This New Years Eve there were only four of us for dinner at our apartment. This is the first New Years Eve that my husband and I haven't had to work on the floor in a restaurant. Like many New Yorkers, this night is not our favorite holiday and we tend to stay home or go out to a low-key evening.
One of my guests works in a wine shop and recently did a thorough cleaning of his kitchen to unearth an obscene amount of wine where most of us would store the potatoes or spices!
We started off with magnum of Pol Roger, Extra Cuvee de Reserve Champagne with some west coast oysters, classic and simple. The appetizer with a Maine rock shrimp and red snapper combo paired with a Joseph Drouhin 'Moutonne' Grand Cru, 1989 Chablis. Fantastic to have an aged Chablis, something that you don't often see around in a restaurant or shop.
We cooked 2 ducks at low temperature for 5 hours until they were brown and crispy, and made a chanterelle mushroom risotto. Our first thought, of course, would be red Burgundy with the duck and mushrooms. We opened and decanted a Domaine Ponsot 'Cuvee Vieille Vignes' Clos de la Roche, 1997. The fruit was a pure, beautiful black cherry, powerful just smooth and lush, but way too fruit forward for the earthy ducks, better with Duck a l'Orange or with spiced cherry compote.
Our treat for the night was a 1989 Cheval Blanc, St-Emilion, that we had also decanted in the beginning of the evening. This was perfect with both the duck and the mushrooms, dense, complex with dark fruit, coffee, smoky notes and an incredible velvety mouthfeel. It cut right thru both the crisp earthy duck and the rich creamy risotto. For dessert I made a poached pear almond tart and we opened a Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes 1997, that already had notes of poached pear and spice in the flavors of the wine.
A fantastic way to ring in the New Year, and to follow by a diet and the gym on the 2nd of January!
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