Entertaining: Enlivening a Traditional Holiday Dinner

Menu/Recipes

Spicy-Sweet Nutcracker Cones
Christmas Salad: Radicchio, Arugula, and Romaine with Gorgonzola Croutons
Roasted Beef Tenderloin; Maple Balsamic Sauce
Spiced Cranberry Chutney
Caramelized Carrots, Parsnips, and Fennel
Yorkshire Pudding
Butter-Pecan Bread Pudding with Orange-Caramel Sauce

WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY KRISSA ROSSBUND
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER KRUMHARDT AND COLLEEN DUFFLEY

No matter the holiday being celebrated, making changes to an established traditional dinner is not easy. An arsenal of sentiments and time-honored family recipes demands that any alterations or additions seamlessly blend into the anticipated and expected elements of the scheme.

For this seasonal gathering, event planner Rachel Hollis toasts colorful wares from L’Objet’s new Fortuny collection by creating a knockout environment that dazzles with festive jewel tones and gold—staples that anchor conventional holiday ambience.

“It doesn’t take very long for families to become sentimentally attached to holiday traditions,” explains Hollis. “A simple change like a new accent plate can add a different dimension without offending anyone.”

The menu is a modification of winter favorites, including a salad with gorgonzola croutons, beef tenderloin with chutney, roasted root vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and pecan-topped bread pudding.

Moroccan lanterns, a medley of fresh flowers, and elegantly etched crystal happily work together to enhance the table’s luxurious scheme.

SOURCES:
“Maori” salad plate, “Aegean” dinner plate, and pinecone salt-and-pepper shakers; all from L’Objet.
Pewter pinecone from Four Seasons Design Group.

Recipes begin here.