Festive Food Postcards

The days between Christmas and New Year can be a period of over indulgence, a delicious prelude to the New Year resolutions that follow which are often hastily broken in January. In recent years, we have resolved to enjoy the festive period,  guilt-free, and partake in whatever indulgences come our way.

Festive Cocktails

The best Christmas card I have received this year came from friends who have addressed it ‘To the Gourmantics’. On December 26, Boxing Day, Gourmantic turned 6 months old. The milestone was celebrated with Vodka Martinis, with a Sicilian olive for me and a lemon twist for Mr Gourmantic.

The rainy days and the intermittent sunshine didn’t deter us from licking the salt off the Margaritas or sipping cool Mojitos after the beach.

Christmas Turkey

After the first of the family Christmas lunches that was a seafood extravaganza, it was time to partake in the traditional Christmas fare and cook the turkey.

The bird was lovingly prepared with a combination of butter, chopped sage, lemon zest and thyme carefully placed under the skin so that the aroma permeates through the succulent meat.

Carving the turkey is a task always delegated to Mr Gourmantic, using implements passed down from family as the doyennes of turkey cooking.

The ‘stuffing’ is a speciality that is always cooked separately and never enters the turkey. The dish is turned upside down on a serving platter and adorned with roasted pine nuts, almonds and chestnuts.

Left-overs are often enjoyed best the day after, or shared more intimately with one or two family members over a good bottle of red.

Seafood

The enjoyment of fresh seafood is ubiquitous with Christmas and the warmer temperatures of Sydney.

Plump Sydney rock oysters are best enjoyed au naturel, with a squeeze of lemon juice and a shot of Vodka that has been resting in the freezer.

The side of Norwegian smoked salmon did not last long on the serving platter.

Freshly-cooked prawns were dipped in a seafood or aioli sauce.

Cheese

Friends drop in for a cocktail or two, and when you think you couldn’t possibly eat any more, a Camembert is always welcomed,

as is a creamy cheddar and Gorgonzola Picante.

Desserts and Sweets

These home-made Christmas puddings tasted as good as they looked.

My speciality Christmas pudding ice-cream had enough liquor in it that is was an adults-only version.

Rum balls always tempt late in the evening, in case one didn’t partake in enough rum at Christmas.

And just like the Santa bear on this festive Christmas biscuit whose pants have come undone, our waistlines have slightly displaced.

Bon appétit!

Corinne (Ms Gourmantic) has a strong penchant for packing a laptop, a camera, a large suitcase and roaming the globe in search of gastronomic adventures. An avid scribe, her repertoire includes works of fiction, short stories, travelogues as well as authoring blogs and photoblogs. She is currently writing a fiction novel.

Corinne

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