New Year's Eve 2016

Leah and I stayed in for New Year's Eve this year. We wanted to take it easy so instead of going out to a party or restaurant, we opted to prepared some fancy NYE food for ourselves, which we enjoyed while watching the live Phish stream from Madison Square Garden (a hallowed New Year's tradition). 

Harvest Moon Rippleton Original

As we don't actually drink much champagne, we instead opened a bottle of dry cider from Critz Farm in central NY. 

Caviar

Sterling White American Sturgeon, Blinis, Crème Fraîche

This is my favorite American sturgeon, and always a treat to enjoy with the traditional accompaniments. 

Raw Bar Platter

Whole Chilled Lobster, King Crab Leg, Warm Lemon Butter, Lemon Mayo

You can get whole frozen king crab legs at Fairway or Citarella. They're actually really good. 

Sea Urchin

This Citarella sea urchin is actually not the best. It's dirt-cheap, but it's not remotely comparable to the plump, sweet varieties from Japan or Santa Barbara. 

Caesar Salad

Homemade Dressing, Croutons

Beef Wellington

Puff Pastry, Prosciutto, Mushroom Duxelles, Dijon Mustard, Sea Salt, Red Wine Sauce

The main event and a real labor of love. I followed Gordon Ramsay's recipe, which came out excellently. 

Spiced Pot de Crème

Walnuts, Maple Cream

Leah's wonderful dessert. I love a good pot de crème, and she did a great version here using cinnamon and nutmeg.