there's just two of us here and any remains will be cut into chunks and put into a tagine on Sunday. I've just studded it with garlic and it's on a bed of rosemary, all the usual trimmings will be served of course.

Pudding is traditional (Duchy of Cornwall organic Christmas pud, it was reduced, hope it's ok) but if we're too full up then it's tiramisu.