Happy New Year

With the holidays and year end consuming my time, the blog had to fall by the way side. However, now that the festivities are over, I can resume. That isn't to say that I didn't eat some great meals in December:

I spent another week in Nashville on work and attended numerous holiday themed parties While the food at all of them was delightful, very little of it was culinarily adventurous. I must admit though, that I sampled my first deep fried turkey last month, and it was amazing. I ate almost half of the carcass as it was crispy, crunchy golden brown and delicious. I also went home to Minneapolis for Christmas. As could be expected, I cooked quite a bit. For the Christmas Eve party, I dolloped tablespoons of Parmesan cheese onto parchment paper and baked them at 375 until they puddled and hardened to create crisps. I topped these with a seared beef tenderloin and a puree of parsley, onion, roasted garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. A delicious appetizer. 

Another gustatory escapade was my famed cioppino. Onions and garlic were sauteed in butter. Once browned, I evacuated them and added chopped shrimp (tails off) and scallops and seared them until just shy of being cooked. The onions and garlic were reintroduced with diced stewed tomatoes, dry white wine, chicken stock, clams, and mussels. Lid on, they cooked until all the shellfish opened up. Served with toasted bread and garlic butter. perfection.

I spent New Year's Eve in Hartford with friends. My drink of choice was my concoction of "tropical New Year," consisting of coconut rum, whipped cream vodka, tequila, blue curacao, and freshly cut pineapple and orange. This was left to macerate for about six hours and poured either as a martini, or topped with Sprite/Fresca for a mixed drink.

Unlike many people whose resolutions revolve around working out more and eating healthier, I resolved to continue my creation and consumption of the best and tastiest food I can find. With that in mind, a New Years Day Panini and Bellini party seemed apropos. Everyone brought a filling for the cut loaves provided by the host. Everything from roast beef, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, a variety of cheeses, and even kimchee was available to put between bread and press to toasted perfection. My favorite creation was actually a dessert sandwich made with apple, brie, bacon, dried cranberries, and a balsamic glaze on a wheat-berry bread. Of course, the prosecco and sparkling wine flowed freely. Tail of the dog? Only because its another holiday.

Happy New Year all and good eating in 2015.