Merry Christmas everybody around the world! Just a glimpse at my Christmas Eve’s Dinner Table to share with you an image of our feast of last night. With three bottles on the table (one white wine from Val-de-Loire, one red Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and one semi-dry Champagne “Blanc de Blanc”), we’ve been quite optimistic about our capacity to drink it all, which in the end we didn’t at all because optimism was also invited onto the food section of our evening! There was just too much, but the good news is there’s no need to cook again on the second day for lunch, we’re having the leftovers!
Anyway, here is a quick list of what we had, recipes will be added progressively and you can access them by clicking links in the list from now on.
- Foie Gras on gingerbread flavored toasts and confit onion jam
- Scottish Smoked Salmon topped with trout eggs, squeezed lemon juice and green leaves to eat with.
- Shrimps, pan-seared in Champagne, and dipped in Cocktail sauce
- Eggplant Rolls with garlic and herbs cheese and smoked Corsican Coppa
- Trout eggs (orange color) toasts with butter and lemon squeeze
- Lumpfish roe (black color) toasts with butter and lemon squeeze
- A Christmas Tree shaped puff pastry, twisted and brushed with Mediterranean homemade Pesto. To dip in Herbs and Feta Cheese Sauce
- And for dessert(s), a choice of mandarins, litchis, walnuts, chestnuts, Alsace region gingerbread, Nougat and… that’s it!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out my Cookbook’s page, there may be a Discount Offer still available at the time you read this post!
Created and Written by Sophie Rebibo-Halimi, © 2015 All Rights Reserved.
COOKING TRIPS 
Looks very special Sophie. As you know I have mentioned the eggplant rolls before – they look fabulous and it’s great the recipe is in your book. I went to a friends for christmas day lunch and she asked me what i wanted (she is a very good cook) and i said mushroom risotto and banoffe pie…I am sure people would laugh at this meal as it’s not a really a christmas meal but it was what I felt like (and love).
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Hi Sue! It is special indeed in the sense that not all those dishes on the table are the usual daily things we eat for dinner. But the truth is nothing is that special or that complicated, the only things that are cooked per se are the eggplants and the pesto for the puff pastry tree! I am one of these people who consider that holidays meals must be special or super hard to cook. It should be all about taste and eating what we enjoy the most, and if there is a special touch, then so be it, but it doesn’t have to become a mandatory thing! SO: mushroom risotto sounds just fine, and I had no idea what a banoffee pie is so I googled it. Is the word a combination of banana and toffee?? I would be pleased that you enlighten me on this one!
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You are right Sophie. The word ‘banoffee’ comes from a combination of banana and toffee. The toffee is made from boiled condensed milk which is poured into a pastry crust in a pie dish. It’s then covered with cream then bananas and my friend then shaved some chocolate on the top. Very (very) sweet so only one piece.
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Lol a small piece then! Txs for the detailed list of ingredients. Is that a local/Australian specialty ?
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I am sure (well think) it’s an English speciality. I remember hearing Keira Knightly mention it in ‘Love Actually’ if you have seen the movie – her character brought it to her husband’s best friend to see why he didn’t one her (turns out he was in love with her).
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oh I see! But I don’t remember about that part in the movie, I will definitely pay more attention next time I watch it!
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