Christmas past... - Page 4

susie123 · 18-12-2011, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobertol

I have put the dried fruit steeping in Brandy and Port for the mince-meat this aft. -once you've tried home-made you'll never buy Robinson's jars again! (I use Delia Smith's recipe without the suet!)

Just looked up Delia mincemeat recipe the essence of which seems to be putting it in a warm oven so that the suet melts and coats everthing. How do you do it without the suet

My recipes for pudding cake and mincemeat come from the Sunday Times circa 1980. So good I have ever botheed experimenting but the cutting is a bit dog eared now!

mobertol · 18-12-2011, 14:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by susie123

Just looked up Delia mincemeat recipe the essence of which seems to be putting it in a warm oven so that the suet melts and coats everthing. How do you do it without the suet

I just do it without and it works fine all the same

shillelagh · 19-12-2011, 01:33

always loved christmas when i was a kid .. used to get the phone calls from ireland my aunts and uncles ringing up to wish us merry christmas .. more often than not my dad was in his pj's cos i'd got up at an unearthly time to see if father christmas had come .. lol then it was a race to get dressed before everyone arrived ... because we'd have christmas at our house. After dad died the first xmas we had at our house .. but after that we split up .. mum would go to my eldest sisters - she did roast beef instead of turkey .. and id go to my other sisters because she always did roast turkey and all the trimmings .. and thats what i did every year till 2005 and didnt go that year cos my sis had gone to india for the month of december .. so i did the cooking that year for me and my brother ... but after that gone back to my sisters except for 2 years ago .. when i went up to the spugsters .. and that was strange not being wi family ... first time id not spent christmas day wi the family ... last year spugs came down .. and got my familys idea of xmas ..

garinda · 19-12-2011, 07:23

Yes, Christmas was much more exciting when you're young.

When a strange old man had been fiddling about in your bedroom, emptying his sack, and filling your stocking, whilst you peacefully slept.

jaysay · 19-12-2011, 09:51

Well it looks like the white Christmas is fading fast they're forecasting double figure temperatures latter in the week

mobertol · 19-12-2011, 15:22

Here it's freezing cold and bright today - no snow forecast for the next 3 days here...

However, one of the big electrical stores in Italy (UniEuro) is offering to refund whatever you spend at their stores from now till Xmas IF it snows in Milan on New Year's Eve!

Anything you need Jay? Might be worth giving it a try

phil8715 · 19-12-2011, 15:38

I used to enjoy going out New Years Eve when I was younger. Nowadays the pubs are full of Chavs who drink 2 pints and they think they're Mike Tyson who will fight you as quick as look at you.

One of things I hated about New Years Eve was queuing up to get into pubs which all year round are more or less empty, then having to queue at the bar to be served and somebody joined the queue after you and they get served before you.

Then after midnight when you've seen in the new year you can't get a taxi for love or money and if you do they treble the price and sometimes you get an unlicensed taxi trying to tout for your business.

Luckily for the last 5/6 years Myself and my partner spent Christmas and new year in Northern Ireland at my parents house.

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ToffeeGuy · 19-12-2011, 15:45

Does anyone actually like Mince Pies?

If Mince Pies are so good why don't we eat them in summer as well? Same with Christmas Pud.

Michael1954 · 19-12-2011, 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToffeeGuy

Does anyone actually like Mince Pies?

If Mince Pies are so good why don't we eat them in summer as well? Same with Christmas Pud.

Yes, I actually like mince pies and I do eat them at other times of the year if they are on sale.

mobertol · 19-12-2011, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToffeeGuy

Does anyone actually like Mince Pies?

If Mince Pies are so good why don't we eat them in summer as well? Same with Christmas Pud.

Love 'em both. They are traditional to Xmas as they are very rich and contain preserved fruits - fresh fruit not being available in winter in the past...

Margaret Pilkington · 19-12-2011, 16:43

And originally, the pies actually contained meat along with the fruit and spices.
I have a little brain worm that is telling me that they were origianlly from the arabian countries....but am quite happy to be educated if someone else knows differently.

mobertol · 19-12-2011, 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

And originally, the pies actually contained meat along with the fruit and spices.
I have a little brain worm that is telling me that they were origianlly from the arabian countries....but am quite happy to be educated if someone else knows differently.

Didn't know about real meat being in them! That's a new one on me -will see if I can find out more...

mobertol · 19-12-2011, 17:30

Found the following -seems you were right Margaret -don't think Mutton in mince pies would go down very well today though! Interesting to see the real significance of these traditional things though and their link to the Christian faith which is something that is more or less lost today...

"At Christmas the Tudors enjoyed mince pies, but they had far more significance than today in that they had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the apostles, they contained fruit (raisins, currants, prunes) and spices (cloves, mace, black pepper, saffron) and also mutton to represent the shepherds. The fashion was for them to be shaped like a crib, but this practice was banned by Oliver Cromwell.

The Tudors also had Christmas pudding but this was shaped like a sausage and contained meat, oatmeal and spices. Twelfth Night cake was fruitcake baked with an item in like a coin or dried bean, whoever found it became King or Queen or host for the evenings entertainment."

To see more follow this link:A History of Desserts

phil8715 · 19-12-2011, 17:33

I love mince pies, problem is the 1st boxes are out in the shops in early November and the sell by date is usually well before Christmas Day.

mobertol · 19-12-2011, 17:42

Found this about Victorian Xmas traditions:

"The serving of the pudding was one of the great rituals of the Victorian Christmas dinner; indeed it was almost as much a ceremony as the creation of the pudding. The plum pudding, made up of suet, bread crumbs, raisins, and spices, was a family effort. On Stir-Up Sunday at the beginning of Advent, each family member took a turn a beating the pudding, making a wish, and stirring clockwise for good luck. Then a ring, coin, or thimble was tossed into the batter.

Until Christmas Day the pudding hung from a sack, then it was boiled in beef broth for eight hours. After dinner it was turned out on a platter, topped with a sprig of holly, set alight, and carried into the dining room.

The head of the household sliced and served it, asking a blessing on all who prepared it. Biting into the portion with the ring meant marriage; the coin, wealth; and the thimble, a happy but single life."

It seems the Victorians put ground minced beef into their mincemeat too!

In the South people would have Roast Goose while in the North it was more tradional to have Roast Rib of Beef!