Boxing Day 2010

Today I had 5 people over for dinner, including two confirmed meat eaters and a pisco-vegetarian. I have a freezer-drawer full of beef from highland cattle that graze wild in Dutch nature reserves (ordered from Stichting Taurus) so that determined the meat side of the menu.

Hors d'oevres

• Mackerel rillettes 
• Baba ganoujh
• Cranberry Paté
• Cream crackers and melba toast

Starter

• Mimosa spinach salad (with only one mushroom, since that's all I had left! )

Main

• Beef pot pie (minus the cheddar cheese and using Judith Jones pastry recipe)
• Salmon en croute (same pastry)

Sides

• Braised leeks
• Grilled tomatoes

Dessert

• Blueberry Cobbler

The mackerel rillettes, which I made with wasabi instead of horseradish, proved surprisingly popular, and baba ganoujh (Jane Brody's recipe) always goes down a treat. 

I had planned to serve mashed potatoes but forgot to cook them, so I served some bread instead. Both the salmon and the beef pot pie were delicious, although I think the pastry might have been too rich and buttery. I had made the beef stew on Christmas eve and cooked it for another hour today before putting te crust on top. I think the extra wait time did wonderful things for the flavour.

This is the first meal I've ever served in which there were absolutely no leftovers. I rather regret that, I would have liked some leftover beef! I will definitely make the beef again just as a stew. 

Unfortunately, the only pictures are of the braised leeks, which even non leek lovers liked.