New Years Delayed

We had our New Year’s Eve dinner on the night of the 1^st. It turned out that the fish dinner that we had planned for New Year's Eve wouldn’t work, because Jerry was allergic to fish.

So we decided to serve the entire New Years Dinner a night delayed. We knew that Robert and Darryl were returning from a week in the Midwest and decided to invite Billy / Kevin to join us.

Bad News / Good News. Billy / Kevin having partied a little too much on New Years Eve, sent their regrets (that is the bad news). There was more Caviar and Smoked Salmon for the 4 of us that did eat the delayed dinner (that is definitely the good news).

We made Toast Points from the Bread that I baked and served Smoked Salmon Tartar from a recipe we had found in the Los Angeles Times. This is a great appetizer and easy to make.

We then served the Caviar with Chopped Egg, Onion and Cream Fresh. I read in a book once that the thing that goes best with Caviar is: More Caviar. We had plenty!

At The Cheese Store of Silverlake we had purchase a large black truffle. We made a Pasta then coated the pasta with Truffle Butter and finally topped the pasta with Sliced Truffles. The flavor was intense!

For dessert, we finally cut our Fruit Cake we make every year. I know that fruit cake gets a bad rap, but this one has no dried fruit in it and it is delicious. It is from a from a recipe by Craig Claiborne in the New York Times. We look forward to it every year. For some reason to make it special, we only make it once a year, although you can make it anytime and would love it!

Robert and Darryl regaled us with stories of their family adventure in Milwaukee. They did much cooking, liked the Pizza (isn’t that strange) and hated the hamburgers. I will take heed if we ever venture to Milwaukee.

It was just like New Year's Eve, without the funny hats and noise makers and having to stay up till midnight!

A Truly Terrific Tartar Made of Salmon

CHEF'S SECRETS

June 06, 1991|ROSE DOSTI | TIMES STAFF WRITER

Smoked salmon is the secret of this extraordinary salmon tartar. L'Ermitage executive chef Michel Blanchet purchases fresh Norwegian salmon whole, cures fillets with kosher salt and sugar, then soaks them in oil for 24 hours. Finally he smokes the fillets in a smoker fueled with herbs.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of smoking your own salmon, use a good commercial brand or transform leftover bits and pieces of smoked salmon into a tartar for a spectacular--and easy--party or picnic appetizer.

L'ERMITAGE SALMON TARTAR

9 ounces smoked salmon

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped capers

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons sour cream

Toast points

Chop smoked salmon with sharp knife. In large bowl combine salmon, onion, capers, parsley, lemon juice and sour cream. Mix well. Serve with toast points. Makes 1 1/4 cups, about 6 appetizer servings.

Mary Ann’s Fruitcake

From: Craig Claiborne’s

The New York Times Cookbook

1            pound golden seedless raisins

1            pound pecan meats, broken

3            cups sifted flour

1            teaspoon salt

1            pound butter at room temperature

2            cups sugar

6            eggs, separated

1            teaspoon baking soda

1            tablespoon warm water

1/4            cup Grand Marnier

1. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric beater. Start beating and gradually add the sugar. Cream the mixture well and add the egg yolks one at a time, beating constantly. Blend the soda and water and add it, beating. Beat in the Grand Marnier. Pour this mixture into the nut mixture and blend together with the hands.

2. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them in with the hands. Continue folding until the whites are not apparent.

3. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 2 to 2x/4 hours, or until the cake is puffed above the pan and nicely browned on top. If the cake starts to brown too soon, cover with aluminum foil. Remove the cake from the pan shortly after it is baked. Tapping the bottom of the cake pan with a heavy knife will help loosen it. Store the cake for at least 10 days. If desired, add an occasional touch of Cognac or rum to the cake as it stands. Keep it closely covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Yield: 1 10-inch cake.