new years eve

We celebrated the new year with old friends-and a new one. Josh, Amy and Madeline (now 7 months old and celebrating her first new year's eve) were in town for the holidays and joined us for dinner and a short night's sleep before heading to the airport early this morning. Our friends Angela and Dustin and their son, Quinten, joined us for the feast, too!

Our last meal of 2007 was a crown roast of pork with pears and kumquats, wild mushroom stuffing, perfect roast potatoes, green beans with carmelized shallots, baked alaska (using chocolate, coffee and Baileys ice cream), and a bottle of Bracetto d'Acqui.

Everything was wonderful and the potatoes really were 'perfect'. Thank you, Angela! We were drawn to this dish because it called for goose fat-which, we soon learned is hard to find and expensive! Olive oil is a great substitute!