Brandywine Table: Christmas Eve Food Traditions — Beyond the Seven Fishes
Inspiring family traditions worth starting and keeping
Perched on French Creek in rural Phoenixville sits the Halloran home — aglow and abuzz on Christmas Eve with Birte “Bibi” and Mark’s four children getting dressed in formal attire for the annual feast that awaits them. Beloved lobster anchors as the main course after an hors d’oeuvre of shrimp cocktail. But the true star of the show is chestnut cappuccino soup, a tradition Bibi and Mark started before having children and one they’ve kept up ever since.
This is the magic of the holiday,” said Bibi. “This treat has the look of pureed soup but has a thick milk froth on top with a dusting of cinnamon.” The soup is traditionally served in a cup with a saucer to resemble a cappuccino beverage. “It’s a specific Christmassy food, and you get excited for that one time of year you have it.”
Bibi credits Mark as the “super chef” of the household, while her role is to grocery shop and create a festive ambiance. Hosting an extravagant family meal while juggling present wrapping for a large extended family can be demanding at such a busy time of year. “It’s worth it since it’s so special.” she said.
Balancing the demands of the holidays is what first led my aunt-in-law, Janet Stokes of Royersford, to come up with her Christmas Eve meal tradition for 20 family members.
The trick was choosing dishes that could be made before the family headed out to Christmas Eve services. The well-honed menu includes do-ahead twice-baked potatoes, beef tenderloin that roasts in under an hour, along with a massive salad featuring mandarin oranges, pecans and crunchy ramen noodles.
“Because I could make everything except the meat ahead of time, it was a fancy meal that could be cranked out quickly. Everyone loved it and looked forward to it,” Janet said.
For Joselle Rado of Wayne, Christmas Eve means traveling to the Berks County home of her sister, where 40 family and friends gather around their favorite holiday foods. Highlights there include a huge array of appetizers, with a variation on the seven fishes theme for those who must have it, plus a main course of fresh pasta.
“We try to have different things like clams casino, shrimp, grilled octopus, littleneck clams and sometimes fried calamari,” Joselle said, adding her favorite appetizer is a lump crab dip served with crostini. “Seeing family coming in from California, Florida and Pennsylvania makes it fun and always entertaining. It’s my favorite night of the year for sure.”
Read on for recipes to inspire your Christmas Eve menu and create new family food traditions!