I pulled out all the stops for our New Year’s Dinner last year!
I had an urge to cook something special, something out of the ordinary, something that I knew would probably take time, and it did!
I chose to make two restaurant recipes, one from a YouTube presentation (the Prawn Carpaccio) and the other (Venison with Root Vegetables) from a published recipe. Restaurant preparation of both of these would have been a snap in a restaurant as there would have been sous chefs who would have responsibility for making the sides (in quantity) that the recipe called for.
The least time consuming was the preparation and cooking of the venison. The most time consuming were all the sides.
I knew this, it does not take a lot of expertise to make vegetable puré or to segment grapefruit or slice fennel, but when you tackle 3 or 4 different vegetable preparations and 5 or 6 different fresh fruit and vegetable garnishes, it takes time.
I cooked a lot!
So, in the end, it took me two days to make this meal. If you have space, it could take less time, but honestly, it’s wiser to tackle this particular menu over two days,
I prepared most of the cooked sides and fresh fruit and veg garnishes the first day, and then prepared the cooked preparation for New Year’s Eve.
Call me crazy, and maybe I am, but a great dinner calls for great stamina, organization, and in the end, great enjoyment. But, I will think twice before attempting this kind of fare in my condo, large or small, anytime soon.
The Venison was tender and juicy! Venison loin is very lean, and you would think dry and chewy but it was phenomenal. This is totally due to the marinade and the length of time the venison had in the marinade. This is a must. I even kept the marinade and will strain and make sauce espańol from the vegetables. Not today!
The vegetables and their addition to the meal were great. True colors and nice flavors and textures. This is also a must, but truth be told, fewer vegetable sides would be just at good.
I dare you, give this one a try and let me know how it worked out!
Menu
Hors d’Oeuvres
Appetizer
Main
Loin of Venison and Red Wine Sauce
Root Vegetable Puré
Fresh Baby Carrots
Roasted Beet Root
Sauteéd Mushrooms
Dessert
Chocolate Truffles
I did cheat a bit, I used pickled baby beets, which warmed, tasted and looked great, and we had store bought chocolate truffles for dessert. As good as I would make and just the right bite to finish to this great meal.
