Turkey Christmas Dinner and all the trimmings.

[alp]

@alp!!! what are you like!!....... nearly setting fire to your garage!!
No-one can say that you don't give things a go?

Always being a bit carried away!

 

[MaryMary]

How do you use sugar to cure the ham of saltiness?

You buy a sugar cured ham. It's the difference between "city" ham and "country" ham. It's in the way the meat is preserved - it's called "curing" the meat. (I like the sweet and the salty, so I'll buy either type, depending on my mood, and have never bought a raw ham from the butcher/meat section.)

Country ham has a deep, rich and intensely salty flavor that is dry-cured over a long period. City hams are cured in a solution of salt, water, preservatives and various sweet or savory flavors and usually are smoked over hardwoods like maple or hickory for a well-rounded, smoky flavor. https://www.farmflavor.com/at-home/cooking/city-ham-or-country-ham/

 

[Logan]

These are for after Christmas day and boxing day.
Jacket potatoes with bacon and sweetcorn.

10 medium sized potatoes
1can 325g sweetcorn
3x 250g bacon. that's not too much.
Some butter or margarine or anything else to cream it.
Little milk or anything else to cream it

I do my potatoes in the microwave, but you can do in the oven. Be carfull not to burn them.
Fry the bacon in a dry pan. There will be enough moisture in it. Let it cool and then cut it up into peices.Cook the potatoes, i brown them in the oven afterwards to crisp up the skin.
While still hot scoop the potato in a bowl. Leave some of it around the skin. Cream with the fat and a little milk. Drain the sweetcorn and half it. Half the bacon as well.
Put half of the bacon and sweetcorn in 5 of the potatoes and the rest in the other 5. Put the mixture back into the skins and pile it up a bit. Until you've used all of it.
Cool and freeze.

 

[Logan]

Prepared the turkey, stuffed it and bacon on top. I oil the foil so it doesn't stick to the skin. I brush the turkey with melted butter or margarine, put the bacon on and then brush it with the melted butter or margarine. I had some sausages left over,so i put them in as well.

I make enough stuffing for turkey sandwiches,the rest i'll put in the freezer for the rest of the year.

 

[Silentrunning]

Do you have a special shed or cubicle for the smoking? I am forever intrigued by the process. The nearest thing I have come close to smoking was to smoke some protea seeds over a fire and after I smelt like a smoked walking entity and only one seed sprouted. I think I wasn't brutal enough with the other seeds... I was quite scared when tons of creepy crawlies moved around on the top of the garage ceiling which wasn't in the best state of health.. Only a small fire, but that was some crazy length I went to for my love of flowers and I was scared still for fear of the fire spreading ..

I built a huge smoker out of an LP tank when I lived in Florida but sold it when I moved. Now I use an electric smoker that I bought from one of the local hardware stores. If you buy one, be sure to get one with a thermostat.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Speaking of ham earlier. the typical "ham" they sell, the brimmed one, I don't like. If I am cooking a "ham" for a holiday, I get a raw one. from the butcher. One that is not brimmed. I then simmer it long in ginger ale. Then take out and put on a baking sheet, slather it with ginger jam, some brown sugar and good mustard. Put it in the oven to have the top crisp up. and that is my style of ham.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/ginger-glazed-ham

 

[Logan]

Just made the cranberry sauce

Got the triple chocolate Gateau out of the freezer.
Decorated with milk, white and plain chocolate curls.
I don't make them myself, easier to buy them.

 

[alp]

I can murder the cake NOW! Love your decoration. Remember, no spamming here! Thought police might knock at your door!

Would love to buy, or better still, snatch the cake from you!

 

[Logan]

I can murder the cake NOW! Love your decoration. Remember, no spamming here! Thought police might knock at your door!

Would love to buy, or better still, snatch the cake from you!

 

[Logan]

Got the turkey out.

Cooked the stuffing

Served the dinner

Just got to put the gravy on.
Have the pudding in a while.

 

[Logan]

Just had home made Christmas pudding, cranberry sauce that i made and cream.
Thought I'd took a pic of that but didn't do it properly.
Do one tomorrow, have the same again.
Also had 3 glasses of sherry while doing the dinner and 2 glasses of sparkling wine when eating it. So a bit tipsy now.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Breakfast this morning is Ricotta cheese pancakes and Amish natural bacon, (uncured). and black coffee. Its just the two of us, so keeping the amounts of food low. we have so much in the fridge, all next week is leftovers. Later to make Lobster bisque, and then later crab meat quiche .

 

[Silentrunning]

Breakfast this morning is Ricotta cheese pancakes and Amish natural bacon, (uncured). and black coffee. Its just the two of us, so keeping the amounts of food low. we have so much in the fridge, all next week is leftovers. Later to make Lobster bisque, and then later crab meat quiche .

Wow. Lobster bisque and crab meat quiche! Now that sounds great.

 

[alp]

I love seafood. Nothing beats a crunchy pawn or sweet and fresh crab meat straight from the shell. We used to be able to go to fishmarket, but now we have to pay for parking.. I remember some French selling one king prawn for £1 in Chelsea!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

just finished making the Lobster bisque. and have to say, its yummy. like restaurant perfect. I am so good.