Christmas Dinner
Dec 19, 2011 21:36:16 GMT
Post by Charlie Arnold on Dec 19, 2011 21:36:16 GMT
The traditional christmas dinner is actually if cooked carefully one of the safest FM meals that can be joined in with by everyone.
Turkey is great as it is high in tryptophan which can be lacking in FM suffers as fructose can block its absorbtion.
Try to get a good quality untreated turkey ie not ready basted or stuffed. If you can get the giblets even better as they make the most delicious gravy. I am on very good terms with our local butcher and they keep me all the giblets other people don't want and I stick them in the freezer for more gravy through the year.
Roast the Turkey slowly and turning it can help to keep it moist, start with it upside down or on one side then turn it over half way through. If you have access to safe bacon then wrap some of that over the crown before roasting. (Don't use smoked bacon unless you know exactly how it is smoked as often they just paste some chemical formula over it to give the smoked taste.) Make sure you keep basting it to keep it moist. Don't stuff it unless you have made your own safe stuffing and avoid putting onions and garlic in or on it.
Giblet gravy - this can be made the day before. Take the giblets out of any packaging (sorry I know this is obvious - but you never know).
Place in a deep saucepan and cover with water.
Add salt and pepper to taste and some bayleaves for flavouring. Bring to the boil and then simmer for an hour, then put by to cool.
Sieve and discard the giblets (feed these 2 the dogs for xmas dinner if you have any).
Keep the stock in the fridge overnight then reheat about 10 minutes before due to eat, mix with some of the turkey juice from the roasting tin.
Thicken with potato flour dissolved in cold water as per required consistency, I usually use 2 tablespoons per pint for a thick gravy, 1 for a thin consistency. The great thing about potato flour is you can always make extra up if not thick enough and add at the last minute.
If you have access to gluten free chipolatas and safe bacon you can wrap a strip of bacon around the sausages and cook these either around the turkey or separately in the last 15 to 25 minutes of roasting.
Roast Potatoes - Meg could live on these!!! Use goose or duck fat for the best potatoes ever.
Use a good quality white old potato (Maris Pipers are good). Peel and cut into halves or quarters depending on size of potato.
Place in pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
In a roasting tin put a large dollop of goose or duck fat, it depends how many people you are cooking for so can't specify amount, you want enough that when it dissolves there is enough melted fat to coat all the potatoes. Put the tin with the fat in the oven ideally at 200C, but if the turkey is still roasting on a lower heat then put them in earlier. At 200C they will take 50 to 60 minutes.
If oven not as hot then put them in earlier and when the turkey is out resting than you can turn the oven heat up to finish them.
Heat the fat while the potatoes are simmering then drain the potatoes and carefully put them into the roasting tin.
Using a scoop or spoon carefully coat the melted fat over every potato.
If you like fluffy potatoes carefully give them a shake in the saucepan before putting into the fat. then place them in the oven and leave them to roast.
You may want to re spoon the fat over the potatoes or turn them a couple of times while roasting so they brown evenly and don't dry out.
You can also do this with carrots and parsnips if you are ok with these. Peel and slice in half lengthways if large. parboil as per the potatoes and add to hot fat but not as early as the potatoes, they take about 15 minutes less.
Bread sauce - this comes out a bit bland but Meg still loves it as an added extra and can be made with full fat milk or lactose free.
Use gluten free bread to make breadcrumbs., about 2oz, 50g, cut the crusts off and whizz up in a grinder or just break up into small pieces.
Put 1/2 pint, 300ml of milk into a saucepan, with 2oz/ 50g butter. Add the breadcrumbs and 3 to 4 cloves (if ok with these). Bring to the boil, cover the pan and put to one side, in a warm place if possible. Leave until nearly ready to serve, then scoop out the cloves and reheat, beat hard or use a handblender to make a smooth thick consistency. To make it richer add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream at the last minute.
Stuffing. I'm still working on this recipe as it is so different to the stuffing I am used to just because it doesn't have onions but this basic recipe sort of works.
325g / 12oz fresh breadcrumbs (gluten free of course)
50g / 2oz butter or margarine
50g / 2oz shredded beef suet
1 beaten egg
Salt, pepper and dried herbs
Mix ingredients together and put in the fridge for several hours, this may need a bit of cold water added if too dry as the original recipe has onions and juice of 2 lemons in it.
then later make into small balls, place on a greased tin and roast for about 20 mins on 200C till golden brown.
So that is it basically, serve with green beans and whatever other veg you can eat.
Turkey is great as it is high in tryptophan which can be lacking in FM suffers as fructose can block its absorbtion.
Try to get a good quality untreated turkey ie not ready basted or stuffed. If you can get the giblets even better as they make the most delicious gravy. I am on very good terms with our local butcher and they keep me all the giblets other people don't want and I stick them in the freezer for more gravy through the year.
Roast the Turkey slowly and turning it can help to keep it moist, start with it upside down or on one side then turn it over half way through. If you have access to safe bacon then wrap some of that over the crown before roasting. (Don't use smoked bacon unless you know exactly how it is smoked as often they just paste some chemical formula over it to give the smoked taste.) Make sure you keep basting it to keep it moist. Don't stuff it unless you have made your own safe stuffing and avoid putting onions and garlic in or on it.
Giblet gravy - this can be made the day before. Take the giblets out of any packaging (sorry I know this is obvious - but you never know).
Place in a deep saucepan and cover with water.
Add salt and pepper to taste and some bayleaves for flavouring. Bring to the boil and then simmer for an hour, then put by to cool.
Sieve and discard the giblets (feed these 2 the dogs for xmas dinner if you have any).
Keep the stock in the fridge overnight then reheat about 10 minutes before due to eat, mix with some of the turkey juice from the roasting tin.
Thicken with potato flour dissolved in cold water as per required consistency, I usually use 2 tablespoons per pint for a thick gravy, 1 for a thin consistency. The great thing about potato flour is you can always make extra up if not thick enough and add at the last minute.
If you have access to gluten free chipolatas and safe bacon you can wrap a strip of bacon around the sausages and cook these either around the turkey or separately in the last 15 to 25 minutes of roasting.
Roast Potatoes - Meg could live on these!!! Use goose or duck fat for the best potatoes ever.
Use a good quality white old potato (Maris Pipers are good). Peel and cut into halves or quarters depending on size of potato.
Place in pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
In a roasting tin put a large dollop of goose or duck fat, it depends how many people you are cooking for so can't specify amount, you want enough that when it dissolves there is enough melted fat to coat all the potatoes. Put the tin with the fat in the oven ideally at 200C, but if the turkey is still roasting on a lower heat then put them in earlier. At 200C they will take 50 to 60 minutes.
If oven not as hot then put them in earlier and when the turkey is out resting than you can turn the oven heat up to finish them.
Heat the fat while the potatoes are simmering then drain the potatoes and carefully put them into the roasting tin.
Using a scoop or spoon carefully coat the melted fat over every potato.
If you like fluffy potatoes carefully give them a shake in the saucepan before putting into the fat. then place them in the oven and leave them to roast.
You may want to re spoon the fat over the potatoes or turn them a couple of times while roasting so they brown evenly and don't dry out.
You can also do this with carrots and parsnips if you are ok with these. Peel and slice in half lengthways if large. parboil as per the potatoes and add to hot fat but not as early as the potatoes, they take about 15 minutes less.
Bread sauce - this comes out a bit bland but Meg still loves it as an added extra and can be made with full fat milk or lactose free.
Use gluten free bread to make breadcrumbs., about 2oz, 50g, cut the crusts off and whizz up in a grinder or just break up into small pieces.
Put 1/2 pint, 300ml of milk into a saucepan, with 2oz/ 50g butter. Add the breadcrumbs and 3 to 4 cloves (if ok with these). Bring to the boil, cover the pan and put to one side, in a warm place if possible. Leave until nearly ready to serve, then scoop out the cloves and reheat, beat hard or use a handblender to make a smooth thick consistency. To make it richer add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream at the last minute.
Stuffing. I'm still working on this recipe as it is so different to the stuffing I am used to just because it doesn't have onions but this basic recipe sort of works.
325g / 12oz fresh breadcrumbs (gluten free of course)
50g / 2oz butter or margarine
50g / 2oz shredded beef suet
1 beaten egg
Salt, pepper and dried herbs
Mix ingredients together and put in the fridge for several hours, this may need a bit of cold water added if too dry as the original recipe has onions and juice of 2 lemons in it.
then later make into small balls, place on a greased tin and roast for about 20 mins on 200C till golden brown.
So that is it basically, serve with green beans and whatever other veg you can eat.