Christmas morning is a ritual here at the Stark’s. One of them is that after all the presents are opened, we proceed to the breakfast nook for our traditional Christmas breakfast which includes Canadian back bacon, toast with homemade jam, scrambled eggs and a tall glass of orange juice or milk. This is a hearty breakfast which is most welcomed after spending a morning working up an appetite opening presents.
The star of the breakfast is the Canadian Back Bacon (chunk peameal bacon) which is simple to prepare. In a bowl you mix 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoons of grainy Dijon mustard. Pour half of this mixture over 1 1/2 pounds of Canadian bacon which should have a cornmeal crust around it already. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Drizzle the rest of the maple syrup and mustard sauce over the bacon and bake for another 30 minutes.
Take it out of the oven, let it settle for 10 minutes and cut to desired thickness. I like to have an bit of extra maple syrup and mustard sauce on the side to adorn my slices of bacon on the plate…it is like what gravy is to turkey dinners.
The way the table is set is also a tradition. In the middle is a wooden carousel that spins around when all four little candles are lit. The plates are the special mistletoe plates that are set out especially for Christmas breakfast.
It’s a wonderful way to start Christmas day. And to finish the breakfast…a quick dip into the Santa Claus cookie jar for some homemade shortbread cookies.
