BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS

One big tradition in my Batak family is preparing lavish meals on special days like Christmas.  My siblings and I would look forward to special dinner where plenty good food was served. Ayam semur (chicken cooked in rich variety of spices), rendang (beef chunk in deep spicy creamy coconut milk), soup, kakap asam manis, sayur urap (mixed vegetables with coconut) and the must have and also my favourite, the bistik (meatloaf). I remember when I was a kid, I always liked watching my mother preparing all those meals. I liked asking questions and I was so happy when my mother involved me helping in the kitchen. As I grew older, my mother only supervised. I took charge in the kitchen even to bake cake and cookies. When family or friends liked my cake and cookies, I would be very happy. All that hard work and long hours working in front of the stove was paid off. I think that’s the beginning where my skill came from. I love cooking! I enjoy making nice food and meals.

But it was another whole different story when I had my first Christmas half way around the world with my husband’s parents and family. I was astonished with their Southern tradition as I like to call it. Little did I know that my first Christmas among his family would make me fall even deeper in love with food. Christmas is the most special celebration and everybody was busy. As the big day approached, we enjoyed cutting down our first Christmas tree, shopping for presents but most of all preparing for the upcoming Christmas feast.

Finally, the big day arrived.  The table was full of wonderful Christmas favourites presented every Christmas. Some were certainly new to my taste. But I tell you, I think I liked them all. Freshly juicy baked ham. Stuffed turkey. Chicken with bread crumbs. Sweet potato casserole.  Potato salad. Mashed potato. Deviled eggs. Green Beans. Cranberry sauce.  And more. All were prepared with care, with best ingredients and certain techniques that had been mastered so perfectly and passed on from one generation to the next. I knew right in there that I needed to learn to make each one of them. But anyway it was so much food and it took a couple days to finish it all. 

Most importantly, it formed a lasting memory in my mind of food that was prepared with the utmost care and attention.  Food that has highly been appreciated and has become family tradition. Food that was prepared with more than skill and culinary expertise but with love and dedication, the type of food I wanted to make.

That is the vision and mission of King’s Arthur Table.  Our hope and desire is that we can serve you confections that are more than technically delicious.  We want you to taste the love, dedication and care we put into every sweet that we produce.  I may have had to return to Indonesia after that Christmas but that Christmas is still a part of me and everything we do here at King Arthur’s Table.

Oh!  I forgot to mention my Mother in Law’s fudge and tasty moist lemon pound cake!  I brought them back from America too.  Only available at King Arthur’s Table!