Story by Chef John D. Folse and Michaela D. York, recipe by Chef John D. Folse, photography by Jim Bathie, food styling by Kathleen Kanen, styling by Maghan Armstrong.
Le réveillon (the awakening), the morning feast following midnight Mass on Christmas or New Year’s Eve, is an age-old custom inherited by Louisiana Creoles from their European ancestors. Réveillon was a time of family reunion and thanksgiving, which began early in the evening with family members converging on households for hours of conversation. Around 11 p.m., church bells began to ring, inviting families to stroll through the French Quarter to St. Louis Cathedral for Christmas Mass. A man might miss any service during the year, but he would be certain to join his family for midnight Mass at Christmas.
Christmas Eve was recognized as a day of fasting and abstinence by most Catholics. By the end of midnight Mass, the Creoles were hungry and ready to celebrate with a réveillon feast. Family members returning from church were greeted with an elaborate meal of daube glacé, chicken and oyster gumbo, salmis or game pies, egg dishes, sweetbreads, soups and soufflés, grillades, grits, hominy, homemade breads, crystallized fruits, fruitcake, and lavishdesserts such as croquembouche. Wine, brandy, eggnog, and New Orleans coffee always graced the Creole table, emulating what might have been found on the tables of France during that same hour.
In rural south Louisiana, le réveillon was celebrated in more humble circumstances. Folks gathered at the house of the family matriarch or patriarch to walk the levee lit with bonfires to celebrate midnight Mass. Many believed that the bonfire tradition was inherited from French and German ancestors long past. Every December 24, the bonfire tradition reemerges as children await the arrival of Papa Noël. While there are many riches on the holiday table, perhaps one of the most unique is Venison Rossini, complete with foie gras and black truffles.
On Louisiana’s Northshore in Bush, you’ll find Backwater Foie Gras Company, a small-scale farm producing duck and foie gras. backwaterfoiegras.com
Chef John D. Folse is an entrepreneur with interests ranging from restaurant development to food manufacturing, catering to culinary education. Similar recipes can be found in After the Hunt (Chef John Folse & Company), coauthored by Michaela D. York.
