Well, it was a fabulous food night as we said good-bye to the past year and hello! to the new.
The menu, in case you missed it on Instagram:
- L’Aperitif: Prosecco with Canapes – Pork and Chicken Liver Mousse with Truffles on Toasts, with Cornichons and Dabs on Onion, Bacon, Maple Jam
- L’entrée: Roasted Chestnuts with Rosemary, Honey, and Sage
- Main Course: Roast Duck and Saffron Scented Rice
- Salad: Baked Pears and Fennel with Crumbled Blue Cheese
- Cheese Course: Gorgonzola Dolce Cheese with Rye Bread
- Dessert Course: Lemon Pots
- Digestif: Orange Coffee Liquor
A Tradition: Whoever Decides on the Menu, Draws the Menu
L’Aperitif: Prosecco with Canapes – Pork and Chicken Liver Mousse
with Truffles on Toasts, with Cornichons and Dabs on Onion, Bacon, Maple Jam
L’entrée: Roasted Chestnuts with Rosemary, Honey, and Sage
The Centerpiece! Roasted Duck Stuffed with Orange Wedges, Garlic Cloves, Celery
Main Course: Roast Duck and Saffron Scented Rice
(WOW – the rice was amazing!)
Salad Course: Baked Pears and Fennel, with Crumbled Blue Cheese
Cheese Course: Gorgonzola Dolce Cheese with Rye Bread
Dessert Course: Lemon Pots
Digestif: Orange Coffee Liquor
It was a very good night. 🙂
We topped off the festivities for two with a champagne toast as midnight, of course. It’s a tradition for us to buy a bottle of lovely Chardonnay Champagne from Hunt Country Wines (Finger Lakes Wine). Chin- chin!
So, here are some notes on the feast, with a links to to the rice recipe.
The chestnuts were very good, but not something I would do from scratch again. Peeling them – I enlisted Mr. Gordon’s help – was a royal pain. Still, they had a lovely flavor and were a nice “palate prep” for the roasted duck and the saffron rice.
The Saffron Scented Rice – huge hit! I would make this again and again. This would be excellent with chicken. Here is the recipe on the Maple Leaf Farms website (this is the brand of duck we purchased for roasting): Saffron Scented Rice.
The Baked Pear and Fennel Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles – This one is from my favorite French food home cook, Laura Calder. The easy-peasy recipe can be found in:
(affiliate link)
Basically, you peel and quarter two pears, slice up a fennel bulb, dab on some butter, drizzle olive oil across all, salt, pepper, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes (actually, you could probably get away with 35 minutes). I skipped the walnuts she recommends, but added the blue cheese crumbles after baking. The result? Glorious! Give this one a try!
The Orange Coffee Liquor – details and recipe link for this drink here – was not supposed to be ready until about January 13. I decided 31 days was enough “marinating.”
New Year’s Day
We will be cooking our traditional Pork, Kielbasa, and Sauer Kraut dinner. This year, however, I am foregoing the slow cooker. We bought an InstaPot (I’m sure I’ll blog about that sometime!) and I’m thinking of experimenting with that.
New Year’s Resolutions?
None! Ha! Seriously, I just don’t do them any more.
Word for 2020?
Hmm, I wasn’t going to pick one… but since I got a new camera from Santa Gordon this past Christmas, my word for 2020 is:
Plus, I think we ALL could use in 2020:
- Clearer Vision
- To (En)Vision a Better Everything
- Vision(s) and Dreams To Inspire Us, To Keep Us Going
- And finally, a True Vision
Don’t you think?
Here’s to a happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful 2020 for all of us!
This all looks so perfectly beautiful and delicious! Thank you for sharing the photos, descriptions, reviews and recipes.
Thanks so much, Cindy! And thanks for always sharing a wine recommendation when I’ve asked – you are my go-to wine lady! 😀 Happy New Year!
It was a very quiet New Year’s eve in which I dozed off and on until about 11:15. I forgot to get the small bottle of champagne we usual do a toast with. So we compromised and just had snacks and said goodnight about 12:30. I did fix the pork chops, kielbasa and sauerkraut for our dinner with mashed potatoes and rolls today, for “good luck” as we always would say. So here’s to a healthy happy new year in 2020 and may all our troubles be little ones and all our blessings be many! Happy New Year!
We love the quiet New Year’s Eves, Mom! We did a champagne toast at midnight – I had to wake Mr. Gordon from his nap – and were also in bed by 12:30am. Too late up for us early birds! And of course, the next day we did the traditional pork, kraut, and kielbasa. This means good luck in 2020, yes? Happy New Year!
What a lovely evening in! The menu sounds wonderful. The Mister made us steaks, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. I don’t even think we had dessert. And I certainly didn’t make it til midnight! Happy New Year you two crazy love birds!
I would have happily gone to sleep before midnight, Kristin, but Mr. Gordon voted to wait for midnight – then fell asleep on the living room floor! I woke him before 12 so he could have the champagne ready.
Steak, masked potatoes, and Brussels sprouts sound AWESOME to me. Do you do any “traditional” foods on New Year’s Day “for luck”?
hehe! I love that he fell asleep and it was his idea! We don’t do anything traditional for new years. When I’m home in TN my Mom fixes a traditional meal. She actually fixes it every year but I’m rarely in TN for holidays.