Topic: WHAT ARE YOUR MOST UNTRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS?

[jimtheworzel]

 ;D

[emmy1978]

Oooh and Hmmmm. Well, I don't know. Champagne in the morning was instituted when the children were very small-after all, it is hard to be incredibly excited at 6.00am without a little help!
But then drunkenness is fairly traditional isn't it?  ;D

[ACE]

Don't know if this is untraditional, but the 'day' itself tradition is kept with the usual drinking and feasting. Followed by the evenings entertainment of silly games (a plate of sprouts and a box of matches type of thing) and then  live music into the early hours.

Boxing day gets sort of untraditional when all the musicians meet at a pre arranged pub, usually the one the Boxing day hunt starts from. Then we will be thrashing out all the old jigs and reels  on fiddles, squeeze boxes, banjos, etc. It gets a bit vague what happens later. But I usually end up the next morning in my own bed.

[emmy1978]

Followed by the evenings entertainment of silly games (a plate of sprouts and a box of matches type of thing).

Rules please!!

[GrannieAnnie]

Followed by the evenings entertainment of silly games (a plate of sprouts and a box of matches type of thing).

Rules please!!

yes. What's this sprouts and matches business?
Our only two non-traditional traditions are an early opening of one gift before Christmas by grandchildren if they get here early, and Danish pastry on Christmas morning if I get around to making it the day before- a BIG IF.  If not, it is sticky homemade cinnamon buns.

[PurpleHeather]

Instead of Turkey sprouts etc.

I started to do a Chinese Crispy Peking Duck meal.

After telling my daughter, she and her OH came round the following year and I made it again.

I was not certain that they were mpressed with it but they have the same now as their Christmas meal. So safe to assume they were.

The duck is easier to cook than a lot of people think, and as a shared meal rather than a mountain of food put on individual plates, we can all stop eating when we are full. ( I always make too much)

I put out far more accompaniments than just cucumber and spring onions for the wraps and more dips than just hoisin sauce.

Leftovers can be stir fried with rice or turned into a soup and it is certainly all used up on Boxing day, so then the baked ham slow roasted with the duck which I bake with black treacle comes out.

The meat juices from the treacle baked ham in turn make a perfect stock for steak and kidney believe it or not. The duck fat makes great roast spuds.

[GrannieAnnie]

Instead of Turkey sprouts etc.

I started to do a Chinese Crispy Peking Duck meal.

After telling my daughter, she and her OH came round the following year and I made it again.

I was not certain that they were mpressed with it but they have the same now as their Christmas meal. So safe to assume they were.

The duck is easier to cook than a lot of people think, and as a shared meal rather than a mountain of food put on individual plates, we can all stop eating when we are full. ( I always make too much)

I put out far more accompaniments than just cucumber and spring onions for the wraps and more dips than just hoisin sauce.

Leftovers can be stir fried with rice or turned into a soup and it is certainly all used up on Boxing day, so then the baked ham slow roasted with the duck which I bake with black treacle comes out.

The meat juices from the treacle baked ham in turn make a perfect stock for steak and kidney believe it or not. The duck fat makes great roast spuds.

Would this be similar to your method? It came from Wiki. "Crispy aromatic duck is a variant of Peking duck that originated from the Chinese community in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 20th century,[29] served by most Chinese restaurants as a signature dish on the menu.[30] To prepare crispy aromatic duck, the duck is first rubbed inside and out with a mixture of spices including five spice powder and Sichuan peppercorns. Having been left to stand for 24 hours, the duck is placed into a wok and steamed for two hours, with the fat constantly poured off. Afterwards, the duck is cut into quarters and dusted with corn flour and deep fried for 8–15 minutes. The cooked duck is drained on kitchen paper and taken to the diners' table, where the meat is shredded off. The meat is served with pancakes, finely chopped cucumber and spring onions and hoisin sauce.[31] The meat has less fat and is drier and crispier compared to that of Peking Duck.[32"

[PurpleHeather]

No I slow roast mine whole after dowsing it with boiling water and basting with a glaze which is left hanging over night for the skin to dry out. The glaze is honey soy suce rice wine (or dry sherry) and lemon juice.

The centre of the duck can be seasoned with 5 star spice and salt but some 5 star spice is very strong not every one likes it. I use it sparingly for a hint of flavour.

I roast mine slowly on a rack, turning it and taking off the fat at each turn.

There are several recipes for crispy skinned duck

I have a Ken Holm book which I bought for 20p in a charity shop (last of the big spenders me) after I found and adapted the recipe I use and have just looked up his crispy duck recipes. The one you have sounds very much like his Crispy Sichuan Duck recipe.

He says to cook the Peking Duck for 15 mins at the hottest setting you have then turn the oven down to 180C for 1 hour and 10 mins. that is for a 4lb duck.

He says to put water in the bottom of the pan to stop the fat splattering too.

[GrannieAnnie]

No I slow roast mine whole after dowsing it with boiling water and basting with a glaze which is left hanging over night for the skin to dry out. The glaze is honey soy suce rice wine (or dry sherry) and lemon juice.

The centre of the duck can be seasoned with 5 star spice and salt but some 5 star spice is very strong not every one likes it. I use it sparingly for a hint of flavour.

I roast mine slowly on a rack, turning it and taking off the fat at each turn.

There are several recipes for crispy skinned duck

I have a Ken Holm book which I bought for 20p in a charity shop (last of the big spenders me) after I found and adapted the recipe I use and have just looked up his crispy duck recipes. The one you have sounds very much like his Crispy Sichuan Duck recipe.

He says to cook the Peking Duck for 15 mins at the hottest setting you have then turn the oven down to 180C for 1 hour and 10 mins. that is for a 4lb duck.

He says to put water in the bottom of the pan to stop the fat splattering too.

Good- so a wok isn't necessary I take it?  I can't use one on my stove.
What is 5 star spice though?

[Bill Door]

Well Emmy1978 that really whizzed by all and sundry.

Always better with cold cooked Sprouts makes it easier and the game does not go on and on.

Bill

[PurpleHeather]

My fault there Grannie Annie getting my brain round five spice and star anis...

It is five spice which has star anis as part of the mix.

:Pepper, Cloves, Star Anis, Cinnamon and Fennel.