This meal definitely had its ups and downs, items with which I was satisfied and others less so (which I think is normal and not quite sure why I feel the need to share that). I was particularly proud of my bûche de Noël, especially because I had a tiny meltdown when finishing it as it wouldn't do what I wanted and I had to improvise at the last moment. Notice how L. has charmingly placed the last pair of reindeer to be bucking and kicking. A holiday metaphor for teenager-hood perhaps?
Brussels Sprout and Stuffing Sliders
This is a good idea but one that needs work. I had to make it twice because the first time I overcooked the Brussels sprouts to mush. L. improvised an excellent sauce which essentially saved the day and allowed these to be served. This is an idea that I may revisit once I have thought about its shortcomings a bit more because it had serious potential.
Danish Blue and Cauliflower Mini Soup
I forgot to get a photo of this and am appealing to dinner guests in case they took one. (Anyway, hard to get "food porn" shots of basic white soup). At festive meals, I like throwing in a mini soup - they are easy to prepare and you get bang for your buck in terms of ramping up the wow factor of a multi-course meal. This soup was excellent, creamy with a slight tang from the blue cheese.
Asian Pear, Tarragon and Arugula Salad with Umeboshi -Walnut Oil Dressing
It is really unfortunate that this salad took such a lousy photo as I think this is one of the best salads I have ever made or eaten. All of the elements worked well together and it was the perfect marriage of tart, sweet, tangy and bitter. Definitely a keeper which will resurface soon, complete with recipe.
Individual Beef or Beet Wellington "Presents" with a Red Wine Reduction
Carrot Purée and Spinach Gratin with Thyme Cream
All of the above turned out well. The beef Wellington was a completely classic version with mushroom duxelles and a thick slice of filet mignon, all wrapped in puff pastry that I decorated with little pastry stars. I substituted roasted beet for the beef for the vegetarians. The red wine sauce was excellent, probably due to the butter content and I would make both vegetable sides again. The spinach was a riff on classic creamed spinach which I baked with a crispy breadcrumb topping and, because the meal was so rich, I played with the carrot purée by toning down the usual cream and adding chopped carrot greens and herbs that I had tossed in lemon juice right before serving. It worked.
Chocolate and Candy Cane Bûche de Noel Maison
Though this was originally supposed to be covered in dark chocolate ganache with a side of whipped Cognac cream, the ganache was not set when it came time to decorate. I reversed the order, used whipped cream to cover the cake and served the chocolate ganache in quenelles on each plate. Next year I will add more crushed peppermint to the Swiss roll filling but other than that this was a win. And I much appreciated the oohs and aahs when it appeared.
So there you have it. What did you cook and/or eat?