Christmas Food Post 2: Christmas Dinner Timing
This is what actually happened, as opposed to what I'd do next year. Most of the main timings would probably be the same, though. This is for an 11lb Bronze free-range turkey, and very nice it was, too.
Day before Christmas Eve:
Shop. Get parents to bring anything that's out of stock. (NB for next year - the greengrocer is open before 8:30am on Chrismas Eve)
Make braised cabbage and put in fridge.
Christmas Eve:
Pick up turkey from butcher, put in cool bag in coal cupboard
Make stuffing
Make brandy butter
Toast almonds
In the evening, get guests to help peel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes. Sprouts go in bag in fridge; carrots and parsnips in bowl/box of water in fridge; potatoes get blanched and put in box in fridge.
Bring turkey inside, remove giblets, clean turkey with cold water and salt until no longer bloody.
Adjust shelves in oven to fit turkey in, so you don't have to do it while half-asleep in the morning.
Stuff turkey with half of stuffing, rub with butter, arrange streaky bacon over breast. Put 1/2 lemon in cavity and squeeze the rest over the top.
Cover turkey, leave on work surface to reach room temperature (NB, the kitchen is the coldest room and not heated at night).
Make remainder of stuffing into balls, put in box in fridge.
Christmas Day:
7:15 - Get up, immediately put oven on at 220C. Put turkey in roasting dish. Cover with tent made of 2 large sheets turkey foil, crimp down almost all the way round. Boil kettle.
7:35 (assuming the oven is most of the way to temperature) - Put turkey in oven, carefully pour about an inch of hot water into roasting dish through uncrimped corner of tent, crimp down corner. Go back to bed.
8:15 - Get up again. Turn oven down to 170C. Put the kettle on for a pot of tea, and begin slowly making breakfast. Have breakfast with family, get dressed, open presents, speak to distant relatives etc. ad lib.
11:45 - Take turkey out and remove foil. Check nothing disasterous appears to have happened to it, and baste well. If bacon is already crispy, take it off and set aside (if not, rescue it after a few minutes at higher heat). Put turkey back and turn heat up to 200C. Put top oven on to 200C for potatoes. Put baking tray with a bit of oil in top oven to heat up. Sit down for a few minutes.
Take root veg out of the fridge. Drain carrots/parsnips well. Separate parsnips from carrots. Take baking tray out of top oven, add potatoes and parsnips, stir round, put back in oven. Chop carrots into sticks and put in bag with sprouts. Sit down again.
12:15 - Take turkey out and check for done-ness. If necessary, baste again and put it back in (needed another 10 mins). Meanwhile, put stuffing balls on baking tray, medium saucepan for sprouts on hob, gravy in small saucepan on hob, tupperware box containing cabbage in microwave with loosened lid. Get out pressure cooker, weights and trivet, and stand the pudding inside the cooker on the trivet. Phone relative-who-knows-about-slow-cookers to ask about how much water to add.
12:25 - Take turkey out and check again. If done, set aside covered with the foil removed previously to rest for 30 minutes. Put stuffing balls in oven.
12:55 - Get someone to carve the turkey and put the meat on a plate, covered (next year, warm plate and put somewhere warmer). Get someone else to lay the table, see to wine etc. Turn heat on low under gravy, fill kettle (for sprouts and pudding), put starter on plates. Check potatoes, turn top oven off if necessary. Turn bottom oven off.
Some time after 1 - Sit down and eat starter.
When you've finished eating - boil kettle, realise you haven't warmed plates, put stuffing balls in with potatoes to make room in oven. Cook sprouts & carrots, put pressure cooker (now with water in - can't remember how much) on high heat with lid on. Microwave cabbage for 3 mins, stirring in the middle. Drain sprouts & carrots, put back in saucepan with butter, pepper and flaked almonds. Put the weight on the pressure cooker. Microwave bread sauce according to instructions. Get people to help put the food in serving dishes and ferry things through to the table.
Eat.
Pause for digestion and a bit of washing up. Get brandy butter out of fridge.
Realise that pressure cooker has been on too low a heat and has not been up to pressure for long enough. Cheat by microwaving pudding (don't tell my mum!). Eat pudding (not noticeably damaged by microwave) with brandy butter.
Let other people deal with coffee, ditto washing up.
Day before Christmas Eve:
Shop. Get parents to bring anything that's out of stock. (NB for next year - the greengrocer is open before 8:30am on Chrismas Eve)
Make braised cabbage and put in fridge.
Christmas Eve:
Pick up turkey from butcher, put in cool bag in coal cupboard
Make stuffing
Make brandy butter
Toast almonds
In the evening, get guests to help peel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes. Sprouts go in bag in fridge; carrots and parsnips in bowl/box of water in fridge; potatoes get blanched and put in box in fridge.
Bring turkey inside, remove giblets, clean turkey with cold water and salt until no longer bloody.
Adjust shelves in oven to fit turkey in, so you don't have to do it while half-asleep in the morning.
Stuff turkey with half of stuffing, rub with butter, arrange streaky bacon over breast. Put 1/2 lemon in cavity and squeeze the rest over the top.
Cover turkey, leave on work surface to reach room temperature (NB, the kitchen is the coldest room and not heated at night).
Make remainder of stuffing into balls, put in box in fridge.
Christmas Day:
7:15 - Get up, immediately put oven on at 220C. Put turkey in roasting dish. Cover with tent made of 2 large sheets turkey foil, crimp down almost all the way round. Boil kettle.
7:35 (assuming the oven is most of the way to temperature) - Put turkey in oven, carefully pour about an inch of hot water into roasting dish through uncrimped corner of tent, crimp down corner. Go back to bed.
8:15 - Get up again. Turn oven down to 170C. Put the kettle on for a pot of tea, and begin slowly making breakfast. Have breakfast with family, get dressed, open presents, speak to distant relatives etc. ad lib.
11:45 - Take turkey out and remove foil. Check nothing disasterous appears to have happened to it, and baste well. If bacon is already crispy, take it off and set aside (if not, rescue it after a few minutes at higher heat). Put turkey back and turn heat up to 200C. Put top oven on to 200C for potatoes. Put baking tray with a bit of oil in top oven to heat up. Sit down for a few minutes.
Take root veg out of the fridge. Drain carrots/parsnips well. Separate parsnips from carrots. Take baking tray out of top oven, add potatoes and parsnips, stir round, put back in oven. Chop carrots into sticks and put in bag with sprouts. Sit down again.
12:15 - Take turkey out and check for done-ness. If necessary, baste again and put it back in (needed another 10 mins). Meanwhile, put stuffing balls on baking tray, medium saucepan for sprouts on hob, gravy in small saucepan on hob, tupperware box containing cabbage in microwave with loosened lid. Get out pressure cooker, weights and trivet, and stand the pudding inside the cooker on the trivet. Phone relative-who-knows-about-slow-cookers to ask about how much water to add.
12:25 - Take turkey out and check again. If done, set aside covered with the foil removed previously to rest for 30 minutes. Put stuffing balls in oven.
12:55 - Get someone to carve the turkey and put the meat on a plate, covered (next year, warm plate and put somewhere warmer). Get someone else to lay the table, see to wine etc. Turn heat on low under gravy, fill kettle (for sprouts and pudding), put starter on plates. Check potatoes, turn top oven off if necessary. Turn bottom oven off.
Some time after 1 - Sit down and eat starter.
When you've finished eating - boil kettle, realise you haven't warmed plates, put stuffing balls in with potatoes to make room in oven. Cook sprouts & carrots, put pressure cooker (now with water in - can't remember how much) on high heat with lid on. Microwave cabbage for 3 mins, stirring in the middle. Drain sprouts & carrots, put back in saucepan with butter, pepper and flaked almonds. Put the weight on the pressure cooker. Microwave bread sauce according to instructions. Get people to help put the food in serving dishes and ferry things through to the table.
Eat.
Pause for digestion and a bit of washing up. Get brandy butter out of fridge.
Realise that pressure cooker has been on too low a heat and has not been up to pressure for long enough. Cheat by microwaving pudding (don't tell my mum!). Eat pudding (not noticeably damaged by microwave) with brandy butter.
Let other people deal with coffee, ditto washing up.