The Washington Post - USA (2021-12-22)

KLMNO

Food

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22 , 2021. SECTION E EZ EE

BY CAROLINE HATCHETT

Special to The Washington Post

With her Department 56 Christmas village and mistletoe doilies in

place, Lynda Finch spent last Christmas Eve cooking a smorgasbord

for her family to graze on the next day. That night, with green bean

salad, mashed potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, bacon-wrapped hors

d’oeuvres and chile relleno casserole prepped and tucked into the

refrigerator, Finch went to bed and died in her sleep at age 73.

Her obituary, published last January in the Bakersfield Californian,

tells the story, including this detail: “She had... printed a recipe for

Chili Relleno Casserole and set it next to the oven. The last word on

her recipe simply said ‘YUM!’ ”

From March 2020 through October 2021, 430 obituaries referenc-

ing casseroles have been published in American newspapers and on

the online obituary platform Legacy.com. In addition to Finch, there’s

Affie Spivey of Belvidere, N.C., who “rarely missed welcoming a new

baby or consoling a family with a visit and a batch of muffins or a

home-cooked casserole.” There’s also Constance Bradbury of

St. George, Utah, who so enjoyed casserole baking that her family

asked: “In lieu of flowers, and in honor of her, make a casserole for

someone you love or for someone in need.”

From 2019 to 2020, the number of obituaries published on

Legacy.com that referenced casseroles rose by 43 percent. The

country’s heightened death toll certainly contributed to the increase.

Three-quarters of the subjects whose obits mention casseroles were 75

or older, a group that makes up more than half the country’s covid- 19

deaths. But the obituaries also hint at what we lost: shared meals and

the people who cooked them.

SEE CASSEROLES ON E7

The casseroles of beloved souls

Obituaries suggest that the food we share with loved ones is a legacy that can live on after death

DIANA EJAITA FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

RECIPE ON E7 Chile Relleno Casserole

BY JESSIE SHEEHAN

Special to The Washington Post

If there is a dessert more
festive than a Swiss roll, I’ve yet
to be introduced. A Swiss roll —
which also answers to the name
“jelly roll” or “roulade” — is a
rolled sponge cake filled with
either whipped cream, jam or
frosting. Often, it is cloaked in
chocolate ganache, as is the case
here; or if filled with ice cream,
homemade magic shell is also an
option for glazing the roll.
Swiss rolls can be made with
pumpkin, red velvet, vanilla or
any flavored cake, but a choco-
late Swiss roll, filled with
whipped cream, has the added
benefit of looking a little like a
SEE SWISS ROLL ON E6

So much sweetness, rolled into one

LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

BREAKFAST TREAT

Plan well and cranberry

swirl rolls can be a gift

to yourself. E3

DIY

Pomegranate molasses

has one ingredient and

many uses. E4

GRAND DESSERT

A trifle takes some

effort, but has a huge

payoff. E10

MORE AT

WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Simple Butter Paneer E2

Te trazzini E2

Holiday Oat and Quinoa Breakfast

Bake E3

Chat At noon:

live.washingtonpost.com

Christmas lights and Santas and

snowmen and icicles. Next door,

the closest neighbor has used one

spartan strand of white lights to

spell out the word “DITTO” across

the front of their house.

I haven’t even managed that

much.

When my dormant holiday

decor gene comes out, it’s in

punches. In years when we’re

socializing normally and

Thanksgiving tends to kick off a

marathon of work and friend and

SEE SPIRITS ON E10

I have dear friends

who go all out at

the holidays,

turning their home

into a spectacle of

festive lights. I love

to bask in its glow when we visit

and admire their commitment to

bringing good cheer — especially

right now, when we all can use

some. Their spirit warms and

shames me, since somehow I

never seem to get it together to

snag even a premade wreath for

our door. A meme I saw floating

around recently captures our

comparative decor dynamic: It’s a

photo of a house gloriously done

up for the season, splashy with

Spirits

M. CARRIE

ALLAN

For a festive punch of color,

make a festive punch

RECIPE ON E6

Chocolate Orange Swiss Roll With Whipped Cream and Ganache

RECIPE ON E10

Persephone’s Pomegranate

Punch