above: Feast your eyes on slices of Opera cake from Patisserie Salzburg. – Photo by Andrea Carson
Ringing in the new year is the best excuse for a posh party. Here are two ways to count down in high class – with dessert and cavier
Dessert Party
Dessert to-dos are a fun and easy way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. DiMare Pastry Shop (dimarepastry.com), the Italian-American Stamford staple, offers mini-pastries, éclairs, cannolis, Napoleons and cream puffs. Even better, they sell cookie decorating kits, complete with a box of shortbread cookies, frosting-filled piping bags and sprinkles. An activity (and a little friendly competition) is a terrific party ice-breaker.
Pastry Chef Jordan River at Aux Délices (auxdelicesfoods.com) in Darien and Riverside, transforms cake and fondant into Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton bags, and Steinway pianos—or anything else on your luxe wishlist. They make an impressive edible centerpiece, surrounded by plates of macarons and platters of fruit.
For a simple, refined option, the Sachertorte is a classic Austrian cake created in 1832, and a best-seller at the Stamford bakery Patisserie Salzburg (patisseriesalzburg.com). The rich, moist chocolate beauty is filled with housemade apricot jam and covered in dark chocolate ganache. Opera Cake, a flourless hazelnut cake with butter cream and chocolate ganache, is another favorite. We’re not done, yet. The Italian pistachio ricotta cheesecake adds a rich, creamy, pale green delight to the table.
To drink, our go-to is a brut or rosé cava. Sparkling wine’s acidity, bubbles and slight sweetness pairs wonderfully with desserts. We rely on Alex Lukiv at Westcott Cove Wine and Spirits (203-890-9222) to guide us through the best bottles.
Caviar Party
Caviar is the ultimate luxury, expensive and rare. Nothing’s more decadent than putting out a 100-gram tin (other than putting out a 500-gram tin) for your very best friends.
Let Jardar Nygaar, owner and founder of Nordic Seafood (nordicfishfairfield.com) and Caviar Luxe (caviarluxe.net), guide you through the types of sustainable caviar, Osetra, Sevruga, Siberian, Sterlet and Bester, their flavor profiles (briney, buttery, umami), and the size, color and texture of the roe. He has partnered with Ukranian Caviar to offer the largest selection in Connecticut.
Setting the spread is easy. Order prepared blini, the small yeast buckwheat pancakes, from Nordic online. Or use a cookie cutter to slice rounds of your favorite bread and bake a tray of them until golden. Set out bowls of crème fraîche, minced egg yolk, egg white, onions, and chives. We like to include hard-boiled quail eggs, cut in half, and boiled small red bliss potatoes. Good-quality potato chips are fun.
Spoons need not be made of mother-of-pearl but know this: They contrast so beautifully with the glistening micro-orbs you might just want to treat yourself.
Sip icy-cold vodka between bites. Its neutral flavor and cold heat cleanses the palate, the better to enjoy the salinity and pop of the caviar. Sparkling wine, a dry white, or a crisp lager work, too.
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