Just one recording today, which starts with the end of an episode of Top Gear.
There’s a trail for Top Gear Night In.
Then, we join Heston Blumenthal for Heston’s Perfect Christmas Dinner. He wants to create a magical experience for his six guests.
There’s Terry Wogan.
Richard E Grant.
Rob Brydon and Kirsty Wark.
And Sue Perkins and Dara O’Briain
Their first treat is to eat the baubles on the tree. “Don’t try this at home” says Heston.
A Mulled Wine drink that’s hot on one side and cold on the other.
A Mandarin Mousse.
Entering the dining room is like entering Narnia.
It wouldn’t be a Heston programme without travel to an unnecessarily far away place. He starts with Oman, searching for Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh for his starter. He visits the lost city of Ubar (well, it’s been recently found) where, according to myth, the three wise men passed through, and collects some Frankincense sap for himself.
He tries some fresh camel’s milk.
When it comes to Myrrh, Heston struggles, and it tastes very bitter. “With a rubbery note.” He even tries to boil some branches of the tree myrrh comes from to make myrrh tea. But when he tastes it… “Just as I thought. Absolutely useless.”
He still wanted to include Myrrh in the dish, but instead of as an ingredient, he whittled a spoon out of Myrrh branches.
Gold is slightly easier, since edible gold leaf is a common thing in restaurants I will never go to.
He uses it, with some specially made stock, to make a gold bullion bar. Or maybe it’s boullion.
He wants to create a particular Christmas memory, of his uncle in his old leather armchair, with a fire going, and smoking a cigar. He needs an expert on scents. This is exactly how I would want a French expert on scents to look.
The dish is a sorbet that’s on fire.
Next it’s the main course, so Heston is hunting for Goose.
They want to make a special feed for their geese, which they mix in a cement mixer.
I’m sorry, Heston, but for a Christmas Dinner I think this is quite a small portion.
For the final course, he turns to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with a visit to Siberia. Thankfully, he stops short at actually serving reindeer meat. “These people live with reindeer, so they eat the reindeer, they wear the reindeer, they eat the reindeers, they transport, they love their animals, they love the reindeers. Their whole lives are intertwined with reindeer. Well, that’s not the case in Britain. And I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t bring myself to cook Santa’s little helper. It just didn’t seem right.”
He makes Reindeer Milk Ice Cream on Toast.
The meal is rounded off with some actual snow.
Media Centre Description: Heston makes a Christmas feast for Terry Wogan, Kirsty Wark, Dara O’Briain, Rob Brydon, Richard E Grant and Sue Perkins. The guests are given hot/cold mulled wine and ‘Christmas baubles’ filled with salmon mousse. His guests have no idea what to expect when a panel is removed to display the dining table, nestled within a Narnian Christmas tree forest. Despite Heston’s best efforts, you’d probably struggle to make this at home: Terry Wogan not included.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Wednesday 19th December 2007 19:58
BBC Genome: BBC TWO Wednesday 19th December 2007 20:00
After this, very excitingly, is the first trail for Doctor Who – Voyage of the Damned.
Plus a trail for The Terminal.
Then the recording stops with the start of Fanny Hill.