Christmas Eve Menu + Table.

My boyfriend and I hosted Christmas Eve at my house this year; it was so much fun. I was really happy with how everything turned out and wanted to put up a post with what we served (and, of course–my favorite part!) how I set the table. Hosting dinners and family gatherings like this brings me a lot of joy. From planning the menu to planning the table . . . it’s something I find really fun when I have the time to really menu plan, spend the day in the kitchen, and put in the effort!

Christmas Eve Menu + Table.

Many of you know this )if you’ve read here for a while), but we are a family of foodies. My parents ran a restaurant on Cape Cod for over forty years. I wrote about my restaurant-kid days on Substack, but my dad was the head chef, and my mom ran the front of the house. I always knew I didn’t want to run a restaurant of my own (it is so much work with no days off!), but I’m realizing now that a love of entertaining is in my blood. Family dinners are for me, a chance to learn something new and to do my best to try and impress my family. (My dad is a tough crowd, lol!) This year, I wanted to serve crab legs as a special treat. And caviar, of course.

PS – This page has an archive of entertaining posts. It’s fun to look back over past dinners and see how I mix things up every time. I really invest in my special china and serving pieces and aim to make the table look different every time.

Appetizers Menu:

• King Crab Legs + clarified butter
• Caviar (I splurged on Petrossian this go ’round), Blinis, Creme Fraiche, + potato skins
• Foie Gras, crackers, mini toasts, cheese crisps, soppressata
• My dad’s gravlax (he so generously let me share the recipe; it is AMAZING!)

As it turns out, cooking crab legs is super easy. I used two lbs. which felt like a perfect snack for 7 people. I used kitchen shears to cut them to fill a baking dish. In the baking dish, I added lemon slices (I sliced up one big lemon) and white wine (enough to cover the bottom of the dish). Cover the dish (tightly!) in tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. So easy and delicious. My bf cracked them ahead of time for easy access.

Marbled green plates came from Ark Elements last year, Silverware egg + tray are Christofle (very splurgy, very amazing), and my caviar service came from Houses & Parties. It’s an older set, but this one is pretty much identical! The silver bowls and dishes are a mix of family pieces and pieces I’ve bought at antique shops and Etsy.

Dinner was simple: my dad made a roast, and I did twice baked potatoes + asparagus.

For the twice-baked potatoes, there is no real recipe (these are something my mom always made for special dinners and she taught me!), but I’ll try!

• Bake the potatoes for an hour at 400 degrees.
• Let them cool for 30 minutes, and then (very carefully!), slice the top third of the potato off and scoop all of the potatoes out of the skins. Be careful not to break the skins.
• Mash potato insides with sour cream, butter, a little heavy cream, salt, and sour cream. I just do it to taste/texture until they are the perfect flavor and nice and creamy. Also, I cheat and use the Kitchenaid for this step.
• Stuff the potatoes back into their skins with mashed potato mixture.
• Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, until the tops are golden and a little bit crispy.

PS – I took the potato tops and pan-fried them; they were great as a crispy treat with the caviar. No potato waste allowed!

Elements of my table:

• Rose Room Verdure Tapestry Tablecloth
• Ginori Dinner Plates
• Amazon Napkins (I rarely splurge on napkins as they get so dirty. These have a fancy feel thanks to the hemstitch, but they aren’t $$).
• West Elm Jingle Bell Napkin Rings (on clearance; grab a set for next year!)
• Tortoise Flatware (mine is old, this Sabre set is similar and on sale)
• Table lamps bought on Instagram via @haydenpaints (you can DM them, that’s how I bought mine!)
• Glass candlesticks from Reflections Copenhagen (Anthropologie does something very similar at a better price point), Snakes are from Target (the best find from their Halloween collection but now sold out!) Burlwood votives. The super tall taper candles came from Wentworth (the best little store in my neighborhood).
• Chartreuse water glasses, Juliska wine glasses.

my grandfather’s eggnog in a silver cup from LouLou La Dune

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