Last-minute planning tips for celebrating New Year's Eve at home
by Ellen Fox
"I'm staying at home with my family because I really couldn't care less about being out with strangers," says Diane Smolensky of Carey Smolensky Productions. Though talent booked through her party planning company will be working New Year's Eve events that were arranged up to three years ago, she herself is only planning a little dinner, a little champagne and some board games with the kids. "We're going to have competitions with Monopoly and Clue."
Didja hear that, all you restaurant/bar and nightclub owners? Despite more than a year's worth of hype for your high-priced, end-of-the-millennium bashes (of course, as any chronology geek will remind you, the new millennium officially starts 2001), there's a large contingent of folks—among them overworked caterers—who want to ring in the new year in the privacy and safety of their homes.
You can't beat the benefits of throwing a home-bound party: no cover charge, no closing time, less threat of losing your coat, and—if you recall last year's icy air—no hypothermia while waiting for a cab. Like many in the service industry, Jon Wool, director of catering for Wolfgang Puck Catering and Spago restaurant, will be on the job for the holiday. But while his ideal New Year's Eve would be to "drink champagne and eat popcorn in pajamas while watching an old romantic movie with my family," he's got some tips for those who choose to junk their nightlife plans in favor of an intimate get-together.
"The key to last minute planning is a well-stocked cabinet," says Wool. Olives, capers, pesto, artichokes and pastas are staples, he adds. It may be a bit of a splurge, but a few drizzles from a trusty bottle of truffle oil is the secret ingredient that many chefs use to add gourmet zest to simply prepared foods. "Keep your bar simple—champagne and mineral water or ingredients for martinis or cosmopolitans," he recommends, so you don't have to spend time cleaning a messy blender. For decoration, throw some seasonal greens, fresh holly berries and cloves on your table, or sprinkle a mirror-covered table or tray with coarse salt to create a snow effect.
"People are staying low-key; they don't want anything too complicated," says Margaret Wucki, a catering director at Catering by Michael's, who'd love to be skiing out West for New Year's but will be working a two-day-long house party instead. "A lot of people are opting for cold foods, like wraps, maki rolls or paté displays." And if you must make do with a cheese plate, Wucki says, try a variety, and nix the usual selection of crackers for some heartier slices of French baguettes, sourdough and even black breads.
And speaking of cheese, isn't it time you learned how to bake brie? Robert Nuey, a personal chef and chef cuisinier at the French Consulate, suggests carving out a hole in the top of a round of brie and spooning in some apricot preserves, apples or sun-dried tomato pesto. Fit the top back on, wrap it up in a puff pastry shell (widely available in supermarket freezers), and brush on a little egg mixed with water to give it a burnished color. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. Remove and surround with grapes, fruit, nuts and crackers (or bread). Voila! Nuey's best advice by far is to not feel guilty about relying on stores like Treasure Island: "If I want something easy, I buy a good product that's pre-made," he admits.
True gourmets can try their hand at laying out a "New Beginnings" buffet, as suggested by Gerard McGuiggan at Greg Christian Catering: New Zealand rack of lamb, new vegetables (baby carrots, baby beets, haricot verts), new potatoes and New York cheesecake. But for a do-it-yourself feel, Entertaining Company's Wendy Pashman suggests a Mediterranean kitchen party, where guests can choose from different bowls of pasta (tortellini, penne, farfalle) and top them with a range of sauces, like pesto, tomato basil, spicy puttanesca or roasted vegetable. You can do the same with pots of steaming Asian broth on your stove, letting partygoers add mix-ins like soba noodles, enoki mushrooms, peapods and sauteed shrimp. For cheap, baroque-looking decorations, Pashman makes "gilded fruit" with a bag of produce and a can of silver or gold spray paint. And finally, when in doubt, "Put candles everywhere, even in the fireplace", she advises. And remember, most Treasure Islands are open until 8pm on New Year's Eve. The one in Lakeview plans on closing at 9pm.
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.