What do people in St. Louis traditionally eat on Christmas Eve? —Steph Z., St. Louis
A version of this question often gets asked during the holidays. Previously, I mentioned that there's no national Christmas Eve dish (or dishes) that equate to the traditional Christmas evening feasts (turkey, ham, prime rib, a crown roast, goose, duck, pheasant...) but that over the years, families develop their own traditions. For some, Chinese food is extremely popular, both on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Last year, we heard from several chefs, a few members of SLM's dining team, and one dining editor. This year, we cast out another line.
Lou Rook III, executive chef at Annie Gunn's: "I tend to spoil us early with caviar, lobster, and some killer cheese, but it's hard to beat the good old-fashioned chicken and dumplings that the kids and I make together for dinner."
SLM contributor Iain Shaw, who was born in Scotland: "My wife's family here comes from mostly German heritage. They do a big meal on Christmas Eve, often centered around roasted pork with cherry sauce. Her mom won a recipe contest with that dish, so she always enjoys making it for holidays. Growing up, Christmas Eve wasn't really a big meal. For most people in Scotland, Christmas Day is the bigger celebration. It was only when I was living in Beijing that I realized that Christmas Eve was at least as important, or more important, for some people. Germans there, too, seemed to do most of their celebrating on the 24th. I guess the German influence in St. Louis carries on that tradition."
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SLM contributor Pat Eby: "Christmas Eve at the Eby house started with me and my six younger brothers gathered around the table with our mom and dad eating a pot of my dad’s famous chili soup with oyster crackers. By any standards, Dad’s chili was thin and watery, but so flavorful I still make it when days are cold and snowy. On the side, he served chili dogs, made with a tiny Vienna sausage in the middle of a big hot dog bun, enhanced with a thin line of French’s yellow mustard. He covered all with his chili, drained of its juices, then added a mountain of finely shredded Colby cheese and chopped onions, a home cook’s homage to the famous Cincinnati Skyline cheese coneys. Later in the day, Dad would pop some corn, made in our big dented pan with the tight fitting lid. He also made Jiffy Pop. Several of them. We gathered in the kitchen as the aluminum pans whistled and then whirled into those amazing onion-domed miracles of steaming hot popcorn, buttered and salted. We took the domes and our popcorn bowls into the TV room to enjoy two rare treats – Jiffy Pop and one rather small glass, full of cubes, filled with Pepsi-Cola."
Loryn Nalic, co-owner of Balkan Treat Box: "Our Christmases were always pretty formal at the Pucci house, so Christmas Eve was the party night! The Italian beef for the next day's dinner wafted through the house all night while we noshed on dips, shrimp cocktail, little weenies, and antipasti, and played Charades! We still do this to this day, even though my grandparents have passed and the formal Christmas is a thing of my past. Did I mention the array of cocktails?! I said it was a party, right?"
Gerard Craft, owner of Niche Food Group: "Every year I make braised lamb shank with white truffle potato purée. We also always serve foie gras and caviar—which is probably the only time of year we eat it—finished with a bûche de noel. Then, on Christmas morning, we always make scrambled eggs with the leftover caviar. Also, lots of champagne—pretty much everything Fernand Point ate every day! Those are our recent traditions, but growing up my mom would always make a ridiculous cheese soufflé, which one day I will get the guts to recreate."
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Natasha Kwan, co-owner of Frida's and the forthcoming Diego's Mexican Restaurant: "Unbeknownst to most, I grew up in an entirely Chinese household. During Christmas, we would make special things that were only made once or twice a year. These items were special to me because they weren’t staples, probably because they were very labor-intensive. Our kitchen would become a small factory, with my grandmother and aunts staying up until 2 in the morning getting everything ready. We would have an array of Cantonese items like siopao (steamed buns) or zongzi (also known as “to-ong”), glutinous rice with Chinese sausage, pork, and vegetables wrapped in banana leaves then steamed. For dessert, we would splurge on Chinese custards, sweet buns, and black bean cakes. These days, I’ll occasionally purchase such sweets for Christmas Eve. But this year, since I’ve just taken a trip down memory lane, maybe I’ll make some to-ong, which are still one of the most delicious memories from my childhood."
Kevin Willmann, owner of Farmhaus: "For years, my dad's side of the family would get together on Christmas Eve. My Grandma was a Korte, so much of our butcher needs came from Korte Processing in Highland, IL. Korte's summer sausage was a staple at all of our gatherings, but Christmas was special. It was always the first thing we sought out when we walked in the door. Grandpa obliged by slicing a heaping pile. As the years went by, the family grew and the family fondness for the smoky, salty beef and pork salami-like creation common to many of our region's German butcher shops also grew. One year, about 25 years ago, the family had grown quite large and Grandpa knew he was fighting a losing battle trying to find gifts for everyone, so he gave us all a log of summer sausage of our own! It was an instant hit and the tradition was born. Grandpa and Grandma are no longer with us, but the tradition lives on. I just picked up 14 packs of pre-sliced, vacuum-sealed 1 lb packs to share with my growing family. It's no secret that I love making charcuterie, and I've tried for the better part of ten years to recreate my own version. The ingredients are even listed on both the logs and the pre-sliced packs, but I just haven't quite got it right yet. I guess the tradition is safe... for now."
