如何延長聖誕節?
今日是朝九晚五打工仔2010年第一日上班，亦代表聖誕新年假期已經告一段落 。我十分喜歡聖誕節，真的想可以延續下去。
去年我一月中去了波蘭旅行幾天，奇怪地在機場看到聖誕裝飾，以為那兒無人管理，忘了拆下來。去到市中心，廣場中央有一棵很大的聖誕樹，我真的很好奇，於是問問當地人的聖誕習俗。原來波蘭人會在Christmas eve才開始慶祝聖誕節，聖誕樹就會一直擺放到二月二日才收起來。對我們來說，這真算是個遲來的聖誕。
如果你想maximise Christmas mood，大可以在11月頭去歐美，他們還流行送聖誕禮物，大人細路都會買和收禮物（不像香港人只會折現或只買禮物給小朋友），所以一過了Halloween，shopping mall就大力推廣Christmas shopping。11月中就可以去德國或維也納的Christmas market。Continental Europe天氣較冷，走在market中飲温温的mulled wine，零拾有雪中送炭的温意。十二月就可以返香港。香港商場越來越多Christmas theme的裝飾和活動，而且已經開始減價，不似歐美要過了Christmas才有sale。一月，可以去波蘭來個extended Christmas。
如是者，一個Christmas，可以維持足足三個月，四分之一年呀！
By the way，有個朋友剛剛去完台北過聖誕，才知道原來台灣人不慶祝聖誕節，12月25日都要上班，我以為台灣會西化點，會放假慶祝添！所以要Christmas氣氛就不要去台灣了。
Christmas Cocktail – Encore!
Birds never fly on one wing. How can a Christmas dinner be capped off with just one cocktail? Just browsing through the cocktail book, we chose another one – B-52, one of our all-time favourite shooters.
B-52
25 ml Kahlua
25 ml Bailey’s Irish cream
25 ml Grand Marnier
Pour Kahlua into a shot glass, use a bar spoon to float Bailey’s on top of Kahlua, do the same to float Grand Marnier on top.
Though there is a lot of alcohol in this drink, it’s not as strong as you think. At least I am still writing without any spellling misstakes – I hope…….
Credit and thanks to Bar Moose for making such a hearty shooter!
Winter Warmer
One of the Christmas gifts I received from Alan – a cocktail recipe book. No time wasted, I went to the “Winter Warmers” section and chose the “Mexican Marshmallow Mocha”.
For 2 servings:
4 teaspoons cocoa powder
50 ml Kahlua coffee liqueur
175 ml hot coffee
mini marshmallows
whipped cream
Method:
Put 2 teaspoons cocoa powder into each glass, add the Kahlua and coffee until mixed. Drop in the mini marshmallows and float the cream on top. Garnish with cocoa powder and serve.
It really is a great after-dinner drink and can almost substitute as a dessert. Just don’t count the calories when you sip it in – a moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips!
The best comment to this blog will receive one of these cocktails!
Christmas dinner (without turkey)
Christmas is a time for sharing. We just finished one of our best home-made Christmas dinners, and not a turkey in sight! Thanks very much to Alan’s friend who owns a food import company for giving us a fantastic rack of lamb. True to her word, this Australian lamb rack is the best you can find in Hong Kong.
It didn’t take us long to decide on what to do with the rack of lamb. We found a great Jamie Oliver recipe. Simple to cook, and the flavour is disproportionately good compared to the effort you put in.
Tray-baked lamb with aubergines, tomatoes, garlic and mint oil
Ingredients (serves 2):
8 rib rack of lamb
1 aubergine
8 ripe plum tomatoes
8 cloves of garlic
1 large handful of fresh mint
Method:
Slice aubergine crossways into 1 inch thick pieces and cut tomatoes in half. Fry aubergine slices to give them a little colour. Remove the aubergines from the pan and place on a roasting tray. Put tomatoes and whole garlic cloves beside them and sprinkle with oregano and seasoning.
Criss-cross the fat on the lamb, season. Fry it until lightly golden on all sides. Place lamb skin-side up next to aubergines and tomatoes and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 200C. Remove from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for 5 minutes.
For mint oil, put the mint into a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and sugar, mash up until smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar and loosen with 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle mint oil over vegetables and lamb.
The lamb was cooked to medium-well and retained its juices giving it a very rich taste and tender texture, which was in a word simply mouthwatering. For home cooking, this has surpassed restaurant standard. You simply won’t guarantee this superb quality even if you are willing to pay a high price in a top-end city restaurant.
To complement this, we also roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and garlic in a separate dish for 1 hour. The garlic in this tray is cooked to perfection – melt in the mouth style, whereas the garlic in the lamb tray (baked for only 30 minutes) is mainly added for flavour but not soft enough to enjoy.
Tip: For roasting beef or lamb, it’s important to pan-fry it to seal the juices before you pop it into the oven.
Where to get the rack of lamb: www.freshin.com.hk
I hope by the time you read this blog, you have also had a great Christmas celebration. Happy Christmas to you and yours!
Best Christmas song ever – Anna’s version!
我的舊朋友都應該記得，中學大學時代的我創意無限，隨時隨地都可以改歌詞。我曾經為每一個牌子的衛生巾以聖誕歌的tune作廣告歌。我仲癲到錄了錄音帶，在聖誕樹前放滿M巾拍唱片封套。今年都有朋友記得，叫我將經典的歌放上blog。我未有機會將錄音帶轉為digital，但我見Alan寫了best Christmas song ever，我就想同大家分享我當年只用了十秒隨口唱出來的生活寫照，取曲Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer。
亞媽見麻雀開眼
去咗去咗打通宵
個女冇飯開點算
午餐晚餐冇得食
家姐去行街睇戲
dum底個妹係屋企
個妹喊住想死呀
佢都講聲隨得你
另外還有一隻聖誕歌，細個時困擾了我很多年，點解人人都唱我呢？
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
ANNA Happy New Year
Best Christmas song ever!!
Without a shadow of a doubt when any ‘informed’ Irish person is asked to name their favourite Christmas song of ‘all time’ there is surely just one reply – ‘Fairytale of New York’!
Produced by Steve Lillywhite, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and performed by The Pogues with British singer and wife of Steve Lillywhite, Kirsty MacColl. The song was released in December 1987 for the Christmas record market, although it was completed several months earlier, and was a breakthrough for the Anglo-Irish folk-rock group reaching the No.1 spot in the Irish charts and No.2 in the British equivalent, at the time of peak record sales – Christmas!
This Christmas ballad touches the hearts of Irish people in particular and non-Irish people at home and abroad during the festive season. In fact it continues to be voted one of the best Christmas songs ‘of all time’ by television, radio and magazine polls in Ireland and the UK. It is certainly the most requested song at Christmas. And it has become ingrained in the fabric of Irish Christmas culture. If you could experience the atmosphere in an Irish pub when this song is played you would have a clear picture how revered and loved it is. People see it as an anthem, which it is, in the world of musical entertainment – they will literally stand up when they hear it, sing along with a passion, cry, ball, hug each other, anything goes. And I know personally, it would be impossible not to see several pub-goers with tears in their eyes as they sing along to this classic while they cast their minds back to an ideal place in their lives.
Shane MacGowan, lead singer of The Pogues is as much a poet as a singer and many would argue and agree that he is a much better writer than singer and this is instantly recognisable if you heard him sing. There is absolutely no question that Shane MacGowan sings ‘Fairytale of New York’ with a style and a passion that is unrivalled by all those who have tried and, actually failed to perform this old favourite to the same standard. The point is, when anyone else sings it, even great Irish performers, no matter how hard they try, no matter how much emotion they apply, there is something lost or absent – there is just nothing like listening to the original group and the two original artists blast out this epic tune! The song has found its place in the hearts and minds of the millions who love it, for whatever reason, only they know.
The Pogues continue to blast out this and many other great ballads at live gigs around the world but sadly, when they sing ‘Fairytale of new York’, there is always a voice to fill. Kristy MacColl was tragically killed in a controversial boating accident in Cozumel, Mexico on 18th December, 2000. She shall be remembered on her anniversary. I’ll leave you with the first verse of the song, always sang at a very slow tempo, and a link to watch the original video. Wishing you and yours a safe and peaceful journey through Christmas!
It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me: won’t see another one
And then they sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
I turned my face away and dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I´ve got a feeling
This year´s for me and you
So happy christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
Where all our dreams come true.
Christmas Theme: Moose with Chocolate Mousse Cake
I should begin by introducing Moose – he has been in the family for 2 years and he is quite lucky in that he only works during the Christmas period and that’s just a few days each year, his busiest day being Christmas Day. For the rest of the year, we’re not actually sure where our ‘Christmas family’ goes but there is a strong suspicion and belief that they depart for warmer climes in places such as ‘The Maldives, Fiji and the Pacific rim in general’. Moose’s occupation is kind of two-fold – he greets guests at our home on Christmas Day and takes care of the bar department. Yes, he’s a ‘barman’ or technically speaking, a ‘barmoose’. His specialties are winter cocktails like Irish Coffee, Bailey’s Coffee, Mulled Wine, Hot Toddy amongst several great delights. So, currently, Moose is preparing for Christmas. His shopping list is almost complete and his order will go in shortly. Personally, I can’t wait to taste one of his winter cocktails – you can’t beat the aroma of spices and fruit from mulled wine and although it is still relatively warm in Hong Kong at Christmas, his efforts to create a winter-feel are very much appreciated and never go unnoticed. Last weekend, Moose sampled a Chocolate Mousse Cake, a real ‘mouthwatering’ treat it was too. Thanks to my friend for the lovely cake to treat my Irish family on their last evening of their 3-week trip in Hong Kong! It was delicious with a capital ‘D’!!! We love Moose and Chocolate Mousse Cake!
Here’s Moose’s ‘Mulled Wine’ recipe –
Preparation time: under 30mins.
Cooking time: approx. 10 mins.
Ingredients
1 bottle red wine
60g/2oz demerara (brown) sugar
1 cinnamon stick
grated nutmeg
1 orange, halved / 2 slices of lemon
1 bay leaf
Method
1. Put the wine in a saucepan with the orange, sugar, bay leaf and the spices.
2. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste; add more sugar if you want a sweeter mix.
3. Strain into heatproof glasses and serve.
Lazy Method
Go to the supermarket and pick up a box of mulled red wine spice bags. This is a popular way to make mulled wine and speeds up the process – while this method is acceptable, the recipe above takes virtually no additional effort and is better over all.
Tip: There is no need to use expensive red wine to make mulled wine. Heating up cheaper wine is satisfactory.