Day 78, Level 1: XMAS DAY: Seafood, pavlova, and Xmas Day beach heaven

Firstly - Merry Christmas to one and all!

Christmas morning dawned nicely with a bit of cloud which burnt off quite quickly to reveal mostly blue skies. Brett was up early (why!?), Michael and I more leisurely. Talked with Sam in London - they were having a Christmas Eve poker night in the flat and plans for a big feast on Xmas Day. The Covid situation in the flat has settled, the two girls who had it are now okay, and everyone else tested negative. The vaccine situation sounds positive. Sam sounds quite positive (after sounding despondent a few days ago). And travel after April seems possible if the vaccine can take care of things as hoped and intended. Brexit - also sounds positive but, well, who knows - but I guess it's a big and sudden step forward after years of [not even sure what to call it!] Not complacency, not procrastination, not dragging feet, not daggers drawn, not indecision, not power games, not ... well perhaps it was all of those and more ...!

Brett, Michael and I sat down to a brunch of champagne and whitebait fritters around midday - we ate outside on the deck, it was very pleasant. Big juicy West Coast whitebait cooked with nothing more than eggs, and served with S&P and a generous squeeze of lemon. The ultimate in simple, fresh yum. (If you like whitebait!) Lyn - look away!

This turns into ...

This!

Time to chill - sit in the sun, sit in the shade, lounge on the outdoor sofa, blob in a beanbag, lie back on the couch, read a book, do a puzzle, daydream, relax and do as little as possible. With Christmas music as a backdrop. 

The sun was pretty intense, the air temperature very warm and the wind mostly just a gentle breeze with the occasional blustery gust. It was a day when we could have every door and every window open without a gale sweeping through the house. And when sitting outside, the breeze was welcome. 

I pottered in the kitchen and made a pavlova. That actually became quite toilsome as I'd forgotten to bring my electric beater up so out came the old rotary hand-beater. It's not a very robust one and whipping egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks was hard going. I had to call for respite, asking both Michael and Brett to have a turn of whipping. They also found it hard work! I kept on at it until the I deemed the peaks stiff enough and into the oven it went. I'd also forgotten to bring my tried and trusty recipe with me, so had to wing it a bit, but pretty sure I got the measurements and timings right. There are many pav recipes but this particular one is perfection every time and involves both brown and white sugar. Getting measurements, temperature, timing wrong in a pav is no way to get a great result so without exacting everything the result was a little bit unknown. But I trusted myself. 

When it came out of the oven it was quite flat but looked kind of all right so I let it cool. It flattened even more. Hmm. I retained the faith that it would be both edible and tasty but was a little doubtful all the same!

Here are before and after photos of  my pav - the raw mixture ready for the oven, and the cooked version (looking a bit flat - but with just the right amount of colour and stickiness in the shell to let me know all was well inside!)

This turns into ...

This!

Then it was time for Seafood Round 2 - crayfish and prawn cocktails served on a bed of lettuce with avocado, cocktail sauce and balsamic glaze. Brett chopped up the crayfish (good grief, I always forget what spikey critters they are) and I sizzled the prawns in a chili sauce and sherry. Heaven in a cocktail dish at 3:15pm! Lyn, look away!

Crayfish morsels hidden under sauce - oh so tasty!

After another loll around in the warmth, we went for a walk to the beach. Wow, it was really warm, especially out of the breeze where things got stifling. Lots of activity on the beach - families playing beach cricket, swimming, kids learning to surf, youngies sunbathing, people walking. Having said that, it really wasn't very busy at all. The water was, to my surprise, quite icy. It had been warm the last few times I paddled but today ... even Brett and Michael thought it was cold! There were fab little waves coming in thick and fast - perfect for learning to surf. The kids were getting great rides. 

Xmas Day 2020 on Omaha Beach

We sat awhile on the beach and watched the world go by (well, a few people) and then headed home. After such an exhausting day it was time for a snooze! I slept for about 1.5 hours. I am not an afternoon snoozer and don't even recall the last time I did it (perhaps once during lockdown) but today nothing could have stopped me from lying on the bed, closing my eyes and nodding off. Heavenly. 

Michael went off to play 9 holes of golf around 6.30pm - he was keen to try out his fancy new driver. Brett and I prepared the third stage of Xmas Day food, had a drink and lolled about some more.

There is something infinitely pleasurable about knowing that the only requirements of the day is to prepare, serve and consume delicious food and drink. No work, no deadlines, no demands, no distractions. The grind of life stops and doing a lot of nothing is not only perfectly okay, it is a requirement! Cooking can be onerous, but I thoroughly enjoy it - and it's utter pleasure when there is nothing else demanding your attention. 

The dishwasher was put to work today more than any of us! 

This was not a huge family Xmas, with people coming and going and masses to feed. It was a quiet laid back small family Xmas and it was just right. 

Food Round 3 was served after Michael was back. He loved his new driver, hit the ball well and had an excellent score. He was very happy. 

Ham, new potatoes and salad was our light and tasty supper - also eaten on the deck - with the lights and the heater on to keep us comfortable. I really wasn't all that hungry but it went down a treat nevertheless. Michael scoffed two huge helpings - golf does that to you! Can't beat a new potato swimming in butter, salt and pepper!

There was a stunning sunset tonight - the whole sky, east-west-north-south turned pastel pink and the south-western sky was a decadent blend of deep purple and burnt orange.  I took a few photos but phone cameras just don't capture the subtlety or intensity of the colours. 

There was not a turkey in sight today!

We ate each meal today at the table with orange chairs

And so, as darkness fell, we settled in to watch a movie. It so happened that The Shawshank Redemption was on. Well, I think I must have seen this film about 20 times since it came out in 1994. Perhaps even more. It's been one of my favourite films since I first saw it - and even after watching it yet again tonight, it remains so. 

I've heard it referred to as a "man cry" movie (there are virtually no women in it, yet it's all about emotion). I think that's why I love it so much - it's delves into men - without rip shit and bust, without car chases and super heroes and all that BS stuff. There are power games and egos and a measure of violence, but mostly it's about savviness, intellect, relationships, wrong-doing, right-doing, the inexplicable, the complicated, the fragile, the unfair, the innocent, the guilty, the invisible, the sweet revenge, the patience game, the resilience. It's about male relationships. And at the centre of it all, the wonderful tale of Red and Andy. The overall story is great, and the dialogue even better. An outstanding [prison] movie. 

And then there is The Green Mile - another outstanding prison movie - it'll be on next week. Strangely, I've only seen that film once. I'll be tuning in again. It's in similar vein to Shawshank (also a Stephen King/Frank Darabont film) but I found it a bit more of a harrowing watch - a darker take on things. There's an awful scene in it to do with an electric chair that absolutely horrified me - it's replicated in an episode of Ratched. OMG. 

While watching Shawshank we ate pavlova! Topped with cream and fresh red plum, it was a runaway success and got a big thumbs up and, even though Brett isn't a big pav fan, he liked this one. Tick. Despite it's "flatness", its texture and taste were tops. Ironically, I thought it was right up there with my very best production ever, despite the lack of bells, whistles and measuring sticks! 

I think Anna Pavlova herself would have indulged with gusto. And there is still half of it to consume tomorrow - although pav is never quite as good the next day - 24 hours of oxygen and moisture tend to make it go a tad soggy and gooey. But the taste remains and I guess that's the main thing. 

Can't beat whipped egg whites and sugar! I always add a dollop of Galliano too, which gives my pavs a chewy gooey centre and lovely vanilla taste. 

Brett and Michael headed for bed, and I got on my laptop to do this post and reflect on a day that was quiet, chilled and relaxing! All in all, it was a Christmas Day with sunshine, great food and weather, a nice dose of camaraderie - plus a beach walk and favourite movie! Just such a shame that Sam wasn't with us - but our What's App video chat with him was a great start to the day.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Favourite seafood ...

Today was a seafood day - we love seafood. 

And at the end of the day of seafood indulgence, I asked the question - what's your favourite seafood? 

• Michael - without hesitation ... Oysters, hands down.
• Brett - with some consideration ... Hmmm. Gotta be oysters.
• Me - with my usual decision-making dithering ... I finally decided ... Crayfish. It's such a distinctive subtle taste - and we only eat it very rarely.

But I have to say, I love oysters, prawns and whitebait almost as much. Mussels and scallops, cockles and pipi etc not so much. I do love fish, just about every sort of fish. 

Overall, I do love seafood but having a fully indulgent "kai moana" day like today is rare. Kai = food, moana = sea. 

I especially love crayfish, even though they look like little aliens! Look away now if you don't want to eyeball three crayfish!