Following our tradition of staying in on New Year’s Eve: 2014 adding fondue to the grilled steak tradition. Roasted mini potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, salami, pear and gherkins. Oh, and good chewy bread, of course!
:: We’ve misplaced the 2013 NYE photo of lobster risotto but that’s okay: we went to all the trouble of making seafood stock with lobster shells and stupidly added too much arborio: it was a starchy mess.
We love the traditions of Christmastime. There are no surprises in our world: routine rules, and we couldn’t experience anything more joyous.
So we are rather fond of imagining the Royals’ Christmas traditions at Sandringham House.
The pageantry of the timed arrivals, the Christmas Eve day tea, joke presents, followed by martinis, cider and other drinks in the saloon, a candlelit, three-course dinner, Christmas morning church, and back for lunch etc.
While our holiday sideboard is missing the boar’s head, chaudfroid ham, and raised pie presented on linen, we 
can at least dream up two fun Royal menu additions for our own holiday table.
The Christmas Eve afternoon tea at 4 p.m. is a good idea (even if it clashes with our own cocktail and hors d’oeuvres night). Maybe xmas eve’s eve tea for an afternoon featuring small cakes (ginger cake or honey and cream sponge) and scones alongside finger sandwiches (crusts off, served in squares) filled with ham and English mustard, Sage Derby cheese and Branston Pickle or Coronation chicken, with a pot of Earl Grey tea.
We are loving the idea of a cranberry-spiked Chicken and Pistachio Terrine and a truly Royal Gleneagles pate served with melba toast and horseradish crème fraiche
GLENEAGLES PATE
2lb smoked salmon, thinly sliced and divided
1lb smoked trout
11⁄2lb unsalted butter, softened and divided
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 tsp lemon juice 1lb smoked mackerel
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
Line a 1lb loaf tin or pate terrine with plastic wrap, overlapping the sides. Take half of the smoked salmon and line the sides and bottom of the loaf tin. Overlap the top edge by about 2in so that the salmon will fold over and cover the filling once it is in place.
Remove and discard the skin from the smoked trout, and then place the trout in a food processor and chop finely; add 1⁄2lb of the butter to the processor. Blend again until smooth and add the chopped dill and lemon juice.
Carefully spread the trout mixture into the loaf tin on top of the smoked salmon and smooth the top. Place the loaf tin in the freezer for ten minutes while you prepare the second layer.
Clean the food processor bowl. Remove and discard the skin from the mackerel, and place the mackerel into the food processor; chop finely. Add 1⁄2lb butter and blend until smooth.
Take the loaf tin from the freezer, and spread the mackerel mixture smoothly on top of the trout layer without disturbing the trout layer. Place the loaf tin in the freezer for ten minutes while you prepare the third layer.
Clean the food processor bowl once again and place the remaining smoked salmon into the food processor and chop finely. Add the remaining 1⁄2lb of butter and the chives to the processor, and blend again until smooth.
Remove the loaf tin from the freezer, and spread the smoked salmon on top of the mackerel. Smooth the top. Fold the overlapping pieces of smoked salmon over the top layer of the salmon spread. Cover the top with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours, until firm.
Remove the loaf tin from the refrigerator and lift off the top plastic wrap. Invert the terrine on to a cutting board and remove the loaf tin and additional plastic wrap. Slice the terrine into 1in slices. Serve on salad leaves as an appetizer or slice the terrine into fingers and serve on crackers as a canapé.
Makes eight to ten servings
CHILLED TOMATO AND DILL MOUSSE WITH LOBSTER
“Eating Royally,” by Darren McGrady
Diana served this recipe to her guests while she ate a fat-free version.
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
1 1/2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 lemon, halved
6 seven-ounce lobster tails, steamed and split down the center
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
3 bunches watercress, washed and stems removed
Lightly brush six small ramekins with the vegetable oil. Set aside. In a food processor, puree tomatoes with chopped onion. Strain the pulp into a bowl, pressing on the tomatoes to push as much as possible through the sieve into the bowl. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream and tomato paste. Fold into the tomato/onion puree. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper and the dill.
Place the gelatin into a small saucepan, and moisten it with the juice of 1/2 of the lemon. If the lemon doesn’t have a lot of juice, you may need to add up to a tablespoon of water. Reserve remaining 1/2 lemon for the lobster vinaigrette. Melt the gelatin over very low heat until it dissolves. Let it cool a moment, and then pour the gelatin into the tomato mousse, mixing as you pour. Taste for salt and pepper.
Pour the finished mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, run a small knife around the edge of the mold, dip the ramekin into a bowl of hot water to soften the gelatin and turn out the mousse onto a plate.
Toss the split lobster tails with the olive oil, remaining lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped chives. Nestle the lobster on a bed of watercress next to the tomato mousse.
FAT-FREE CHILLED TOMATO AND DILL MOUSSE
1 pound vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped onion
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Put the tomatoes and onions in a food processor and blend until they become somewhat soupy. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard the remaining seeds and skins. Whisk in the cream cheese, sour cream and tomato paste until there are no lumps. In a small saucepan, add gelatin, chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir until softened, and then warm the saucepan over low heat until the gelatin has dissolved. Whisk gelatin mixture into the tomato mixture, and season with the salt and pepper to taste.
Fold in the dill, and pour the tomato mousse into six ramekins. Refrigerate until uncovered for at least 2 hours. Serve in the ramekins, or dip the ramekins in hot water, run a knife around the edge of the molds, and invert onto plates.
It’s a Christmas miracle!
We found the long sought after Tourtiere (Canadian Meat Pie).
On this EXACT day in 2011, Tambi asked:
“I am looking for a recipe for French Canadian Tortiere Pie that I used to make from a Seventeen Magazine recipe. It would have been the early eighties, anyone have it? I remember that it had 1 cup of celery leaves, canned tomatoes and ground pork, but the celery really sticks in my head. As well the top crust of the pastry had a circle cut out from the middle and it was decorated with pastry holly leaves (scored in the middle and placed with a trist so the leave stuck up off the top) and pastry rolled into small balls for the berries.”
A random google search today led us here.
“posted by Calicogirl. Here is a tasty recipe that I like to make. Don’t laugh I got it from a Seventeen magazine ages ago (yes, when I was 17, so you know it’s old ;))”
Tourtiere (Canadian Meat Pie)
Meat filling
Pastry for double crust pie
Meat Filling:
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 cups chopped Onion
1 1/2 ground pork (or beef)
1 can (1 lb.) whole Tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped Celery Leaves
1 Tbsp. minced Garlic
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. whole Thyme
1/4 tsp each of ground Nutmeg, Mace, Cloves, and Black Pepper
2 tsp.s cornstarch
1 cube chicken bouillon, dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 chopped parsley
Meat filling:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, and saute until soft and golden. Add ground pork, break it up with a fork. Cook until meat is brown and no trace of pink remains. Add tomatoes (breaking them up with a fork), celery leaves, garlic, salt, thyme, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper.
Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Drain off any excess fat. Dissolve cornstarch in chicken bouillon mixture. Stir into meat mixture, then cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens (about 2 minutes). Add parsley. Remove meat filling from heat and let it cool while you prepare the pastry crust.
Roll out dough and place in pie dish, fill with meat filling. Place second crust on top, decorate if you like 🙂 Brush with an egg wash and place in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Here’s some seasonal 1980s Seventeen nostalgia for you: A cookie wreath.
We don’t know what year this is from, but judging from the tell-tale collage cutout on the page, we’re guessing 1983.
Do you have any ’80s Seventeen recipe pages to share? Let us know!
Saucy Cherie 