I am Planning a Traditional Victorian English Christmas Feast...

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
any suggestions? Favorite recipes? etc. would be most welcome. Still playing with this this and have thus far:

Punch:

Regent's Punch

or Monkey's Uncle Punch

or Chatham Artillery Punch

or Wassail

(so many punches, so few holidays!)

Starter:

Chicken Liver Pâté with Smoked Oysters and Cornichons

or Pheasant Pie

-champagne

Salad:

Stilton, Pear, and Endive with Candied Spiced Walnuts

-champagne

Sideboard--

Roast:

Roast Goose with Onion and Sage Stuffing

or

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Puddings

Sauces:

Pan Gravy

Bread Sauce

Cranberry Relish

Trimmings:

Roast Potatoes

Buttered Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts

Pigs in Blankets (roast sausages wrapped in bacon)

-English Ale

Pudding Buffet:

Christmas Plum Pudding (Figgy Pudding) with Brandied Hard Sauce

Scotch Cherry Christmas Cake

Sherried Jelly Trifle

Mince Tarts

Sugarplums

Christmas Crackers

-Port, brandy, cordials, coffee, tea

http://www.whychristmas.com/i/pudding.jpg

 
Must it be totally kosher Victorian?

The reason I ask is because adding sausages wrapped in bacon to your fabulous goose and roast beef may be the real deal but I bet your guests might like another veggie side.....traditional or not, this one is so good you cannot believe it. It is Julia's recipe. You can ring this lovely thing with your brussels sprouts and the crowd will go nuts.


TIMBALE OF FRESH CORN
serves about 8- Julia’s recipe
12 or more ears fresh corn (to make about 3 cups or 3/4 L cream-style grated corn)
6 eggs
2 to 3 tbsp grated onion
1 tsp salt
4 to 5 tbsp fresh minced parsley
2/3 cup lightly pressed down crumbs from crustless, non-sweet white bread
2/3 cup lightly pressed down grated cheese (such as a mixture of Swiss and/ or Cheddar or mozzarella)
2/3 cup heavy cream
6 drops hot pepper sauce (or 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper)
8 to 10 grinds fresh pepper
Use a straight-sided 8 cup baking dish (I use a 3 qt straight-sided saucepan and cover the handle with foil for baking) and you will need a larger pan, such as a large cake pan, that you can set the timbale inside- the larger pan will have water in it during baking.
Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl to blend; then add all the rest of the ingredients including the corn.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. About 2 hours before serving, butter the timbale pan and line the bottom with a round of buttered wax paper. Stir up the corn mixture to blend thoroughly and pour into the dish. Set corn dish in the larger dish and pour boiling water around it to come 2/3 up around the sides of the corn-filled dish. Bake in lower-middle of oven for 30 minutes, then turn oven down to 325 degrees. Baking time is around 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Timbale is done when it has risen almost to fill dish, the top has cracked open and a skewer plunged down through the center comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes or more in turned-off oven, door ajar, before unmolding.

I vote for the pate instead of the pheasant pie for starters too- Just my personal taste with such a rich menu.

Whatever you make it will be fabulous!

 
Souds heavenly - like cheezz, I'll be waiting on my invitation!

A starter we had on one of our trips that I can still taste was creamed mushrooms - it was like these quartered mushrooms or small ones that were in a seasoned cream sauce (NO FLOUR or thickener). Maybe thyme and a dash of sherry. I've made some good takes on it but never perfected it so I am convinced the difference is the ingredients - types of mushrooms, fat content of the cream or something.

Also had a salad that had fried wedges of brie or camembert with currant jelly - it has some frisee in the salad to get some bitterness. It was just a very nice balance.

Potato leek soup

 
What a wonderful menu! I can just imagine the fabulous aromas wafting around your house.

 
Cathy I was thinking about another veg...

It does seem to be very "meat and taters" but then, that's the way the Victorians ate. Great idea about the corn timbale, that would be a dish that would have been on a Victorian table: "puddenized" vegetables. I like the idea of combining it with the sprouts for buffet presentation as well. So then I thought, what about the corn baked in a ring mold, and then the sprouts and chestnuts could be heaped in the center? Of course, this is probably one of those ideas that looks good but would make self seving difficult and probably leave a big mess on the buffet as a result.

I had also been toying with a braised red cabbage, they used that as well for Christmas dindins. But then, I serve that so much with my Bavarian dinners, I'd like to have something different.

The other thing I was thinking was doing some sort of broiled or stuffed tomato. Those were popular in Victorian days, although not in season for Christmas. But I'm not worried about total authenticity.

 
Yes, mushrooms would be excellent with the beef...

what was the texture of the cream sauce like? Are you certain there was no flour? I was wondering if they might have been added to a nice creamy béchamel.

 
I've made the Timbale in a ring with B sprouts in the center

Yup, it gets messy but who cares? It is gorgeous.

Broiled tomatoes would be lovely too- and so easy for a buffet table. I love a mixture of melted butter, parmesan and good bread crumbs. So tasty and so pretty.

 
Geez Richard. We're going to be drooling for the next 3 months now. I agree on a veg

and in fact, it seems to me as well, that the pigs are a bit too much of the meaty. Traditional is superb but with a nod to the guests' bellies as well, perhaps?

The broiled tomato idea is sure English. But indeed they would not have them in season then.

If you did the pheasant pie, then perhaps not the goose? Roast beef with yorkshires is just soooo traditionally British.

My British grandmother would always have served shortbread as well, with dessert. Just what you need...another dessert. But I'll ask my local old British friends what they would remember of the old, but not quite Victorian days. I think the ring mold idea is perfect, however.

 
Excellent suggestion!

I would put a plate of cookies (biscuits) out anyway with the coffee, and yes, shortbread is a requirement.

I'm really leaning towards the beef, because I'm imagining the presentation (and the fact that not too many moderns like goose):

On the sideboard, a large silver platter the king of the feast--the roast, in the center. Arrayed around as decoration will be grilled tomato halves, individual Yorkshire puds, and the bacon-wrapped sausages (they're so traditional, probably not many people will eat them, but they will be fun on the platter and great the next morning for proper breakky).

And do let me know if you get some ideas from your Brit friends.

Thanks!

 
Almost positive there was no flour.

I just looked at a couple of recipes - Jamie Oliver's and one off the BBC and neither have flour or any thickener. I am asking my friend over there to see if she knows.

 
Here's it. It's also very pretty if you have a spectacular bowl as the egg whites are white and

fluffy. At many parties, I've seen people just standing over the bowl......................well not quite over it, but all around it, oooohing.

Jamaican rum would be like a Planter's Punch.

This is from the Playboy Host and Barbook.

BRANDY EGGNOG BOWL
12 eggs
½ c. cup sugar
1 fifth cognac or noncognac brandy
4 ozs. Jamaican rum
3 quarts milk
8 ozs. cream
Grated nutmeg

Carefully separate egg yolks from whites. In punch bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Beat well with a wire whisk. Gradually add cognac, rum, milk and cream. Beat well. Taste. Add more sugar if desired.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, beat egg whites in a separate bowl or in mixer, in two batches if necessary, until stiff. Fold whites into punch; that is, do not mix them with a round-the-bowl movement but use the wire whisk in a down-over-up stroke until whites are thoroughly blended. Ladle into cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg

 
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