NYE 2011

New Years Eve was another chance to have some fun with food. I served up a few favorites, crab cakes, seared tuna, and warm chocolate chip cookies.

Dinner was for eight, so timing was a bit of an issue, but the trick is to prepare. Lay out all the plates and make the cold salads and dressings while the warm items are heating. Then plate the base, here an arugula salad, then top with the warm crab cakes, dressing and garnish. With all the plates set out, it was easy to do each step one after another.



Another great trick for parties is playing with the size of dishes. Shown below is a spicy tomato soup served in shot glasses, topped with an individual grilled shrimp and a splash of cilantro pesto. This also works great for cocktail parties passed, too.