My Capital Plate

Greetings from the ever-busy BBB household! I hope that you are all enjoying your festive season! We have had such a wonderful few days – filled with family, friends, food, drinks, sunshine and lots of laughter. Oh, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Just how the festive season should be really. Our party season all started on Christmas Day (sneak preview here). And for me, it started when I woke up at 5.30am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Rather than complain, I decided to ‘wake up’ the kitchen nice and early to prepare our Christmas dessert – GF spiced apple cake. An hour later, our kitchen was filled with the ever-addictive aromas of cinnamon and ginger. And a cake laid waiting on our kitchen bench. Served on my new cake stand – a very timely Christmas gift from Mr BBB 🙂 Stay tuned for the recipe…I’ll share it with you in the next few days! With dessert baked and ready by 7.00am, it wasn’t long until my Mum arrived. We spent the morning catching up while preparing the roasted vegetables. On one tray was a big batch of hasselback potatoes (desiree potatoes – peeled, halved, with little ‘slits’ cut into one side allowing for extra crunch to be created!) Combined with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. On another was a selection of orange, purple and white sweet potatoes, Combined with olive oil and maple syrup. Luckily we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, so moving Christmas lunch alfresco and setting the outdoor table seemed to be the logical choice.      The table was set with a mixture of green/pinks/reds, and finished with fresh flowers and homemade bon bons. A touch of Spring if you will! The morning slowly slipped away from us and it wasn’t long until our lunch guests arrived. By this stage the drinks were flowing, including a Pimm’s fruit cocktail – which was a refreshing addition to the lunch menu. Pimm’s mixed with lemonade, served with chopped apple, orange, strawberries and lime…. Plus a few sprigs of fresh mint. I had a few glasses of champagne, and they were enough for me. After all, I needed to keep as much room as possible for the lunch fare 🙂 We served lunch banquet style, making the most of our new kitchen bench and allowing everyone to serve their own. Smoked ham, turkey and roast pork…   Roast potatoes and sweet potatoes… Fennel and beans…. Plus a selection of condiments… Including gravy (3 types!), apple butter, and cherry port sauce. My plate was piled high… And I loved every mouthful. Enjoyed alfresco, in the warm Canberra weather. (Mum and I) And what Christmas lunch would be complete without groan-worthy bon bon jokes 😉 Room was, however, saved for dessert… Gingerbread and fudge, made by Mr BBB’s niece. My spiced apple cake, served with caramel and brandy cream. And, for an extra indulgence, truffles… Picked straight from the truffle ‘tree’. All together now. Phew – I hope you are as visually sated as we were physically after such a big lunch! All in all, it was a wonderful day made all the more special by having our family with us to celebrate. Having completed many of our preparations in advance, we were able to just sit back and enjoy the moment. Oh and indulge in a lot of great food. It is Christmas after all 😉 What about you? What was your food highlight this Christmas? Happy Baking 🙂

Wishing you many healthy and happy returns for Christmas! The BBB household was a buzz of energy yesterday, filled with wonderful food, drinks and, most importantly, family 🙂 While I am working on a full recap, with family in town (ie. too many laughs to have to sit at a computer!) I have a photo sneak preview for you for now. Enjoy!                     I hope your Christmas was filled with love, laughter and happiness. Oh and a tasty dessert, or three 😉 Happy Baking 🙂