After the typical whirlwind holiday race to the finish, decompressing never seems more satisfying. Being of Italian American descent, Christmas Eve in my family is a tradition marked by a lavish party. We do the mainly Italian American tradition of the seven fishes that evening, with my two sisters and mother all working feverishly to top the party from the year before. Outside on the patio sit cases of beer, cases of champagne and on the bar inside, sit premium liquors and mixers..all that rival the best of any upscale drinking establishment.
For this years Christmas Day brunch, I made a platter of smoked Nova Scotia salmon and cream cheese on cocktail rye with all the favorite accoutrements…capote capers, caper berries, olives, pepperoncini, fresh sliced cucumber, tomato, and this time, some crunchy spicy radishes sprinkled with a little sea salt. As we sat around sipping glasses of champagne and opening our presents, I mused that the the hectic pace of pre-holiday chaos, makes moments like this…sooo worth it.
