New Years
Blini with Sour Cream and Caviar
You can also serve blini topped with salmon roe.
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr
Prosciutto and Gruyère Pastry Pinwheels
The perfect appetizer with Champagne.
Seared Scallop Salad with Haricots Verts and Truffle Oil
This is lovely paired with Champagne.
Cosmopolitan Champagne Cocktail
We thought we would update the popular Cosmopolitan by substituting Champagne for the usual lemon vodka. We garnished the drinks with skewers of sugar-coated fresh cranberries (thawed frozen ones will work just fine, too).
Cheese Canapes
This recipe was created to accompany other canapés: Shrimp Canapés, Pickled Herring Canapés and Smoked Mackerel Canapés.
New Year's Morning Omelet
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Oysters Rockefeller
Oysters Rockefeller were created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore of Antoine's in New Orleans to make use of local shellfish and greens. Named for John D. Rockefeller, this classic course is likewise quite rich.
Filet Mignon with Truffled Mushroom Ragoût
This dish — rosy steaks smothered in mushrooms fragrant with a drizzle of truffle oil — is positively swoon-worthy. What to drink: A good Merlot, such as the 1999 Wente Crane Ridge Reserve.
Herbed Game Hens with Radicchio and Truffle Oil
At the Fifth Floor, this is prepared with quail. Game hens make an easy-to-find substitute.
Hoppin' John (Black-Eyed Peas with Kielbasa)
There has been much debate over the strange name of this rice and bean combination. One theory suggests that "Hoppin' John" is a corruption of pois à pigeon, French for pigeon peas, with which the dish was originally made in the French colonies of the Caribbean, where it was likely created.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Caviar
Place mother-of-pearl caviar spoons in the crème fraîche and caviar bowls for spooning the toppings onto the potatoes. What to drink: Three-Olive Martinis and brut rosé Champagne.
Potato Galette with Wild Mushrooms
Crisp rounds of potato are layered with wild mushrooms in this hearty dish. Prepare both galettes in the morning, then reheat them after the turkey comes out of the oven.
Cracked Pepper Focaccia with Truffle Oil
Truffle oil adds an earthy nuance, but using olive oil will also result in a delicious bread.