New Year’s Eve Tasting Dinner

New Year’s Eve Tasting Dinner

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

I know this post is somewhat delayed but I still wanted to share the dinner menu and recipes for the dishes I served at my New Year’s Eve tasting dinner. Each course was masterly paired with wines selected from my cellar by our friend Chuck.

Cheese Course

Cheese Course

Nine courses, nine people, eighty-one plates, lots of prep and tons of fun piecing it all together.

  1. Smoked Salmon Lollipop
  2. Bruschetta with shaved Parmesan
  3. Roasted Beet Salad with Chevre
  4. Tomato Basil Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  5. Coquilles Saint Jacques
  6. Risotto with Grilled Asparagus
  7. Beef short ribs with Mashed Potatoes
  8. Cheese course
  9. Chocolate Bombe and Dark Chocolate Truffle
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

If the idea of serving a tasting menu at your next dinner party sounds fun, the key to success, in my opinion, if to be as organized as possible. Here’s how I like to do that:

Risotto with Grilled Asparagus

Risotto with Grilled Asparagus

  • Design a menu with all the courses listed. Ensure the accompaniments are also listed.
  • Make a detailed grocery list. Note the name of the dish the ingredients refer back to in parenthesis. For example:  1 bundle of asparagus (risotto), bittersweet chocolate (truffles).
  • Create a prep list detailing what dishes or components can be made or prepped ahead of time. Leave as few things to the last minute as possible.
  • The day of the dinner party, tape your menu along with assembly directions to a wall near your prep area. This will make it easy for you to view what comes next without having to find the piece of paper among the chaos.
  • If at all possible, assign a nearby room as your prep station. This is where your dishes will be stacked, accompaniments stored and, if available, a toaster oven or heating element placed to reheat foods at the last moment.
  • Engage the help of friends! In my case, asking my girlfriends to plate with me and our friend Chuck to pour the wines saved me time and allowed me to focus on the food.
  • Print your menu along with the wines being poured and give a copy to your guests. It’s entertaining and keeps your guests in the loop on what’s coming next.
  • Have fun and sit to eat with your guests!!!