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New Year's Eve Party Ideas

Karla Turner/flickr

You've got a week to get ready, so let's cracking on a first class New Year's Eve party menu. This is when you want to get in touch with your "Inner Pellegrino" and let it all hang out. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School has put together some ideas for folks to try.

Caviar is perhaps the quintessential New Year's Eve treat. Al loves to whip up a batch of blinis and top them with a dollop of sour cream and caviar.  Jerry goes ultra-simple with cut out rounds of plain white bread, glazed with a touch of butter and sprinkled with caviar.

Remember, true Russian caviar is very expensive, but the less pricey substitutes like white fish roe, are a decent substitute.  But these days Jerry thinks it is easiest to buy caviar on the internet. 

Here is Jerry's take on an all-American classic.  Pigs in a Blanket - for these I like to get a larger all beef hot dog and some crescent roll dough. I cut the hot dog into 2 inch pieces and wrap a 1 inch wide piece of crescent dough around it. Place the with the seam side down on a greased baking dish and roast them at 350 degrees F until the dough is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool and serve with some fun gourmet mustard or cheese dip. 

A "Mad Men" era classic was the wedge salad.  This recipe deconstructs it and puts it on a stick. "Wedge Salad on a Stick":  skewer a bit sized chunk of iceberg lettuce, a couple pieces of cooked bacon, a morsel of red onion, a piece of diced avocado, and a couple cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle a blue cheese dressing on it and you're good to go.

An inspiration from France is the "Steak Frites Bite." For this you grill a thin piece of seasoned flank steak, which you cut into narrow strips.  Make a big batch of chunky ranch fries, well seasoned with salt and pepper.  Simply wrap a long strip of flank steak around a fry and secure with a toothpick.  Serve with your favorite steak -or pommes frites- sauce.

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
Executive Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant is fascinated by food and wine, and the way they work in harmony on the palate. His understanding of the two goes all the way to the molecular level, drawing on his advanced education in molecular biology. His cuisine is simple and surprising, pairing unexpected ingredients together to work with Corks' extensive wine offerings.