Thursday 12 January 2017

The Sarsfield Family Christmas Lunch Menu ( 2016)

Oyster and Champagne

Christmas Table setting

Starter : Seafood and quail Scotch egg

Roast Goose

Baked pear, Lemon


Dessert:  ice cream  and apple pie spring roll







 
 
I love everything about Christmas festive season, specially for creating and planning our Christmas lunch menu, as soon as Autumn comes we discuss endlessly whenever we having a meal together.
I always make sure it will be a special and memorable but it is a hard work.
Even I print the Christmas lunch menu for our Festive lunch guest and family.
Well, you might think I am taking too seriously for the festive meal , of course, I do !  Why not? After all only once a year, make a good memory for my daughter, Cat and son, John. They are all looking forward to seeing my menu every year, and I really love this process very much!
This is our tradition now.
 
Main dish has not much choice, turkey, goose, duck or even chicken, or have a nice big roast, good dry aged prime rib of beef.
But as all family loves my own stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce, we all end up cooking roast goose or duck.
Finally decided goose and as our tradition, fish and seafood pasta for the Christmas eve’s dinner.
I make sure something special starter for the lunch, usually seafood, we all love something special and luxurious starter, because Christmas roast is rotating choice of roast big birds is a rather predictable dish.
 Starter: This year grilled seafood medley.
Grilled lobster tail, a few scallops with nice mini salad and simple quail egg, boiled just for 2minutes, and coat with panko bread crumbs, quick fry ( like a small Scotch egg without sausage meat).
When you cut, soft egg yellow looks so special, sprinkle with my homemade seaweed dust, just so deliciously photogenic.
I made simple cucumber drink a kind of gazpacho on 24th leave in the fridge to be mellow and flavours all together, ( made with good sherry vinegar, green apple, salt ) this was served with seafood medley. This makes such refreshing taste with seafood. My gamble has paid off.
 
 
 
Stuffing contains brandy soaked cranberry, best sausage meats, smoked bacon ladon, chest nuts, fine nuts, onion, garlic, sage and a good sourdough bread crumb.
We like loose and buttery stuffing, not like cake.
Baked in a big oven proof dish with bay leaves and butter on the top, all family love this special stuffing so I have to cook roast bird for this.
 
Gravy : on 23rd, in the roasting tin put onion, celery, carrot, whole a head of garlic, and goose neck, liver, gizzard , roast for 1hour until brown, put in the a big pan boil, make rich brown stock  and make gravy with red wine , red currant  jelly.  Gravy looks like dark brown,  rich  and a little sweet, just perfect for the goose. Make this a big pan and I freeze some for the other roast dinner .
Vegetable: my homemade cabbage pickle and brussel sprouts with bacon and chest nuts.
 
Roast potatoes and parsnips; Cooked with goose fat , collected from roasting tin .
 
We are not big on dessert just simple mango sorbet , vanilla ice cream with homemade raspberry cooli.
But I made an effort to adding apple, miso spring roll( mini) to give texture and salty taste.


We had a feast and a long talk and a big laugh, plenty of drink , most of all we all very mellow and happy!
 


 
The Sarsfield Family Christmas Lunch Menu (2016)
 
Starter:
Grilled lobster tail, Scallops and crispy kale and Quail egg.   Mini salad and Cold cucumber drink.
Main:
Roast Goose.   Stuffing  ( sausage meat, bacon ,brandy soaked  cranberry , sage, onion and more)
Homemade cranberry sauce
Roast Potatoes and Parsnips, bacon wrapped sausages and red wine gravy.
Vegetables: Pickled Red Cabbage, Brussels Sprout, Grilled Pear.
Dessert:
Vanilla ice cream, Mango sorbet ,  burnt Pineapple with spiced apple spring roll.
Cheese Board .
Wines:
White: Champagne, Pouilly Fume.
Red : Amarone, Rioja..
Dessert: Domaine Lasserre, Jurancon.
Port.
 
Merry Christmas and A Very Happy New Year !!