Merry Christmas

....hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time and that the dinner was one to be remembered. I had friends over and we had a ball. I was a bit late but I was prepared with little canapes and pink champagne which was recommended by Austin from Bubble Brothers. It was a Tsarine Rose - just the right dryness without any bitterness. I loved it. For €60 a bit on the expensive side but I was spoiling myself. FYI - Bubble Brothers have an offer on Tsarine at the moment 2 bottles for €100 incl. delivery....anyhow, it is a very good champagne. I love the white Tsarine a lot and make always sure that I have at least one bottle in the house.

The turkey was a free range one (my dad didn't do any turkeys this year and all the family was giving out) which I ordered directly from a turkey farmer in Cork. I stuffed it with homemade stuffing (apple and onion) and made herb butter which was squeezed under the skin to ensure that the meat stays moist. Bacon rashers on top...and off it hopped into the oven....You have to admit that he looks just the part and according to the guys at the table.....yummy as well.

This year was the first time that I cooked a separate vegetarian dish (I normally don't bother and stick with the roasties and veggies) but since Sofie came over and being a fellow vegetarian, I made a lovely pumpkin parcel with feta cheese and mushroom gravy...hmmmmm it was a show stopper when it came out of the tin. Sofie liked it and that was almost as good as a Michelin Star (she is very critical of food :-)....the individual Christmas puddings with custard went down a treat and we all fought very hard to stay awake after the dinner. No-one wanted to eat cake with the coffee....wonder why ;-)

Hope you all are in good spirits...