The Christmas Feasts (Dinner)

So with the day of snacks and joking behind us (well at least the snacks) – the gifts opened and the pretty papers put to the garage for burning / recycling… the tummies started to grumble again and it was time to feast upon Christmas Dinner.
Kelli and I wanted to keep the meal simple – the flavors fresh – and use as many local things as we could… so here’s what we delivered:

Spiced Chicken Broth with Chive Flans

The eggs for the flan came from right down the street and the chicken broth was absolutely from one of our birds… amazing taste and simplicity. This opener set the stage for a fantastic meal.
Mango-Radicchio Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds

This was a twist on the traditional summer salad – the flavors on their own are modest – but load up a fork of all the tenants and you have something that delivers a burst of flavor greater than the sum of its parts.
Rum-Molasses Glazed Garden Fresh Carrots

Prepared on the stove top – this takes the guesswork out of “are the carrots done”. Some of them were even pulled from the nearly frozen ground out back the week before.
Roasted green beans, caramelized sweet onions and blue cheese

The beans and onions were done on the grill and topped while still steaming with blue cheese – awesome!
Cheddar and Chive Yorkshire Pudding

A twist on the traditional – the cheddar and chive addition made these a perfect addition to this meal and kept it lighter than a traditional bread or role would have been.
Parmesan and Asiago Potatoes with mushrooms and thyme

The potatoes came from our larder in the basement – add in fresh mushrooms, a ton of heavy cream and cups of cheese – herbs – and – wow! How can it not be as good as it looks!
Standing Rib Roast with Spinach-Porcini Mushroom Stuffing, Irish Whiskey Gravy and Horseradish Cream

Standing rib roast – done. But stuff it with mushrooms that are rare and amazing, provide a gravy that took over an hour of preparation and top it with a special horseradish cream – I’m drooling on the keyboard (thankfully we “might’ have some of this in the freezer)
And here’s a plate of all the goodies loaded up and ready for a Christmas Dinner Feast to remember!

For dessert we enjoyed a homemade Roasted Chestnut Cheese Cake that I made and & Rum Cake my mom made. Both excellent and a perfect culmination of a very special and memorable Christmas!