what will your chrimbo dinner look like

[Guest john76]

Hi All,

 

We leave for Townsville in just over 3 weeks:jiggy: so will be having our first christmas dinner down under this year. In my role as the family Jamie Oliver/ Gordon Ramsey it is one of my duties to produce an eye catching festive feast, in recent years in the UK this has comprised of a starter prawn cocktail (with a brandy twist)/ parsnip soup then the main of turkey and ham roast potatoes and all the festive veg followed by a dessert of chrimbo pudding (which i make so it quite full of booze) and my fav dessert is an ice cream chrimbo pudding, so as you can see its quite a heavy meal and takes a lot of preperation to make it all.

So my question is what do you do for christmas dinner in Aussie?

Normally christmas means the family coming round so what do you do before/after the meal and how have you coped with not having the family at this time of the year?

 

many thanks for taking the time to read and look forward to your replies :chatterbox::chatterbox:

[Guest Villa]

Based on what you've done in recent years, If I was anywhere near Townsville, my Xmas dinner would look the same as yours because I'd find a way of inviting myself round :yes:

 

Mine will be dramatically different this year. Over here on my own so intend to find a few people in the same position for a BBQ and a few (and a few more) beers.

 

The fact that it'll be 30+ degrees here eliminates any sadness from being back in the UK for Xmas!

[Guest john76]

Based on what you've done in recent years, If I was anywhere near Townsville, my Xmas dinner would look the same as yours because I'd find a way of inviting myself round :yes:

 

Mine will be dramatically different this year. Over here on my own so intend to find a few people in the same position for a BBQ and a few (and a few more) beers.

 

The fact that it'll be 30+ degrees here eliminates any sadness from being back in the UK for Xmas!

 

love your reply :wink: and if you were anywhere near Townsville you would be more than welcome :hug: thats the Irish in me always used to big numbers round the dinner table :biglaugh:

yes with the weather I do imagine my chrimbo dinner will be scaled back and a barbie and beer (or three) sounds the ticket.

[Guest Guest16631]

.........................good luck with your first chritmas dinner..................as I never know for sure how many there will be ...........................tends to be a buffet style....................often have lots of extra's people with no family and often someone from mums church who is an oldie with no family !!!.......................I go to the local seafood shop on christmas eve and pick up prawns crabs bugs.....[family contribute money wise]...........[.and use fish......out the freezer caught by OH.].........fruit and veg from the local farmers market ..........................then make up salads..................and fruit platters.......................and make a large pavlova..............the only stipulation on my guests is to bring a bottle of something.[usually wine though some bring beer !].....some sort of entree.[often a bowl of nuts or crisps].......a present worth 10 dollars for the bran tub....................and some good cheer.......................those who play an instrument bring it.....................and their own towel for the pool.............:smile:

[jomark]

OH will be doing the christmas day shift on the beach for the SLSC so we are going to join him for a picnic lunch (or snag on the bbq) then the full roast in the evening...........:0)

 

Jo

[Guest john76]

.........................good luck with your first chritmas dinner..................as I never know for sure how many there will be ...........................tends to be a buffet style....................often have lots of extra's people with no family and often someone from mums church who is an oldie with no family !!!.......................I go to the local seafood shop on christmas eve and pick up prawns crabs bugs.....[family contribute money wise]...........[.and use fish......out the freezer caught by OH.].........fruit and veg from the local farmers market ..........................then make up salads..................and fruit platters.......................and make a large pavlova..............the only stipulation on my guests is to bring a bottle of something.[usually wine though some bring beer !].....some sort of entree.[often a bowl of nuts or crisps].......a present worth 10 dollars for the bran tub....................and some good cheer.......................those who play an instrument bring it.....................and their own towel for the pool.............:smile:

 

thanks for your reply, yes really looking forward to a different type of chrimbo, loving your suggestions of fish, fruit and veg because I really think my usual would be far to much and far to heavy a meal for the climate, and making all the guests bring something (i missed a trick there :biglaugh:)

[Guest guest17301]

Sounds nice Tink....

 

This year will be our 3rd Christmas in Perth...the last 2 we've had a buffet, cold meats- beef and chicken, prawns, salads, cheeses, last year we added some roasted veggies on the barbie to make it a bit more 'traditional' I fancy a proper turkey dinner this year but truth is its just too damn hot to have the oven on and a buffet style seems more appropriate.

 

I'll watch this thread with interest as could use some new ideas for easy festive fare Aussie style.

[Guest john76]

OH will be doing the christmas day shift on the beach for the SLSC so we are going to join him for a picnic lunch (or snag on the bbq) then the full roast in the evening...........:0)

 

Jo

 

thanks for the reply,

 

your idea also sounds like a good plan, babie in the heat and then a roast in the evening, while i think the traditional chrimbo dinner is too much it might be an idea tyo do a nice roast in the evening

 

loving all these ideas coming through thanks :notworthy:

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Ok can I book in, there will be 6 of us, it will only take me 4 hours to get there:wink:

Hi All,

 

We leave for Townsville in just over 3 weeks:jiggy: so will be having our first christmas dinner down under this year. In my role as the family Jamie Oliver/ Gordon Ramsey it is one of my duties to produce an eye catching festive feast, in recent years in the UK this has comprised of a starter prawn cocktail (with a brandy twist)/ parsnip soup then the main of turkey and ham roast potatoes and all the festive veg followed by a dessert of chrimbo pudding (which i make so it quite full of booze) and my fav dessert is an ice cream chrimbo pudding, so as you can see its quite a heavy meal and takes a lot of preperation to make it all.

So my question is what do you do for christmas dinner in Aussie?

Normally christmas means the family coming round so what do you do before/after the meal and how have you coped with not having the family at this time of the year?

 

many thanks for taking the time to read and look forward to your replies :chatterbox::chatterbox:

[Guest The Pom Queen]

We will be on roast again, I love my Christmas Dinners. Will probably eat it outdoors around the pool though.

[Guest john76]

Ok can I book in, there will be 6 of us, it will only take me 4 hours to get there:wink:

 

well i must warn you I am following Tinks great example (she gets her guests to bring bottles of booze etc:biggrin:) so 6 x bottles plus nuts,crisps etc sounds good to me :biglaugh:

loving all these ideas for chrimbo dinner keep them coming :notworthy:

[Guest john76]

We will be on roast again, I love my Christmas Dinners. Will probably eat it outdoors around the pool though.

 

loving the image of eating a roast round a pool in the heat will really make a change to the snow and rain and the bitter cold i hate so much :biggrin:

[JoandJon]

Sounds nice Tink....

 

This year will be our 3rd Christmas in Perth...the last 2 we've had a buffet, cold meats- beef and chicken, prawns, salads, cheeses, last year we added some roasted veggies on the barbie to make it a bit more 'traditional' I fancy a proper turkey dinner this year but truth is its just too damn hot to have the oven on and a buffet style seems more appropriate.

 

I'll watch this thread with interest as could use some new ideas for easy festive fare Aussie style.

 

If you've got a Weber BBQ you can use it to cook your roast outside (unless it's a total fire ban of course!), have a potato salad as an alternative to roasties and it's all good

 

We'll be having home smoked ham, home smoked fish of some sort and buffet style at my 'lil bro's place. But we'll all be bringing something along to help out

[Guest guest17301]

So whats a weber? Like a barbie with a spit thingy? Could you do a turkey on it? I love turkey. Seemed very expensive last year though so stuck to chicken...not the same...

 

What about some nice dessert recipes people?

[Guest Guest16631]

 

..this is a webber..............

 

[Guest john76]

So whats a weber? Like a barbie with a spit thingy? Could you do a turkey on it? I love turkey. Seemed very expensive last year though so stuck to chicken...not the same...

 

What about some nice dessert recipes people?

 

Ingredients

FOR THE BOOZY FRUIT

 

 

• 85g raisins

• 85g sultanas

• 85g pack dried cherries

• 100g fresh or frozen cranberries

• 6 tbsp brandy

• 2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

FOR THE ICE CREAM

 

 

• 2 cinnamon sticks , snapped in half

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• ¼ tsp caraway seeds

• 4 cloves

• 600ml pot double cream

• 1 vanilla pod , split and seeds scraped out

• 3 large egg yolks

• 100g golden caster sugar

• oil , for greasing the bowl

• 6 ginger nut biscuits, broken into chunks

• zest ½ lemon and ½ an orange

FOR THE CRANBERRY SYRUP TOPPING

 

 

• 85g caster sugar

• 2 tbsp brandy

• 100g fresh or frozen cranberries

 

 

1. Mix all of the boozy fruit ingredients together in a bowl, then microwave on High for 3 mins. Stir, then leave to cool completely, ideally overnight.

2. For the ice cream, put the spices in a saucepan and gently heat for 3 mins or so, stirring once or twice, until fragrant. Tip in the cream and vanilla seeds, and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar together. Whisk the hot cream into the egg mix, then tip the mix into a clean pan and gently heat for 5-10 mins until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour everything into a bowl or plastic container and leave to cool completely. If possible, chill it overnight as this will infuse the ice cream with a stronger Christmassy spice flavour.

3. Pass the mix through a sieve into another container, then freeze for 5 hrs, stirring in the frozen edges with a fork every hour until you have a smooth, thick mix. Oil a 1.4 or 1.2-litre pudding basin and line with cling film.

4. Drain the boozy fruit in a sieve, mix the fruit with the ginger nuts and zests, then quickly stir into the ice cream. Tip into the basin, cover the surface with cling film, then freeze for at least 6 hrs.

5. For the topping, put everything into a small pan, gently heat until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 2 mins. Cool completely. To turn the pudding out, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 mins, then turn onto a plate. Ease the cling film away. Spoon the cranberries and syrup over to serve.

6. this can be made up to one month ahead of the day and it really looks fantastic when you bring it to the table with the cranberries and syrup over the pudding

 

[Perthbum]

Not the same when it is hot and sunny but it is a goos excuse for a pee up so I was happy, prefer a white xmas cold like last year all day long.

[JoandJon]

It's a 'Kettle' barbeque.

If you set the coals up underneath in an indirect way (i.e. coals to the sides, not in the middle) you can use it just like an oven

 

It's how we hot smoke stuff, and once you get the knack it's dead easy to use

 

And yep you can use it to do a turkey - plus if you chuck in some smoking wood chips towards the end it will taste amazing

[JoandJon]

I was about to say an Ice-cream Xmas pud ....

 

That's a lush recipe!

[Guest john76]

Not the same when it is hot and sunny but it is a goos excuse for a pee up so I was happy, prefer a white xmas cold like last year all day long.

 

i like the look of a white christmas and yes it does bring a bit of magic if it snows on christmas day, but as an ex truck driver i also know the dangers of snow also where we live at the minute we have had bad snow 3 years running and it aint no fun when your snowed in after the first day of throwing snowballs at your neighbours and laughing when everyone falls it just becomes a chore and crazy when the usual 10 minute walk to the local shop takes 30 minutes only to find out the dont have any bread or milk in stock :arghh:

sorry to crush the romance :biglaugh:

[Guest john76]

I was about to say an Ice-cream Xmas pud ....

 

That's a lush recipe!

 

the first chrimbo dinner i done (3 years ago) this was the dessert and those that enjoyed it still talk about it and it does get requested every year (must leave them the recipie before we go :biglaugh:)

[Guest john76]

It's a 'Kettle' barbeque.

If you set the coals up underneath in an indirect way (i.e. coals to the sides, not in the middle) you can use it just like an oven

 

It's how we hot smoke stuff, and once you get the knack it's dead easy to use

 

And yep you can use it to do a turkey - plus if you chuck in some smoking wood chips towards the end it will taste amazing

 

loving the idea of smoking etc, i have only gotten into cooking in the last 3 years but love it now, before my barbies consisted of burnt sansages, over done burgers and the occasional burnt chicken wing so come on give me a few tips on the barbie i can practice when we arrive please :notworthy:

[JoandJon]

Lol, I could go on for hours....

If you're going to have a go at smoking stuff, I'd start simple - buy (or catch) some trout and smoke them first. Bigger joints can be more tricky to judge, although you'll never look back once you've smoked a chook!

Once you've mastered the trout, just apply the same technique to anything.

Mix a combination of chunky salt (regular stuff will also do if it's all you've got) and some spices - i like juniper, pepper and fennel, but you can use whatever you fancy. You'll need loads of this and the salt mix keeps for ages if you make too much

In a big plastic container (pref with a lid) shove your fish and cover them with salt mix, push it into the cavity and give it a good rub. Leave it in the fridge (if in Oz) for ~30-60 minutes (don't panic if you forget about it for while, but a couple of days is probably too long!).

Soak wood-chips (not eucalyptus or treated pine!!) in water

Light the weber - indirect fire

Wash off the salt (don't forget this step)

Shove fresh herbs (and maybe some lemon) into the cavity of the fish

Put the fish in the middle of the BBQ (i.e. not directly over the coals) and throw some wood chips on the coals.

Put lid on BBQ and have a beer.

Time to cook = about 1 decent sized beer if you're a quick drinker, or maybe 1 small white wine. (about 20 minutes or until it looks right)

Take off, and let cool down - it tastes better at room temperature

 

The best thing about using a weber 'oven style' is that you can control the heat much better = reduced risk of burning!

 

Spice rubs (if you make your own instead of buying ready-made you'll save a fortune) and marinades are the key.

 

(If you're using the above technique for a larger joint, it can be worth adding the wood chips part way through the cooking process if you don't want a REALLY strong smokey flavour

[JoandJon]

For a 'normal' BBQ - use a low heat - don't blast them, and make sure you can see what you're doing. (BBQing in the dark = burnt sausages)

 

If you're worried about cooking chicken pieces, part do it in the oven earlier on (even the day before) and then all you're doing is browning it up and adding flavour. Most people burn chicken on the BBQ because they're afraid of serving it raw...

[Harpodom]

Hopefully not like this: