Dinners for the Christmas season

Larding is your friend. Theyre very, very lean.

Pot roast, if cooking it whole. It’s too easy to dry out the bird with normal roasting.

By the by, I was at a farmers market this morning. Bought some locally shot game. Pigeon breasts but also a prepared pheasant affair. Two breasts sandwich a stuffing and the whole is wrapped in bacon. I’ve cooked similar before and reckon roasting will be OK - maybe 40 minutes at 180.

Looks incredible! Gorgeous plating, too!

@Vecchiouomo @linguafood Thank you!
@Sunshine842 @Harters Many thanks for the tips. And Harters, I’d be in seventh heaven if I had more game meats available. I hope your roast turns out perfectly.

Not sure if Aldi is carrying prime rib this holiday season, but for anyone looking to make it:

I used the ‘start at high heat, turn oven off, don’t open door for 4 or 5 hours or so’ method and it came out perfectly. Given that we’re invited for xmas day & there will be turkey, this may have to wait until we feel festive in January (and the prime rib is marked down, which — given current beef prices — seems unlikely to happen).

Stew with wild mushroom cream sauce

I like prime rib a lot, but I enjoy an eye of the round almost as much, for its beefier taste and way less fat, but the fam wants prime rib. I think that much like a ribeye, it is best closer to medium so at least some of that fat can melt and dissipate into the meat. My absolute favorite parts of a prime rib, however, are slices of hot crackle and bones for onion soup.

I agree with all of the above.

There were two stalls at the market selling locally shot game - venison, pheasant, pigeon, partridge, rabbit & hare. Another time I would have bought more but the freezer is pretty full with festive stuff already.

I was a pheasant hunter for decades…my recommended recipe is: Pheasant with Dijon Mustard.

I do not have the recipe at hand but: pheasant parts, mushrooms, mustard,

Similar or same as rabbit in dijon sauce.

I used to describe pheasant taste/flavor as chicken with turkey. Maybe pheasant tastes similar to rabbit.

Wow, that looks amazing.

While camping, yet! Very nice, Chef!

Also: thanks @ChristinaM @JMat @mig

All of the jammys are in the eye of round camp. I cook it to med-rare earlier in the day, then let it cool and slice it deli thin to lay on baguette with au jus on the side for dipping.

I love a flavorful jus. Makes all the difference, especially with such a lean cut.

Looks like the menu of snacky & seafoody things for our xmas eve soirée is set:

• roasted black tiger shrimp cocktail
• homemade gravlax (just picked up a perfect filet for it at our fishmonger)
• seafood chowder (also from our fishmonger)
• Crab Louie
• green salad with simple vinaigrette & walnuts
• Nueske’s smoked duck breast, Taleggio & another “fancy” cheese, ciabatta, baguette
• white tuna paté & uni paté
• oysters … those are a maybe. I think we have plenty of food for our small crowd

Bublé to drank with. I’m getting excited

Would love to be Xmas Eve-ing at Casa Lingua! The menu sounds excellent

You’d be more than welcome to join in the fun

Also, I can’t believe I forgot to mention my PIC’s spectacular pistachio ice cream he’s making for dessert

You’ve mentioned it before. I’m a big fan of pistachio ice cream, so I’ll expect that if I visit.

Any time!

A post was merged into an existing topic: What’s For Dinner #124 - the Season’s Rainbow of Colors Edition - December 2025