Holiday season is drawing to a close. Chances are your gifts are purchased, the house is decorated, and your menu is complete. So now its time to turn our attention to the next soiree of the season: New Year’s Eve.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve at home is such a fashionably chic way to ring in 2010. I can think of no better way to kick off a brand new year than by extending gracious hospitality to close friends.
One of my favorite ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve is hosting a cocktail party featuring decadent desserts and delicious drinks. Often, dinner parties on New Year’s drag on a little too long (if you start at 7:00 p.m. with dinner, you have five hours to pass before the stroke of midnight). Starting a bit later and serving dessert and drinks seem just right.
Over the next few days, I’ll share some tips, ideas, and trends for hosting a chic, comfortable New Year’s Eve cocktail party. We’ll cover dessert recipes, drink ideas, decor, and other elements of a New Year’s party friends will be talking about for years to come.
Today we’ll start with some decadent desserts, the cornerstone of the menu:
Cheese platter — for those who may not have a sweet tooth, a cheese platter is a wonderful alternative. Compose your platter with a variety of tastes, textures, and types of cheeses. Include at least one blue, triple cream, and hard cow or sheep’s milk cheese. Locally, Balducci’s and Cowgirl Creamery are two great sources for cheese.
Chocolate candy assortment — Visit a local, artisanal chocolatier in your area and purchase a sampling of classic chocolates to serve on a small tiered platter. My new favorite source for such treats: The Sugar Cube in Alexandria, VA. They offer amazing chocolates by the pound; the hardest part will be choosing which ones to get!
Champagne gelatin with peaches and plums — This grown-up version of jello shots is sure to please.
Champagne gelatin with peaches and plums, via Martha Stewart Living
Tiramisu Eggnog Trifle — maybe it’s the Italian girl in me, but I can never pass on tiramisu. And with a bit of eggnog, this twist on the Italian classic makes it all the more seasonal.
Tiramisu Eggnog Trifle
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series which will focus on noteworthy New Year’s cocktails.
