The Chef's Xmas Dinner


Xmas dinner was such a treat this year.  I didn't have to make it!  My daughter's boyfriend, The Chef, was off for two days so he had time to prepare a wonderful meal for us.  One of the best parts was, I got to watch him make a lot of it.  He made so many of our favorites.  I hate to see him cook on his days off but he loves it.  (I took the pics with my phone so excuse the quality.) He cooks so precisely and plates everything so beautifully.  It truly humbles me.

* I just came back here because I realized I forgot to describe the first course.  The above dish is a scallop, shrimp and calmari salad in a citrus vinaigrette.  It is one of my favorite things he make. He puts in lots of  fresh tarragon which I love.





The meal started with some nibbles.  These were goat cheese balls rolled in sesame seeds. There were some wonderful cheeses served too.

 The main dish wash fantastic.

 He boned a large chicken, stuffed it with a delicious sausage, trussed it and smoked it.  Delectable.

 This came out sideways and I couldn't straighten it.  These are roasted carrots drizzled with a beet vinaigrette and finished off with Humbolt Fog cheese and edible flowers.  Humbolt Fog is a goat cheese with a layer of vegetable ash through the center.  It's one of my favorite cheeses.




He also made his own mushroom gnocchi which he pan fried and finished with a truffle foam and thin slices of black truffle.  He ground dried mushrooms to make the gnocchi.  He sauteed Brussel sprouts with them and this was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

 This is the smoked chicken before he carved it.





You can see the truffle foam a bit better in this pic.

The W's got some treats and ran around my daughter's house and played on her patio until their batteries ran out. other than the freakishly warm weather for Xmas, it was a perfect day.

Comments

Leanna said…
I bet it tasted as great as it all looked. You are blessed.
TARYTERRE said…
looks positively delicious.
Everything looks so delicious! And what a treat to be a guest at someone else's Christmas Dinner for a change!
Susan said…
Holey Cow! Truffle foam? That chicken looks fantastic! While I bet it was such a nice treat for you to be cooked for, you are no slouch in the cooking, plating area, my dear.
It sure looks delicious but I really can't stand Brussel sprouts :-) :-)

Have a great day!

Christer.
Rain said…
Wow Joyce!!! The Chef is really talented and so creative!! I love every single plate you showed off!!! Hmmm, I never heard of that cheese before, I thought it was a Brie, I'll have to keep an eye out for it!! Lovely!
Guillaume said…
The Chef sure does not go half way with things.
Tech Cloud Ltd said…
Wow, very nice and delicious food decoration. It seems like you're a cook freak person. I really like your passion and efforts. However, the photos you have shared are very mouthwatering. It is obvious that the photographer captured the photos perfectly. However, I’m working with a different packshot retouching platforms. Thanks for sharing. Keep going. packshot-retouching-services