When we were kids, there was nothing we loved more than Christmas and the day after Christmas. As is the case with every child, we loved the 25th of December for all the gifts we would receive. Our love story with the day after was a whole other thing, however. That day can be summarized in just one word: leftovers.

We simply enjoyed making countless trips to the fridge on the 26th to grab a piece of cold turkey and ham to later indulge in the last pieces of our traditional Buche de Noel throughout the day while we played with all our toys. It was perhaps the one-day our parents did not have to worry about whether we ate or not, except maybe for the fact that we ate that and only that all day long from the minute we stepped out of bed. But who would want to ruin such a joy? For indeed, those were days of pure joy, days I forever cherish and days that came back to memory with this year’s feast.

48 hours, five appetizers, three-recipes-in-one-buche-de-noel, a turkey, glazed ham, a salad dressing, a fish dish, a few decorated plates, all made from scratch…Such is how I can quickly describe this year’s Christmas dinner at my house. By the way, these long meal-prepping hours are my excuse for neglecting to share a story with you last week, dear readers. Hope you won’t hold it against me for too long.

To prevent that from happening, here is a more accurate description of our Haitian Christmas menu that day. While some of the items may not be typical Haitian food, every single thing on the menu was seasoned and flavored with that Haitian flare, which means it is worth sharing. Plus it will give you an insight into how a traditional family celebrates their Haitian Christmas.

I think you will enjoy eating with us vicariously, even a week later. In case that doesn’t quite cut it for you, I will also share some of the recipes throughout the year so that you can try them out on your own.

Appetizers

Salted Smoked Herring Mousse served with papita: remember that chiquetaille we talked about at the beginning of the month and which recipe we shared? We used that same fish but this time combined it with cheese. I shall post a recipe in the coming weeks.

Rolled bread bites filled with a ham dip with a strong piment bouc aroma

Mushroom & Cheese Fondu/Soup served with cheesy bread that was quite a success with our guests

Olive Tapenade and crackers

Cheese Straws: I shall tell you more about these and the special cheese we use to make it on the blog soon.

Entrees

Meat & Fish

Traditional Turkey: this year we flavored it with a garlic lime seasoning (we innovate each year so it is always an unexpected turkey at the table)

Pineapple Bourbon Glazed Ham
Timbale de Poisson (red snapper fish terrine)

Sides

Macaroni Gratiné

Salad with a balsamic dressing and almonds, peanuts, olives on the side

Rice with pois france

Dessert

Chocolate Bûche de Noël
Choco-Mocha Bûche de Noël

I hope I have now made amends for my one-week disappearance. If not, I promise to make up for it in 2015.

Happy New Year! May 2015 be filled with culinary explorations.