Le réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre
Monday, January 3, 2011 
Photo credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art / Fotolia
This year we hosted New Year's Eve at our place. It was a small gathering, just us and another couple. It's a tradition in France to enjoy a long dinner -- similar to the practice on Christmas Eve -- before ringing in the new year at midnight.
After cocktails and hors-d'oeuvres, we started the meal with fois gras and a salad. Not very original, I know, but everyone loves to eat fois gras at this time of year in France. Since our friend is pregnant and couldn't eat the fois gras, I had green / black olive tapenades and a red pepper spread on hand as well.
For the main course we served roast pork with prunes and apricots and roasted winter vegetables, including celeriac, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips and shallots.
Next came the cheese course and, once again, I forgot to take a picture of it. We had comté, English cheddar, goat cheese with herbs, Saint Albray and a spread similar to Boursin.
I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't make the dessert myself. I normally do when we have guests, but this year I ran out of time. I bought a Pandoro, a sweet Italian bread similar to brioche and traditionally sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served it with fresh fruit - grapes, figs and clemetines - and a cranberry-orange sauce (the same I make at Thanksgiving).
By the time we finished dessert, it was getting late so we skipped the coffee and tea and instead opened a bottle of champagne and a box of candied chestnuts to ring in the new year properly. Hope everyone had a great time on New Year's Eve -- I wish you all the best in 2011!
Reader Comments (1)
i always enjoy reading your blog. i, myself, celebrated new year's with an Imo's pizza.