It's hard to believe, but here we are again with the holidays just around the corner.
Once more, COVID-19 is causing delayed visits, changed plans and the altering of our family routines.
But with all the chaos of changing protocols and the uncertainty of future, there is one thing that can bring us comfort — our holiday traditions at the table.
The food and the meals that we share can become such an important part of our lives. When you pause and think about all the memories that you have, I am sure you will find a food story is intertwined with it.
But what makes a tradition? Where does the comfort we get from tradition originate?
A holiday favourite only becomes a tradition when we take those things that we hold dear and pass them on to others. In my mind, this is the purest form of giving that a person can share.
Take for example the English Trifle, a brunch casserole for Christmas morning or Decadent Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, all part of the rich tapestry of holiday memories that I share with my family.
Our Grandmother Ruth’s English Trifle was always the centrepiece of family Christmas dinners in the Clements house. Over the years, the faces at the table changed and grew, but the trifle was always the same. The sweet cream and satiny custard. The jiggly jelly and fresh bursts of fruit all topped with a ruby red cherry. A sight to see, for sure.
Now my cousin Krystal is the one that brings this holiday staple to the family table. Her dedication to sharing our Grandma’s recipe as a special piece of our family history is just another part of what we look forward to each Christmas.
On Christmas morning at the farmhouse in Muskoka, one could always look forward to a few treats.
Once the carnage of wrapping paper was cleared and the gifts exchanged, next would be the brunch casserole. Gramma Heidi calls it “Broisey," but we call it delicious!
Christmas morning at the farm as kids always included egg nog or a Grasshopper for the aunts and uncles and big pans of crispy bacon, egg and cheese melted over a thick layer of Rosti potatoes. Served with a big spoonful of homemade chili sauce and it’s a meal to remember. My brother Jon has made sure that we keep this tradition alive. The Broisey is now a staple for all his Christmas mornings.
And if we’re lucky, Gramma or our mom will make sure we each have a fresh jar of chili sauce just in time.
In my house, I think one of my favourite family traditions is the holiday cookie exchange. When my mother-in-law Gale came to stay with us, she brought her cookie-baking expertise. Each year, the baking would begin in November and slowly the freezer would fill with a variety of sweet treats.
Once the supply was large enough, the tin packing would begin. Shortbreads, coconut thumb prints, peanut butter balls and the ultimate super Decadent Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies. There is nothing more genuine than receiving a tin filled with love and care that only homemade cookies can provide.
If you were lucky enough to get one of Bumma’s cookie tins, you just knew that you were special.
Now my daughter Abbi and my wife Kim have taken over the task of resident bakers. Each batch of Gale's decadent cookies brings back all those sweet memories of love and family.
It’s my sincerest hope that many of these traditions will see themselves carried forward in our family by our children. It’s these things that can bring a simple joy to an otherwise crazy and chaotic world. The stability and comfort we find in going back and reflecting on the things that are meaningful to us and our families is what helps us when times are troubled.
Holiday foods and meals shared will always be one of the best reminders that we are not alone and that we hold the love of our families in our hearts.
Whatever your traditions are, may they continue and bring peace and comfort to you and your family.
On behalf of the Chef's Table and my family, wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.
"And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent..." — Taylor Caldwell
Gramma Ruth’s English Trifle
Ingredients
Cherry brandy
2 boxes of Cherry Jell-O
2 boxes of Orange Jell-O
Bird’s custard
Milk
35 per cent whipping cream
Sprinkle of sugar
Jar maraschino cherries
Can mandarin oranges
* use a glass bowl to see beautiful layers Prepare whipping cream and refrigerate
Base Layer Angel cake or sliced strawberry jelly roll Soaked in cherry brandy
Layer 1 — Prepare cherry Jell-O — let chill in fridge until thick but not set, pour on top of base layer
Layer 2 — Prepare Bird’s custard — let chill, pour on top of Layer 1
Layer 3 — Prepare orange Jell-O — let chill in fridge until think but not set, pour on top of Layer 2
Layer 4 — Prepare Bird’s custard — let chill, pour on top of Layer 3; Repeat Layers 1-4 until about an inch from the top
Top with whipped cream
Decorate with maraschino cherries and mandarin oranges
Daniel Clements is the chef technologist at Georgian College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.
