I had a few friends over for a last minute holiday cocktail party. I often like having some sort of theme to my dinner parties to make a consistent menu, decorations and music. (One of my favorites was for the Euro Cup finals in 2008, Spain vs. Germany, as you can imagine.) I was happy to be able to play my records from the Paris flea market alongside the modern French sounds of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Phoenix.
As I am forever in love with France, here is Le Menu from last night:
St. Germain Cocktails
St. Germain, if you have never had the good fortune to partake in, is the nectar of the Gods, made in small handcrafted batches (production is small enough that each bottle is numbered) from the elderflower, hand-picked in the French Alps. It can be added to any cocktail to give it a sweet little "je nes sais quois." Since I was busy cooking, I kept it simple with a St. Germain Champagne Cocktail. For this you can use brut champagne, brut rosé or a dry sparkling wine, like cava or prosecco.
*1/2 parts St. Germain to 1/2 parts champagne.
*Pour the champagne first so the liquor mixes better and then top off with champagne.
*Drop a few pomegranate seeds in the glass for a festive garnish.
If you have ever had a lychee mimosa, that is what St. Germain with champagne tastes like. Heavenly!
Cheese Plate
*Brie and Camembert with fruit and nut bread.
Bacon Wrapped Dates
*Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
*Pit the dates.
*Finely chop dried apricots and stuff with goat cheese inside the dates.
*Cut apple-smoked bacon into thirds and wrap each piece around the dates.
*Spear with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes or until crispy.
*Drain on paper towel before serving.
Asparagus with Toasted Pine Nuts
*Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
*Place asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, pine nuts and a little bit of honey.
*Broil for 10 minutes.
Endive Boats with Micro Greens and Mandarin Oranges
*Fill endive leaves with micro greens or shaved fennel, mandarin oranges and pomegranate seeds.
*Drizzle with basalmic glaze or a mixture of basalmic vinegar and olive oil.
Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding - I wanted to do a souffle, but this was easier given the time constraints.
4 cups (1/2-inch) fresh bread cubes (preferably brioche or challah)
1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh wild mushrooms such as chanterelle, cremini, and oyster, trimmed
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups half-and-half
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
*Pre-heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
*Bake bread cubes in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan until golden-brown, about 10 minutes.
*Cut mushrooms lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
*Cook shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
*Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until liquid mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
*Add parsley and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
*Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
*Stir in mushrooms and bread cubes until coated well and let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb some of egg mixture.
*Butter baking dish, add mixture and bake until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.
Mini Croque Monsieur Croissants - For this I bought pre-formed frozen dough, which you leave out for 9 hours to proof (rise). You could also use pre-made croissants from the bakery.
*Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
*Once croissants have risen, brush with an egg yolk before baking. This gives it a nice glaze.
*Bake for 20-25 minutes.
*Once they have cooled enough to touch, slice them in half and stuff with ham (I used rosemary ham) and gruyere cheese.
*Place back in the oven until, cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
For dessert, I originally wanted to serve canelés, but I ran out of time so I cheated with store-bought Parisienne cookies and a yule log cake or "Bûche de Noël". Bûche de Noël is a traditional dessert served during the Christmas holidays in France, Belgium, Quebec and Lebanon. The traditional bûche is made from a sponge cake, frosted and filled with chocolate buttercream. The one I had was chocolate ganache with bits of shaved chocolate to simulate bark, powdered sugar to resemble snow and mushrooms made of meringue. So rich! Bon appetit!
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