Hi im doing a christmasbrunch for about 12 Ppl on the 26th. I am planning to have a big variety of nice food.
Id appreciate some feedback.
Especially on design and little features.

Cheeseplate:

• Gruyère or other hard cheese
• Gouda or Edamer, probably as decoration on other plates
• Bresso with chives, as soft cheese
• Some other stronger soft cheese like Camembert

Meatplate:
since we have many vegetarians we wont have so much meat, rather some little extravagant things and more fish.

• Serrano ham maybe
• I also thought of turkey sausage

Fishplate:

• Crabs
• cured trout
• salmon rolls with soft cheese in them
• radish cream

Jam and Co:

• Blackberry jam
• Orange Jam
• Honey <- dont know which one yet, probably a fluid dark one like acacia
• Nutella

Others:
thinking of eggs, but not sure how to put or what to do with them

• Spiced Cake (with cinnamon and stuff)
• Soup - Probably tomato.
• fruit salad
• each a litle sugar cane
• each a spoon of chocolate
• Spices: Salt, (good) Pepper, herb salt, sugar

Veggies:
still missing and dont know where to put.
Would like some Tomatoes for cheese, but dont know how to cut and where to put.
Also cucumber may be an option.
Oh and onion.
Still dont know where to put all that.

Fruits:
still missing and dont know where to put.
will probably put some physalis on fish plate, probably some (cut) figs on cheeseplate

Bread and Co:
still missing

Drinks:
still missing
Good coffee will be top priority though, milk offered ofc too


Whats still missing is how to maybe put it into a theme
and some really christmas like stuff.

IMO cut the Nutella... it's so trashy.

Nutella isn't trashy. Mcdonalds is trashy.

Is this like a sit down dinner, a buffet style, or just a gathering where people eat whenever?

You could just do a vegetable tray with dip.

You really need to add some veggie dishs to your dinner because thats just carb and protein heavy.

That's kind of the point of holiday lardfest, no?


Although given the "since we have many vegetarians we wont have so much meat, rather some little extravagant things and more fish"... I imagine a veggie plate would be enjoyed.


This post was edited by QQQQQQQQQQQ on Dec 5 2011 11:29pm

I guess if your goal is to have a heart attack right after dinner then keep on truckin, and we both know that those veggie platters with the pieces of steamed broccoli and carrots is gonna be untouched.

A few comments:

1. I wouldn't serve tomatoes with cheese unless I was doing the classic tomato/fresh mozzarella/basil/olive oil/balsamic vinegar combo. It's a little cliche these days, but still very tasty. If you want something different for cheese, try idiazabal and serve it with the honey. They are really great together. Manchego is also a good hard cheese that is a bit different.

2. I wouldn't serve turkey sausage ever. You're better off just not serving the meat.

3. I'd make some sort of egg dish. You might make a quiche/casserole type dish of simply some variety of scrambled eggs. Quiche/casserole is easier to make ahead, though.

4. For bread, I'd think about making scones

it will be buffet style

everyone is ofc right about the veggies - i just dont know which ones... especially not if i add creams...

why no turkey sausage? But probably right. why no tomatoes? I just love tomatoes and cheese. I wouldnt serve them together, but Id eat them together?

TY for scones, idiabazal

Quiche would be too heavy imho. casserloe maybe, but I think ill go for the scrambled eggs in a variety maybe? Got some ideas here?

still looking for more imput, especially on christmas theme as well as breat fruit and veggies.

Seasonal veggies are pumpkins, squash, pretty much all root vegetables, kale, asparagus, brussel sprout

I just have never had turkey sausage that was worth eating. If you are going to all that trouble, you shouldn't waste time on sub-par stuff. Tomatoes also just aren't something you usually encounter with a cheese plate unless you are serving something mild like fresh mozzarella. Sweet things like pears, figs, etc. are a much more common side. The acidity of a good tomato is just sort of off with most cheese.

For scrambled eggs, I found an Indian version that my whole family loves. Basically, cook up some minced garlic and ginger with diced onions and hot peppers until the onions are clear, add some diced tomato, ground turmeric, and chopped cilantro, then add the eggs with a bit of milk. Good stuff. This brings me to the theme I'd use: international. Opens you up for all sorts of possibilities.

Oh--here's a good "fruit" dish to replace your turkey sausage: chorizo-stuffed dried dates. Use Spanish (not Mexican) choriza. Cut it into "sticks" that fit inside a date. Wrap each date with half a slice of bacon (I know, not a low cal option--but this is Christmas). Bake in the oven until bacon is done. Serve with a puree of mildly spicy red peppers mixed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Easy vegetable dish: blanch some asparagus or green beans, then bake them in the over with balsamic vinegar and oil. Serve with slivered almonds.