Cocktails and confined celebration options

 Cocktails at 7? I know it's only 2 days since the last Confined Cocktails, but eh. Emotional support. Last weekend of the holidays. I know the holidays are only perceptibly different to the non-holidays by the requirement to sit at a different computer (in my case, at least), but the excitement of getting up after 8am has been considerable and I will miss that part. 

One last festive fling. Though I'm keeping the shiny coasters and possibly the shiny plates as long as I can

Meanwhile, I cooked the other option for a festive Christmas meal for one which I didn't actually need on Christmas. This is one Rachel has also tried, with limited success, and I have sadly to report that it's definitely not without flaws. Bah. Still tasty.

It's a chicken and celeriac stew. Starts promisingly: cook off lardons, brown chicken thighs, cube celeriac and brown it with whole garlic cubes, add it all to a stewing pan with seasoning, sage, rosemary and lemon peel. 

 

Then add the sherry and milk (and cream, because a) I have spare cream and b) I automatically bought semi-skimmed milk and you need whole for this). 

 

Bring to the boil, and then you want to cook it for a good long stretch - 70 mins suggested. It was about now (5.50) I realised Doctor Who starts at 6.45. Bother.

I did it on the stovetop because I've done pork like this before, although it's written as an oven dish. But it still doesn't work. You cook the chicken, the flavours are great, and the milk separates and curdles as planned. But you can't cook it long enough for the sauce to caramelise. The pork takes 2-3 hours, and it's amazing but it's insanely tasty. This is just perfectly nice, and covered in dairy gloop. 

 

I am rather glad I didn't cook this on 25 Dec. It might have tipped me over the edge. As it is, it's perfectly okay for me at a weekend. If I'm honest, I remain on the fence about celeriac unless it's absolutely obliterated in cheese, but this is a pretty decent alternative.