A Christmas Dinner Tip

cccsite101 — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:04:01 +0000

The Christmas dinner was one of the high points of the day. Planning a Christmas dinner, holiday dinner or other large gathering isn’t complicated, but the more forethought you give it the easier it will be. So you’re hosting a big Christmas dinner and don’t know what to serve with that roast, turkey or ham. A gorgeous cherry-glazed ham is the centerpiece of this pure and simple Christmas dinner menu. There’s no shame in asking family and friends to help prepare a Christmas dinner. When the Victorians sat down to Christmas dinner, what did they eat. The serving of the pudding was one of the great rituals of the Victorian Christmas dinner; indeed it was almost as much a ceremony as the creation of the pudding. Naturally (and sadly)traditions have changed, but many have kept this tradition, and, in fact, as midnight brings Christmas day, that is when you would start cooking the sausage for Christmas Dinner, and often the eating would go on until the late/early morning hours.

What we know about Christmas dinners in this period is gleaned primarily from journals, letters, household inventories, and other primary sources. As you can imagine, pioneer American Christmas menus varied greatly. General popular Christmas foodstuffs of the period included roast beef, turkey, ham, potatoes, pickles, fine white bread, fruitcakes, cookies, pies. Christmas is a time for family and friends, making joyous memories and delighting in succulent food. Create a Christmas-specific menu to make your holiday dinner a standout. One of the best things about Christmas is getting together with your family. However, what if you’ve never hosted a family get-together on Christmas. There is nothing more elegant on your table than a traditional Christmas ham. This traditional dish is often served around Christmas, and there’s an old custom that says if you serve it on Christmas Eve, you’ll have good luck.

There are two things you can do this year to make Christmas a little more festive, and a little less frenzied: Be one of those super-organized people that sets out the menu in October, bakes in November and is ready with a full roast dinner and all the trimmings on December 25. Let a roasted turkey of uncommon size occupy the middle or center of one side of the table, on one end let there be a cold boiled ham, and at the other fricasseed chicken or a roast pig; with the turkey serve mashed potatoes and turnips, boiled onions and dressed celery, or other salad with apple sauce–near the ham place fried or mashed potatoes and pickles or mangoes: and with the pig or fricassee, the same as with the turkey; large pitchers of sweet cider (or where that is not desired, ice water) should be placed diagonally opposite each other, on two corners of the table; boiled turkey with oyster sauce may occupy the place of the fricassee, or instead, a fine oyster pie.

Sharing meals with family and friends is part of what makes the holiday season so special. Show your guests how much you care by setting the perfect holiday table. In all times and places, the foods served for this holiday (and ingredients used) reflect the very best possible items available to the family.

See Christmas Cookie Cutter for additional tips and ideas.

Christmas Tips

A Christmas Dinner Tip