Christmas Dinner 2010 - The Results

The dinner outlined in Christmas Dinner 2010 (Proposed Menu) was a mostly successful, but there were a few lessons to be learned. The big win was the Shrimp Cocktail. The disappointment was the Creamed Onions.

Shrimp Cocktail

This dish was improvised. I wanted it to be a cross between gazpacho and a regular shrimp cocktail. Here's what I went with:

14 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup seafood sauce
1 medium cucumber, finely diced
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/4 green pepper, finely shredded
1/4 sweet onion, finely shredded
14 oz. cut wax beans
1/2 c. lime juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 t. oregano
salt, black pepper to taste
shrimp
lime wedges

I shredded the green pepper and onion in a food processor until it was a pulp. I combined all but the last two ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for several hours. To serve, I put about 6 shrimp in a goblet, spooned sauce over it, and garnished with a lime wedge. Very delicious and attractive! Next time, I will probably add some prepared horseradish.

 

Salmon Croquettes 

The croquettes were quite good. Given the ingredients and the fact that they were fried and crispy, they could hardly help but be a win.

Scalloped Potatoes

These were absolutely delicious, but I wasn't prepared for the quantity the recipe yielded. I now have a lasagna tray with approximately one-point-four metric tons of delicious comfort food in the fridge. Guess what I'll be having with every supper for the foreseeable future?

Creamed Onions

I overcooked these--it turned out more like a sauce than anything else. I spooned a bit over the salmon croquettes. I expected the cooked onions to be mild, but they had an almost dessert-like sweetness. If I make this again, I'll cook it more gently and I'll add something hot or spicy to offset the sweetness.

Green Bean Casserole

This was very good. I think the stuffing was what really made it a win. I baked it in a lasagna pan, but I probably should have used a souffle dish.

The Dinner