New Year’s Eve Party: Recipes
Christmas is over, but the holidays are still rolling on, as New Year’s Eve approaches. We connected with local mom Perienne Sadler of Cove Fine Foods, to create a menu for a fabulous party. Step things up a notch, and get ready to write up your shopping list, as we share Perienne’s recipes with you. In our next article, we’ll pull it all together for a glamourous New Year’s Eve celebration. It’s time for mom to let loose a little, as we ring in 2012!
New Year’s Eve Party, Part One: The Recipes
Pimms and Ginger
It wouldn’t be a New Year’s Eve party without cocktails!
Ingredients:
1 Bottle Pimms No. 1
1 Case Canada Dry ginger ale
2 Big juicy oranges – cut into wedges
2 Big juicy lemons – cut into wedges
Ice
Instructions:
- Fill glasses three quarters full with ice cubes.
- Fill up halfway with Pimms.
- Fill up almost to the top with ginger ale.
- Squeeze an orange wedge and lemon wedge into the drink and put wedges in.
- Stir and enjoy!
Glazed Bone-in Ham
Turkey is so last weekend.
Ingredients:
1 Bone-in natural ham
Maple syrup
Dijon mustard
Brown sugar
Sea salt
Pepper
Chicken stock
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Hams come in many forms – any will work, but my preference is a fresh, all natural, bone in ham. They come cured, partially cooked, or fresh. The cured hams are ready to eat, but improve drastically with a little love. Partially cooked hams need to be roasted to temperature, and fresh hams have to be cooked all the way. Most bone-in hams are sold with the outer skin removed. If your ham still has it on, don’t be intimidated – cut off the outer skin using a sharp knife. Trim the fat layer down to an even thickness all over, and score all over in a diamond pattern. The quality of the ham is vital – call us at Cove Fine Foods (778.340.1919) and we can order a Sloping Hills all natural bone-in ham for you. They’re raised naturally in Qualicum Beach.
In a bowl combine a heaping dollop of Dijon mustard with a handful of brown sugar. Thin out with a generous drizzle of maple syrup. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place your bone in ham in a roasting pan with a cover. Generously rub the Dijon mix over the scored ham. Pour enough stock in the bottom of the pan to just cover the bottom. Cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Cook for an hour to an hour and a half or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Baste occasionally. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes prior to serving.
Place rested ham on a cutting board, slice off a few slices, serve with warm potato rolls, mustards, aioli’s, and/or any pickled vegetable for crunch and saltiness!
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
What’s a New Year’s Eve party without dessert?
Ingredients:
1 Large container of the biggest, reddest, juiciest strawberries you can find
1–2 lbs Callebaut dark chocolate, chips or pieces
Fresh mint sprigs – optional
Instructions:
Using Callebaut dark chocolate is vital – it is the only chocolate that I ever recommend using for this dessert. Trust me on this one. Superstore carries it in their bulk section, and Gourmet Warehouse carries it in their baking section.
Wash strawberries and allow to dry completely. Place a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to the side.
Place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pot with simmering water in it, and stir slowly to evenly melt all of the chocolate. When tempering chocolate, be careful to ensure any of the moisture from the steam or water doesn’t make its way into the chocolate. This can cause your chocolate to sieze up.
When the chocolate has melted evenly, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the double boiler. Carefully holding each strawberry by the green tops, dip into the melted chocolate and rotate to coat evenly leaving a section of red strawberry exposed on the presentation side for a pretty look. Place each strawberry on the lined cookie sheet, presentation side up. Dip all strawberries in the chocolate and place on the cookie sheet to dry. Place in the fridge to set the chocolate. Remove from fridge when completely hardened, and place on a nice platter before serving.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
This can be done the day before the party, reducing your stress level considerably.
Up next? We put the recipes together and throw a glamourous New Year’s Eve party!
Perienne Sadler is the owner, chef, and operator of Cove Fine Foods, a high end casual gourmet café, bakery, and catering company in Deep Cove, North Vancouver. She has a one year old little girl. She lives a life filled with beautiful food, family, friends, and experiences while being a mom – which always comes first and foremost. You can also find her at Cove Fine Foods on Facebook.
