Savory Crêpe Cake

This is one of my family's Christmas recipes that we only eat that day but that we all die for! Stack of thin crepes layered with homemade mayonnaise and whatever other ingredients you want. For us, that is ham, lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, and other things. 

My Christmas will be spent tomorrow at my father's house. We celebrate the 24th at night, Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena as we call it.

It will include appetizers, a turkey with corn and prune stuffing, quince and mustard sauce, salads, a lemon cheesecake, and apple pudding, the last two made by me. And I will miss this savory crepe cake - not a minor issue - because it's a tradition on my mother's part of the family.

Those recipes are not family ones, except for the turkey, and that is my father's area, that's why I have no Christmas recipe for you.

Though I'm hoping I'll be able to take good pics and post about it in the coming weeks.

 For the last few years, we've been gathering at my uncle's house to celebrate the new year.

Sort of a family potluck, with all of my cousins on my mother's side, a few odd guests invited at the last minute, and that part of my family I never remember clearly, the second or third aunt or cousin who come with their own families, and though I try I hardly ever remember their names; they usually remember mine which is embarrassing.

And of course the familiar food at the table. Since this is the recipe my maternal grandmother used to make, it obviously makes an appearance at the buffet table. A very large table.

It ends up being a big affair, with tables and chairs borrowed from the whole house, because, just like that, without anyone realizing it, forty people end up seating together to celebrate the new year.

I hadn't eaten it in years and was surprised to be craving it as much as I did when I was growing up and this was a once-a-year thing my grandmother made, with familiar flavors that tasted better because of the anticipation. Last year, my cousins made it exactly like the original recipe, with canned devil ham, store-bought mayonnaise, and an awful decoration of red peppers from a jar.

Today my version is jazzed up a bit using homemade mayonnaise, smoked pork tenderloin instead of the canned ham, and adding hearts of palm.

This savory cake is very simple.

Just a few things to take into consideration: since you're spreading mayonnaise on every crepe don't put too much on each, remember to salt every layer, don't overstuff the center of each crepe, and don't press the layers down, that way it will be taller and you will be able to distinguish the different fillings when you cut it.

The final decoration on top is up to you. I don't decorate really, it's not my thing, especially savory things, so I just added some mayo, grated egg, chopped olives, and some chives on top.

This cake can be filled with many other ingredients, depending on your taste, from tuna to roasted red peppers, smoked salmon, etc. 

I'll make it again in a week and take it over to my uncle's house. I hope they find my revised version as good as the old one. I'll be crossing my fingers, just in case.

And as the night closes in, the new year is toasted to, the traditional lucky 12 grapes or raisins are eaten, white is worn with pink underwear, which is something hard to pull off, who knows where that idea started, and all traditions are taken care of, I'll be looking forward to the next time.

I find myself eating the pancake tower, as it's called in my family, chatting away with my cousins as someone is inevitably cornered and told some story again and again by a drunken guest; while we swear next year we'll do something with our friends because it should be more fun than family again.

Just to find ourselves, a few minutes later, vowing to each other to attend the party again next year, all of us, so as not to leave the others prey of the drunken or boring guests.

I always have fun with my cousins, even though I'm the oldest, and I love celebrating New Year.

It's a new year after all. It's important. If the old one was good we have a lot to celebrate; if it was not so good you want to toast to
a better one.

Happy Holidays to everyone, hold your loved ones tight, and enjoy the moment!

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Homemade mayonnaise: barely adapted from Martha Stewart