The holiday season is a special gastronomic time of year, as it involves preparing dishes that stand apart from the usual menu. Quebec’s culinary heritage is filled with doughnuts, meat pies, cipailles and tourtières, meatball stews, and sweet desserts that have accompanied us since childhood. Some dishes have been part of family traditions for so long that it’s impossible to trace their origins in the family ritual.
However, in recent years, new culinary realities have entered this gastronomic universe. The rise of food allergies among the population has challenged traditional cooking. When planning holiday menus, many chefs and caterers must now take these important considerations into account.
New dietary practices, which sometimes clash with family traditions, often yield surprising results. Who could have imagined just ten years ago that Grandma’s meatball and pig’s feet stew could be transformed into a lentil and tofu stew? Yet, cooks are full of creativity when adapting vegetarian or even vegan recipes within the framework of a traditional Christmas meal.
Another reality is the influence of traditional cuisines from around the world, brought by people from all backgrounds, enriching our culinary heritage with customs passed down through generations.
Mom, I ruined the turkey!
But some things never change: Midnight Mass, Santa Claus and his reindeer, and of course, holiday-themed cooking shows and Christmas movies! Among the countless films set during the holiday season, the classics stand out: Miracle on 34th Street, the many adaptations of A Christmas Carol (did you know Charles Dickens wrote this Christmas tale in less than two months?), Ciné-Cadeaux reruns, and all the romantic movies sweeter than a triple chocolate Yule log!
What’s on the menu in this holiday cinema? The improbable meeting of two people who should have nothing in common but fall in love, family gatherings where anything can happen, the whimsical adventures of elves or Santa struggling to deliver presents, romance, and good cheer under the mistletoe (after all, it’s the Christmas spirit). Best enjoyed with a hot chocolate!
In these films, there’s also an essential character — food. I cannot overlook a true classic: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, released in 1989 (yes, 30 years ago!). Its French title, Le sapin a des boules, was probably the result of someone having too much eggnog.
Here’s the scene: The Griswold family finally sits down to eat, and Clark Griswold, the good-natured father, is about to carve the turkey. To honor the family’s eldest aunt, he asks her to say grace, and she proceeds by reciting the American Pledge of Allegiance… (we all want an aunt like that in our families!)
Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for arrives: Clark (played by Chevy Chase) prepares to carve the turkey, but horror strikes — the turkey bursts like a dried-out tire.
“It’s just a little dry, it’ll be fine,” Chase calmly replies, while his sister-in-law mourns over her overcooked turkey. A scene to watch after your own holiday dinner if you’re known for extreme turkey cooking!
From the Best to the Worst
Two series are worth adding to your schedule if you love baking or making pastries. Rage de sucre de Noël features semi-professional contestants competing in sweet creations according to a theme set by the judges. Winners take home $10,000! Time to get those spatulas out of the drawer!
If your baking skills tend to result in disasters, check out C’est du gâteau/Noël. You’ll see there’s always someone worse than you in the kitchen! Three amateur contestants must reproduce a dessert created by professionals. Despite their best efforts, many have little to no sense of cooking. At the end, the judges taste the cakes and decide which of the three wins $10,000. Where can you sign up?
On that sweet note, I wish you a Merry Christmas!
