Feeling festive this year? You're not alone! With so many of us staying in for the holidays, we've begun to channel our creativity into the food and small gatherings we can plan.Elegant dishes and (small) extravagant holiday parties are giving us a reason to dress up and get excited for the year ahead. If you're searching for the perfect way to plan an elegant New Years' Eve dinner menu, check out the tips and recipes below. After making just one or two of these tasty dinners, you won't ever want to eat casually again!
Make It Dazzle
When it comes to New Year's Eve dinners, you'll want the dish you create to be just as celebratory as the holiday on hand. Ringing in the new year with an indulgent and easy-to-make meal is the perfect way to boost your guest's energy. Whether you're throwing an intimate gathering or large event, amp things up with this dazzling pesto shakshuka dinner recipe.
Pesto Shakshuka
This Pesto Shakshuka dish is a favorite here at Bob's Red Mill. It looks gorgeous and is easy to make. Traditional shakshuka is a dish that features baked eggs in a tomato-based sauce. Found commonly in Mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine, it's quickly gained popularity around the world. Serve this dish alongside brown rice, buttered sourdough or enjoy it on its own. This elegant dinner can also be made vegan by removing the eggs and cheese and replacing them with grilled tomato and avocado.
Make Your Beverage a Part of the Meal
You'll want to choose something just as extravagant as the meal you are serving when it comes to beverages. Because drinks are often enjoyed before, during and after dinner, they work to set the tone for the entire night. This being so, to make your elegant dinner a success, provide guests with a few different beverage options.
Carob Chia Seed Bubble Tea
For an elegant dinner at the mill, we love starting the night with a festive drink like this Carob Chia Seed Bubble Tea. Sweet and full of good-for-you ingredients, it's the ideal drink to impress your dinner guests with.
Make It Extravagant in All Ways
An extravagant dinner looks just as great as it tastes. When choosing from dinner recipes to add to your New Year's Eve menu, be sure to choose one that will look extravagant when placed on the table. While plating and garnishing skills will come in handy when making a dish look great, what's important is the ingredients it's made with. Rich colors and bold textures make for an exciting dish that's enjoyable to look at and eat.That being said, don't choose a meal that's too complicated. If you're new to baking or haven't spent much time in the kitchen, then we'd recommend steering clear of recipes that require advanced techniques like braiding, dough starters and double boiling.
Eggplant Tart with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
If you're working with novice cooking skills and want to make something extravagant, then this Eggplant Tart with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese is the dish for you. Moist, flavorful, cheesy and loaded with roasted veggies, it features rich colors and flavors that make it a one of a kind meal. While this recipe doesn't require special baking skills, it does need to be thoroughly mixed until a soft dough forms. Once the dough has formed, be sure to wrap it and let it chill for at least thirty minutes.
Choose a Dinner That Matches the Theme
When celebrating New Year's Eve, all party details must follow a theme, even the dinner. If you're hoping to prepare an extravagant dinner for guests, it's best to add additional elegant details to the gathering as well. Whether you ask guests to dress up or decorate the event space accordingly, making sure that the meal flows seamlessly with the surroundings will significantly elevate the dining experience.
Gluten Free Prosciutto Fig and Goat Cheese Tartine
Following a French theme? If so, this recipe is exactly what you need to complete your extravagant New Years dinner. As intricate as this Gluten Free Prosciutto Fig and Goat Cheese Tartine may look (and sound), it's quite easy to make! A tartine is essentially a French, opened faced sandwich. So, if you've built a sandwich before, you can create this dish. Using a gluten free mix, the chewy cracker-like crust of the tartine perfectly complements all of the fresh toppings. Excellent when served at the main course, it can be customized with the toppings of your choice to better suit you and guests' taste preferences.
Include Elegant Appetizers
While everyone is waiting for the dinner cooking up in the kitchen, make sure they have something to snack on until it's ready. Hungry guests are not fun to be around, and if guests arrive with an empty stomach, they'll likely grow impatient as time goes on. Make sure your gathering accounts for all hungry guests by providing them with delicious and elegant New Years Eve Appetizers.
Serve Separate Courses
Want to create a dining experience like that of a fancy restaurant? If so, then don't serve your dinner all at once. Instead of making one elegant meal, choose a few elegant dishes to serve as separate courses. Doing so will ensure that all party-goers feel like the guest of honor.To help you out, here's an example of an extravagant three-course meal we'd serve on New Year's Eve.
Course 1: Starter
Market Greens with Millet
Start your meal off right with a nutrient-packed plate of Market Greens with Millet. A refreshing starter, this dish is created with fresh greens and millet to serve as a flavorful and nutritious start to your meal. A fantastic accompaniment to any holiday dish, it's a recipe that you'll find yourself making time and time again.
Course 2: Entree
Easy Cassoulet
Keep the flavors flowing by surprising guests with this Easy Cassoulet. An expensive-looking meal, this recipe serves as the cheater version of the classic French dish and leaves out the time-consuming duck confit. This means that you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with those you love. Packed with a rich and hearty flavor, it's sure to be a crowd favorite.
Course 3: Dessert
Apple Cranberry and Walnut Galette
Just when you thought this New Year's Eve meal couldn't get better, it's time to top it off with a delicious Apple Cranberry and Walnut Galette. The warm flavors of apple cranberry and walnut pair perfectly in this recipe. Serve cold, at room temperature, or warm and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly sweet treat.Note: if you find yourself loving the taste of this galette dough, use the same dough recipe for an easy-to-make pie crust.
Provide Options
If you're making food for a small group, you'll want to provide a couple of different meal options. Everyone's taste buds are different, and while one individual may prefer starting their dinner off with something savory, another might crave a more refreshing dish. Allowing guests to choose between starters or side dishes will ensure that everyone enjoys what they eat.
Don't Skip Dessert
Now that we've talked about the importance of a three-course meal, we must talk about dessert. At Bob's Red Mill, we love dessert. A great dessert recipe can quickly satisfy sweet cravings while also providing closure to the perfect meal. To really wow your guests this New Years' Eve, opt for a dessert recipe that's just as extravagant as the main course. While an extravagant dessert recipe might sound hard to accomplish, when following the right recipe, it's easy!For a dessert that will have everyone raving about your gathering, make our Apple Pecan Cake recipe.
Apple Pecan Cake
If you haven't guessed by now, here at Bob's Red Mill, we are huge fans of a great dessert recipe, and this Irish Apple Pecan Cake is one of our favorites. Made with a mix of crunchy pecans and tart apples, it's baked into a lightly sweetened, tender cake that will send your taste buds into pure bliss. The cake starts with a biscuit like dough pressed into the bottom of the pan and filled with chopped apples and cinnamon. Milk is then whisked into the remaining dough, and the light batter is poured across the top of the filling. Baked with a decadent fan of apples across the top, it's sure to be love at first bite.Before throwing this year's New Year's Eve dinner, we encourage you to take a look at the recipes on this list. From an eggplant tart to an easy cassoulet, the extravagant meals in this article are sure to help make your gathering a success. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, Happy New Year!Have a decadent dinner recipe you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you. Let us know what you'll be eating this New Year's Eve in the comments below!