An Epicurean Christmas

Christmas celebrations, whether rightly or wrongly, have become synonymous with excessive eating and drinking.  I too am guilty of Christmas excess, and begin my Christmas planning often far earlier than required.

 To me, the planning only heightens the anticipation of the big day.  


This year's pine tree

 

Rather than gold, frankincense and myrrh, here are three culinary offerings I prepared during the festive season to ensure that my family and friends felt as though they were Kings.

 

1. Gathering Friends for a Seafood Feast

The festive season is cause for celebration and reflection upon the past year, so there is no better time to welcome friends to your home for dinner. As the mercury rises frequently about 30 degrees, a seafood feast is the perfect meal.

I’m fortunate to live on Port Philip Bay and a nearby neighbour whom sells Snapper freshly caught from the bay. The Snapper, with their bold glassy eyes and shining silver scales, are so fresh I can picture them happily swimming only mere hours earlier. 

 

Entree Tasting Plate

·       Tomato Gazpacho Soup

 

·       Natural Oysters

 

·       Salmon Carpaccio

 

Baked Snapper

Our Snapper prior to gutting and cleaning

·       I gutted and cleaned the fish, and stuffed the cavity with slices of lemon, sprigs of flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper. The fish was then drizzled generously with extra virgin olive oil.  I wrapped the fish in large pieces of foil, laying further slices of lemon and sprigs of parsley under and around the fish. The foil is sealed in an almost air tight parcel-like manner around the fish.

·       The fish is baked in a moderate oven for 40 - 50 minutes. You will be able to tell when the fish is cooked as the skin and scales will be easily peeled back in large pieces, revealing the moist flesh.

·       A fish of 3.5 kg feeds 6 – 8 people depending on size of entrees and appetites.



The skin flakes away easily from the flesh

The baked Snapper was accompanied by salads.



Mango, Avocado, Whitlof and Watercress

 

 

2. Boxes of baked treats for hard working colleagues

There is no better way to thank those whom have assisted me throughout the year than with a gift of home made delicacies. In an age where everything can be purchased, a little effort is greatly appreciated. Every year I make mince pies for Christmas, but this year I went on a baking spree.

Boxes of Baked Goodies

·       Traditional Mince Pies

 

 

Fresh from the oven

 

·       White chocolate and Pistachio Cookies

 

·       Cranberry Nougat

·       White Chocolate and Strawberry Rocky Road

 

White Chocolate and Strawberry Rocky Road

 

Assembling the boxes




Wrapped and ready to be dispatched.

Wrapping paper from my favourite supplier
The Wrapping Paper Company
 here

 

3. The Family Lunch

This year the Husband and I hosted the Christmas Day lunch for the first time ever! It was a perfect time to combine culinary Christmas traditions from both our families.

 

Glasses at the ready!

 

 

 

 

Here is our menu:

Entree

·       Natural Oysters

 

 

 

·       Gigantic Prawns accompanied by my Grandfather’s secret seafood sauce

 

 

 

·       Smoked Salmon Terrine

 

 

 

· Salmon Carpaccio

 

 

 

Main

·       Father-in-law’s Baked Ham

·       Baked Snapper (as per above!)

·       Potatoes baked in Duck Fat

·       Sugar snap peas and beans

·       Green salads

 

Desserts

·       Traditional pudding made as per the Husband’s late grandmother’s recipe

·       Ice cream Christmas pudding (recipe devised by my Mother & Aunt)

 

Unfortunately, we were enjoying the meal so much that I forgot to photograph the delicious ham and desserts. There is always next Christmas!

 

 

Plating Up

“One of the nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop what we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti

The anniversary of our move to Melbourne was cause to gather together friends both new and old for a celebration feast. In the whirlwind of a working life, it is so enjoyable to visit a friend’s home and share a meal. My parent’s dinner parties, both hosted and attended, were a regular fixture of my childhood Saturdays. Despite the increasing interest in food, the rise in Masterchefs and documentaries of extraordinary culinary feats, it appears that people have become more hesitant to play host and instead choose to meet out. Whilst this is good for the ever increasing restaurant scene, the art of entertaining is a fading star.

In my view, having friends for dinner is similar to a piece of string – the piece of string is as long as you like, and you choose how complicated your knots are. In reality, a dinner is really all about planning. I rarely have free time during the week, so my planning and preparation took place on weekends.

My preparations began one month from the date, with the setting of the menu. The existence of my extensive collection of food magazines and cook books was justified, as the merits of recipe after recipe were weighed up. The dinner party was a good reason to explore cooking with a new ingredient (hello truffle!) and also to make a new purchase (Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment). In constructing my menu, I searched for wintery flavours, but also sought to avoid building an overly heavy menu. I also focused on recipes which could be prepared prior to the evening which would mean the labour during the evening could be reduced.

 A Celebration Menu for Fifteen

·         Scallops with Saffron Crème

·         Mushroom Broth with Truffle and Tuscan Cabbage

·         Beetroot Ravioli with Sage Butter

·         Beef Cheek with Celeriac and Potato Mash

·         Lemon Orange Creamy Ice Cream and Blood Orange Sorbet

·         Chocolate Truffles and Cheeses

For the above, I based the broth on a Jacques Reymond recipe from his book ‘Cuisine de Temps’, Beetroot Ravioli mix from the SBS food magazine, ‘Feast’ issue 12, Maggie Beer’s beef cheek recipe available online here, Kitchen Aid ice cream recipes found in the Ice Cream attachment manual, and Gourmet Traveller’s chocolate truffles from their ‘Slow Food Cookbook’ of 2011. Scallops and saffron crème, Tuscan cabbage chips, mash and winter salads of my own creations.

The setting of the menu also involved the preparation of the shopping list. This is important, as it controls costs and portions, and ensures you don’t rush to the market and buy one of everything “in case you need it”, you don’t! Don’t partake in the last minute ingredient grab, this isn’t the ‘Price is Right’.

I broke down the dinner into the following tasks:

·         Ordering the beef cheeks from T.O.M.S and arranging delivery. This was necessary as I needed to marinate the cheeks the day before cooking;

·         Sourcing ingredients and items that would last the week, for example, potatoes, mineral water, pasta flour etc;

·         Picking up table decorations (in my case place tags, serviettes);

·         Making the ice cream and the sorbet; and

·         Making the chocolate truffles.

Fantastically orange fresh yolks



Lemon and Orange ice cream cooking away



Churn baby churn!



Truffles ready for refrigeration

Thursday – Friday

·         Beef cheeks are delivered, and marinating commenced Thursday night; and

·         Friday night, table is set up, cutlery and glasses washed and set out.



Marinating cheeks



Fantastic reason to use some lovely wedding gifts - Georg
Jensen water jug and salad bowl,
antique brass candles holders





Set and ready to go!

Saturday

·         Early trip to the South Melbourne Market for the fresh items predominately from Georgie’s Harvest and Aptus Seafood for the scallops, mushrooms, beetroots, crème fraiche, truffle, salad leaves etc;

·         Beef cheeks on to slow cook (from approximately 11 am);

·         Prepare the mushrooms broth;

·         Drinks on ice;

·         Make beetroot filling and pasta;

·         Mix the saffron and lemon juice into the crème fraiche;

·         Prepare potatoes and celeriac, and leave subsided in water (as late as possible, so you don’t lose too much flavour)

Browning, in preparation for slow cooking



The most amazing Victorian black truffle,
exclusively stocked at Georgie's Harvest



Slice, slice. Honey Brown Mushrooms from Tasmania
also from Georgie's Harvest

During the Evening

·         Grill the scallops, pipe on the saffron crème;

·         Oven bake the Tuscan cabbage;

·         Warm the mushroom broth and slice the truffle onto it;

·         Cook the ravioli and the sage butter;

·         Make the mash; and

·         Prepare side salads of mixed leaves and sliced radishes.

The end result

Plating up the scallops, slightly messy as the heat
melted the creme



Plating up, loving the truffle!



And on the table, dinnerware also wedding gifts -
Royal Doulton Signature Platinum



Beetroot ravioli



Beef cheeks

The beef cheeks worked perfectly, as Maggie Beer recipes normally do! The mushroom broth was delicious, but does require many mushrooms and much slicing. 

Lemon Orange Ice Cream and Blood Orange Sorbet




The army of dessert at the ready!

I was also happy with my ice cream and sorbet, for a first attempt with my new Kitchen Aid attachment, they were a little icy, but I was happy none the less. Chocolate truffles were also a hit. I really enjoyed the buzz of rapidly ‘plating up’ the dishes, working in a professional kitchen must be stressful and exhilarating all at once!

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what food is on the table, it’s the act of gathering friends in your home which is the fun part.  So next time, don’t meet at the local pub for a meal, get a little organised and host your friends. The effort is well worth it, and you’ll be repaid tenfold in the joy and appreciation of your guests.

What I’d change: I would not try to make 30 perfect beetroot ravioli again. Although delicious, it was very time consuming to make for fifteen people, even for a regular fresh pasta maker.

What I loved:  Having so many friends, from various walks of life, in our home. The deafening jokes and laughter. Laughing hysterically at a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ reading by a guest taking the stage.

Just a dollop about the Scallop...

Scallops with Cauliflower, Split Pea and Dill Cucumber

Whilst dining out a few years ago, I enjoyed my scallop entrée so much I asked the waiter where the scallops were sourced from. I was initially outraged to hear that they were from Canada; this revelation completely flew in the face of my determination to eat local produce. How dare this supposedly regional restaurant serve scallops from the other side of the world? However from that point onwards I noticed that restaurant after restaurant had begun using Canadian scallops, that was  why their scallops were so much fatter and juicier than the ones I’d been cooking with or had eaten at other restaurants. My own self-righteousness against imported seafood had to go.   Instead I began to smugly comment to waiters “I see your scallops are Canadian”.

Scallops are an easy way to turn your meal into restaurant quality. This summer my favourite way to cook scallops was to simply grill them in a hot skillet for a few minutes and serve with either a dill or lemon sauce. Now that the Melbourne weather is cooling quicker than the Labour Government’s approval ratings, I’m looking for warmer seasonal flavours to partner the scallop.

Cauliflower Puree

·         Boil cauliflower florets until soft, drain.

·         Whilst over heat, mix in some crème fraiche.

·         Transfer mix to a food processor, add in onion salt, white pepper and mild paprika to taste.

·         Blend until a smooth puree forms.

The split pea puree I found in a magnificent little book I was given named ‘The Flavour Thesaurus’ by Niki Segnit. The book is a wonderful compendium for finding inspiring flavour combinations. I was a little disappointed with the texture of the split pea puree, so next time I’ll make up my own recipe, but the split pea flavour worked well with the scallop regardless.

The scallops were grilled for a few minutes over high heat, and the pickled dill cucumber I added were Zimmy’s Sour Dill Cucumbers purchased in the Barossa Valley. The dill cucumber gave the dish a nice sour kick in contrast with creaminess of the purees.

Bottom line:  Scallop dishes are easy to recreate at home, ask your local fishmonger for Canadian scallops – they really are the best.