Hut Christmas 2013 - Christmas Eve

As a child Christmas Eve was as exciting as the big day itself. My mother's family being Hungarian traditionally celebrated on the Eve of Christmas. The five of us children grew increasingly excited during the day, wondering about what would be under our grandmother's tree and all the treats we'd eat. We would all take turns to shower, Mum would iron our good clothes and around 7pm we'd make our way to my grandmothers. For most if my life she lived two houses down the street. Then she moved into the flat behind our home, so we didn't have to go far. 

She always had a real pine tree, that would have only been set up and decorated a few days before. Old fashioned glass baubles and icicles hung between the wide spaced branches, lollies carefully wrapped in crepe paper for enjoying later on, and fine tinsel artfully draped. Underneath would be gifts from my grandmother, aunt and uncle. We loved that we got to start Christmas early! 

But presents had to wait. First we would snack on pretzels, peanuts and potato crisps. Fizzy drinks were freely passed around. The dinner was usually cold chicken, ham, salads, and hard boiled eggs. As there were quite a few of us, we usually sat on chairs with our dinner perched on our laps. 

Then it was time for our presents. We loved that part. A new toy or some clothing, we would sit about admiring our gifts while the adults chatted.

Dessert was often a pavlova (not very Hungarian!) As young children we were allowed to stay up later than normal (probably 9.30-10) and then we went home to get ready for bed and put our pillowcases out on the end of our beds for Santa to fill. Often we were very excited and took a while to fall asleep!

Since my grandmother passed away a few years ago the Christmas Eve party has faded. The last few years we have headed north to spend Christmas Eve with Rob's parents. Usually a duck ballottine and a bottle of champagne starts our Christmas off together perfectly.

This year we have stayed at home. The girls really need to be getting ready for bed around 7, which makes dinner time a bit tricky! Today we had another slow day. Rob mowed the lawns, I set the table with roses and candles. We opened a bottle of bubbles, and enjoyed a glass while the ham baked in the oven, and we watched the girls try to climb up the book shelves! We ate a simple dinner of glazed ham, steamed pink eye potatoes and sugar snap peas from the garden. The girls were pretty good, sitting in their high chairs, and enjoyed mash potato, peas and a little ham, but were a bit over tired so I am typing this on my phone while I feed them to sleep. 

Rob also made a gluten free mince tart with that well matured fruit mince we made last year. I'm hoping to enjoy a slice in bed!

 

Happy Christmas Eve to you!

Hut Christmas 2013 - baking and food

We woke up on Saturday morning and consulted the cook books for baking and food inspiration. Stephanie Alexander's glazed ham was chosen.

We baked a gluten free version of her Christmas cake on Saturday too, so we will have to see what we think of that. 

We were quite relieved to track down our ham today after a morning in town yesterday (the farmer's truck broke down delaying delivery at the market). 

The days have been grey, cool and drizzly, so we both did some baking today, Rob made a gluten-free version of his Mother's shortbread recipe and I made some gingerbread and candied cumquats. 

On Wednesday we'll eat ham with some vegetables or a salad, and I'll make Maggie Beer's almond and cumquat pudding (converted also to gluten free) with home made vanilla custard ice cream.

What is on your Christmas menu?

Hut Christmas 2013 - ham

Two years ago we bought our first Mount Gnomon farm ham. They breed happy free range Wessex Saddleback pigs in north west Tasmania.

Again, a Christmas ham is a favourite memory of my childhood Christmas'. To feed my family of 7, the leg ham Dad would buy would be humongous, taking up most of the fridge. I remember as a teenager taking the delivery of our ham and Mr Bean sized turkey at the front door. I nearly collapsed under the weight of them. Dad never glazed it though. 

Rob generally glazes it with a mixture of whatever is at hand, usually quince jelly, orange juice and mustard. It does make it glisten so nicely, and looks pretty studded with cloves. 

Do you enjoy ham at Christmas?

Any tips for the glaze?

Monday Menu {the Hoot cake}

Well this last week was all about one thing the cake. My sister sent me a text a while ago with a photo of a Hoot cake (up until that point I admit I had never heard of Giggle and Hoot). It looked doable. I gave them a few types of cakes to choose from (for inside) and they decided upon a caramel mud cake.
So over the last couple of days the cake took shape, I baked two mud cakes, made some buttercream, Rob sandwiched them and covered them in the white fondant (he's much better at that than me, and believes he has a second career in plastic surgery if he ever desires a career change), then the cake was carefully transported to my sisters. Where, on a very cool and miserable Friday evening, she and I set to work with 2 kilos of coloured fondant and that photo. We're pretty proud of our effort. Although it didn't start promisingly when I was quickly trying to make some royal icing to use in sticking the bits together with. I hit a spatula in the mixing bowl with the electric mixer throwing icing sugar and goopy icing all over me and the bench and the wall. My sister just heard me say "oh no". She had the good grace just to laugh at me, and the damage wasn't too bad. But we moulded and rolled and cut and came up with:


My sister had cooked up a storm, baking cupcakes, jelly cakes, scones, biscuits. meringues, fudge and fairy bread. I offered to make a second cake just in case the 40 guests were still feeling hungry. I quickly made the Annabel Langbein lemon and coconut cake on Saturday morning, covered it in cream cheese frosting and added some pink mini bunting. I left the coconut out of the icing this time, as I thought that last time it made it look a bit lumpy.


The party was a great success, the birthday girl walking around (yes she can walk), dancing to music, opening lovely gifts and being loved by all her many Aunties, Uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, great aunties and uncles, and friends. I'm not sure what she thought of the Hoot cake, she smiled and looked intently at it, and seemed shocked by us all suddenly bursting into song. But she knows how to clap and clapped along with us.

I got the icing from a new-ish cake decorating shop in South Hobart, A Tiny Bit Marvellous. A bit like a lolly shop for cake decorator professionals and wannabes like me!

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing some de-beige-ing.
The menu this week (apart from the cake):
Monday: leftover beef and quince tagine with pumpkin and fennel couscous, and a fennel and orange salad.
Tuesday: a fish-less paella, with roasted red peppers and olives.
Wednesday: a spinach and pine nut omelette.
Thursday: Tomato pasta sauce, with red peppers, olives and fetta.
Friday: THAT cheese (1792, a washed rind matured on a piece of Huon pine board).
Saturday: Beef, mushroom and red wine pie.
Sunday: Beer braised ham hocks, with fennel, apples and cabbage.


What's been on the menu and your place?

A late Weekly menu

Sorry, I forgot it was Monday yesterday. The paving has been progressing well, almost time to get outside and keep going!
This last week we've eaten quick meals, as we seem to be coming inside to eat around 8pm.
Our Mt Gnomon ham was delicious (every time we ate some Rob would declare it the beat ham he's ever eaten!), we used it in two pasta dishes; a creamy pea and ham sauce, and a lemon, thyme, olive and ham dish. Otherwise we ate the Chicken Provençal with rice, and a few salads. Earlier in the week we had home made pizza with smoked salmon and pesto (our basil is going crazy) followed by an apricot tart when some friends came around for lunch.
This week the ice-cream maker has been put to good use: I've made banana ice-cream, mango sorbet and chocolate ice-cream.
Anyway, I'll try and be more disciplined with my food photography this week.
What's been on the menu at your place?