Christmas dinner - Poussin braised in honey-soy-sherry stock, Charcoal BBQ Venison in red wine with red currants, baked potatoes with sage, Vanilla bean pumpkin puree with caramelised walnuts, ginger-rosemary purple carrots, honey-thyme marinated beetroot with ricotta and pine nuts. A bottle of Muddleduck Sparkling Shiraz from Puddleduck in Tasmania.
Christmas lunch...
Christmas pudding was a layered ice cream cake made by Yvonne.Yum.
On Christmas Eve I made a blood orange and almond cake served with caramelized oranges and an orange-cinnamon-star anise-Grand Marnier sauce with double cream... Damn fine!
it's a Mitchell tradition that if you can't give someone an actual gift on the day, because you're giving them money to choose something themselves, or it's an experience, etc, you make them a voucher.
I'm making this tonight to go with the poussins (spatchcocks) for Christmas dinner. I thought I'd write it up while it's reducing. It's actually part of a quail dish from the sensational "Maze" by Jason Atherton, who used to work for the other Gordon Ramsay. One of the great things about the book is that he gives you a dish, and then two variations on its main ingredients.
Put all of the following into a large 'non-reactive' (ie. relaxd) saucepan.
160g onions, diced 200g apples, peeled, cored and doced 200g raisins 1 tbsp orange zest juice of 2 oranges (? big or small?) 1 cinnamon stick 1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 40g finely chopped fresh root ginger (don't use the bottled rubbish!) 250ml white wine vinegar
Bring to the boil. Stir frequently until reduced by two-thirds.
350g caster sugar 1/4 tsp saffron infused in 1 tbsp water
Add sugar and saffron and cook for another 5 mins.
1 kg pears, peeled, cored and diced (i presumed this meant 1 kg BEFORE the peeling etc, since it halved in weight...)
Add pears and cook gently for 1-2 hours until thick and syrupy.
I reckon this will go with any poultry or pork. And with cheese. Can't wait to taste it!
Of course, this doesn tell you what has to happen to the quail / poussins yet. That's the next episode.
Photo on Hipstamatic on iPhone 4 using the new 'foodie' digital lens and film combo - sad but true!
listening to the soundtrack for the US version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. i do love a good soundtrack... it does seem more winter's night music than a sunny day at the beach though.