08 Dec A Quiet Christmas Dinner?!
Typically, Christmas with my family is a bit of an…adventure. Whilst trying to dodge extremely overstimulated children, various pets, and bombastic brothers, I typically find my nerves stretched to their very limits.
This year, however, I’m experiencing a different kind of shock to the system — and well before the holiday arrives. We only have 8 people for dinner (!). I’m not even sure how to process that; the average size is 15 to 20 people, so my reaction is a mixture of “Thank god!” and “How boring!”
Now, I have made a proposal to the Family to take advantage of this auspicious scenario: for the first time ever, I would like to do a proper six-course tasting dinner featuring some of the wonderful recipes we have created here in our test kitchen. I will don my chef coat and provide them with a full feast for the senses.
The reaction is…mixed. Brother Gargantua is concerned: Will there be enough food, or is it going to be one of those dinners where he’s still hungry at the end? I have promised to provide him with a full Chateaubriand roast just for himself to quell the fear. Others have mused, “Am I going to like that?”
Sigh.
Thankfully, the majority of them are quite open to — and delighted by — the prospect of this feast. However, there is an acclimation process involved here, as I’m the one in the family most accustomed to these types of degustations. We usually serve our dinners family-style.
I’ve begun crafting the menu, the plating diagrams, the prep lists, etc., so I will share the process in the days between now and Christmas. I may end up more stressed-out than on any Christmas to date, but I love the idea of this challenge. As long as they stay the hell out of my kitchen while I’m cooking. 🙂
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