If it's ___________, it must be Christmas!
December 1, 2016 6:35 AM Subscribe
In need of a fancy, unique, special or otherwise singular dish to serve on Christmas morning. (Cinnamon rolls need not apply.)
My husband's family tradition was cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Now that we have a little one, I'd like to continue the tradition of a special Christmas morning dish, but I want it to be something different than cinnamon rolls.
My dislikes about cinnamon rolls: 1) It's "their" thing. My mother-in-law has passed away but my husband's sisters make cinnamon rolls for their families. I don't want to do what they do. Petty? Maybe. But still.
2) You can purchase a really good cinnamon roll any time from a bakery or cook up decent frozen ones from the grocery store.
I'd like something that can't be easily purchased somewhere or that I wouldn't make any other time so that whatever the thing is will always mean Christmas with Momma. As much as that is possible anyway. I guess it could be a Christmas lunch thing or Christmas Eve before bed treat, too.
What can I make? I'd rate my cooking skills as very good/intermediate to advanced and I have access to many gourmet and ethnic food stores.
My husband's family tradition was cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Now that we have a little one, I'd like to continue the tradition of a special Christmas morning dish, but I want it to be something different than cinnamon rolls.
My dislikes about cinnamon rolls: 1) It's "their" thing. My mother-in-law has passed away but my husband's sisters make cinnamon rolls for their families. I don't want to do what they do. Petty? Maybe. But still.
2) You can purchase a really good cinnamon roll any time from a bakery or cook up decent frozen ones from the grocery store.
I'd like something that can't be easily purchased somewhere or that I wouldn't make any other time so that whatever the thing is will always mean Christmas with Momma. As much as that is possible anyway. I guess it could be a Christmas lunch thing or Christmas Eve before bed treat, too.
What can I make? I'd rate my cooking skills as very good/intermediate to advanced and I have access to many gourmet and ethnic food stores.
Bonus with mince pies is you prepare the mincemeat (seasoned dried fruit) in advance, so it's a nice start of advent project, gets the Christmas feeling coming in.
posted by Iteki at 6:45 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by Iteki at 6:45 AM on December 1, 2016
We have Dutch babies only on Christmas.
posted by juliapangolin at 6:45 AM on December 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by juliapangolin at 6:45 AM on December 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Funnel cakes? Doughnuts? Anything sweet and fried automatically fall into the "not every day" and "can't buy in a store that taste as good as homemade" category for me.
posted by Mchelly at 6:50 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by Mchelly at 6:50 AM on December 1, 2016
My mother has always made an egg & sausage casserole on Christmas morning (if it's not this recipe exactly, it is very close). It's very decadent and satisfying. Two notes: 1) getting the cooking time right seems to be a matter of trial and error, sometimes done very quickly, sometimes taking an extra 30 minutes, so be prepared for that, and 2) it is hotter than molten lava coming out of the oven, so give it a while to cool before sitting down to eat, especially with little ones.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:52 AM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 6:52 AM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
Our traditional Christmas breakfast is nut roll and coffee or tea. It's sort of a pain to make (not difficult just a bit fiddly) but it freezes really well. So my mom and I make this enormous recipe and freeze them and eat it all winter.
posted by Aquifer at 6:53 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by Aquifer at 6:53 AM on December 1, 2016
Quiche or an egg casserole. That's what my mom did. I guess we could have done that some other day, but we never did.
I really like homemade bagels. You could follow Peter Reinhart's recipe and shape them the night before, and then boil and bake on Christmas morning. Wrong religious tradition, I suppose, but delicious.
posted by Alluring Mouthbreather at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I really like homemade bagels. You could follow Peter Reinhart's recipe and shape them the night before, and then boil and bake on Christmas morning. Wrong religious tradition, I suppose, but delicious.
posted by Alluring Mouthbreather at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Look to your heritage! We're Finnish on my mom's side so we do nissu and we would riot without it. It's a little complicated because the loaves are braided, and cardamom is expensive, so it's definitely a once a year event. The main thing that makes it special to us is that it reminds us of our departed family and our heritage, so maybe there is something special on your side that's typical of your background.
posted by kapers at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by kapers at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
I'd browse through the breakfast recipes on smitten kitchen; she usually has good ideas for special-occasion breakfasts and brunches. Liège waffles would probably be a hit with kids and adults alike. If you're more into savory stuff, a breakfast pizza might be fun.
posted by neushoorn at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by neushoorn at 6:56 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I made this maple sausage and waffle casserole for Thanksgiving brunch, and it was fabulous. What about something like that?
posted by thejanna at 6:57 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by thejanna at 6:57 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Baked French Toast gets my vote if you don't care about the heritage aspect. Also crepes, soufles and decadent (crab?) quiches.
If you want something in the category of cinnamon buns, Monkey Bread might be a winner. Lots of variations out there.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:02 AM on December 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
If you want something in the category of cinnamon buns, Monkey Bread might be a winner. Lots of variations out there.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:02 AM on December 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
My mom has always made coffee cake and egg bake. I like both.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:03 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by kevinbelt at 7:03 AM on December 1, 2016
My family usually had Christstollen on Christmas morning.
posted by bfields at 7:04 AM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by bfields at 7:04 AM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
I recommend not choosing something that keeps you in the kitchen on Christmas morning while your family is waiting by the tree. Make-ahead is best IMO. I make a pretty simple french toast bake. I never intended for it to become tradition but I've been doing it for 20 years now and my grown kids look forward to it.
What makes it "tradition" is not the ingredients but the way prepping & eating it got intertwined with other Christmas doings. When the kids were small I put it together while they were putting cookies/milk/carrots out for Santa; it bakes while we are lazily drinking coffee and picking through our stockings; its smell intermingles with the other Christmas morning smells; and we tend to eat it just before going out for a long walk.
posted by headnsouth at 7:08 AM on December 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
What makes it "tradition" is not the ingredients but the way prepping & eating it got intertwined with other Christmas doings. When the kids were small I put it together while they were putting cookies/milk/carrots out for Santa; it bakes while we are lazily drinking coffee and picking through our stockings; its smell intermingles with the other Christmas morning smells; and we tend to eat it just before going out for a long walk.
posted by headnsouth at 7:08 AM on December 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
For me growing up, there was too much going on Christmas morning that I don't really remember anything special for breakfast. But for Christmas Eve, we had Raw Beef Sandwiches. Raw Beef (from a reputable butcher, not grocery store) on rye bread with raw onions and lots of salt and pepper. Ewww gross. I finally tried it when I was around 13 and did learn to like it, but really mostly the adults had it.
So here is my breakfast idea, Captain Crunch French Toast. It is delicious, fancy and requires more effort and is not really on the healthy, every day eating menu.
posted by maxg94 at 7:09 AM on December 1, 2016
So here is my breakfast idea, Captain Crunch French Toast. It is delicious, fancy and requires more effort and is not really on the healthy, every day eating menu.
posted by maxg94 at 7:09 AM on December 1, 2016
I make this cranberry vanilla coffeecake every Christmas. I make it the morning of Christmas eve, and it's plenty good the next day.
posted by coppermoss at 7:10 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by coppermoss at 7:10 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My mom used to bake sweet bread dough into a teddy bear shape for Xmas morning, with candied fruit decorations (facial features, buttons, bow tie).
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:12 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:12 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My family (like many others, i see) used to do baked french toast; you can assemble it the night before, leave it to soak in the fridge overnight, then pop it in the oven while the littles are opening presents.
posted by specialagentwebb at 7:13 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by specialagentwebb at 7:13 AM on December 1, 2016
We have been doing the really fantastic, crispy and and buttery overnight essential raised waffles from the Smitten Kitchen website with a simple warm fruit sauce and fresh whipped cream. They go over big and you can do everything the night before.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:15 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by charmedimsure at 7:15 AM on December 1, 2016
My mother has always made an egg & sausage casserole on Christmas morning
Thought we were the only ones. Its really good. Kind of a quiche casserole with breakfast sausage and bread in it. 100% only ever made for christmas morning.
posted by chasles at 7:16 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My family's Christmas breakfast is brioche. Most of the work is done the night before, you just have to shape the dough and bake it in the morning.
posted by snaw at 7:17 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by snaw at 7:17 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My family has always made a bigger deal of Christmas breakfast than dinner. Things that take minimal morning prep are good, and so are things that smell incredibly delicious while heating up. Some variant on bread pudding/ elaborate French toast and hashbrown casserole both put together the night before and maybe a little bacon cooked that morning for the meat eaters have been our standbys for years.
posted by peppermind at 7:21 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by peppermind at 7:21 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
We started doing smoothies on Christmas morning after my mom found a recipe in the paper. They weren't called smoothies back then, it was like "blended fruit drink" and we called it Christmas Drink. It's a nice way to get sone sustenance while you're doing present stuff. Cinnamon rolls are sticky as hell.
posted by padraigin at 7:22 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by padraigin at 7:22 AM on December 1, 2016
Kouign Amann
I made them last year for Christmas morning and found them actually to be easier than advertised. If you can make laminated dough, you can make kouign amann.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:34 AM on December 1, 2016
I made them last year for Christmas morning and found them actually to be easier than advertised. If you can make laminated dough, you can make kouign amann.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:34 AM on December 1, 2016
We had a Swiss exchange student when I was a kid. (Hello, Anne Marie!) For breakfast on St. Nicholas Day, she made us brötchen (presumably made the night before and kept on the counter under a tea towel).
These are bread rolls shaped like a bird. Portions of dough are rolled into a long stick, tied into a knot, and one end is split and fanned out to make a "tail" while the other end is tucked back into the kit to make a "head" (with an almond sliver for a beak and two raisins for eyes). My mom baked them, with an egg wash for color, and they were magnificent.
They were a little more life-like than these:
http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2013/03/easter-doves.html
Here's a step-by-step image:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/4c/4e/b34c4ef29b1304151171d23f4a9f9810.jpg
(linked from Pinterest so it may or may not work for you)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:51 AM on December 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
These are bread rolls shaped like a bird. Portions of dough are rolled into a long stick, tied into a knot, and one end is split and fanned out to make a "tail" while the other end is tucked back into the kit to make a "head" (with an almond sliver for a beak and two raisins for eyes). My mom baked them, with an egg wash for color, and they were magnificent.
They were a little more life-like than these:
http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2013/03/easter-doves.html
Here's a step-by-step image:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/4c/4e/b34c4ef29b1304151171d23f4a9f9810.jpg
(linked from Pinterest so it may or may not work for you)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:51 AM on December 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
Our Christmas morning tradition for a long time has been a cranberry-sausage quiche. Quiche is really not that challenging to put together quickly once you have the ingredients, even if you're making several at a time, if you use the frozen pie crusts that come already in the pan, but if you're the kind of person who likes making pie crusts then they're a good way to show those off. The cranberries made it feel like a special holiday thing. We might have quiche at other times, but I've never had a cranberry sausage quiche on any day but Christmas (and sometimes leftovers the next morning).
posted by Sequence at 8:01 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Sequence at 8:01 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Our family has made these nutella buns the past several years, so they definitely feel like Christmas to us now. :) I think they would hit a lot of the same buttons as cinnamon rolls (sweet, warm, pastry!) but with different flavors (chocolate! hazelnut!) to make them your own. Also, the dough is super easy and forgiving, which is always nice in the morning.
But! I would also ask your husband what he wants. I would be beyond annoyed/borderline hurt if my spouse said we don't get to do a Christmas tradition that I love from my family because he doesn't want to do what my sister is doing/my mom used to do. Depending on how he feels about this, that's not just petty, it's downright mean. Like, do you really want to be the person who says "Your kid doesn't get to share in your (totally innocuous) family food traditions now that your mother has died!" Now, he may want to change it up just as much as you do, in which case, go nuts! But, I would at least have a serious conversation about it first to find out how much your hubby cares about this tradition (especially with a kid in the mix now).
posted by rainbowbrite at 8:02 AM on December 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
But! I would also ask your husband what he wants. I would be beyond annoyed/borderline hurt if my spouse said we don't get to do a Christmas tradition that I love from my family because he doesn't want to do what my sister is doing/my mom used to do. Depending on how he feels about this, that's not just petty, it's downright mean. Like, do you really want to be the person who says "Your kid doesn't get to share in your (totally innocuous) family food traditions now that your mother has died!" Now, he may want to change it up just as much as you do, in which case, go nuts! But, I would at least have a serious conversation about it first to find out how much your hubby cares about this tradition (especially with a kid in the mix now).
posted by rainbowbrite at 8:02 AM on December 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
Pineapple and creamcheese tamales, with other fruits that also work in Mexican cuisine, like pieces of quince or quince preserve. I have had them with cinnamon and raisins, the pineapple ones are delicious.
posted by Oyéah at 8:02 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by Oyéah at 8:02 AM on December 1, 2016
We recently had panettone french toast for brunch at a friend's house, and it was very festive and very special.
posted by mchorn at 8:03 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mchorn at 8:03 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also coming in for the Dutch Baby, which I always have on New Year's morning, with a warm fruit compote - apples stewed with dried figs, dried apricots, raisins and cinnamon - and some creme fraiche.
posted by essexjan at 8:06 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by essexjan at 8:06 AM on December 1, 2016
My husband's family's tradition seems to be going to the fanciest local grocery store and Christmas Eve and buying whatever involves minimal prep, feels special, and looks tasty for Christmas lunch. The walking around the grocery store together figuring out a meal as we go is the part that's the tradition. There are a few things that are usual; roast beef with au jus and hard rolls, some fancy cheeses, an unusual or seriously-out-of-season fruit, nice bread, the components of seven-layer dip. But it's fun to have everyone participate to make a good spread, and makes for a more togetherness type of feeling than something that takes a lot of work.
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:11 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:11 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
WHAT YOU WANT IS A BOSTOCK!!
There are some pretty-but-overly-styled pics at that link, and I want you to forget those. Here's what a BOSTOCK is....
Day old thick cut slice of Brioche, dipped in simple syrup, top spread with a thick layer of Frangipane (almond crime) then carmelized under a broiler until dark gold, dusted with powdered sugar.
All pics with almond slivers and fruit should go jump in a lake. The BOSTOCK's best friend? Coffee, Mocha, or Hot Cocoa.
Trader Joe's has Brioche Loaves that might be great for this - dry the slices out the day before in a 200 degree oven for a few hours. If you spread good frangipane over a rich sweet cooked French Toast Brioche Slice and carmelized that in an oven or broiler, it would not be wrong. You want the slice luscious on the inside, there's a fancy pants French bakery near me in LA that makes them brittle and holy toledo that is so wrong wrong wrong. Luscious on the inside, carmelized on top. Perfection.
Just place a bunch of stale dipped (or generously brushed) with simple syrup Brioche Slices on a sheet tray. Spread slices with Frangipane. Carmelize in an oven on the top rack, or if you got one, under a broiler. Powdered sugar. Plate. ENJOY.
I hope you try this! So easy! So great!!
posted by jbenben at 8:15 AM on December 1, 2016 [8 favorites]
There are some pretty-but-overly-styled pics at that link, and I want you to forget those. Here's what a BOSTOCK is....
Day old thick cut slice of Brioche, dipped in simple syrup, top spread with a thick layer of Frangipane (almond crime) then carmelized under a broiler until dark gold, dusted with powdered sugar.
All pics with almond slivers and fruit should go jump in a lake. The BOSTOCK's best friend? Coffee, Mocha, or Hot Cocoa.
Trader Joe's has Brioche Loaves that might be great for this - dry the slices out the day before in a 200 degree oven for a few hours. If you spread good frangipane over a rich sweet cooked French Toast Brioche Slice and carmelized that in an oven or broiler, it would not be wrong. You want the slice luscious on the inside, there's a fancy pants French bakery near me in LA that makes them brittle and holy toledo that is so wrong wrong wrong. Luscious on the inside, carmelized on top. Perfection.
Just place a bunch of stale dipped (or generously brushed) with simple syrup Brioche Slices on a sheet tray. Spread slices with Frangipane. Carmelize in an oven on the top rack, or if you got one, under a broiler. Powdered sugar. Plate. ENJOY.
I hope you try this! So easy! So great!!
posted by jbenben at 8:15 AM on December 1, 2016 [8 favorites]
Mr. gudrun's family always had panettone, which is easily purchased these days and is very nice sliced and toasted with some butter. We've continued with this tradition (though panettone French toast sounds cool also.) Sometimes we do a nod to my German heritage and have stollen (I like the kind with marzipan in the center). It is possible to bake any of these yourself, but there are tons of good ones out there at stores and bakeries so we don't bother.
If you want to be nice though, I would add a couple of cinnamon rolls to the menu, purchased from a nice bakery, as a nod to your husband's family tradition, while still coming up with something new of your own.
posted by gudrun at 8:23 AM on December 1, 2016
If you want to be nice though, I would add a couple of cinnamon rolls to the menu, purchased from a nice bakery, as a nod to your husband's family tradition, while still coming up with something new of your own.
posted by gudrun at 8:23 AM on December 1, 2016
We always make a Tyrolean Hard Cake for Christmas morning. (That's not the exact recipe we use -- I'd have to get that one from my mother -- but it's close.) It's quite dense and doesn't get stale easily, so we bake it a few days ahead of time and just put it out to snack on while we open gifts by the tree.
I was a picky kid, but somehow I always liked this cake, and now everything almond-flavored tastes like Christmas to me. It's not as dramatic as gooey cinnamon rolls, but to be honest, we're always so stuffed from Christmas Eve dinner and cookies and assorted holiday snacking/drinking that by Christmas morning we're not in the mood for anything more than this cake.
(Also, we call it "Balls Cake." Cuz that's the kind of family we are. I made one for a heritage project back in school, and was then horrified that I had to describe how to make it as part of my presentation. OH NO I CAN'T SAY BALLS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE SPHERES SPHERES THEY ARE SPHERES.)
posted by QuickedWeen at 8:41 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I was a picky kid, but somehow I always liked this cake, and now everything almond-flavored tastes like Christmas to me. It's not as dramatic as gooey cinnamon rolls, but to be honest, we're always so stuffed from Christmas Eve dinner and cookies and assorted holiday snacking/drinking that by Christmas morning we're not in the mood for anything more than this cake.
(Also, we call it "Balls Cake." Cuz that's the kind of family we are. I made one for a heritage project back in school, and was then horrified that I had to describe how to make it as part of my presentation. OH NO I CAN'T SAY BALLS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE SPHERES SPHERES THEY ARE SPHERES.)
posted by QuickedWeen at 8:41 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
We usually have stollen, which can be bought waaaayyyy ahead of time.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:47 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:47 AM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
My family always has cranberry orange loaf while opening stockings.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:25 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:25 AM on December 1, 2016
Make your own stollen! I've done it for Christmas before and while it's time-consuming, it is delicious, traditional, and a very special treat.
posted by pammeke at 9:26 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pammeke at 9:26 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, and/or Lebkuchen. A friend of mine so lovingly remembered his mother baking these for Christmas every year that he special-requested them for his (July) wedding.
posted by pammeke at 9:29 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pammeke at 9:29 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Our family tradition is a cheese and an x fondue on Christmas Eve, where x = hot pot or oil (never chocolate, although that may be an option if your family isn't as anti-sweet as us). It tastes amazing (either Swiss and white wine or cheddar and beer), is a family event, feels wintery and festive, and is something we never normally have. Ditto our New Years Eve's escargot. My husband and I have adapted to not having a fondue set by having Welsh Rabbit instead (cheese and beer on toast) which is much too rich for every day.
For Christmas Day breakfast, a spread (on the fancy china) of cheese, pickles, smoked salmon, dips, crackers, French bread with strong black coffee in fancy tea cups with saucers. About ~25% of the specialness of Christmas for us is bringing out all the fancy stuff we never use and talking about where it came from ("This was your grandmother's"; "Your aunt bought this for us when we got married").
(We usually have ~6 kinds of cheese for Christmas and have been known to buy each other cheese as presents. We're really really into cheese)
posted by hydrobatidae at 9:33 AM on December 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
For Christmas Day breakfast, a spread (on the fancy china) of cheese, pickles, smoked salmon, dips, crackers, French bread with strong black coffee in fancy tea cups with saucers. About ~25% of the specialness of Christmas for us is bringing out all the fancy stuff we never use and talking about where it came from ("This was your grandmother's"; "Your aunt bought this for us when we got married").
(We usually have ~6 kinds of cheese for Christmas and have been known to buy each other cheese as presents. We're really really into cheese)
posted by hydrobatidae at 9:33 AM on December 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
Growing up, Christmas breakfast was always fried ham, almond coffee cake, and fresh orange juice. It was pleasing to everyone, easy to prepare and clean up, made the house smell good (it's ham!), and wasn't a hassle to eat while opening presents. The coffee cake was one Gommie would always order from the same bakery; it wasn't a particularly special cake, except that it was the cake was always had on Christmas and hence very particularly special.
Also, orange juice is halfway to being a mimosa.
posted by thinman at 9:35 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, orange juice is halfway to being a mimosa.
posted by thinman at 9:35 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
In my family, it was an old Betty Crocker sweet bun recipe made into the shape of a Christmas tree, like so. You could, in theory, make it from cinnamon roll dough if you wanted to blend the cinnamon roll tradition with your own new, fancier-and-only-for-Christmas recipe.
But really, anything you decide to have just on Christmas is, de facto, the special Christmas recipe. Just pick something and run with it. My family also has the same Christmas eve dinner every year, and it's the only time all year I eat it even though it's something I *could* have any time.
It's like deciding you only eat Junior Mints when you're at the movies...no real reason for it, and you could buy them any time. The thing that makes it special is the arbitrary decision to make it special.
posted by alligatorpear at 9:42 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
But really, anything you decide to have just on Christmas is, de facto, the special Christmas recipe. Just pick something and run with it. My family also has the same Christmas eve dinner every year, and it's the only time all year I eat it even though it's something I *could* have any time.
It's like deciding you only eat Junior Mints when you're at the movies...no real reason for it, and you could buy them any time. The thing that makes it special is the arbitrary decision to make it special.
posted by alligatorpear at 9:42 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
We always make monkey bread. It comes in cans! It can bake while kiddos are opening presents! It is swimming in mapley goodness! No raisins though, ew.
posted by chainsofreedom at 9:51 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by chainsofreedom at 9:51 AM on December 1, 2016
I'd add to the chorus of suggestions that you ADD a new tradition specifically for your family, rather than arbitrarily taking one away.
posted by cyndigo at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by cyndigo at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Now, I make Croque Monsieurs pretty often, myself, but I made them for brunch last year for Christmas, and they were a hit! The recipe I use is from Cook's Country (paywall), but I imagine you can find a good one. Having a little protein at brunch never hurt anyone.
posted by freezer cake at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by freezer cake at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2016
Seconding monkey bread, kids love it, and you can make it the night before, put it in the fridge, and bake in the morning.
posted by Dr. Twist at 10:06 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by Dr. Twist at 10:06 AM on December 1, 2016
One side of my family makes a big dinner with a ham and side dishes for Christmas Eve, and then we just have leftovers and ham sandwiches and stocking candy on Christmas Day, because nobody wants to cook or do dishes on Christmas. This is special because we usually don't eat meat or make elaborate dinners, so, same as Thanksgiving but the meat is ham. Part of the appeal is also the laziness on Christmas. (The other side of the family does monkey bread.)
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:20 AM on December 1, 2016
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:20 AM on December 1, 2016
Waffles!
I mean, unless this is a "literally once a year" thing, in which case it might be kind of crazy to buy a waffle iron just for 3 waffles a year. (Then again, I bought mine from a thrift store for $7, so...)
Waffles are fun, delicious, and can be easily dressed up in a lot of ways if you want to make a really special Christmas waffle but then have normcore waffles for the rest of the year. I also like to experiment with putting other things in the waffle iron, like polenta, leftover Thanksgiving stuffing, or mashed potatoes. The idea of making waffles out of brownie batter has also been floated.
posted by Sara C. at 10:50 AM on December 1, 2016
I mean, unless this is a "literally once a year" thing, in which case it might be kind of crazy to buy a waffle iron just for 3 waffles a year. (Then again, I bought mine from a thrift store for $7, so...)
Waffles are fun, delicious, and can be easily dressed up in a lot of ways if you want to make a really special Christmas waffle but then have normcore waffles for the rest of the year. I also like to experiment with putting other things in the waffle iron, like polenta, leftover Thanksgiving stuffing, or mashed potatoes. The idea of making waffles out of brownie batter has also been floated.
posted by Sara C. at 10:50 AM on December 1, 2016
Response by poster: There's enough reason in here that Christmas will be [other yummy thing] *and* cinnamon rolls, not instead of. I'll try to convince hubby to make them or agree to buy them from a good bakery.
Thanks, everyone! Now begins the hard work of deciding what the other yummy thing will be.
posted by erloteiel at 11:00 AM on December 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
Thanks, everyone! Now begins the hard work of deciding what the other yummy thing will be.
posted by erloteiel at 11:00 AM on December 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
Jesus, Thorzdad, way to add pressure!
My mom made some AMAZINGLY LIFELIKE ruche de noel cakes when I was a kid -- down to the mushrooms and cocoa dusting and chilled chocolate shavings and everything -- and as much as we were impressed, we knew that exiling mom to the kitchen for our amusement was pretty shabby.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:21 PM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
My mom made some AMAZINGLY LIFELIKE ruche de noel cakes when I was a kid -- down to the mushrooms and cocoa dusting and chilled chocolate shavings and everything -- and as much as we were impressed, we knew that exiling mom to the kitchen for our amusement was pretty shabby.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:21 PM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Posset. Lemon or lime or both. Hopefully with fresh raspberries on the side.
Posset is a very old dish and surprisingly simple: you heat up heavy cream, add sugar and citrus (or citric acid -- Google for a "Modernist Cuisine" or MC-style version of it), and bung it in the fridge overnight and the citric acid sets the cream and turns it into a lovely thick bowl of aggressively rich deliciousness.
Do a test run first to make sure you don't have any problems with yours setting up right, but its deceptive simplicity is great -- do not use poor-quality citrus fruits and get the nicest cream you can find. Nobody believes it's a three-ingredient thing. And, special-occasion-wise, one doesn't usually scarf quite that much milk fat. It's freakin' delicious.
Lime posset with raspberries -- lemon posset with shortbread -- fussy Modernist Cuisine pseudo-posset using citric acid. The latter is a bit over the top with unnecessary/inauthentic whatnot, but it mentions an Earl Grey posset. Steeping tea in the cream before rendering it into posset would be quite delightful. I've added vanilla bean scrapings to mine to good effect.
(+1 on bûche de Noël, though; if you are chocolate fans and not fruit fans, that would be a delightful way to {forgive pun} roll.)
...I did not mention plum pudding with hard sauce because I thought that was too obvious. Plum pudding with hard sauce! Put coins in the pudding; this was always an enormous thing we looked forward to as kids, even though the take couldn't have been that big. You know how when you were/are a kid, nibbling at the creamed sugar and butter is one of the best parts of cookies? Hard sauce is like that but for grown-ups. Make extra, put it on (French) toast and everything else short of boiled eggs... Do not forget the (probably plastic, but who cares?) sprig of holly.
posted by kmennie at 1:29 PM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
Posset is a very old dish and surprisingly simple: you heat up heavy cream, add sugar and citrus (or citric acid -- Google for a "Modernist Cuisine" or MC-style version of it), and bung it in the fridge overnight and the citric acid sets the cream and turns it into a lovely thick bowl of aggressively rich deliciousness.
Do a test run first to make sure you don't have any problems with yours setting up right, but its deceptive simplicity is great -- do not use poor-quality citrus fruits and get the nicest cream you can find. Nobody believes it's a three-ingredient thing. And, special-occasion-wise, one doesn't usually scarf quite that much milk fat. It's freakin' delicious.
Lime posset with raspberries -- lemon posset with shortbread -- fussy Modernist Cuisine pseudo-posset using citric acid. The latter is a bit over the top with unnecessary/inauthentic whatnot, but it mentions an Earl Grey posset. Steeping tea in the cream before rendering it into posset would be quite delightful. I've added vanilla bean scrapings to mine to good effect.
(+1 on bûche de Noël, though; if you are chocolate fans and not fruit fans, that would be a delightful way to {forgive pun} roll.)
...I did not mention plum pudding with hard sauce because I thought that was too obvious. Plum pudding with hard sauce! Put coins in the pudding; this was always an enormous thing we looked forward to as kids, even though the take couldn't have been that big. You know how when you were/are a kid, nibbling at the creamed sugar and butter is one of the best parts of cookies? Hard sauce is like that but for grown-ups. Make extra, put it on (French) toast and everything else short of boiled eggs... Do not forget the (probably plastic, but who cares?) sprig of holly.
posted by kmennie at 1:29 PM on December 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
We did chocolate chip pancakes for years, but since a waffle iron came into our lives, last year I made chocolate waffles, served with whipped cream and strawberries. The chocolate made them special and festive and unlike the rest of the year's waffles.
posted by gateau at 1:44 PM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gateau at 1:44 PM on December 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also: we make gingerbread waffles once or twice a year, and they are definitely worth the wait. I just found some recipe on the web, and it's fine.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:34 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 4:34 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
My family always makessausage strata. I like it because it's savory (nice contrast to all the Christmas sweets) and because it's practical -- assemble the night before, refrigerate, and just pop into the oven in the morning. Can be done with turkey sausage or vegetarian sausage, too.
posted by snowmentality at 4:53 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by snowmentality at 4:53 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I make German Stollen for gifts and Christmas breakfast, but it's a yeast bread that needs a good three to four hours to make. For an easier bread, I love this no-knead panettone, that you could make the dough the night before, let rise, refrigerate, and bake that morning. For a mold, I use a 6 x 3 round cake pan I already have.
posted by JawnBigboote at 5:29 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by JawnBigboote at 5:29 PM on December 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Anise cookies. You make the dough Xmas eve and let the dropped cookies dry overnight on the cookie sheets before baking Xmas morning. Simple and delicious!
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 6:58 PM on December 1, 2016
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 6:58 PM on December 1, 2016
Our family does a cast-iron skillet "pancake" like this one, often substituting peaches for the apple.
posted by Grandysaur at 5:15 PM on December 2, 2016
posted by Grandysaur at 5:15 PM on December 2, 2016
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posted by Iteki at 6:44 AM on December 1, 2016 [10 favorites]