Tuesday, December 29, 2009

New Year's Eve Dinner Party with Close Friends

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People have such high expectations of New Year's Eve that it is hardly ever possible to meet them.  For that reason, I never go out on that night.  Instead, I have close friends over to my house for a nice dinner with lots of champagne and good wines.  To me, that's a sure winner since I am cooking the meal and I can always count on Veuve Cliquot and a good Bordeaux to see me through.  I learned long ago that a good time can never be planned...it just happens.

When I was much, much younger, my husband and I would either go sailing in the Caribbean or spend the night with close friends in Vermont where we rented a ski house. Those were the best New Year's I've ever had.  Later in life, when I became a party of one, it was much easier to count on a good evening if I hosted the dinner and didn't have to wait around to be asked to a party.  I knew how to cook...I collected great wines! You can't imagine how popular I soon became for, after all, nobody ever wants to host a New Years Party.

For some reason, to me, New Year's Eve is Duck A L'Orange and Chocolate Mousse.  Last year, Chestnut Soup was added to the list of must haves and just recently, I found a recipe for Brussel Sprouts from Marc Bittman that really complements the rest of the meal.  A 1990 Chateau Margaux accompanied the meal the last time we had it, but any Margaux should do the trick.  If friends volunteer to bring something, make it a good Champagne and serve it with cocktails.  Make sure you save some for midnight!

The wonderful thing about this menu is that it is versatile enough for a more formal dinner or a casual affair in the country or on the slopes...but definitely not on a sailboat!


New Year's Eve Menu

Gougeres

Pate de Foie Gras With Toast Points

Veuve Cliquot Champagne

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Some of the recipes are already in the blog.  Others will come early in the week


Photo: My New Year's Table 2000

Note:  Silverware should never be placed on top of a napkin!  On this evening the napkin was on top of the plate service but I rearranged like this so I could show the service plates in the photo.

1 comment:

  1. That's a lovely menu and well-thought out pairing. Am I invited? :)

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

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