The big day today, I’am practicing my technique of roasting, ready for the meal of the year, the Daddy of all meals, the show piece. Christmas Dinner.
Very soon, if not already, you are going to be bombarded with ideas from a thousand people, cook this, cook that, cook the other, not that way, this way. It’s going to mince your brain and even spoil what should be the happiest day of the year.
Forget the Channel 4 full table spread of turkey, sprouts, pigs in blankets, glazed oranges studded with cloves and every other conceivable festive delicacy. 10 people have probably spent 2 days setting it up just to plant the image in your mind.
Create you own image and menu, and stick to it, don’t be pulled off track, stay focused.
Choose ingredients that are going to look good on the plate and go well together, keep it simple and keep it tasty, otherwise you could end up serving sprouts and custard.
Just remember, you’ll be serving the meal on plates, not dustbin lids.
The kitchen is going to be as hot as a ships engine room, steam, heat and saucepan lids rattling, you will need help, get someone in there with you, make the kitchen a happy place, it will reflect in both the taste and the presentation of your food.
Put a few scraps out for the birds so that you can watch them and grab a minute to re-focus, keep your feet on the ground
Get some fitting music in there, make the kitchen an extension of the festivities and not a separate torture chamber.
Allocate jobs, team effort, then sit down and reap the rewards of your labours.
BON APPETITE.
Storkwrite 