To set and elegant table for New Year's Day, lets get rid of all the Christmas decorations and start with a fresh palette of white or delicate hues of creams. Add a crisp white tablecloth with a runner in a creamy tone. Roll white napkins and secure with a silver napkin ring (love the vintage ones.) Place white plates, silver flatware and crystal stemware on the table. Add a white or silver vintage vase or bowl full of white tulips and greenery or other white flowers your florist might have available.
For the buffet; place small pans, bowls, etc., on the buffet table and drape crisp white tablecloths over the these. You will place your serving dishes on top of these to create a high/low effect. Add various shaped mirrors as this looks amazing too.
I like to serve a large platter of mini bagels, lox, softened cream cheese (place in a pretty silver or crystal bowl) small bowl of capers, thinly sliced red onion, and thinly sliced ruby red tomatoes. A fresh platter of vegetable's with a delicious dip(s) is nice too.
Serve pitchers of fresh orange juice, tomato juice, or grapefruit juice as well as brunch cocktails, if desired (see recipes below.)
Wishing you a very blessed and happy New Years 2012. I hope you enjoy the recipes listed below.
New Year's Day Mimosas
4 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
4 Tbl. grenadine
2 (750 milliliter) bottle of Champagne chilled (get a good quality)
Stir together orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine. Pour equal parts of juice mixture and Champagne into flutes.
Bloody Mary's (in a pitcher)
1 (46 oz.) V8 juice, chilled
1 Tbl. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbl. fresh lime juice
1 Tbl. Tabasco
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup vodka, chilled
crisp celery sticks
In a large pitcher, combine all ingredients except celery, mix and pour into glasses with ice. Add celery sticks.
Truffles and Scrambled Eggs (how decadent)
12 eggs in their shells
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cleaned medium fresh black truffle
salt and freshly ground
Fresh parsley, chopped
Place eggs in their shells in a large bowl with the black truffle. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours to let the truffles fragrance permeate the eggs.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add cream and whisk season with salt and pepper. Grate the truffle on large holes on box grater (save 2 Tbl. to side) and stir the rest into eggs. In a large saute pan add butter or olive oil and eggs, gently stir with a rubber spatula just until set (so they are still soft and creamy.) Remove to platter or chafing dish and garnish with extra truffles. Sprinkle on some fresh chopped parsley.
Note: if you don't care for truffles try some of these additions to your eggs; sauteed spinach, sauteed onions, cooked ham, sausage, bacon, various types of cheeses, lox, smoked salmon, scallions, cream cheese, artichoke hearts, sauteed mushrooms, salsa, chopped tomatoes, caviar (use to sprinkle on top), herbs, peppers, or sauteed zucchini just to name a few items.
Delicious Hash Browns
7 large russet baking potatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
oil
Wash potatoes and place in 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or until fork tender. Cool slightly and place in frig until morning. Remove potatoes and shred in largest holes of box grater or place in food processor and shred. On a large griddle or in a large saute pan, add some oil and heat up. Add potatoes in batches, season with salt and pepper and let cook until crispy on bottom, turn over and move them around with wooden spoon, let get brown. Do not flatten. Remove to platter or chafing dish, add more oil and more potatoes continue cooking until all potatoes are done.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes, crushed
1 1/2 Tbl. fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp. Coleman's dry mustard
2 lbs. ground pork
3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
dash of nutmeg
oil
In a spice ginger, grind bay leaf and chili flakes to a fine powder, add fresh sage, dry mustard, and nutmeg, pulse to combine. In a large bowl, add ground pork with spice mixture, salt and pepper, Mix with your hands until all are combined. Form the patties and make a small depression in the center of each patty with your thumb. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Heat a little oil in a large saute pan and add patties, cooking until browned and done. Remove to paper towels to absorb and oil. Place on serving platter or chafing dish.
Banana Pancakes
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 Tbl. baking powder
1 Tbl. sugar
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 large very ripe bananas
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 Tbl. creme de banana liqueur
4 Tbl. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place sifted flour, baking powder and sugar into large bowl. Add pecans and set aside. Mash the bananas with a fork until lumpy. Whisk in egg, buttermilk, liqueur and 2 Tbl. of butter, then add flour mixture whisking until combined. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.
In large skillet or on a griddle, add butter and heat. Make small pancakes, cooking until bubbles form on tops of cake, then turn and continue cooking. Place finished pancakes on large platter with a clean kitchen towel over them. Repeat cooking until all cakes are cooked. Place in chafing dish or platter. Serve with warm pure maple syrup.
Overnight Easy French Toast
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbl. light corn syrup
2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thickness (spritz with fresh lemon juice)
ground cinnamon
apple pie spice
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbl. pure vanilla extract
9 slices of good quality white bread, cut about 1-inch thick
Pecans, chopped
Pure maple syrup (warmed)
In a saucepan, add butter, brown sugar and corn syrup, cooking about 7 minutes. Pour into a 13x9 baking dish and arrange apples on top, sprinkle with cinnamon and apple pie spice. In a bowl; mix eggs, half and half, whipping cream and vanilla. Drop bread slices into mixture for 1 minute allowing bread to soak up mixture. Place bread over apples in pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
My Favorite Bacon/Cheddar/Chive Biscuits
7 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbl. baking powder
1 Tbl. sugar
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 lb. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup half and half
dash of Tabasco
7 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbl. fresh chives, snipped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saute pan, add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add butter to the mixture and with your fingers work together until flour mixture has pea-size pieces.
In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, Tabasco and half and half. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture, add cheese, bacon and chives, stir mixture until ingredients are combined. If flour mixture is too dry, add 1 Tbl. more buttermilk at a time. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out into 2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet. Arrange biscuits so they touch. Re-roll scraps and cut out more until all dough is used. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack, then place in large basket or bowl with white napkins and cover. Serve with butter and I also like pepper jam on them or ham salad (see recipe below.)
Ham Salad
2 lbs. fully cooked boneless ham (we like Black Forest Ham) cut into chunks
1/4 cup each; dill and sweet relish or finely chop up bread and butter pickles, gherkins or dill pickles
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbl. celery seeds
6 scallions, minced including green part
1 1/2 tsp. honey mustard
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
5 hard cooked eggs, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
In batches add ham to food processor and coarsely grind, scraping down sides as you go. Place ham in large bowl, add other ingredients, stir and taste adjusting seasonings. Refrigerate covered until service. Place in crystal serving bowl and add extra chopped parsley. If keeping ham out for awhile, place crystal serving bowl, inside another bowl full of crushed ice.
Festive Fruit Compote
2 cups frozen cranberries
4 Anjou pears, cut into 1/2 inch wedges (remove cores)
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 1/2 inch strips orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 large red grapefruit
Combine cranberries, water, orange zest, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon to saucepan. Bring to boil, add pears and reduce heat to medium low. Cook stirring until cranberries and pears are tender about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cover, refrigerate about 2 hours. For grapefruit; with a sharp paring knife, remove all skin and white pith from grapefruit. Working over a bowl, cut the grapefruit segments and add segments and juice of grapefruit to the cranberry mixture. Serve in a pretty silver or crystal bowl.
Pound Cake
12 oz. butter, soft
2 Tbl. plus 3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk, room temp
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tube pan with butter. Add 2 Tbl. of flour and coat pan, removing excess. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine milk, almond, lemon and vanilla extracts. In bowl of mixer with paddle, cream butter until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, scraping down bowl and beat abut 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time beating and scraping down bowl. Reduce to low and add flour mixture alternating with milk, beginning with flour. Scrape down sides of bowl. Place batter into pan and tap on counter. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until done and lightly golden brown. Let cool in pan on rack for 1/2 hour. Invert cake onto rack and let cool before slicing. Serve with Black Cherry Sherbet (see recipe below)
Black Cherry Sherbet
5 cups pitted dark sweet cherries (you can use frozen)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup Champagne
2 tsp. lemon zest, finely chopped
In a blender combine cherries and 1 cup of water. Cover and process until pureed. Strain cherry mixture through sieve, discarding pulp. In a bowl combine strained cherry mixture, remaining water, sugar, Champagne and lemon zest, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Cover and freeze about 4 hours or until almost firm. Break frozen mixture into chunks. Place chunks into a chilled large bowl and beat on medium until smooth, but not melted. Return to the cold pan, cover and freeze 8 hours or until sorbet if firm.
Bon Appetit
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up
with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired,
they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
