So as I previously posted I like to try out new and interesting dishes for my traditional Christmas Eve dinner. This year I went for a Cajun Christmas Eve. Some things worked and some did not. Here is what I learned and what was good.
Turducken just out of the oven.
Turducken: I ordered mine from Hebert’s in Louisiana. While my entire family was raving about the dish, I was quite disappointed. First, of all I did not read the instructions when I received it and didn’t notice that it had to be thawed 4 days ahead of time, so the night before I left it in a bucket of cool water in the refrigerator to thaw. That may have affected the taste, but I doubt it. Overall, I thought it was too salty and for the price you could hardly taste the duck. There was also a ton of pork sausage stuffing, which I did not like at all. I found myself just picking out the turkey, which bothered me because I could have just bought a turkey at a much cheaper price than the turducken. To sum it up, the turducken is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Mashed yams
Candied Yams: So I didn’t make these and I kind of wasn’t planning on it anyway, because I make a mean yam mash. My yam mash is extremely easy, just a little time consuming, but delicious. There’s no defined recipe, just play around with it and take a lot of samples. I’m on a bit of a health kick so I used a lot of organic products, but it still came out great. Start with 6 yams for about 12 people. Skin and cut into small chunks. Boil for at least 45 minutes, but check to make sure they are soft enough to mash. Yams take a while. When soft, place back in the pot. Add a stick of butter (I used soy) and a little bit of milk, but be careful not to make it watery (I used goat milk). Finally, add brown sugar (a lot, in fact keep tasting until it is sweet enough for you), a bit of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt (again, I used all organic brown sugar, cinnamon, and regular salt). When it is mashed, place in a dish, layer on the marshmallows and place in the oven at 350 degrees until the marshmallows turn brown.
Looks like throw up, right?
Cornbread Stuffing: I went out on a limb and made Oyster stuffing, a recommendation by someone on twitter, instead. I was either punked or didn’t make it right, but it turned out disgusting and was a huge waste of money since raw oysters are really expensive. I posted a photo, the recipe is on a comment in my original Christmas post, but it’s really nothing to look into further.
Corn bread, not nearly sweet enough.
Cornbread: I followed the recipe posted in my original post. It was bad. I just prefer sweet corn bread. This definitely was not sweet and was a little dry. You’re better off just making Jiffy corn bread. It’ll save you time, money, and you know what you are in for.
Pecan Pie: I did not take a picture, but it was absolutely delicious. This was my first time making pecan pie and I am really pleased with this recipe. Again, I used all organic ingredients. I added a extra pecans and took it out about 5 minutes earlier.
Jambalaya, scalloped potatoes, and green bean casserole were made by guest and turned out delicious.
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