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#1 Posted : Thursday, October 3, 2024 4:05:38 PM(UTC)
It has been a difficult year as my husband was critically ill at Christmas last year and is now being treated for a rare medical condition. The side effects of his drugs have taken some getting used to and he is finding eating large meals or very rich food really challenging. After trying a roast dinner for the first time since he came out of hospital (pork with crackling - his absolute favourite) we’ve realised we need to reimagine Christmas dinner as roasts just aren’t going to work.

Our Christmas dinners have never been particularly traditional. We usually have our starters for a late breakfast, the roast (never turkey, more likely prime rib or duck or a beef Wellington) mid-afternoon and dessert is Christmas cake sometime in the evening. This format has served us well over many years, but the main course now needs to be something much smaller and less rich than a roast and all the trimmings, but still feel special.

I really would welcome any suggestions. There is a shellfish allergy in the family to take into account, plus coeliac disease (although I can work round that one fairly easily).
#2 Posted : Friday, October 4, 2024 1:10:02 PM(UTC)
Some thoughts….

Poached Halibut with a lemon sauce
Or
Broiled Salmon

Roasted butternut squash
Or
Acorn squash on the half shell with nutmeg

Wild rice blend with mushrooms

The Frugal Gourmet’s Barley Soup for the Innkeeper
#3 Posted : Friday, October 4, 2024 2:52:14 PM(UTC)

Thanks JimCampbell.  Some great ideas; I'm drawn to the halibut from your list.

#4 Posted : Friday, October 4, 2024 4:25:26 PM(UTC)

In Madrid it is typical during Christmas to have "Besugo al Horno" (roasted bream).


Another dishes that would probably be apt for this celebration would be the Argentinian Vitel Tone (Italian Vitello tonnato), I would also consider a mushroom stroganoff and for dessert maybe a fruit Pavlova cake?  

#5 Posted : Saturday, October 5, 2024 8:04:51 AM(UTC)

Thanks Marimar.  All great suggestions.  It looks like fish may be the way to go!

#6 Posted : Saturday, October 5, 2024 9:30:20 AM(UTC)
I don't know where you are, but the reference to a roast dinner makes me think possibly the UK?

Fish does seem a way to go if you like it, perhaps a whole baked fish as already suggested, since I'm guessing anything cooked in a pot of butter is not going to work, but cooked in a parcel you can introduce flavours with little or no additional oil or fat. Christmas Eve fish is traditional in many places, I have done a sort of tray bake for that with par boiled salad potatoes and cherry vine tomatoes under a sea bream or red mullet, with herbs and a few capers and olives to finish (he doesn't have to eat the olives if too much for his digestion)

Another thing I have done that comes closer to a traditional Christmas meal is a pot roasted guinea fowl or pheasant, they are naturally lean, you don't have to add fat cooking under a lid but if you can use a little bacon for flavour all to the good and you can introduce flavours with herbs, garlic, mushrooms fresh or dried and a splash of some kind of alcohol if that's acceptable on his diet. If you can use it, that a good way of adding a "rich" flavour to many things without hitting the stomach hard when cooked out.
#7 Posted : Saturday, October 5, 2024 1:21:04 PM(UTC)

I would suggest browsing the library and adjusting the filters for ideas.
 
Filtered for Christmas, main course, low fat, and -turkey: Venison, fish pie, and fish gratin.
 
Would pork tenderloin be an option? It has only slightly more fat than skinless chicken breast.


#8 Posted : Saturday, October 5, 2024 3:56:02 PM(UTC)

Thanks StokeySue.  Yes, we're now back in the U.K after 20 years moving around the world. Your tray bake sounds lovely and we live near a fishing port so fresh fish isn't hard to find.  

#9 Posted : Saturday, October 5, 2024 3:58:05 PM(UTC)

Thanks MuncyKitchen. I had done a search for Christmas main courses but I didn't filter down enough.  Pork tenderloin and venison could both work. Food for thought.

#10 Posted : Sunday, October 6, 2024 7:32:44 PM(UTC)
FJT;50376 wrote:

Thanks MuncyKitchen. I had done a search for Christmas main courses but I didn't filter down enough.  Pork tenderloin and venison could both work. Food for thought.



If you decide to go the Pork Loin route, a way to make it special for the holiday would be to do a roulade. It makes a great presentation, the meat is well seasoned throughout, and it is not at all difficult to do, as long as you have a good, sharp knife. Just watch a few different "butterfly pork loin" videos online. And there's no limit to what you can stuff it with; it can literally be bread stuffing, or duxelles, or I used sour cherry preserves once.
#13 Posted : Monday, October 7, 2024 2:22:02 AM(UTC)

Thanks Fyretigger!  I have a sharp knife, but I may need to practice butterflying a loin before Christmas. I'll give it a go.

#11 Posted : Monday, October 7, 2024 12:29:45 PM(UTC)

Fyretigger;50379 wrote:
If you decide to go the Pork Loin route, a way to make it special for the holiday would be to do a roulade. It makes a great presentation, the meat is well seasoned throughout, and it is not at all difficult to do, as long as you have a good, sharp knife.


I do not wish to hyjack the thread, but have a question for Fryetigger and Rinshin...................


Fyretigger, Rinshin.....Your both Bay Area folks, and you've no doubt had the porchetta sandwich at the farmers market on Embarcadero. Pretty phenominal. Have you figured out the roulade and outside seasonings?

#14 Posted : Monday, October 7, 2024 7:07:07 PM(UTC)
How about Paul Bocuse’s Soup Elysee? It is a clear chicken consommé with bits of vegetable floating in it (I used to cut out shapes with tiny cutters), bits of truffle (smells heavenly), foie gras (you might want to omit that if too rich), all covered in a puff pastry crust. The occasion is really about the perfection of the broth, and about the ritual of breaking the crust to allow the fragrant steam to escape. I think there is perhaps sherry in the broth, but again, you could omit this if it is too much.

And if you are in Europe and can access such luxuries, how about a perfectly fresh, perfectly sautéed true Dover sole? Or a carefully roasted Poulet de Bresse with perfect little vegetables on the side: little roast carrots, cippolini onions, wild mushrooms, tiny roasted la ratte potatoes …. If laid out with a ridiculous quantity of fresh herbs for garnish, it could be an absolutely stunning little feast, as much about visual delight as any traditional Gargantuan feast ever could be.
#12 Posted : Monday, October 7, 2024 8:10:46 PM(UTC)

JimCampbell;50387 wrote:
I do not wish to hyjack the thread, but have a question for Fryetigger and Rinshin...................


Fyretigger, Rinshin.....Your both Bay Area folks, and you've no doubt had the porchetta sandwich at the farmers market on Embarcadero. Pretty phenominal. Have you figured out the roulade and outside seasonings?


I suspect you mean from Roti Roti Gourmet Rotisserie based on reviews and doing a map search. I believe I’ve had it from one of their food trucks. One summer my corporate campus cafeteria was shut down for 3 months due to a safety issue, and the solution was a daily rotation of invited in food trucks — it was absolutely as awesome as it sounds. I believe Roti was one of them, but I don’t remember details. I’m in the south bay (Silicon Valley), but Roti has trucks down here. I’ll try to get to one this week and report back.

#15 Posted : Tuesday, October 8, 2024 6:05:39 AM(UTC)

adrienneyoung I have just looked up that Paul Bocuse recipe and my mouth is watering. It has the additional benefit of being quite quick to prepare on the day. 

#16 Posted : Monday, December 2, 2024 12:58:22 PM(UTC)
There are some lovely Chinese recipes for steamed whole fish (eg mullet, bass or trout) where you make some diagonal cuts in the side of the fish and stuff them with finely chopped ginger, spring onion, diced bacon and coriander and serve it with a piquant sauce. Not the flavour profile of a traditional European Christmas dish but very delicate and light.
Or Sea Bream 'in crazy water' Italian style?
I am sorry your husband is unwell and hope you can still have a special and enjoyable festive meal.
#17 Posted : Tuesday, December 3, 2024 10:51:24 AM(UTC)
Thanks for those suggestions adewar!
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