After wrestling with an eighteen pound ham yesterday cooking a ten pound turkey for our Christmas eve feast was e breeze. Wed had a good breakfast of porridge to start the day and the everyone pitched in to help prepare the feast.
The turkey, a free range bronze had with it some lovely giblets which went in to a pot at once with an onion ,a stick of celery, a carrot, a small bay leaf, a dozen peppercorns and some salt. While these simmered away I pushed herb butter under the turkey skin and the barded the whole bird with good streaky bacon then I poured a pint of water in to the roasting tray and sealed up the bird in a foil jacket.
Stuffing balls had been requested and so I made some apricot, walnut and sausage meat ones and some pork with onion and herbs and having rolled them in a little flour I set them aside to be cooked later. We were to have the usual sprouts sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and baby carrots, garden peas and I added some sweet corn cobs because I like them. Roast potatoes and piped potato stars would complete the meal with a thyme,apple and lemon sauce, all very simple to do.
Wondering if perhaps after all that Christmas pudding might just be surplus to requirements I had some individual sized ones handy to microwave if needed but in the end we all preferred iced cream with hot chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of chopped nuts. These days none of us drink wine with our meals and so another flagon of cider adorned the table.
Out cat Twiggy, who adores turkey was beside herself with excitement all day from the moment I put the giblets onto boil until the turkey was on the table when at last she was helped to a cat sized portion. She had an agonising wait while the meat cooled a little and then she made very short work of her Christmas dinner coming back for seconds and thirds. Some years ago we had a beautiful tabby cat named Thomas who was both bold and intelligent He always had a place set at the table and presided in state over many a meal daintily taking small morsels from his plate with his paw.. His table manners were impeccable and he never, ever climbed on to the table of helped himself, if he wanted more he would ask with a polite mew. Thomas believed that he was human and at times so did we!
Shortly before dinner I watched as I have these past few nights the sun set,the sky was dove grey and pale apricot making more beautiful than ever the delicate tracery of winter lime branches charcol smudged against the last light of this Christmas eve.
We pulled crackers and groaned at the awful jokes,wore the silly hats and shared out the gifts that were inside. My son had a dice I a hair band and Pa a bottle opener and then....................the washing up. As soon as I have posted this blog we shall watch a film together, a very silly Sci Fi and if it turns out to be as bad as the last one we watched together there will be even louder groans than the Crackers provided.
Good night, and a Happy Christmas Morning to every one. X
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