Red, White and Blue Celebration Cake
By ROSALIE HARRINGTON
Eight-year-old Nick was exasperated. “I told you we should have voted for Rubio,” he said, as we considered the possibility of a Trump presidency.
It was election night last week, and we were celebrating — not for one of the candidates; we were celebrating the idea of free elections, the right to choose and vote for whomever we wish.
I set the table in red, white and blue and wrote a note to be the centerpiece: “What is your wish for our future?” Nick wished for “Hillary not to be president.” Ethan, 11, wished “for Trump — because of the Supreme Court.”
Their distracted mom wished for “a trip to New York with all of us.” I was too busy cooking the lobsters, the centerpiece of our celebration dinner, to share my opinion.
Our grandsons love any reason to celebrate. It’s in their blood, I like to think — though it may just be that they’ve been conditioned to know that a celebration means there will be an opportunity to put more sugar into their blood.
But Italians celebrate the first peas in the spring or the wine or olive harvest — they even celebrate the joys of lard — and I am as eager for the boys to share this cultural attribute as I am for them to share my excitement about eventually going into the voting booth.
Every single Saints Day is a reason for Italians to celebrate; my favorite is the Feast of Saint Joseph, which is celebrated with cream puffs filled with the most- delicious pastry cream. Years ago, Aunt Olympia – at age 90 – taught me and students in one of my cooking classes how to make the delicious treats. So, why shouldn’t I think that this is something that’s in my grandsons’ DNA?
Even though they didn’t experience these relatives firsthand, I like to imagine that the spirit and joyous approach to living of their ancestors flows through them. It’s great to use celebrations as a teaching opportunity, I believe, and for election night I decided to help the boys understand that not every country on the planet has a system that allows citizens a say in the selection of leaders. So, why not show our appreciation for this privilege in an upbeat way?
My daughter Danielle – the mother of Ethan and Nick – has boxes in the attic labeled “Christmas,” “Halloween” and “Valentines.” The excitement for the boys and their mom, is in decorating their house. They start planning weeks in advance of the coming holiday. There are paintings and cut-outs hanging everywhere, and there are lights. They won $300 for the best decorated house over the Fourth of July two summers in a row. Last winter, their house had four Christmas trees, two of which the boys cut down with their parents. They are from the “anything worth doing is worth overdoing” school when it comes to celebrating.
To make things fun for our election-night party, I decided we should have a champagne “Toast to Democracy,” with the boys sipping on sparking cider out of champagne flutes. We also enjoyed ice cream topped with chocolate or strawberry sauce and whipped cream.
Keeping food simple is the key to enjoying celebrations, especially when you have a crowd. Everyone loves a beautiful antipasto. You need only visit the best Italian deli or cheese shop to select luscious olives, cold cuts, melon slices, grapes, marinated mushrooms, grape leaves, chunks of fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. Arrange on a rustic platter beside a basket of assorted breads and breadsticks.
Potato pancakes, too, are easy to make in advance; kids as well as adults like them a lot. Bowls with sour cream, chopped chives and applesauce are delicious accompaniments. Caviar is exciting for a special occasion. Kids love salsa and tortilla chips. They love drinking from champagne flutes. An endless display of desserts isn’t necessary; a few well-chosen ones will suffice. A punch bowl layered with vanilla pudding, berries and pound cake feeds a lot of people and everyone likes a delicious trifle.
When entertaining a crowd, a buffet is nice. Think about foods that don’t need to be piping hot when eaten and that can sit at room temperature for a while without losing too much of their appeal.
When entertaining a mixed group of adults and children, I think comfort food is the way to go: old-fashioned roast turkey, large or individual chicken potpies, mac ‘n’ cheese with or without lobster is special. And who doesn’t love lasagna with a Bolognese meat sauce or with a béchamel, ricotta or pesto sauce – maybe even one of each.
Our kids love pulled-pork sliders on potato buns, sweet and spicy meatballs, barbecued ribs and lobster — rolls or steamed. Take advantage of shortcuts, so you have the energy to enjoy yourself. It’s good to pick up cakes and cookies at your favorite bakery. An assortment of ice cream is convenient. Board games and movies are great for all ages.
Make it festive, make it fun!
Red, White and Blue Celebration Cake
- Grab a quality bundt cake from your favorite bakery.
- Frost with whipped cream or vanilla frosting.
- Fill the middle with fresh berries.
- Decorate the table with more red, white and blue using paper plates and napkins to create the mood – balloons are fun and colorful, too.
- A pound cake or angel food cake will also allow your creativity to flourish.
- The little frosting tubes in various colors available in the baking section of your supermarket are great for writing a message on your cake. Enjoy the simplicity and ease that these shortcuts provide.