I made every attempt this year to thoroughly plan out this New Year’s Eve party so that I wouldn’t have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, work at a breakneck pace all day, lose my patience with Cindy several times and apologize profusely later, end up 86ing several of the dishes because I either ruined them in haste or didn’t have time to start or complete them and then invariably after all of this I am still preparing things as guests arrive and in the shower at around 10pm.
This year was going to be different. I had simplified the menu, stuffing it full of recipes I had made in the past, only a couple of experiments this year. I had finished shopping for all but the perishables the week before, leaving just the fresh ingredients and the flowers to be shopped. And to further prepare, I went down to the Flower Mart the week before to preview where and what I would get, checking on their holiday hours several times.
The Days Before
We hit the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and picked up what we couldn’t find there at Whole Foods, Pavilions and a Japanese market on Sawtelle. Won Ton Skins are harder to find than I remember.
What could go wrong?
The Day Of
I woke up at 6 am on New Year’s Eve. I know it’s early but it is a big improvement on 4:30. Checked out the E-vite, again. “Wow, more people than expected, maybe need more Champagne, fine no problem. I’ll get it after I go to the Flower Mart, which as I double/triple check, opens to the public at 8 am. “ I roll up to the Mart at a little after 8. And it is, what the f**k, closed? Oh, Sh*t. Ok fine I see a few of the smaller stores open, I’ll improvise. After buying a substantial amount of flowers to make everything work, not as planned but it can work, I think about what was going to be the center piece of the entry way arrangement. A huge cluster of beautiful barnacles that I had spied in one of the stores that was closed that none of the smaller shops had. Do I forgo this concept as wonderful as it might have been or do I try to find a cluster of barnacles early in the morning on New Year’s Eve?
Two closed aquarium shops, 2 open pet stores, a gift shop, a nursery and the only barnacles I found were fake and about 1/30th the size I needed. And then finally, at an aquarium store that happened to be open I found barnacles. Three smaller groupings were enough to make up the shape of the one I had fallen in love with a week before at the Mart and for half the price. Hurray, except now I was running hours behind schedule.
I got home, unloaded the car and went at it with a fury. I was catching up. I came up with a brilliant and simple idea(so I thought) for an arrangement that I had been struggling with in my mind all day. After hours of struggling with horsetail reeds, plexiglass, goop and floral foam, and losing patience with Cindy, once (and the only time that day/evening) my concept was realized. And I was again, further behind.
Now I was jumping between flower arranging and cooking. But things were going well and because I knew most of the recipes, there weren’t many surprises, except with the coconut battered shrimp popsicles which ended being the sacrifice of the evening. Oh well.
In the end, most everything was finished on time. Cindy was dressed by the time the first guest arrived and I was showered by 9 instead of 10, and much more relaxed and rested along the way.
The Flowers
Note the barnacles
The experiment-I wanted to somehow integrate the hardlines and glass of the coffee table with the arrangement. I think it finally worked. It does make conversing across the table interesting.
The dining room-An marriage of flowers and food
Prosciutto wrapped figs were delights to be plucked and eaten
A bit phallic, I guess, but delicious. A wasabi-edamame puree with tuna sashimi on toasted Won Ton Skins
Putting on the finishing touches. Thank you Tom
The bartender is ready
The Children
The Guests- I'm not labeling everyone, you know who you are
Thanks to everyone who came and shared the passing of 2007 and welcoming of 2008
A special thanks to Michael and Helene for taking pictures and to Cindy and Skye for their patience and love
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