Taking on "The Crown" for Christmas

Christmas is one of the most special holidays (the best one for me) and therefore it's surrounded with the emotions of tradition, family memories and an eagerness to create the best celebration ever. Each year it only seems to get better, even though the family elements are ever-changing. While honoring the "musts" of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I search for something new and exciting each year.

For the second year in a row, Christmas Day was hosted at our home, affectionately known as Country Hollow, which thrilled me because I could decide on the menu and the decor. It was time to switch out the honey ham that is always served on our yuletide table and surprise the group with something they have never paired with Mema's famous lasagna...a Crown Pork Roast.

The Crown, among some other new recipes, was a welcomed challenge that I needed this year. I wouldn't have it any other way! The menu ideas, ingredients and cooking lesson were all possible due to my friend and colleague, Chef Joe Vergari. I approached him one day and said, "I'm tired of our usual spiral ham with Christmas dinner. I think I want to do a pork loin. What do you think?" Chef excitedly replied, "I've got just the thing for you." I am so thankful for that conversation and the education that followed.

I was given the tools to make an amazing crown pork roast, fresh fruit stuffing, Rosemary roasted red potatoes and carmelized brussels. My grandmother made her famous lasagna, which tops itself each year, while my father contributed a delicious green bean casserole. All of this was paired with Raphael selections of: 2005 Petit Verdot, 2005 La Fontana and finished with a 2007 Port with our Chocolate Trifle dessert (thanks to Mema once again).

Maybe I'm telling all of this backwards but I can't forget our Blue Glacier cocktail that we created with my mixologist uncle, Gregg Lewis. It combined Tommy Bahama rum, simple syrup, Blue Curaco, honey and lemon. The glass was rimmed with honey and coconut. This was the perfect start with a Waldorf Crudite dip that I made with my new food processor along with some specialty cheeses from Love Lane Cheese Shop in Mattituck.

Pictured above is our holiday table. It was warm and cozy with gold flakes and Victorian ornaments inside of various hurricane vases. I chose a cranberry tablecloth this year to pick up the colors of my eclectic Tuscan dish styles. The dining area is small, but all fit comfortably. As personalized place settings, I used a gold oil-based pen and wrote each guests name and the year on an ornament and left it on their plate. This doubled as a favor to commemorate the occasion.

The table, the culinary creations, the atmosphere and most importantly- the company of family and friends has made the 2010 holiday the best one that we've had in a very long time. Thank you to all for making my Christmas. Wishes of happiness and health to you in the New Year. Cheers!