New Year’s Eve Party

Products used:
Confetti Rockets: http://www.shopsweetlulu.com
Also they now have a brick and mortar store at 702 Center Road in Frankfort, IL
Gold Picks: http://www.pickonus.com
Quail Eggs: Diamond Fresh Seafood 583 N. Rand Rd. Lake Zurich IL 847-438-4900

Recipes:

Deviled Truffle Quail Eggs
12 quail eggs
4 chicken egg yolks cooked
21/4 white truffle oil
11/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash salt to taste
Black lumpfish caviar (this is inexpensive caviar perfect for garnish)
chives
12 bread rounds cut out with 2 inch cutter and slightly toasted in the oven.

Simmer the quail eggs for 4 minutes, let cool, peel and slice in half. Mix the yolks with chicken yolks (makes it easier to have a larger quantity when piping into cooked egg white) add salt, truffle oil and Dijon, mix well. Using a small star tip pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white garnish with caviar and chives. Place on top of toasted bread round.

Croque Monsieur Egg Rolls
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. flour
1 cup milk
About 11/2 cups gruyere
salt and white pepper to taste
dash of fresh nutmeg
¾ lb. ham, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard
Wonton skins
Oil for frying

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat, add flour and cook about 1 minute. Add milk to make a roux, bring to a boil, reduce to low and whisk in ¼ cup grated cheese. Add nutmeg and check for salt and white pepper. Let cool.

Lay egg roll wrapper out and cut into 4 equal pieces, place on cutting board like a diamond wet edges with water. Place about 1 Tbls. of béchamel in the center of each wrapper place a square of ham, spread with Dijon and sprinkle about 1 Tbls. cheese then roll; fold point over to almost the other point, press down bring sides in and then roll. Fry rolls a few at a time, turning if necessary for about 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 4 dozen. When ready to serve reheat at 400 degrees for about 6-8 minutes or until hot.

Crab Pot Pies
4 Tbls. butter
4 Tbls. flour
¼ cup finely diced onion
2 tsps. minced garlic
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
Nutmeg; freshly ground about 1/8 tsp.
Dash of white pepper
1 Tbls. brandy
1 cup milk
½ cup cream
¾ cup crab stock or chicken stock
4 oz. lump crap
11/4 cup diced 1” asparagus that has been blanched
Puff pastry rounds for top

Melt butter sauté onions and then garlic and add flour to make a roux, whisk in stock, milk and then cream. Add spices and brandy, mix in asparagus and gently fold in crab. Top with puff pastry round. I cut mine out with a round cutter to fit in my bowl, before baking I used a food marker to make a clock, keeping with the new years theme. Brush puff pastry with egg wash and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden. Makes 4 cups.

Fortune Cookies (classic tuille recipe)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until well combined—you’re not beating in air and the whites shouldn’t be foamy. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the flour and vanilla (or another extract or spice, if using), and whisk to combine; the mixture should be smooth. Refrigerate the batter for at least 4 hours.

Start off by baking only one or two cookies at a time until you get a feel for the timing—they firm up quickly and can only be shaped while they’re soft.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a very flat, level baking sheet or cookie sheet with a nonstick baking mat (or with parchment sprayed liberally with nonstick cooking spray). Spoon a small amount of batter on the baking sheet. Spread as evenly and thinly as possible into a circle the size you want (the size won’t change much during baking). Sprinkle with edible gold.

Bake until the cookie is golden brown all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately start to maneuver a spatula under the edge of the cookie. After 10 seconds or so, it will hold together and can be slid off the sheet with the spatula. To make the fortune cookie, add message to center of the cookie, fold over and place on a glass to form the shape of a fortune cookie. Makes about 4 dozen.

Sources for DIY and Tablescape

Confetti Rockets: http://www.shopsweetlulu.com
Also they now have a brick and mortar store at 702 Center Road in Frankfort, IL
Gold Picks: http://www.pickonus.com
Press for champagne-battery operated doorbell and base are from home depot
Hampton Bay brand (both must be the same in order to work) I painted the push button with black craft paint and clear nail polish to seal. I adhered the pushbutton to the frame using 3 M Velcro so it can be removed when the battery needs to be replaced. Frame-Kohl’s
Used a dollar store frame for the champagne tray, embellished with gold craft paint and put a gold sparkle card stock from Michaels in the tray.
Gold metallic puffy paint used on candlestick holders- Michaels
Champagne glasses with names I used a gold metallic Prang marker that will stay on but will wash of with soap.
Scattered gems and gold flameless candles-Pier One
Gold star ornaments-Crate and Barrel
Faux fur rug-Homegoods
Edible marker and edible gold-Michaels