First thoughts of C time

(great photo courtesy of the Harvey Nix hamper website, which always gets me virtually shopping - and sometimes, actually)

Wow, it’s still October (just) and the first Christmas food magazines had dropped onto my doormat and it’s Olive. It comes with a little olive covered 2007 diary but to my chagrin the recipe for September is tomato gnocchi. Arghh! Am I the only person who always has the check the pictures, quotes or recipes for their birthday month? It’s just a little quirk!

Well one of the first good things I noticed – the suggestion of having Gü brownies in lieu of Christmas pudding – what a fabulous idea!

There’s a recipe for ‘dead good’ blinis, which I am rather partial to. And a tough-in-cheek article entitled ‘What kind of foodie are you?’ The choices are ‘the traditionalist’, ‘the perfectionist’, ‘the foodie maniac’, ‘the party animal’, ‘the environmentalist’ and ‘the forager’. It supposed to indicate what sort of Christmas dinner cook you are, how organised you are, what food you serve and where you buy it from. I think I am a hybrid perfectionist/party animal – Gordon Ramsay with a soupçon of Nigella! I’d like everything to be just so but a touch of last minute randomness normally kicks in. Well no one’s perfect!

What did leap out and catch my eye is ‘mini beef en croute’ and an article on Joël Robuchon and his fabulous signature dish of purée de pommes de terre. It is “the first thing clients ask for”’ says M. Robuchon. I am salivating already!

There’s some creative cocktail canapés including ‘potato skins with smoked trout and horseradish cream’, ‘proscuitto, pear and rocket rolls’ and of course ‘honey and rosemary cocktail sausages’.

Gordon Ramsay produces a stunning looking turkey with a lemon and sage butter – I don’t normally do a turkey for Christmas but it does look good.

The UK’s 10 best dishes according to Restaurant magazine make very interesting reading. I think some of my restaurants to visit for 2007 will have to come from this selection. I am extrememely intrigued by the best sausage and mash which they vote Boisdale of Belgravia number one. Very interesting indeed.

Well it’s to soon to decide on a Christmas menu but it’s food for thought and I do enjoy the planning. I’ll try not to mention it to D though - the ‘c’ word is not a popular one!