Christmas Menu

Christmas 

Featuring Food From France

December 25, 2010

Hors D’Oeuvres and Charcuterie

Anchoiade – Anchovy Paste on Baguette

Andouille Sausages

Artisan Salumi

Brie with Grapes and Water Biscuits

Camembert and Walnut Pate on Baguette

Crudites a la Rouille – Vegetables with Red Pepper and Garlic Mayonnaise

Escargots a la bourguignonne

Garlic Prawns

Mushrooms a la Grecque

Pate de Fois Gras on water Biscuits

Quiche Lorraine

Salmon and Avocado Terrine

Seafood (Lobster, Crab, Scallops, Prawns) Poached with Herb Aioli

Snails in Garlic Butter

Tapenade on Toasted Baguette

Supper

Boeuf Bourguignon

French Bread

Dessert

Bushe de Noel

Our French Christmas is coming together. William and I have been in contact with each other to discuss the various menu items. We have put together a menu for the day.

Again, our family researches and makes food from different countries or areas for Christmas each year. It makes it more interesting. In the past, we have had wonderful grandma-style food from Germany, Greece, Spain and food from New Orleans and Hawaii just to name a few. It has been fun.

This year, it is France. So with the help of an authentic cookbook, we are serving a buffet/appetizers at noon on Christmas, a supper around 6:00 and breakfast the next morning for nine people.

This is going to be a lot of work. I could not do it all without the help of William. He is a really good cook and knows his way around a kitchen. We work well together.

We are buying a Honeybaked Ham for dinner on December 23^rd with my mom, William and his girlfriend Kimberly. What a treat. It will also be served fried with some eggs for breakfast the day after Christmas before everyone heads home. We are also buying Dungeness crabs on Christmas Eve for a massive, messy crab feed while waiting for Santa. Everyone else comes on Christmas Day.

So my days have been busy buying the needed tablecloths, cookware for the snails, gathering and shipping presents to faraway family, setting the buffet table, doing research on the champagne cocktails, finding the French wines to be served with dinner and making lists. Lots of lists. Everything is broken down to food shopping lists, lists of what is to be prepared on certain days leading up to Christmas, lists of what needs to be picked up when, lists of presents to be bought and lists of lists. Just kidding about the last one.

I hope we are able to get healthy before it all begins. I still have a cough along with the swollen liver and Michael is barely upright. The two trees are trimmed, the outside lights are up and the dozen poinsettias are placed around the house.

We’ll make it to Christmas. Slowly but surely.