I’m a lucky gal. I got some kick-ass food related xmas presents this year, and I got to eat two Christmas dinners. You see, every Christmas I go to my parents’ house for our family feast (which is very stereotypical middle class American but still delicious), and later that night, I head over to my Italian friend’s house to mooch off of his family leftovers. Two incredibly different dinners. Too many calories to bother thinking about. Sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. So. The presents. A honking big Le Creuset 7 1/4 qt from my amazing parents. It weighs as much as Shetland pony, and is probably big enough to deep fry one.
Two incredibly gastronomical books that I never knew I needed. A Day at El Bulli
Incidentally, these books also weigh as much as a Shetland pony. Coincidence, or gift pattern? You decide. Next, my family dinner. Like I said, very stereotypical and Midwestern, with a few random gourmet dishes I manage to sneak in by lying about their contents. Can’t start without cookies. They are what keep the kids (young and grown-up) quiet until the meal actually starts.
Roast beef with dijon caper sauce (I got this recipe from the Jan. 2009 Bon Appetit mag). It was pretty good, but I found that this particular cut needs a bit aggressive seasoning, as it is not the most flavorful cut. But it must have been a hit with the family, because there were no leftovers.
Mom’s favorite ham, of course.
Heaps of side dishes
Gotta have some bacon, of course.
We also had pumpkin pie, cheesecake and an apple, pear and cranberry crisp for dessert, but I was so full by then, I forgot to take pictures. A few hours later, my friend’s Italian family dinner: Appetizers, of course.
So many mains, it took up an entire dinner table.
Desserts (again, this is only a portion of it all!)
There were so many kinds of cookies, I couldn’t even count them. Anise-flavored pizelle waffle cookies were there for sure, as was this croquenbouche-type contraption that had pate choux balls and honey on it, omg. So much goodness. And then, I rolled myself home and passed out. I hope your holidays were as delicious as mine! ~LTG!
