The season is always tinged with a bit of nostalgia, remembering gatherings past… with family and friends who are no longer near to us, but will always remain dear to us. The times may change, as they very well do, but looking back is always a pleasure. We look towards the future too, always imagining what is to be next on the far horizon.
I was a child in the 1970’s. Harvest Gold, Rusty Orange and Avocado Green dominated the color palettes of Kitchens and Wall-to-Wall Shag Carpeting. The New Seekers were on the 8-Track in the faux wood-paneled station wagon with their mega-hit “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” which became even more popular when it was used as the centerpiece of several years worth of Coca-Cola holiday advertising campaigns.
The Watergate Plumbers were the scandal du jour, while All in the Family and M*A*S*H ruled the television airwaves, and women were returning to the workforce. On a down note, Hamburger Helper debuted.
The meals were pretty simple then, and United States’s palate had yet to be refined. Yes, major metropolitan areas had the ubiquitous French haute cuisine, a smattering of Americanized Chinese, perhaps a Greek Diner or a German Wursthaus - and everywhere were the fast growing fast-food outlets.
People entertained at home. Dinner Parties were common and often themed with exotic foods, the Dining Room festooned with homemade decorations and "mood music" on the console stereo. My mother gave dinners of Paella (where I dressed as a Basque peasant), Italian Suppers (I got to melt candles over empty Chianti Bottles), and Japanese Yakatori (when gallantly served srhimp on a sword my grandfather bought home from the war). No matter the time of year, or seasonal holiday, my childhood home seemed always to be making plans for a themed gathering of some sort.
At this time of year, the formal living room showcased the fancy Christmas Tree: gold silk thread covered balls (from Jordan Marsh) big red velvet bows that we made ourselves, and little gold lights that looked like miniature candles which clipped individually onto the branches. In the Florida Room (known as the family room in the rest of the U.S.) the family Tree was a different sort all together. We children dominated its design with strung popcorn, fabricated chains of colorful construction paper, school project ornaments from current and previous years, with big hot bulb lights of green, red, white, blue, and orange. The family Tree resembled a true hurricane of childhood frenzy and naive creativity.
Today at Brian Beal Moore Catering, set for a family gathering, this holiday table is reminiscent of those days, with heavy chunky water goblets, glowing brass lanterns, flickering amber votives, and a centerpiece of a tall potted plant, all upon a multi-hued plaid linen that ties it all together. Beneath, twinkling lights enhance a plain cloth with their festive dance.
The menu celebrates the theme even further! Filet Mignon is topped with a Wild Mushroom Reduction set upon the Fluffiest Potatoes the world has ever known. And for dessert? What doesn’t say 1970’s like a New York Cheesecake? Albeit this one is drenched in Chocolate Ganache and sprinkled with Peppermint Powder.
At Brian Beal Moore Catering, our menus and designs are both on-trend and retro, chic… but eclectic. Our events illustrate the mood, the food, and the attitude our clients want to express.
Enjoy the following menu, and be certain to view the accompanying thirty-second video on our website.
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