But it turns out we will be having a traditional sit down xmas dinner this year for a treat for elderly 85 yrold FIL! um and it will be at my house! Turkey and ham and roasties and a sit down meal for 23! (including 11 kids!) its cooking the turkey that scares me the most as that will probably be my job and will have to be done on Christmas morning as well as setting the table! eek. Luckily everyone will contribute something. 5 Months to plan!
cgvl,
Aug 5, 1:56am
if you are worried about cooking a turkey could you not just do 2-3 chickens. MIL does that and has them cold with vegies and salad. Yes it is a sit down meal too.
neville26,
Aug 5, 2:10am
thats a good idea cvgl! Or maybe having the turkey cold! that might relieve the pressure xmas morning!
gardie,
Aug 5, 3:41am
Funny how different people like different 'hot' meats.My ham has to be hot on the day - love the smell of it glazing and warming in the oven.Everything else I precook (about a week beforehand), slice then cover in the appropriate gravy and put in the freezer.It comes out Christmas Eve then into dishes for warming on the day.A tip - do your Christmas pudding in the crockpot - it works wonders and you can pop it in the laundry so its out of the way whilst cooking everything else.No one likes turkey in our house- always have chicken though.
davidt4,
Aug 5, 3:45am
Nigella Lawson's Christmas book has a very detailed work plan for a traditional Christmas dinner.It could be easily adapted for your choice of foods.
gaspodetwd,
Aug 5, 4:07am
Turkey - do the evening before. Get lots of streaky bacon and butter for basting. Baste frequently! And wrap the drumsticks in foil to prevent burning. I did turkeys all the time in the uk. But it's the one time that you don't worry about butter!
nauru,
Aug 5, 4:32am
I used to cook the Turkey the night before when we lived in England.It just took some of the pressure off Christmas Day and making a traditional Christmas dinner for both sides of the family, usually 12 -14 of us.You could also try cooking it slowly overnight, I did that too on the odd occasion.I also prepared all the veges the night before too.
biggles45,
Aug 5, 4:48am
Stuff the turkey the night before, then all you have to do is put it in the oven Christmas Day, add potatoes about an hour before serving. No hassle.
darlingmole,
Aug 5, 10:12am
Turkey is SO easy - seriously~!Defrost for 2 days prior.On Christmas day wash it down (keep giblets seperate for the gravey) mean while put the turkey into an oven bag, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, freshly squeezed OJ, a peeled onion, mixed herbs . you get the pic.Tie the oven bag up and roast on slow for about 3 or 4 or 5 hrs until meltin off the bone.I have gone to friends Christmas dinners with this and they've enjoyed turkey for the 1st time in their lives . it's my Mum's recipe (ps:you MUST add love to it - always ;-)
245sam,
Aug 5, 10:32am
neville26,two suggestions.and I have done both but admittedly not for the numbers you're catering for - our extended family Christmas numbers are less than half of yours.
Option 1 - Do you have a covered barbecue!If so cook the turkey (and maybe the ham too if serving it hot) in the barbecue - that way you can pass the responsibility for cooking those meats on to the MOTH (Man of the House) - I did the prep and just kept an occasional eye on progress on the cooking of the turkeys which were stuffed as usual and the breasts were covered with streaky bacon to flavour them as well as keep them moist. Option 2 and most likely to be on our menu again this year - we don't have every Christmas here at home but the last few times I have served the turkey in the following way it has been very well received.Basically what I did was modify Alison Holst's recipe for Roast Chicken Casserole i.e. Chicken in gravy with a stuffing topping.I cooked the turkeys a few weeks in advance and removed all the bones, skin, etc. then froze the shredded meat.On 23 or 24 Dec. I made the gravy, then added the frozen meat to the cooled gravy.I also made the stuffing topping.Both turkey/gravy and stuffing mixtures were, of course, kept refrigerated.On Christmas Day it's so easy because there's no carving and no bones, etc. to clear away afterwards.If you'd like Alison's recipe please do ask.:-))
buzzy110,
Aug 6, 2:47am
Excellent advice. Don't turkeys also come with a handy little thermometer stuck into it and when that pops up your turkey is cooked!
rarogal,
Aug 6, 2:50am
Lay your table the night before also! Great time saver!
neville26,
Aug 7, 7:51am
I love all your suggestions! thanks And yes please 245Sam I would love that recipe - sounds delicious!
245sam,
Aug 7, 8:14am
Alison Holst's ROAST CHICKEN CASSEROLE - from Alison's first 'Dollars and Sense Cookbook' (aka 'Crunchy Chicken' in some of Alison's later books).
1 chickenor8-10 chicken pieces 1-2 bacon rashers (optional) 1 cup water 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 garlic cloves, crushed cornflour to thicken saltandpepper 2 tbsp butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp dried mixed herbs 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Place the chicken (whole or jointed) in a saucepan with the bacon, water, soy sauce and garlic.Cover and simmer over a very low heat for about an hour or until the flesh is tender. Bone the chicken and place the flesh in shallow ovenware dish.Chop the bacon and sprinkle it over the chicken. Strain liquid (I refrigerate it overnight, then remove any fat from the top) and thicken with cornflour paste, season and pour it over the chicken. Melt the butter and cook onion in it until it is tender but not browned. Remove from the heat and mix well with theherbs and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cooled sauce and chicken. Refrigerate until required. Reheat at190ºCforabout 30-40 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the sauce and chicken have heated through.
When making this with turkey I cooked the turkey(s) in the oven, with just a little water, and covered with foil, then I retained all the cooking juices for the sauce + I used additional homemade chicken stock so that I had sufficient gravy to keep the meat nicely moistened.Also, to make it nice and Christmassy I added some craisins to the meat and sauce, then served it with Cranberry Sauce.:-))
neville26,
Aug 7, 10:51am
mmmmm! thanks heaps!
toadfish,
Aug 7, 5:59pm
245Sam sounds nicer everytime i read that recipe, I am going to try it as it would be a great meal to prepare the night before.How do you make yourfresh breadcumbs!I have heard you can grate frozen bread!
biggles45,
Aug 7, 9:58pm
I put bread into the liquidiser or even the coffee bean grinder. Makes great breadcrumbs.
245sam,
Aug 7, 10:23pm
Hi Julia,that chicken/turkey casserole is a delicious 'roast' meal that can be prepared ahead of time. Re the breadcrumbs:Unless DH gets to them first I 'hoard'/save the end crusts from each loaf of bread in the freezer, then I have a mass make of breadcrumbs - I take the crusts from the freezer and spread them out on the bench (on oven trays or the opened out bread bags) and cover them loosely so that they dry out, just a bit, otherwise they can become quite soggy.I then rip the crusts into pieces and crumb them in the food processor and either Return them to the freezer in icecream container(s) or Put them into a roasting dish and dry them in the oven. I too, have heard that bread (not necessarily frozen as far as I am aware) can be grated but I have never had the need to try so I'm not sure how well that method works. :-))
toadfish,
Aug 8, 12:01am
Then they are fresh but slightly dried, Thanks 245SAM
245sam,
Aug 8, 12:21am
You're very welcome Julia. IMO the breadcrumbs are more fresh than even slightly dried - I find that if frozen when really fresh, the crusts after being in the freezer tend to be very moist and can 'clog' up in the food processor whereas after just an hour or so on the bench, the bread more easily still makes fresh, rather than dried, breadcrumbs.:-))
valentino,
Aug 8, 4:33am
Many many years ago, did a Turkey in a Cocoon recipe and the turkey was absolutely moist all through. Someone noted an oven bag but the cocoon method had a wee hole at the top where one added a fruit juice and some nice wine.
Somehow that recipe has long gone but the thought and memory of it remains.
Cheers.
macandrosie,
Aug 8, 9:31am
Turkeys can be drier than chicken so it's not a bad isea to cook it in a roasting bag! How bout growing some of your own potatoes for Xmas! you can't beat fresh new potatoes on the day! Could go in early to mid September.
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