Oriental Forum Advent Calendar 2010

[Nath]

Great videos! I'm half way through the Cinderella story now but it's fun! The snowflakes were different.

Love the cookie recipe! I always love gathering new ones and this sounds yummy! The bloopers were great!:lol:

What a great advent calendar so far!


Dev, wishing you and your family a healthier and happy 2011.

 

[Shanazel]

Having seen sinterklaus's adventure's with horses, Santa Claus wisely decided to invest in reindeer. At least if they gave him any trouble, he'd have venison for dinner.

 

[Mosaic]

Having seen sinterklaus's adventure's with horses, Santa Claus wisely decided to invest in reindeer. At least if they gave him any trouble, he'd have venison for dinner.

Eat Rudolph! :shok: Thank goodness they have been well behaved for all these years :lol::lol:
~Mosaic

 

[Aniseteph]

I just watched the bloopers - :lol: - what on earth was he doing up the tree?

I like this one better than the Coca Cola style Santa (are my German roots showing? ) I'm proud to say my daughter put her (cleaned) shoes out for St Nicholas yesterday evening. And got presents of course, not sticks.

 

[walladah]

Peppernoten seem great!

Thank you Nejmeh!

In Greece, this is also the day we celebrate Saint Nicolas, but we have him here as the protector of the sailors and ships! No presents this day for children, unless they are named Nicolas, Nike and so on...

 

[Daimona]

7th December 2010

:think: Rudolph..

First two videos of one of my favourite singers, Sissel. She has the voice of an angel:



(If you are curious about what she is saying in the introduction, there is a translation at the youtube page.)

I was planning to post the Hallelujah choir flash mob as well, but Amulya did it before me, so I had to find something else. I know we've already had one cookie recipie, but I had to share these two Valrohna chocolate cookies recipies with you (I made the cookies yesterday evening as well). Other dark chocolates than Valrohna could be used as well, but from my experience Valrohna gives the best taste and the cookies will behave nicely when cooked. If you ever think about making it double and both at the sime time, you'll probably discover that the first one is app. 1 1/2 time bigger than the second..

Crackled Valrohna cookies

Ingredients:
1/3 cup (0,8 dl) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup (1,25 dl) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 2/3 cup (1,6 dl) flour
1/2 cup (1,2 dl) dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1,2 dl) powdered sugar
3,5 oz (100 gr) Valrhona chocolate; coarsly chopped

(tsp is teaspoon)

Preparations:
Preheat oven to 347 F/175°C.
Mix oil, sugar and vanilla in a food processor.
Add eggs, egg white and chopped chokolate and mix well.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and mix it with the ingredients above.

Form small balls of dough app. 1 inch/2-3 cm in diameter and roll the balls in powdered sugar. Place them out on ungreased cookie sheets, app. 2''/5 cm apart, and flatten slighlty with the palm of your hand. Place in oven for at 7-8 minutes. Let them cool and serve.


Dark Valrohna cookies with Maldon salt <- My favourite cookie recipie at the moment..

Ingredients:
150 gr softened butter (without salt)
120 gr brown sugar
50 gr (white) sugar
1/2 tsp maldon salt (or other flaky sea salt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
175 gr flour
30 gr dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
150 gr valrhona chocolate, coarsly chopped

Preparations:
Stir up the butter to a creamy texture. Add sugar, salt and vanilla.
Sift flour, cacoa and baking powder and mix until dough is even. Add the chocolate and mix slightly more (it will appear rather dry, but do work it with your hands and it will soften up a bit).
Part the dough in halves and form as sausages app. 4 cm/2'' in diameter, wrap in foil and leave in the fridge for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 329 F / 165°C. Make discs from the dough sausage, app. 1,5 cm/ 1/2" thick and place on baking sheets. Place in oven for app. 12 minutes one sheet at a time.
Cookies will be soft and chewy if baked for 12 minutes, crunchy if baked longer. Let cool and serve.


And since I'm in the mood for food, here's a recipe in case Rudolph or some of his siblings have been a bad reindeer:


Santa's reindeer feast (serves 4 p.)

Let us start by making a
Red wine sauce:
2 dl (0,8 cup) red wine
1 finely chopped shallot (onion)
app. 10 grains of black pepper.
3 dl (1 1/3 cup) stock of game/fond
1-2 tablespoons of butter (no salt)
salt and pepper

Add the wine, shallot and pepper in a pan, boil until the total amount is app. 0,5 dl (0,2 cups).
Add the stock. Boil and sift it. Mount it with some butter and add some salt/pepper depending on your taste.


While waiting for the sauce to reduce, make some
Red onion aigre-doux*:
1 big red onion, chopped
100 g (3,5 oz) sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
water.
3 tablespoons olive oil

Fry the onion in a pan. Add sugar and vinegar and some water. Fry/boil until it thickens and add the oil. Stir well and make sure the sugar don't become too caramelized as the aigre doux will become very hard when it cools down – still tastes good, though.. .

*) If you don't want to make the red onion aigre-doux (caramelized sweet and sour red onion), serve with cowberry jam or jelly (mint or mountain ash berries) and jump to the next dish.


Now, put the sauce to the side (it is probably finished by now) and prepare the next side dish:

Mashed potatoes
600 g (21 oz) amandine potatoes
100 g (3,5 oz) butter
1 dl (0,4 cups) cream
Dijon mustard

Boil the potatoes (but they need to be thoroughly washed) without removing the skin. Add butter and cream. Mash and stir the potatoes and add some mustard.

If you want to, you can also serve the reindeer with mushroom (chanterelle) fried in butter, and blanched haricot verts (shortly boiled in salty water).


And finally, the meat:

800 g (28 oz/1,76 pounds) reindeerfilet
butter for frying
salt and pepper
(garlic)

Remove the tendons and rub it with some salt and pepper.
Fry it in a pan with the butter and, unless you are a vampire, add some mashed garlic into the pan.
Don't overdo it – the meat should be slightly pink inside.
Slice the meat and serve with red onion aigre deux, chantarelles, haricots verts, mashed potatoes and the sauce.


Enjoy your meal with a nice glass of red wine (I'd suggest a Rioja or Bourgogne..).


(PS! I hope the recipies are easy to understand and that I haven't had too many bloopers while translating them. DS.)

 

[Mosaic]

:think: Rudolph..

And finally, the meat:

800 g reindeerfilet
butter for frying
salt and pepper
(garlic)

Remove the tendons and rub it with salt and pepper.
Fry it in a pan with the butter, and add some mashed garlic into the pan.
Don't overdo it – the meat should be slightly pink inside.
Make medallions of the meat and serve with red onion aigre deux, chantarelles, haricots verts, mashed potatoes and the sauce.


Enjoy your meal with a nice glass of red wine (I'd suggest a Rioja or Bourgogne..).


(PS! I hope the recipies are easy to understand and that I haven't had too many bloopers while translating them. DS.)

Oh dear reindeer fillets .... not Rudolph I hope:shok::lol:

Well I won't be having reindeer fillets, I am a little far away to be able to access them ... I am kind of thankful, I am can you imagine eating anything as cute as that!

Love the videos, as you said the voice of an angel even her speaking voice is beautiful.
Thank you Daimona for sharing Sissel with us.
~Mosaic

 

[Daimona]

Well I won't be having reindeer fillets, I am a little far away to be able to access them ... I am kind of thankful, I am can you imagine eating anything as cute as that!

I'd rather not eat a stuffed toy bunny :lol: That being said, I wouldn't have accused any of the reindeers I've ever seen around of being cute. They are nice animals, some males even appears to be majestic, but cute? Not at all.
Mosaic: If you ever come visiting me, you might get reindeer for dinner..

 

[Shanazel]

I'd be suspicious of eating anything with a nose the color of Rudolph's. Could be some kind of mad reindeer disease. I think WC Fields might've had it judging from the shape and color of his nose.

No reindeer in our freezer, but we do still have a couple of packages of steak from reindeer's North American cousin, caribou, along with the usual antelope, deer and elk. My son in a fit of oddball humor once labeled all our packages of venison "Bambi."

Daimona, I'm going to try the reindeer feast with elk. Thanks for the recipes!

 

[Daimona]

I'd be suspicious of eating anything with a nose the color of Rudolph's. Could be some kind of mad reindeer disease. I think WC Fields might've had it judging from the shape and color of his nose.

:lol:

No reindeer in our freezer, but we do still have a couple of packages of steak from reindeer's North American cousin, caribou, along with the usual antelope, deer and elk. My son in a fit of oddball humor once labeled all our packages of venison "Bambi."

:lol: At the moment, we've just got elk, red deer, reindeer and venison in our freezer. Unfortunately no antelopes living in Norway..

Daimona, I'm going to try the reindeer feast with elk. Thanks for the recipes!

You're welcome! I'm sure it will work nicely with elk as well as long as the meat is tender. It'll probably also work great with caribou. Let me know if you want more recipies as well, I've got several great recipies for elk, red deer and reindeer.

 

[Shanazel]

I'd love to trade recipes! My husband has a great one for pounded steak and I have a good game cordon bleu recipe. I'll send you a PM when I get a chance- it's 3:17 a.m. here right now and I have an interview to do later this morning at 10:30. Better head to bed!

 

[Nejmeh]

I just watched the bloopers - :lol: - what on earth was he doing up the tree?

I like this one better than the Coca Cola style Santa (are my German roots showing? ) I'm proud to say my daughter put her (cleaned) shoes out for St Nicholas yesterday evening. And got presents of course, not sticks.

Hey, I didn`t know they have him in Germany(or the greek one of walladah for that matter)! We get salt if we are naughty, not sticks


Daimona: thanks, love those recipes! Do you think you could replace the reindeer with normal deer?

 

[Mosaic]

I'd rather not eat a stuffed toy bunny :lol: That being said, I wouldn't have accused any of the reindeers I've ever seen around of being cute. They are nice animals, some males even appears to be majestic, but cute? Not at all.
Mosaic: If you ever come visiting me, you might get reindeer for dinner..

I am with you there, I don't eat bunnies either Surely baby reindeer are cute? As for eating reindeer if I come to visit, as long as its not Rudolph I might give it a taste... but I am not a big meat eater of any sort to be honest, if it looks like an animal I can't eat it, non-descript chicken meat in supermarket packets or fish fillets is about my lot, though I do like shell fish and prawns
~Mosaic

 

[walladah]

Daimona

this is great! THank you for the videos and for the recipes!

I think that this year i will have several recipes to choose among!!

:clap::dance::clap:

 

[Dev]

Aniseteph I like your antidot. :lol:

Thank you Daimona and Nejmeh.

Mosaic can you come up with some exotic Australian dishes?

Kangaroo fillet and chips with gravy or say Crocodile kebabs. I heard they taste very good. . I wont kill the possum though.

 

[Daimona]

I'd love to trade recipes! My husband has a great one for pounded steak and I have a good game cordon bleu recipe. I'll send you a PM when I get a chance- it's 3:17 a.m. here right now and I have an interview to do later this morning at 10:30. Better head to bed!

Sure, Shanazel! Sleep tight!

Daimona: thanks, love those recipes! Do you think you could replace the reindeer with normal deer?

Sure. The taste will be slightly different, but I'm quite sure it will work with other types of red meat as well as long as it is tender.

I am with you there, I don't eat bunnies either Surely baby reindeer are cute? As for eating reindeer if I come to visit, as long as its not Rudolph I might give it a taste... but I am not a big meat eater of any sort to be honest, if it looks like an animal I can't eat it, non-descript chicken meat in supermarket packets or fish fillets is about my lot, though I do like shell fish and prawns
~Mosaic

Don't worry! It won't look like Rudolph on the plate.
Usually I'm in for a challenge when I get visitors for dinner as long as they tell me about allergies or diets a couple of days before they arrive so we can plan ahead. We had a challenging couple visiting us last summer. One of them didn't eat meat unless it was either hand-raised or had had a happy life, but loved fish and vegetables. The other didn't eat fish or vegetables, but loved meat. They suggested we could go to a restaurant if it was too complicated.
We ended up serving steaks of elk (we knew where it was born, lived and died peacefully, so I'm pretty sure it had a happy life) with an assortment of sauted vegetables, sauces and a mushroom stew. Both of them were happy, and we even had the two types of vegetables the second of them actually did eat. :lol:

 

[Greek Bonfire]

I am getting sooooooooooooooooooo hungry (nom, nom, nom) from reading these posts!

 

[Amulya]

The Sinterklaas bloopers! I was wondering the same: why is he up in that tree?

 

[Farasha Hanem]

:lol: At the moment, we've just got elk, red deer, reindeer and venison in our freezer. Unfortunately no antelopes living in Norway..

:shok: *hops a plane to Norway, with a dinner bib tied around her neck, fork and knife in each hand*

My son absolutely loves deer jerky. In fact, I have some deer thawing out that I need to cut up and marinate right now!

I'm seriously falling behind on this thread, haven't had time to catch up on everyone's holiday offerings. However, I'm loving the new recipes that have been posted---thank you to all the contributers!

 

[Punko]

December 8th Poem

I've hung up my tassels and hung up my zills,
give me a hot cocoa I've got me the chills.

The sashes are stored and scarves in their place
My lashes are frozen and there's snow in my face.

The skin that I show I now choose to hide
A belly dancer in winter should really stay inside.


Keep your shimmies warm!!!

Credits: Punko and the husband (My frozen inspiration)