New Year's Eve Bash

By Food & Wine
Updated December 20, 2018
If you're gearing up to host a New Year's Eve bash, we've got just the menu. From small bites like luxe scallops with potato pancakes and caviar sauce to a more hearty skirt steak with paprika butter, these are the perfect recipes. And don't forget the booze -- we've got options for a Platinum Sparkle, Punch Parker and more.
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Scallops with Potato Pancakes and Caviar Sauce

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Vinny Dotolo found inspiration for this elegant dish by thinking about New Year’s Eve classics. Both Champagne and caviar flavor the butter sauce that he spoons over seared scallops set on mini potato pancakes.

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Black Pepper-Raspberry Sorbet with Prosecco

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Chef James Holmes topped raw oysters with this sweet-savory sorbet before deciding it would make an excellent cocktail with Prosecco. A good-quality, store-bought raspberry sorbet is a fine shortcut.

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Platinum Sparkle

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For parties, Kathy Casey premixes the first four ingredients in large batches (3 parts vodka to 1 part each liqueur, Lillet and lemon juice). When she’s ready to pour, she fills a shaker with ice and 3 ounces of the mixture, shakes, strains into a glass and tops with Champagne.

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Lemongrass Shrimp on Toast

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For his elegant hors d’oeuvres, Zang Toi marinates shrimp in a spicy coconut-milk mixture, then serves them on toast squares moistened with a little crème fraîche.

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Oysters Rocafella

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“We created this dish as an homage to Jay-Z. He inspires us,” says Mario Carbone about the rapper and cofounder of the Roc-A-Fella record label. “The original dish was named for John D. Rockefeller. He was money back then, and to us, Jay-Z is money in New York City now.” Carbone tops the oysters with a tangy vinegar-shallot mignonette, plus a Champagne-infused foam and frozen Champagne grapes.

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Creamed Mussels on the Half Shell

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Fried Baby Artichokes

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This recipe is based on a preparation that originated in Rome’s Jewish ghetto. Frying brings out the artichokes’ sweetness.

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Roasted Beet Toasts with Horseradish Cream

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Traci des Jardins creates a gorgeous cold-weather hors d’oeuvre with roasted beets, horseradish cream and rye toast.

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Gargantuan Gougères

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These golden French cheese puffs are made with grated Gruyère cheese and the mild Basque pepper Piment d’Espelette. Almost twice the size of ordinary gougères, they’re a bit like crispy, cheesy, slightly spicy popovers.

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Punch Parker

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Allen Katz, mixologist at the Shanty and a partner in New York Distilling, uses his own Dorothy Parker gin to make this fruity punch.

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Tartare Delmonico with Béarnaise Sauce

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For their unconventional tartare, Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone quickly sear beef before finely chopping it. As an homage to Delmonico’s, they use the Delmonico steak cut—the eye of the rib eye. “If you get a good steak at a place like Delmonico’s, chances are you’re having béarnaise with it,” says Torrisi. “And if you get tartare, it should have an egg yolk in there. We mixed up those two ideas.”

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Ricotta-Stuffed Arancini

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Arancini means “little oranges,” referring to the golden color of these fried rice balls and to their usual round shape. A popular Italian snack, arancini are often filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. These are filled with fresh ricotta and a hint of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter

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“I love skirt steak because it’s just fatty enough, and it cooks quickly, which is great for dinner parties,” says Vinny Dotolo. He serves the steak thinly sliced, with a lightly smoky, tangy paprika butter.

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Mini Herb Frittatas with Smoked Salmon

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Holiday Make-Ahead Tip: The frittatas can be baked up to 3 hours ahead.

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Figgy-Orange Cocktail

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Slow-Braised Osso Buco

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Osso buco translates as “hole in the bone,” referring to the delectable marrow in the center of the veal shank bone. This Lombardian specialty is ideal for entertaining because the flavor of the dish only improves if it’s made in advance.

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New Year's Day Black-Eyed Peas

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Ryan Hardy serves these hearty peas with garlic-rubbed toasts and garnishes them with generous amounts of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Green-Tea Fortune Cookies

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Joanne Chang likes having fun with the fortunes she puts inside these large cookies, like “Give the chef a big kiss.” Shaping the tuiles while they’re hot can be tricky, so consider using cotton gloves.

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Coconut Crème Caramel

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Coconut milk enriches and flavors this custard. Zang Toi suggests using fragrant pandan juice (from the palm-like pandan tree) instead of vanilla for a more Malaysian flavor.

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Cartellata Cookies

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These crisp, deep-fried spiral sweets are traditionally made at Christmas by bakers and home cooks alike. The cookies are usually drizzled with honey, but for parties simply sprinkle them with lemon zest and cinnamon sugar.

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