Foody Christmas pressies???

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by Messie

What do you put in your ham glaze GG? I usually mix demerera sugar and mustard into marmalade but a new one would make a change.

Be careful with the chilli oil - first lot I made I didn't realise the strength of the chillis. Even the most avid chilli lover couldn't take more than a drop. I swear it seared straight through a pizza!

Haha...nah, I think chilli oil for cooking purposes should be a flavour more than a heat ingredient. I like it to be medium heat so deseed the chillis, leaving them whole (well, tops off) so that the oil can be used either to cook with or to finish a plate.

The ham glaze is easy. For a decent sized Ham, use 1 jar redcurrant jelly, about 500mls port, 1 cinnamon stick and 1tsp ground cinnamon, the peel of one orange, 10 whole cloves, 5 cracked green cardamom pods and simmer without a lid until it's a syrup consistency. Take out the bits and pour on your scored and cloved Ham.

I also simmer the Ham in a mix of about 1/2 bottle of good red wine, topped up with water to just cover the ham and cram in around it, an onion (quartered), a few broken cinnamon sticks, a dozen or so cloves, a few carrots, a few sticks of celery, a couple of star anise, an orange cut in half and a dozen or so wole black peppercorns.

It sounds like a lot, but still tastes of Ham...just seems to enhance it a lot and the colour is amazing both when it comes out of the oven and when it's carved.

(I also have pot of the glaze mix, minus the jelly on the hob over christmas and keep it topped up. Simmer it for an hour twice a day and the house just smells like christmas)

Cheryl.... There are loads of different ideas for food pressies in the December issue of good food magazine.... when I get home tonight I'll let you know which ones there are and if you want the recpices I'll email them to you

x

[Messie]

The glaze sounds delish - may give it a go. I boil first in much the same way as you.

Know what you mean about the smell of Christmas. I've got some Gluvein mix I use. I do make the wine to drink but also just pour hot water on some for the aroma

[Littlepeahead]

I used preserved lemons in my salmon and asparagus risotto - but Spidey will have to tell you if it worked as he had to eat it. I think home made presents are a great idea. I might make truffles this year. You get covered in chocolate in the process but that's half the fun!

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by lily

Cheryl.... There are loads of different ideas for food pressies in the December issue of good food magazine.... when I get home tonight I'll let you know which ones there are and if you want the recpices I'll email them to you

x

Thanks Hun....I already have it. I know what I'm going to do for everyone as luckily I know what they like...lol.

Originally Posted by Messie

The glaze sounds delish - may give it a go. I boil first in much the same way as you.

Know what you mean about the smell of Christmas. I've got some Gluvein mix I use. I do make the wine to drink but also just pour hot water on some for the aroma

Mmmmm, I had to do a ham last week for Thanksgiving next door and it was lovely to have that smell a bit early!

Originally Posted by Littlepeahead

I used preserved lemons in my salmon and asparagus risotto - but Spidey will have to tell you if it worked as he had to eat it. I think home made presents are a great idea. I might make truffles this year. You get covered in chocolate in the process but that's half the fun!

That sounds lovely so I'm sure Spidey will be more than glowing in his praise for it. They work really well with so many things. It's like slow roast garlic, the flavour completely changes and adds something very different to a meal.

[Littlepeahead]

I have asked the Lord's head chef to source me a fillet of beef for Christmas dinner. He said he will. Then sent me a photo of him on the farm hugging a big woolly cow and asking if one of those would do? Now I know meat comes from animals - I'm a farmer's granddaughter - but don't send me a photo of a cute cuddly moo cow then present me with it chopped up for dinner!

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by Littlepeahead

I have asked the Lord's head chef to source me a fillet of beef for Christmas dinner. He said he will. Then sent me a photo of him on the farm hugging a big woolly cow and asking if one of those would do? Now I know meat comes from animals - I'm a farmer's granddaughter - but don't send me a photo of a cute cuddly moo cow then present me with it chopped up for dinner!

Haha, I used to breed pigs and was always a ok with it because they lived til 9-11 months which is a lot longer than most pigs and they had 24/7 free run over 5 acres and a big open barn with fresh straw and good, slow growth feed. It was the most fabulous meat, they were British Lops which is a rare breed. I could never have the heads back from the abbatoir though...I knew them all, so couldn't quite handle that!

Last time I had a whole beef fillet, I cut fillet steaks from the end, used the centre fillet for a beef wellington and then roasted the Chateaubriand for me and my dad.....ate it with a spoon as with the wellington. Proper juicy, melt in the mouth like butter meat. You lucky thing getting one fro Christmas! Chateaubriand is, I think the best cut of meat in the world if it's cooked right. Because it's the thick end of the fillet, it has more fat and good marbling and one chateaubriand will only feed two people as you just can't stop eating it...lol