Meals, memories

As much as the tree and greenery, the lights, the ripped and sparkling wrapping paper, the holidays are about food. Crowded tables and overflowing dining rooms are not unusual this time of year, as families gather for the traditional Christmas meal. The food for these meals has sometimes been planned out generations in advance, as the figgy pudding of a mother's mother has likely occupied the same corner of the same table for decades. The holiday menu is composed not only of dishes, but of stories.
Orange County has a disproportionate number of talented professional cooks and interesting restaurants. For them the holiday meal is another day at the office, but with a different audience.
"We always enjoy cooking a meal for our friends and family," said Sarah Deigl, who co-owns Real Food with her husband Paul. "I hope we never get to the point where we want to serve frozen fish sticks for the holidays. We just enjoy feeding our friends and family."
She said the centerpiece to their meal is a leg of lamb, but can't remember how long that's been the tradition.
"A while," she said.
Some of the dishes are older than everyone at the table and this dish at the Deigl table is Sarah's grandmother's trifle, a desert made of layers of custard, cake and fruit.
"My grandmother made it for years and it was delicious and when she died I started to make it," she said. "A lot of people say it's better the day after it's made, so there's usually someone sneaking down to get some out of the fridge."
Craig Hartman, who owns the Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville, said the holiday meals prepared by his mother and grandmother are some of the most influential meals of his life.
"These meals made the biggest impression on me as a chef," he said. "They didn't cook to impress, it didn't enter their minds, they cooked because they loved it. I learned not to cook out of ego, but because I wanted to."
Hartman said his German and Pennsylvanian Dutch heritage plays a big role in his family's holiday meals. He said they have always have a lot of German cookies, nut kipfel, Linzer torte and German mulled wine.
"We're a little bit crazy about Christmas," he said. "A fresh ham has always been huge for us and the Bouche de Noel is something my family always has."
Some cooks, though, like to keep it simple around the holidays and stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Jason Daniels, chef at the Inn at Willow Grove said that with two small kids, his family's Christmas meal is a standard and straightforward affair.
"We don't do much on Christmas eve, we have finger foods and snacky bits," he said. "Then on Christmas day we'll have either prime rib or a ham."
Daniels recommends the same to those preparing their own family meal.
"Keep it simple, enjoy your family and stay out of the kitchen," he said.
Simple is easier said than done around the holidays. Family members in every room and a dozen dishes in the oven is no easy task.
"The holidays are the one time of year when those that don't cook, cook," said Hartman. "It's important to stay within your comfort zone and stay cool. Sometimes people go too involved, or get used to watching the Food Network where they can use some weird ingredients. Don't go overboard. Simple food is fabulous."
No matter the number of courses or their complexity, things are likely to be rushed and it's important to have a plan, said Deigl.
"The key to the big holiday meal is organization," she said. "Most people struggle with keeping everything hot by the time it's ready to eat. Start by planning ahead what needs to be in the oven when and what can be done ahead of time. It helps to write down a timeline."
Invariably the meal will have its share of triumphs and failures and Christmas miracles, but will ultimately be remembered for the stories shared around the empty plates than the plates themselves.