Traditional Christmas dinner?

[GA Russell]

Because both of my parents were from Massachusetts, every year we had a turkey for Christmas when I was growing up.

But now I find that here in North Carolina, which may be the national pork capital, the tradition is to have a "Christmas ham."

Do most folks in England have a Christmas goose a la Dickens?

Are there any other traditional Christmas meals folks here enjoy?

[A Lark Ascending]

I've never eaten a goose in my life.

Suspect turkey is the norm - with beef, pork or lamb (or nut cutlet) as alternatives,

The vital ingredient is brussel sprouts (which no-one eats for the other 364 days of the year).

This looks much like what I'm used to:

The things on the turkey are 'pigs in blankets' - sausages wrapped in bacon.

The scary yellow thing at the back looks like swede which is essentially cattle feed which we eat to remind us of our rural roots.

Every proper English person then goes out and Morris Dances.

Edited December 20, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[Matthew]

I'm cooking Cornish Game Hen for Christmas dinner, plus a whole mess of other stuff.

[erwbol]

I'm ordering the traditional Christmas pizza.

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm cooking Cornish Game Hen for Christmas dinner, plus a whole mess of other stuff.

I'd never heard of this...and I'm of Cornish extraction (through my dad).

Seems to be an American thing (not that national or regional labels on food mean bugger all...what has Welsh Rarebit to do with Wales?) .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_game_hen

Any self-respecting Cornishman would have wrapped it in pastry, added potatoes, swede and parsley and ensured there was proper crimping.

Edited December 20, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[JSngry]

My mom fixed a goose one year at my dad's request (I guess it was what his mom always fixed), and I remember it being very tasty, but also the greasiest damn thing ever...you could have gone swimming in the pools of grease that thing gave of.

My wife will fix a duck on occasion, and that's all the grease out of one fowl she'll accept. I ask her to cook a goose just once, and she says you fix it, so....no goose for me. I guess what's good for the goose is not good for the gander?

Traditionally, our family had both turkey and ham. I'm not too hung up about having turkey, though, so we've dropped it for Christmas. Ham too, this year. The last few years, we've been having beef tenderloin for the main meal, and sometimes duck on Christmas Eve, if we feel like doing all that work, and yes, by "we", I mean my wife.

I do like ham though, but always, and not just at Christmas.

[Dave Garrett]

My mom fixed a goose one year at my dad's request (I guess it was what his mom always fixed), and I remember it being very tasty, but also the greasiest damn thing ever...you could have gone swimming in the pools of grease that thing gave of.

[Dan Gould]

Growing up it was turkey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas but after marrying my wife I had to adjust to a Polish Catholic Christmas - meaning that Christmas eve is the big dinner, and that will be fish and pierogi (this year not even home-made pierogi) followed by gifts, so its quite late by the time we get back to our canine kids.

Christmas dinner is a pork tenderloin or something like that. Basically an OK meal but it really feels like a hangover after the gorging of the previous night. They definitely don't put nearly the effort into the Christmas Day dinner.

At some point I decided I missed my own family and that turkey dinner and went to CT, solo, for a Gould family Christmas but with Dad gone and Mom living in Naples, for the last few years it's been a second Christmas sometime in January to actually see my family, or those who can make it there. There will be no turkey and no trimmings, we'll just go out to a decent restaurant.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Dan Gould

[Scott Dolan]

My wife and I usually spent Christmas at her father's house when we still lived in Florida, and being Italian he always made meatballs (the size of baseballs), Italian sausage, ravioli, and garlic bread.

His daughter has now made that her "traditional" Christmas dinner as well.

[Chuck Nessa]

My parents did ham, my grandparents loved lutefisk, my in-laws had goose, turkey or ham.

[JSngry]

Never had lutefisk, how is it?

[Jim R]

The vital ingredient is brussel sprouts (which no-one eats for the other 364 days of the year).

For me, it's 365 (or 366, if necessary).

This looks much like what I'm used to:

Let me know what time I should arrive, Bev (and get rid of those brussel sprouts please).

Pretty sure my parents always did turkey. I always loved turkey and still do, but whenever I heard about the other things people were eating at Christmas, it kind of reinforced my feeling that perhaps it was too soon after Thanksgiving to be doing a big turkey feast again. For the past 30 years or so, the only Christmas dinners we do are with my in-laws, who are both still living. We've usually had either ham, cornish hen, prime rib, or some combination of those. Damn, this thread is making me hungry...

Not sure I've ever had goose. Is it greasier than duck? I've had plenty of duck.

[Matthew]

Never had lutefisk, how is it?

You don't want to know.......

[johnblitweiler]

I eagerly anticipate chop chae, bulgogi, mandoo soup, homemade kimchee next week.

[kinuta]

The vital ingredient is brussel sprouts (which no-one eats for the other 364 days of the year).

For me, it's 365 (or 366, if necessary).

This looks much like what I'm used to:

Let me know what time I should arrive, Bev (and get rid of those brussel sprouts please).

Pretty sure my parents always did turkey. I always loved turkey and still do, but whenever I heard about the other things people were eating at Christmas, it kind of reinforced my feeling that perhaps it was too soon after Thanksgiving to be doing a big turkey feast again. For the past 30 years or so, the only Christmas dinners we do are with my in-laws, who are both still living. We've usually had either ham, cornish hen, prime rib, or some combination of those. Damn, this thread is making me hungry...

Not sure I've ever had goose. Is it greasier than duck? I've had plenty of duck.

Looks really great, can you give us directions from Heathrow , we both love sprouts.

[Chuck Nessa]

Never had lutefisk, how is it?

You don't want to know.......

It is horrid. The only thing I hold against my grandparents.

From Wikipedia:

Lutefisk is dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling is also used) treated with lye. The first step is soaking the stockfish in cold water for five to six days (with the water changed daily). The saturated stockfish is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. The fish swells during this soaking, and its protein content decreases by more than 50 percent, producing a jelly-like consistency. When this treatment is finished, the fish (saturated with lye) is caustic, with a pH value of 11–12. To make the fish edible, a final treatment of yet another four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the lutefisk is ready to be cooked.

It is eaten with massive amounts of melted butter.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Chuck Nessa

[JSngry]

Lye?

WTF is it with lye, anyhow? Remember how Lysol was pushed as a feminine hygiene product? And now you're telling me that some people are driven to eat fish treated in it?

Bartender, fix me a Drano Sour.

People be crazy sometimes.

[A Lark Ascending]

The vital ingredient is brussel sprouts (which no-one eats for the other 364 days of the year).

For me, it's 365 (or 366, if necessary).

This looks much like what I'm used to:

Let me know what time I should arrive, Bev (and get rid of those brussel sprouts please).

Pretty sure my parents always did turkey. I always loved turkey and still do, but whenever I heard about the other things people were eating at Christmas, it kind of reinforced my feeling that perhaps it was too soon after Thanksgiving to be doing a big turkey feast again. For the past 30 years or so, the only Christmas dinners we do are with my in-laws, who are both still living. We've usually had either ham, cornish hen, prime rib, or some combination of those. Damn, this thread is making me hungry...

Not sure I've ever had goose. Is it greasier than duck? I've had plenty of duck.

Looks really great, can you give us directions from Heathrow , we both love sprouts.

Given the state of air traffic control and border control in the UK at present you'd never make it out of Heathrow in time.

I would point out that photo came off Google. My attempts at Xmas dinner are far more frugal - can't put the preparation in that my parents used to.

I like sprouts too, actually. The trick is not to overcook them (my parents' failing - they'd do them in a pressure cooker and reduce them to pulp). At the point when the bright green starts to fade, yank them out. They have to be crunchy.

Edited December 21, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[kinuta]

Thanks for the cooking tip. The sprouts we get here are a good bit smaller than the UK type, the tendency is to slightly undercook veggies. Actually I'm quite partial to them cooked soggy. Several years ago I made a valiant attempt at a real Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. My late mother in law and sisters picked at it and said it was wonderful while barely eating it. Needless to say that was my one and only Xmas dinner here. We go to the local Indian place now, actually they do a great full roast chicken.

Edited December 21, 2014 by kinuta

[A Lark Ascending]

When we lived in Germany in the 70s my parents invited our German friends over for Xmas dinner. In a moment when all the Brits were in the kitchen our guests innocently picked up mince pies, added them to their plates and poured gravy on them. They were especially taken with this English custom!!!!!

[JohnS]

Traditional fare here. Turkey and ham, pigs in blankets, honey roast parsnips, etc. I do sweet potatoes which we don't normally have throughout the year.

When it comes to sprouts we have them regularly when in season. We like them.

Another thing don't dismiss the humble swede. We have it most Sundays, steamed, mashed and with a good twist of black pepper from the mill.

[Scott Dolan]

I eagerly anticipate chop chae, bulgogi, mandoo soup, homemade kimchee next week.

Address please! I'll bring dessert.

[Jim Alfredson]

We always had turkey growing up. Every year since my wife and I married and bought our home, we've hosted my siblings, their spouses, and children (I have five sisters, a brother, and a step-sister). The first year or two we also had turkey until my wife asked the profound question, "Why are we just having Thanksgiving redux?" Since then, we've fixed roasted leg of lamb along with the appropriate side-dishes (lots of root vegetables prepared in various ways). It took some convincing initially for my siblings to break away from the moldy tradition of turkey, turkey, turkey but now it's become a new tradition that everyone looks forward to each year.

Which reminds me; time to order the leg!

[danasgoodstuff]

Turkey for thanksgiving, ham for Xmas day. Scalloped potatoes with the ham, mashed and dressing with the turkey, green beans and bacon with both, sometimes yams/sweet potatoes with both, lots of assorted pies with both.

[xybert]

Turkey has never really taken off here. My mum will usually do a ham, love having thick slices of ham with acid free tomato sandwiches for lunch in the days following. Someone will usually do a lamb on the spit, which takes some effort. Gotta have a Pavlova. Also, cherries, yeah there's always a bowl of cherries.