Christmas Eve Dinner

alternate title:
Adventures in Butchery


I wanted to make an elegant Christmas Eve dinner this year- so Matt and I put together a menu I was really excited about:
Pan-Roasted Pear Salad with Balsamic Glaze
Stuffed Roast Tenderloin (stuffed with caramelized onion, mushrooms, and Marsala wine)
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Sage Butter
Mushroom Risotto
Yorkshire Puddings
and
Egg Nog Creme Brule for dessert.
Yummy!
Well - we had a tough time finding the beef tenderloin. We didn't want to drive all around town because of the nasty weather, so after THREE grocery stores, we went home. VERY disappointed. I called around the next day and discovered that they have them at Costco (wahoo!) so Matt went after work and picked up the smallest one they had (6.6 lbs!) That meant I had a lot of butchering to do. Yep- that's a chef knife in the picture! and my BIGGEST cutting board. Covered in Parchment paper because it's not big enough- haha.
I went on You-Tube and learned how to trim, clean, and butcher my own Beef Tenderloin. This is, by far, the most money I have EVER spent on dinner, and I was a wee bit nervous about getting it just right! So praise God for You Tube, after about 4 videos I felt confidant enough to start slicing into the most valuable part of a dead cow.



beautiful! I got my nice center cut roast for dinner, plus a small, 2 person roast for another night, 6 petite fillet Mignon's, and some stir fry scraps. Oh boy, am I glad for a nice big freezer :o) What treats we have in store for us! This frugal wife almost always buys top sirloin.


Well, I stuffed and tied my roast... a little tricky but easier than I thought! Pan browned and then into the oven for a mere 20 minutes.


Oops, forgot to take a picture until she was carved and half gone!

And here's the plate- my food pictures never look too good.... but I'm more than happy with how it all tasted!
Matt's pretty presentation of the salad


Table for four?

Don't forget dessert! We love to bring out the torch at the table, of course