“..- CUISINE SCENE » SEMPLY. PUT, I adore * Christmas. With a half centu- _ ry of wonderful Christmases _now behind me (hard to y adrnit), this holiday I begin _ the second half-century 0 of cel- ‘ebrations. © Of course (you probably guessed it), my celebrations centre around -| food. Groaning tables laden with . special dishes, lots of homemade gifts from the kitchen and (hopeful- i: lots of edible gifts from friends. Christmas Eve in Los Angeles with my Armenian family meant going to Auntie Camille and Uncle .: Frank's home for a feast like no other. Some 30 or So of us; all. dressed up, with packages every- where for each other." >” se All children had to perform” something — acarol, song, poem, : recite The Night Before Christmas, play the piano, or doa magic trick. “We all hated it, but endured year - after year. The reward? When Aunt Zaroohy ‘announced that her’ feast “was ready, and the dining room : Yalanchi Sarma), hot rice pilaf » topped with Jeheez (dates, currants, dried apricots and pine nuts done up __ in hot butter) and her special yeasty." plack s sésame seed bread... 1 knw there were some dozen or > 50 other dishes, but these were the ©. ones I headed for most of the time.’ “Dessert was always Paklava and °° Bourma, both walnut-filled and |: sytup-soaked delicacies done with “paper thin filo pastry sheets. And . thick, hot, intensely black cups of ‘Turkish-style coffee (for the adults). . “When I martied my husband (25, ° years ago this year), we moved to Frankfurt, Germany for five years. ~ We spent five magical Christmases “there, never to be forgotten (or dupli- ° _ cated), and } have been re-creating a ‘ German ‘Christmas ever since. “Our short-haired black ‘dachs- -hund; Herr Oppenheimer (Opie), _ was with us, St. Nicholas arrived on Corner. of Edgemont’ Blvd. & Quéens © Dec. 6, and we set out our boots before going to bed. If we were good, the boots were filled with small gifts, chocolates, mandarins, nuts and marzipan. If we had been naughty, there were long branches of switches for spankings. That first year, Opie and | found switches in our boots (two boots for me, four for him). I still have those _ original branches, and tuck them into our stockings each and every year. We had snow, a hand-cut tree from a nearby forest tree farm, my first taste of German cookies and sweets and Stéllen from new friends. On top of our tree was a cher- * ished angel, purchased in Ganniscti Partenkirchen, with a face of wax, flaxen hair, and feather wings with __,. delicate gilding. ' Today, she (and another sister angel) are my most treasured Christmas decorations. We drove to Niimberg each year for the famous outdoor Christmas Market, held under canvas awnings in front of the famous Dom (Cathedral), within the confines of this beautiful old walled-in city. As we strolled the market, we nibbled on the famous Niirnberger . Lebkuchen (available now at The Black Forest Delicatessen), watched it being prepared in a historic old ‘bakery and bought lots to bring home for gifts, packaged up in beau- < tiful decorative tins. Stall after stall was laden with Christmas ornaments, wooden : ~ Windtiirm, beeswax candles, wooden carved nutcrackers, comical figures “fashioned from dried prunes and nuts. Too much to take in.’ We sipped mugs filled with hot tautled wine (Gliihwein) to ward off the icy evening air. Opie was right ‘with us, keeping warm himself with his brown woolen coat (and a hot sausage or two!). ; The famous tiny ‘ Rostbratwiirstchen, Niirnberg’s own Christmas sausages, are grilled Out ‘doors over hot coals and served up — three-to-a-customer atop a slab of . « dense Graubrot with a smear of ., Sweet Bavarian-style mustard.” - Now [ask you, can you think of a better way to spend Christmas? As I write this, we are in the - . midst of decorating our tree. ’ Tiny twinkle lights, my collection of feathered birds, comhusk dolls ““* from Czechoslovakia collected over the past 30 years, handblown Polish ornaments, teardrop glass balls in ‘amber hues from Germany, delicate , hand-painted glass apples and pears, ’ miniature white Birch bird houses, _. tiny ears of com — everything tied . _ on with strands of natural raffia. And, of course, that angel on top! “ My menu will be a departure — from past Christmas Day feasts. A: nod to my residence in British Columbia, and inspired by Delia Smith’s series on The Knowledge -, Network (Christmas Feast). ~ 983-9330 f We reserve the right to limit quantities. Prices in effect Wed. Dec. 21, to Tues. Dec. 27,1994 | We will be joined around our table by a first-rate Alsatian chef, so my dinner better be first rate! This year will be British all the way. Complete with Christmas crackers (great ones from The Remarkable Dog) and hats. Whiat are we serving? Roast turkey with all the trim- mings. I’m roasting it covered with the saved smokey rind from a 30- pound country ham — a self-baster. Stuffing will be sausage meat, fresh sage, walnuts and apples. And real bread sauce from Delia Smith's Christmas cookbook, along with my own lemon-spiked pan juices. There will be the addition of roasted Chipolata sausages (from Peter Black), my own gingered applesauce (made fast month from my coveted Belle de Boscop apples), fresh cranberry sauce, cranberry- orange relish, and home pickled and spiced crabapples (put up in August). Brussel sprouts topped with crispy breadcrumbs and parmesan, and some 'slow-braised tiny onions glazed with Sherry and lemon. For dessert, my friend Janey’s . famous trifle layered with raspberry, . jam, custard and cream. And, because there will be a Frenchman at our table, there will be a festive .. Biiche de Noél (Yule Log) as well. The freezer is stocked with a bit- * ter chocolate sorbet to serve up with those ported Brandied Cherries I had! ~ all of you make this year. There are lots of fresh Chinese’ mandarins and bowls of seasonal nuts to crack open. German cookies will be every- where, homemade biscotti in tins, and some nice fresh macaroons baked from the recipe in Starbuck's Passion For Coffee cookbook. Did I plan ahead and make a Christmas Pudding? No. I hope someone gives me one. Did J make a_ Christmas Cake? No to that as well: But there is lots of shortbread around, stamped with a pretty this- ~ tle-stamp I treasure. ° So, there you have it —- my Christmas. Slowly the gifts are get- ting wrapped, exchanged, mailed, - delivered and sorted. There are ‘cards’ still to be addressed. Angus is due this week for his ’ Christmas haircut, so that he can look like the beautiful proud Scottie _ that he is. The stockings are being filled : with lots of edible goodies and there | better be a long dark chocolate Toblerone bat in mine!. .. Merry Christmas to you all. May your own feast be filled with good " things to enjoy and share with dear - and loved ones. Happy holidays. - MY FAVORITE CIDER- GLAZED CGUNTRY HAM This has: been the traditional Christmas ham in my family. for as ‘ long as I can remember. There is no. better way of preparing a ham, in my.” TREASURES FROM’ columnist. Edena Sheldon’s Christmases past, when. she lived.in Germany. Her Bavarian: angel. from Garmisch Partenkirchen is. sat: amidst authentic’ sweats like’ Lebkuchen, Pfefferniisse, filled Lebkuchen hearts covered in chocolate, mandarins, seasonal nuts, and Stéllen. ; humble opinion. I recently served it to a dozen of ‘ this city’s finest chefs, in my home, to. rave reviews. Please try it for your’ own holiday meal. Serves 12-16. ’- 1 18-22 Ib, (8-10 kg) whole couniry smoked fully-cooked ham, > rind : on, bonein = ° 2. qts. (1 L) clear apple cider Water ez. Pour in the cider “Ke (25 mL) erainy mustard th tsp. (i mL) each ground allsp vinegar or apple cider - Rinse the ham under ‘co thoroughly. Place .ham -iato\a large stock pot or deep covered roast- id add ‘enough’: Approximately . (12s mL) whole 7 cloves 1c, (250 mL) brown sugar, packed oF _ 4c. (75 mL) maple syrup or honey 1410 Lonsdale Ave. 984-4571 | FRESH. GRADE “A” _ TURKEY ‘Order your fresh Turkeys for. ‘Christmas now. ‘North Shore Quality: Meats will be open: ‘on: » Boxing Day. ;