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You are here: Home / Recipes / Christmas / Still wondering what to cook for Christmas dinner?

Still wondering what to cook for Christmas dinner?

by Jeanne Horak on December 24, 2008 11 Comments in Christmas

CooksisterChristmasRecipes

** STOP PRESS **  There is an updated version of this post available  – 35 tried and tested Christmas recipes from my archives, from cocktails & canapés to desserts! 

If your past few weeks have been anything as hectic as mine, I can imagine there are a few of you who are going to wake up this morning, check the calendar, and suddenly feel chest pains and shortness of breath.  No, not a heart attack brought on by the consumption of too many mince pies, but a panic attack brought on by the proximity of Christmas dinner/lunch!!

I’ve seen a recent spike in people arriving here looking for advice on how to cook a Christmas gammon, so I figured it would not hurt to remind you by reposting the recipe, and to point out some other Cooksister recipes you may want to use for tomorrow’s Big Eat.  If you don’t see anything that takes your fancy (or if you need starters, desserts or side dishes, you can always check out the full Cooksister recipe index.)

Back to the gammon.  The two most important tops for a great gammon are as follows: 1) don’t be in a rush – cook it low and slow; and 2) take steps to make sure the meat cannot dry out.  In other words, all you really have to do to a gammon is stick it in the oven with some liquid, for a long time at a relatively low temperature, make sure it is covered, and wait!  What could be easier – or more rewarding?

10051210 GammonCookedE

GLAZED GAMMON WITH A WHISKY SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 large gammon (bone in or out – it’s your choice)
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160C.

Rinse the gammon and pat dry.  Place it in a large roasting dish (preferably deep with a lid).  Slice/chop the carrots, celery and onion and place them in the roasting pan together with the gammon.  Add 1 to 1.5l water to the pan, depending on how deep your pan is. The liquid should not cover more than 1/4 of the meat – we are roasting not poaching!

If your roasting pan has a lid, cover it (alternatively cover the gammon with aluminium foil) and place in a 160C oven.  Cooking time is 30 mins for every 500g, plus an extra 30 mins.  I removed the gammon from the oven and allowed it to rest for 5-10 mintes while I made the glaze.  For the glaze you will need:

3/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard
pinch of ground cloves

Heat all the ingredients together in a pan until the sugar has completely dissolved (the quantities are kind of variable – I add more sugar if the glaze is too watery) I usually allow my glaze to boil for a minute or two, but as long as the sugar is dissolved, this isn’t necessary.  In the meanwhile, carefully peel the skin off the gammon.  Lift a corner and tug gently – you will see it comes off surprisingly easily.  I then score the fat to create a diamond pattern – the pattern is a matter of personal choice, but the scoring helps the glaze to stay on the fat instead of just sliding off.  Baste the fat liberally with the glaze and return the gammon to the oven, uncovered.  Baste frequently until the glazed fat has browned nicely (it should take about 15-20 mins)- I use the grill to finish it off.

Back home, this would be as far as the gammon cooking went, apart from the decorative cherries and pineapple rings – it was served cold so gravy was never really an issue.  However, in the cold English weather, you somehow feel that some sort of gravy would be appropriate.  This sweetish, whisky based gravy is just the ticket.  You will need:

4 Tbsp finely chopped shallots
2 Tbsp brown sugar (I used light Muscovado)
1 tot whisky
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 to 1/2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
salt & pepper to taste

Gently fry the shallots in the butter until soft.  Remove from the heat and stir in flour gradually.  Stir in the stock and return to heat.  Add the sugar and bring the sauce to boil, simmering for about 2 minutes and adding water/stock sauce is too thick.  Add the whisky, season to taste with salt and pepper (I sometimes find that I add more sugar at this point too) and serve.  The sweetness of this sauce works really well with the roast gammon and the whisky adds a grown-up bite.

But if gammon does not float your boat, why not try…

20070325 DuckLunch

Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes

IMG_8334

Nigel Slater’s spicy slow-roast leg of lamb

20070726 SalmonEnCrouteTitle

Salmon en croute

And let’s not forget the all-important Brussels sprouts…

20081117 SauteedBrusselsSprouts1E

As for dessert, nobody said you had to have Christmas pudding… here are some alternatives.  Why not stay with festive flavours but go for self-saucing cranberry ginger pudding?  Or go South African and have a traditional Cape brandy pudding?  Or go with your chocolate-loving heart and have individual chocolate fondant puddings?

Feeling inspired?  Then off you go – have fun!

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  1. Manggy says

    December 24, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    It’s a roastapalooza in here! I love a good, sweet glaze– one of my favorite things 🙂 Merry Christmas Jeanne!

    Reply
  2. elra says

    December 24, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    Merry christmas, Jeanne.
    May yours fill with joy and happiness!
    As always the menu look superb and inspiring.
    Best wishes,
    Elra

    Reply
  3. nina says

    December 24, 2008 at 8:07 pm

    A Blessed Christmas to you dear Jeanne! I think I will go straight to dessert and in our case it is a traditional SA triffle!

    Reply
  4. Peter says

    December 24, 2008 at 9:04 pm

    Jeanne, I’m now truly hungry.
    Merry Christmas, HAppy New Year!

    Reply
  5. Browniegirl says

    December 24, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    YUMYUM!!!Merry Christmas dearest Jeanne and hubby. May you be blessed. I do hope that you are better Jeanne. Have a lovely day and hoping that 2009 will be filled with rich blessings, good health and happiness….xxx

    Reply
  6. dawnielle says

    December 25, 2008 at 4:14 am

    Jeanne – Merry Christmas!! I love the brussel sprouts!!! Hated them as a kid, love them now!! Never apologize for being bad blogger chick – we always come back for the good stuff!! xxx and cheer!

    Reply
  7. grace says

    December 27, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    …and now i’m starving. 🙂
    happy holidays to you and yours, jeanne!

    Reply
  8. Jan says

    December 28, 2008 at 10:50 am

    All that lovely food looks delish!

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth says

    December 28, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Oh my, but that ham roast sounds fabulous, Jeanne! I’d be tempted to try it too for Christmas night if we didn’t neeeeeeed to have stuffed roast capon for every Christmas dinner. But I suppose there’s no reason that we can’t have this on say, New Year’s Day….
    Mmmmm, Brussels sprouts!

    Reply
  10. Kevin says

    December 28, 2008 at 10:13 pm

    Look at all of that tasty food!

    Reply
  11. courtney says

    December 30, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    I hope you had a Merry Christmas. Its so good to be back home and catching up.Loving the Brussel sprouts and gammon (I’m going to start calling my ham that now).

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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