New Year's Eve: What are You Eating or Serving?

[TicTac]

With 3 kids under 5, we no longer (and thankfully so) brave the elements nor the crowds but rather have an open house for other friends/families with little ones and celebrate the 'new year' around 8:30 or so! 

 

But that does not mean us adults cannot enjoy some good eats...over the last 5 years I have evolved to simply want to put out a big spread and let people graze at their leisure (I used to do 5-10 course tasting menus which were very involved and did not allow me much time to relax).  This year on the table will be:

 

- Home made smoked mackerel spread

- House cured gravlax

- 'Pinwheels' (rolled and sliced puff pastry variations)

- BlackBird Baking Co Breads

- Selection of cheeses including:  Reblochon, Tomme De Savoie, Grey Owl, St. Agur & a few mini unpasteurized goat cheeses

- Prosciutto di Parma, smoked duck breast

- Seared Foie Gras toasts w Cherry gastrique

- Hearts of Palm salad

- Meyer lemon Ice as a palate cleanser somewhere between all the fat!

 

A few good bottles of wine to accompany and any other items friends bring by.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2017 by TicTac (log)

[Smokeydoke]

I don't know if my menu is egullet-worthy. It's been hectic lately and I haven't been doing any hard-core cooking. But here's the menu for now, just the two of us, in Las Vegas.

 

NYE: appetizers and champagne. This worked well last year. What happens is we're busy during the day, but at night, we'll cook an appetizer, nosh, watch TV, then cook another appetizer, sip some champagne, nosh, rinse, repeat. It's a lot of fun.

 

Appetizers:

Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with Parmesan

Deviled Eggs, I might get fancy and throw some salmon roe on top, mix smoked salmon in another batch, etc...

Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad with Lemon and Anchovies

 

New Year's Day: last year we made pizzas all day long, that was fun, so I'm doing it again this year.

Wolfgang Puck's Clam White Sauce Pizza

Pepperoni and Mushroom

and instead of a third pizza, I think I'll try King Arthur's Cinnamon Star Bread, but fill it with homemade pesto instead. Someone on here gave me the idea but I forgot who. Thank you!

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cinnamon-star-bread-recipe

 

Black Forest Chocolate Cake from Classic German Baking Cookbook.

 

And I'm going all out on cocktails this year, a champagne cocktail for NYE and a triplet of vodka cocktails for New Year's. I haven't decided on the cocktails yet.

 

[robirdstx]

It will be just the two of us - at home. I bought a 3lb. 2 Rib Prime Quality Ribeye Roast that I am going to roast using Kenji’s Perfect Prime Rib Recipe from Serious Eats. Shrimp Cocktails, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus and Chardonnay are also on the menu.

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, robirdstx said:

It will be just the two of us - at home. I bought a 3lb. 2 Rib Prime Quality Ribeye Roast that I am going to roast using Kenji’s Perfect Prime Rib Recipe from Serious Eats. Shrimp Cocktails, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus and Chardonnay are also on the menu.

That's the method I use for our P.R. and it turns out perfect every time.

[robirdstx]

1 minute ago, Shelby said:

That's the method I use for our P.R. and it turns out perfect every time.

 

Good to know! Thank you! My first in almost a decade!

[Shelby]

Just now, robirdstx said:

 

Good to know! Thank you! My first in almost a decade!

The prime rib roast I did on Christmas eve weighed a tad over 2.5 lbs.  and it took 1 and 1/2 hours to get to 120F in the middle --I do it at an oven temp of 200F.  I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for about an hour before putting it in the oven, btw.    We like it rare and I don't have to worry that it's going to lose its rareness when I put it back in at the 500F for 10 mins.  I've rested ours for a good  hour or so before doing the browning step, too, and it works great.

[Alex]

Just Ms Alex and me...

 

NYE

Gulf shrimp cocktail

Carnaroli risotto with sauteed butternut squash (local), parm-reg, and fresh sage

Gruet Grand Rosé 2010

Avocado sorbet

 

NYD brunch

Ratatouille omelet

bacon (local)

toast

coffee

 

NYD dinner

Rancho Gordo Marcella beans in broth with proscuitto, fresh taragon, and parsley (I dislike black-eyed peas)

 

January 2 dinner

Sauteed five-spice chicken livers (local)

Cabbage, apples, and onions (all local) cooked with butter and Riesling

[Katie Meadow]

Two of us at home tomorrow evening: yuzu sake, udon or soba in plain duck broth with choi sum. Blessedly simple. 

[Kim Shook]

We are back spending NYE with old friends after two years of NYE weddings.  We've been celebrating with this couple for about 25 years - since we were broke and had little kids.  In those days, it was cheaper to do it at home and not have to get babysitters!  Now, all our kids are grown, but we still like this way best.  We do 1970's-style "party food" - meatballs (w/ jam and BBQ sauce), hot artichoke dip, pigs in a blanket, Velveeta and salsa dip, Knorr spinach dip, Crab meltaways, etc.  It's fun and junky and really, really good!

Edited December 31, 2017 by Kim Shook (log)

[kayb]

"...fun and junky..."

 

I love it. Meatballs, or Little Smokies, in barbecue sauce with jam are a wonderful thing, as is Knorr's spinach dip. And what's a party without Rotel dip?

 

[liamsaunt]

I'm serving red wine braised short ribs (made them yesterday, they just need to be reheated) with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots.  Since I don't eat red meat I am also making a mushroom wellington.  It's supposed to -8 here by the evening so we are all looking forward to a hot and comforting meal.

[Tri2Cook]

I don't have plans for anything special for New Year's eve, food or activity. New Year's day is going to be the 12 Hours of College Football. Still deciding on some sort of snack to munch on while I bounce between the Peach Bowl and Citrus Bowl (and an occasional Outback Bowl score-check) mid-day. Then it's a pot of chili and jalapeno cheddar cornbread to accompany the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl starts late enough that I probably won't be doing much in the way of eating by that point. Most likely a beer or two tomorrow then water the rest of the time... football is going late and work comes early on Tuesday. Trying to convince myself to make a tiki drink or two tonight to welcome the new year by ending my shame at still not having used the tiki mugs I bought last summer.
 

35 minutes ago, kayb said:

"...fun and junky..."

 

I love it. Meatballs, or Little Smokies, in barbecue sauce with jam are a wonderful thing

 

When I was a youngster, we used to put a jar of mustard and a jar of grape jelly in a crockpot until it melted together then tossed in Little Smokies and let them go on low. That way we could just grab a few whenever we wanted and they were always hot. I've made it a few times with the addition of dried chili flakes or a chopped habanero or two. I've never seen the Little Smokies where I live now and I didn't enjoy it as much when I tried it with meatballs so I haven't had it in many years.

[FauxPas]

Making lasagne here for the two of us and a small group of neighbours. I steam-roasted tomatoes and made the ragu yesterday so will do the assembly and bake them this evening. We'll start with a Caesar salad and shrimp. I made a couple of lemon-lime cheesecakes last night in the Instant Pot and will serve that with a raspberry coulis (with some Grand Marnier). Not the most inventive menu but we haven't made lasagne for awhile and it seemed a popular choice. 

Edited December 31, 2017 by FauxPas
to add forgotten detail (log)

[gulfporter]

NY Day we are having another couple over for a Moroccan chicken dish (recipe from ATK). 

 

Yesterday at the poultry market there were  lamb sausages for sale so we will grill them tonight (just the 2 of us) along with a quinoa pilaf.  No bubbly (neither of us care for it and it's rare and expensive here).  Nice Chilean wines are very reasonable here.

 

We have a new mirador (rooftop area) from which we hope to see the village fireworks.  This is assuming we are awake.  

[Duvel]

17 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Two of us at home tomorrow evening: yuzu sake, udon or soba in plain duck broth with choi sum. Blessedly simple. 

May I join as well ? Pllleeeaaaase ?

[FauxPas]

New Year's Day, I am making the simple Black-Eyed Pea Stew recipe from RanchoGordo.com, using some of their "Super Lucky" Black-Eyed Peas. I think it will be a nice change from the heavier holiday meals. The soup/stew, some good bread, maybe a bit of salad. 

[Kim Shook]

New Year's day will be the same menu as always: leftover Xmas ham, black eyed peas, collards, scalloped tomatoes and cornbread.  I've got a hankering for kielbasa, so I think I'll stop at the store on the way to our friends' house.  I like it grilled with a good char, but with a low of 10F and a high of only 28 tomorrow, they may get broiled!

[IowaDee]

We're having tortilla soup tomorrow.  Going to be another cold day with  wind chill warnings.

Don't care all that much for Hoppin' John so we call this Hoppin;' Juan.

[Norm Matthews]

Our New Years Day dinner is always the same: Collards, black eyed peas and ham hocks or shanks. That is tomorrow.  I skipped that good luck dinner once and broke my leg the next day so I always make it now.  We will have some povitica bread with it which was a tradition on Strawberry Hill in Kansas City where I grew up.  

 

Today we had an early dinner of rib roast, scalloped potatoes with a garlic cream sauce, green beans and from the Cheesecake Factory, a Dulce de Leche Caramel cheesecake.

[Shelby]

Norm, that all looks amazing.  We had prime rib for Christmas eve and I'm already hungry for it again.  And those taters look awesome.

Edited December 31, 2017 by Shelby (log)

[Norm Matthews]

5 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Norm, that all looks amazing.  We had prime rib for Christmas eve and I'm already hungry for it again.  And those taters look awesome.

 

 

Thank you. Those taters were really good. They looked prettier in the recipe picture than mine turned out but they were still good.  The recipe is a keeper. It is posted on the blog listed at the bottom of the post.

Edited December 31, 2017 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, Norm Matthews said:

 

Thank you. Those taters were really good. They looked prettier in the recipe picture than mine turned out but they were still good.  The recipe is a keeper. It is posted on the blog listed at the bottom of the post.

 

Ok, good, I was hoping you had posted it

 

[kayb]

Junk food tonight, as I'm spending it at home with the TV and my grandson (age 5). We will, no doubt, watch Toy Story 3 at least twice. Might bestir myself to make crab dip.

 

Tomorrow, I'll start out with latkes, sour cream and caviar (the el cheapo capelin domestic, but still good). Sometime midafternoon, turnip greens (the one time a year I'll cook them, and force myself to eat some), maybe some red cabbage, and my own take on black-eyed peas -- cooked from dry with a sauteed onion and diced hog jowl, a pint or so of canned tomatoes and a healthy dose of smoked pimenton. Over rice. 

 

And maybe some deviled eggs, with some more caviar. Because it's there.

 

Copious mimosas until 3 or so, then switching over to ... something else.

 

[heidih]

 

Had a 4 hour wonderful potluck brunch this morning. Great conversation and food. I tried to plan so we would not duplicate dishes but it was like "herding cats". Turned out to be a serendipitous combination of flavors. I contributed a tangerine olive oil cake and also a big bowl of just picked tangerines for take-home.

Unplanned feast: above cake, fruit bowl, lox, bacon, poached Asian pears (really nice), mini quiches from Trader Joes and a potato/red pepper/tomato/onion hash. 

[Porthos]

Sous Vide ribeye,  3 1/4 hours at 131. I will chop up and carmelize an onion and add a can of Ranch Style Beans to it. I know that Ranch Style Beans aren't home made but they are a favorite of my DW and mine. Probably will end up serving fruit of some ilk. There will a Hendrick's gin and tonic a little later. I will will open a red for dinner.

 

27 minutes ago, kayb said:

Junk food tonight, as I'm spending it at home with the TV and my grandson (age 5). We will, no doubt, watch Toy Story 3 at least twice

 

I'm a mean grandpa. I won't let my 3 3/4 y/o grandson watch any given movie twice in the same day. I will do something like Toy Story, TS2 and TS3 in the same day. And now that he and his parents have moved out I need to get my own copy of Hotel Transylvania.

Edited December 31, 2017 by Porthos (log)