Dish you were most proud of

[Fabienne]

For those among us who cook: did you prepare a dish for the holidays that turned out particularly well?

I made a chicken liver-brandy mousse (mousse de foies de volailles au cognac) by mixing techniques from several recipes. After three tries over a few weeks, I finally reached a very satisfying result for Christmas day. Even those at the table who do not like liver took seconds. My only problem now is remembering how I made it.

Most disappointing: my baked scallops (coquilles St Jacques). The sauce was too tangy (I used too much white wine).

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I made a christmas lunch stir-fry for mnemonic and myself. It turned out well for the five minutes it took me to cook it. Other than that... we went out for dinner on both Christmas Eve, and Christmas day. Thank you to the heathens who decided to keep their restaraunts open.

 

[PHV]

I made a christmas lunch stir-fry for mnemonic and myself. It turned out well for the five minutes it took me to cook it. Other than that... we went out for dinner on both Christmas Eve, and Christmas day. Thank you to the heathens who decided to keep their restaraunts open.

Well, it seems that the heathens were asleep when I came home on Christmas night. I was starving and couldn't even find a place to deliver some pizza.

 

[shoreman1782]

The Italians won't help you out, they're catholic. You have to go with traditionally nonchristian imports. I think the Indian restaurant in my hood was closed for xmas too, though. Â

I'm no gourmet when it comes to cooking, but we had some lamb chops from a mailorder steak company that were fantastic. Of course, they came seasoned and frozen, it was like a tv dinner.

 

[TimelessRider]

I was in charge of desert. Made a Tiramisu that my friends were raving about using this basic recipe I found online: http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/rcp-101.htm. It was my first try so I was ecstatic. I also made a Trifle as a backup in case the Tiramisu was a disaster. It's quite hard to screw up trifle.

 

[Kai]

I made a maple pecan pie that was pretty good.

I ordered a maple pecan pie a while back at a restaurant and it was horrible. I thought to myself, "I could do much better than this." I had some time to cook, so I made one. It was much better.

MMMM. I just wish now, I had made two.

Kai

 

[Fabienne]

I was in charge of desert. Â Made a Tiramisu that my friends were raving about using this basic recipe I found online: http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/rcp-101.htm. Â It was my first try so I was ecstatic. Â I also made a Trifle as a backup in case the Tiramisu was a disaster. Â It's quite hard to screw up trifle. Â

Did your Tiramisu hold up well in neat enough slices, upon serving? I made one once by looking up the basic recipe on an Italian website, but it fell apart when I served it. It was delicious, but messy looking. No wonder most restaurants serve tiramisu in individual ramequins. I haven't had trifle since the last time I was in England, years and years ago.

 

[TimelessRider]

Quote:

(TimelessRider @ 28 Dec. 2004, 5:46) I was in charge of desert. Made a Tiramisu that my friends were raving about using this basic recipe I found online: http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/rcp-101.htm. It was my first try so I was ecstatic. I also made a Trifle as a backup in case the Tiramisu was a disaster. It's quite hard to screw up trifle.

Did your Tiramisu hold up well in neat enough slices, upon serving? I made one once by looking up the basic recipe on an Italian website, but it fell apart when I served it. It was delicious, but messy looking. No wonder most restaurants serve tiramisu in individual ramequins. I haven't had trifle since the last time I was in England, years and years ago.
You're absolutely correct. Though the initial slices held up reasonably well, what was left in the pan slowly started to leak and sink until it became this delicious gooey mix.

 

[ViroBono]

This year I cooked a 5kg forerib of Galloway beef. It was superb, both for Christmas lunch and later in sandwiches, and then served cold with saute potatoes and pickled onions.

 

[chorse123]

Mine was a simple pumpkin pie. My wife and I spent Christmas with a friend's family at their house in Surrey, and none of them had ever had pumpkin pie before. It was a hit.

 

[HitMan009]

Hmm, looks like some people here are gourmet chefs.....

I did my simple yet amazingly good roast chicken. Copious amounts of salt to season the bird. Pepper to taste. Copious amounts of sugar which I find aids in the absorption of other seasonings and promotes browning of the skin. Let sit for at least 3 hours in the fridge. 400 Degrees preheat oven Just before I put the bird in the oven, I make a honey/butter mixture that I rub all over the bird. This creates a skin that will evenly brown and become relatively crispy but only if you baste the bird during the cooking process. An hour and a half should be enough for an average sized bird. Remember to shift the position of the pan every so often to promote even browning and turning the bird midway through the cooking. Pan dripping will then be turned into gravy for mashed potatoes. Pumpkin Pie and Appie pie was also prepared by me. I haven't found a recipe for pie dough that doesn't use lard acceptable. I believe that I read somewhere that lard is not as fattening as butter. Not that it matters but something good to know. I could describe in more detail but I have a cold now and am too stuffed up to type more...

 

[chorse123]

I ran into some problems with recipes for pumpkin pie dough, as most recipes I found used vegetable shortening, which I couldn't find anywhere in the London supermarkets.

I ended up using a dough recipe from Nigella Lawson's FEAST which called for sour cream and cream cheese, essentially replacing vegetable shortening or lard. I don't have it in front of me, but it's worth checking out, as is the rest of the cookbook.

 

[Fabienne]

You can buy pumpkin pulp in the UK?  Or did you bake a pumpkin to get the pulp?  I had two guests from Belgium and one from the Netherlands in October, so I made pumpkin bars for them (a very simple, light on the spices, type of moist cake).  They liked it so much, they asked me to take them to the local supermarket and show them the canned pumpkin.  They each bought 3 cans, and I know their suitcases were already full.

Now on to New Years eve...

PS: wouldn't a simple pate brisee (butter, flour, salt, water) work for the pumpkin pie crust?

 

[chorse123]

A generous family member sent a can over from the US. Apparently you can get it in the UK at some Waitrose supermarkets and-I believe-at Harrod's.

You could use a pate brisee, but the crust would probably be too buttery. Pumpkin pie is best with a flakier, less rich crust.

The pumpkin bars sound really excellent. Is it your own recipe, or is it from a book?

 

[globetrotter]

hitman, what do you do with the sugar? sorry to seem stupid, but I just want to make sure I uderstand.