The First Day of Christmas Party and Menu Themes

Entertainment Themes and Recipes Based on Partridge and Pears

© Elaine Findlay

Nov 1, 2009

The first day of Christmas is generally held to be Christmas day itself when turkey and goose is traditionally served up as the main meal. However, according the words of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” written down by the Victorian historian and collector of folklore, John Stokoe, on the first day of Christmas, someone’s true love sent a gift of a partridge on a pear tree

Dinner Menus and Party Themes Based on Partridge

The dark days of winter in the northern hemisphere can often seem quite flat and depressing after the festivities of Christmas and New Year. Consequently, they are an ideal time of year to throw a party just for the sake of it. So why not consider throwing a dinner party based on the first day of Christmas? Partridge and pears are easy to cook and tasty too.

Themed parties could include watching episodes of the BBC sitcom I’m Alan Partridge starring Steve Coogan. Or, base the theme around songs by David Cassidy who starred in the American sitcom, The Partridge Family, in the 1970s. Invite guests to arrive dressed up in typical 1970s gear of big hair, flares and platform shoes. The following recipes for braised partridge and pears could be served for dinner at the same time.

Recipe for Partridge Braised With Cabbage

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 partridges
• 6 oz streaky bacon
• 2 oz butter
• 1 small white cabbage
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 pt stock (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• Salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Parboil the washed and chopped cabbage for a couple of minutes and drain well
2. Peel and slice the carrot
3. Peel and chop the onion
4. Chop the bacon into small pieces
5. Put the all vegetables and bacon at the bottom of a casserole dish
6. Gently brown the partridges in the butter for a few minutes
7. Place the partridges on top of the vegetables in the casserole dish
8. Pour the stock into the frying pan with the butter and juices and bring to the boil. Add the herbs and cloves and season to taste
9. Pour over the partridges and vegetables in the casserole dish, cover and cook at gas mark 4, 180 C, 350 F for 1 ½ to 2 hours

Pears Poached in Wine and Juniper Berries Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 large, firm pears
• 2 tbsp juniper berries
• 2 oz caster sugar
• 1 pint red wine

Method:

1. Peel the pears
2. Roughly crush the juniper berries and put in a saucepan along with the sugar and wine
3. Gently heat the mixture up, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved
4. Add the pears and simmer for about 20 minutes until the pears are cooked through.
5. Remove the pears, keep warm and rapidly boil the sauce until it’s reduced to a fairly thick syrup
6. Pour over the pears and serve immediately

Readers may be interested on this article Themed Parties on the Twelve Days of Christmas for further information on the popular Christmas song or these article on The Second Day of Christmas Party and Menu Ideas or Twelfth Day of Christmas Party and Menu Ideas.

Recipe for Braised Partridge

Recipe for Poached Pears

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