Christmas Fare

Christmas was wonderful this year with the whole family present and gathering in various combinations over three days. In my family, a lot of time is spent in the kitchen at this time of the year between cookie-making (and truffle-making for me) and holiday meals. When the moment comes for me to make the truffles I complain about it because it is time-consuming, but when it comes down to it I really do enjoy it. This year Nora was my production partner which made it more fun and go more quickly. I actually considered skipping making the annual Christmas Eve buche de noel this year (horrors!) because it is a two-day affair and the timing of Christmas and the work week complicated things. But I did make it and we enjoyed it on Christmas Day. I am only sorry that Jamie and Huston could not share in it having left a day earlier! As for the other meals, I got off easily compared to Mom - I only had lunch on Christmas Eve at our house. Dinners were at Mom and Dad's.

Dinner on December 23rd

Rosemary Roasted Loin of Pork and Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Broccoli Cheddar Casserole

Green Salad

...and for dessert (last but clearly not least)....

The Amazing Whoopie Pie Cake from Maine!

Lunch on December 24th

Tossed Ice Berg & Cucumber Salad with Orange Sections and Chick Peas

Smoked Salmon with Honey Mustard

Eggplant Caviar

Calamata Olive Tapendae

Crab Salad

Italian Dry Sausage

Cornichons

Marinated Wild Mushrooms

Chevre, Manchego, Bleu d'Auvergne & Camembert

Assorted Breads

and for dessert

Poached Pears with Chocolate Truffles

Dinner on December 25th

Grilled Steak

Sauteed Mushrooms

Steamed Buttered Green Beans

"Noodle Poodle Pudding"

Carrot & Rutabaga Puree

Green Salad

and for dessert

Buche de Noel au Chocolat!

Sweet Sixteen on Curry Row

Thibault is beyond birthday parties and has literally outgrown sleepovers with friends in the playroom. We have entered the era of celebrating birthdays by eating out with his friends. This year his choice was Indian and he loved the idea of heading into the city on a Saturday night. A light snow had just started falling as we made the rounds picking up Danielle, then Laura and finally “Laz” before heading to New York. Thoughtful sweet sixteen birthday gifts included a "chrome" trophy emblazoned with “Pimp of the Year” that plays a rap song. I am told that the meaning has evolved over the years and now just means “cool.” Hmmm. We listened to a CD that Thibault had burned for the occasion, enjoying everything from Bob Marley to Notorious B.I.G. Pimptastic.

Dinner was at Mitali East on 6^th Street – where else would I risk eating out in such company and where else could we get away with dinner for six for under $150? Truly we could have been at any of the string of restaurants that still line the street and for us it was good, satisfying fare. But for T’s uninitiated friends, it was their first taste of the truly exotic and hopefully an experience that opened by a small crack not just palates but all of the senses.

They started with peppery pappadams and the usual assortment of chutneys then moved on through platters of appetizers and breads followed by a selection of relatively safe main courses (vegetable korma, saag panir, chicken curry, etc.) all washed own with lots and lots of Coke. From what I could tell, the boys ate voraciously and the girls nibbled a bit of everything but filled up on breads and rice. And all of them seemed to thoroughly enjoy the the novelty of a NYC dining experience.

For dessert we headed over to Hafnaoui’s take-out shop, Habib’s Place, a short walk east to Avenue A. As luck would have it, Hafnaoui had just pulled a fresh batch of desserts from the oven. The kids devoured at least three different versions of sticky, sweet and still warm backlava to sustain them for the ride back to NJ!

http://www.villagevoice.com/locations/habibs-place-513113/
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/mitali-east/menus/main.html