Christmas Dinnerish...

[dbug31]

Since it is going to be my husband & a few friends, I figured let's not have a whole sit down meal, but rather all of the things that we like to eat & can munch on most of the late afternoon/evening. So, this is what I've come up with so far:

Assorted Cheeses- Humboldt Fog, English Cheddar, Manchego
(with fruit/membrillo paste/fig jam,marcona almonds)
***I'll add a few more my next trip to the store

Assorted Cured Meats

Marinated Artichokes

Assorted Greek Olives

Duck Pate

Crudite Platter- (figured there needed to be some veg like matter)
***I need a dip or sauce still

Beef Tenderloin Roast- Thought I'd roast it, slice thinly & serve with some small rolls/horseradish mayo or cream & arugula
***Any other suggestions?

Rack of Lamb- Cut into individual chops, served with a mint chimmichurri

Cuban Flan for Dessert

***The idea is to graze for the later part of the day, so I need things that won't be affected too greatly by sitting at room temp....

Any thoughts? Looks like I've gone kind of Spanish/Latin...

[KiltedCook]

How many friends? Two roasts sounds a bit much IMHO... the rest sound good.

[dbug31]

In total there my be 5 of us. The tenderloin roast isn't very big & I was thinking of getting 2 racks of lamb or less. I also figured steak & eggs for breakfast the next day...

[dbug31]

Thanks for the helpful replies thus far.

I do plan on purchasing some more sweets.

I still don't know what to serve with my veggies or beef for sure?

[Channa]

It sounds wonderful -- what lucky friends you have! I'd add extra desserts. Flan is delicious, but grazing is better with an assortment. Some mini-cupcakes with swirls of frosting, or cookies, or chocolate truffles would be nice. Every meal should include some chocolate. :D

[MrsCris]

This sounds lovely.
To add another vegetable dish that is more than just, well, vegetables, I'd suggest spanokopita. I find them really easy to make ahead of time then throw in the oven to bake for 15 mins - good cold, or you can do a couple of batches throughout the evening. Some find working with phyllo fussy, but I've never had an issue - unroll, peel off one sheet, cover the remainder with saran, cut the sheet into three strips, slap a tablespoon of filling, fold them up, brush with butter. Repeat.

[katecm]

Two ideas for your crudites. First, I love carrot sticks tossed with some sour cream, horseradish, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper. They're wonderfully spicy. But if that is too similar to the horseradish mayo in your tenderloin...

...what about some marinated veggies? I parboil veggies separately so everything is cooked al dente. Good choices are small onions, green beans, cauliflower, peppers (I keep these raw), mushrooms, carrots...anything that appeals to you. Throw them in an ice bath to keep them crisp and stop cooking. Make a dressing of vinegar, oil, sugar, crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, fennel seed (I sometimes throw this over the heat for a second to dissolve the sugar and bring out the red pepper) and toss with the veggies. They're delicious immediately but get better over the course of a few hours. I think it would go along well with your menu and it's basically a finger salad.