KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

All chefs will agree that a good meal is as pleasing to the eye as it

is to the palate. The world’s best cooking schools include classes on

table settings, food presentation, garnishes and napkin folding. Each of

these elements, along with beautifully prepared food, is an important

part of our holiday dining experience. When you set the table, you set

the mood for the meal.

The centerpiece for your table can be simple or elaborate. The

important thing is to have one. A simple version can include tall candles

surrounded by evergreens. Add a few gold and silver balls for more

ornamentation or go all out and bring in white orchids, miniature white

poinsettias and fake snow, and place a small snow globe at each place

setting.

If you’re having a large gathering, name cards can be made out of

glossy holly leaves using a metallic pen and secured in a small pine

cone. Bake sugar cookies in the shape of a snowman and use frosting for

the names, or buy some inexpensive glass ball ornaments and write the

name with a permanent marker.

Set your table a few days ahead of time if you can. That way you will

have time to fill in any gaps. One of my favorite table-setting tricks is

to use folded napkins. It’s an easy way to make a little look like a lot.

Even Louis XIV had a napkin-folding fetish. He gave his pastry chef and

napkin folder the title of officer of the household and gave him a

special uniform to wear. (No, it was not a straight jacket.) The cook

created such elaborate sculptural shapes out of napkins that it was

considered a breach of etiquette for a guest to unfold one of his

creations.

I don’t go quite that far but adding a fancy fold to the table is a

conversation starter. Sailboats, candles and artichoke replicas are all

easy to make and add an extra something to the table. A friend showed me

how to make the “dinner jacket” fold. She added the bow tie with the name

of the event and the date -- it was a sweet keepsake for the kids’ winter

formal party.

Now for the food: You don’t have to be Emeril Lagasse to treat your

family and friends to a beautiful meal. (In fact, no one will know you

didn’t cook if you hide the takeout containers.)

Every family has its own holiday meal that is steeped in tradition,

and though many families pull the turkey pan out of the cupboard twice in

one month, many others use Christmas as an opportunity to connect with

their roots. Over the years, we have seen friends and neighbors celebrate

the season with very nontraditional foods, at least from an American

perspective, and have been treated to some very interesting meals.

Our family is one of the mavericks. We eat chicken curry as our

Christmas meal. This tradition started with my paternal grandparents when

they lived in South Africa for several years. The actual curry sauce and

rice are the least of the meal; the real fun comes with the wide array of

condiments that are offered as toppings. The condiments make the kids

happy, sometimes they forego the curry altogether and just eat the fun

stuff.

My sister-in-law, Tina, is from Finland, and she fixes a sort of

pickled herring and rice dish. For several years, we had a neighbor from

Germany who is a wonderful cook. Sigrid’s Christmas Eve celebration

includes bratwurst, hot potato salad and red cabbage. English friends of

ours prefer a beef Wellington for Christmas, complete with a trifle for

dessert.

As you prepare for your holiday meals, don’t stop with the food. No

matter what your family traditions may be, serving your holiday meal with

flair is a gift in itself.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Saturdays.

FYI

Holiday Tip of the Week

* Keep your centerpiece fresh by changing the water and trimming the

stems on your flowers daily.

* Give your evergreens a mist of water occasionally to help rehydrate

them.

* Let your poinsettias spend the night outside. It will help keep them

fresher longer.

* If your Christmas tree is near a heating duct, close the duct

temporarily to prevent the tree from drying out too quickly.

PO Adding cleverly folded napkins to the table is a nice surprise.

CUTLINE INFORMATION: (holiday tables or napkins--I can’t remember what

Sean wrote down. It’s the dinner jacket napkin.)