Before this week, I didn’t know my friend Margaret was not only a talented academic researcher in poetics, but also a poet. A real one, who can make words work in ways that made a small, interested group in the basement of Unnameable Books smile and clap in true appreciation on Tuesday night.

I convinced Margaret and her friend Joel, who teaches photography at the University of Buffalo, to stay a few extra days, and when the opera was sold out last night, we decided to have a celebratory dinner at my apartment instead. (I will link to pictures of these two lovely people later as those live on other cameras and in other places.)

We began with Long Island Blue Point oysters,

and I worked on my shucking skills to contain all the oyster liquor,

Then: crispy blinis with smoked salmon, local crème fraîche, and salmon roe while cooking leisurely and talking about students, motivation, and art.

I am extraordinarily lucky to know Galen Zamarra, Executive Chef of Mas (farmhouse) in Manhattan, and asked him how to cook fresh slices of foie gras. His answer (was perfect, of course):

in the pan you sear the foie in, fry thinly sliced shallots in fat until crispy. set them aside. then brown some poached pear…deglaze the pear with aged sherry vinegar. Make a sort of vinaigrette w/ foie fat, pear jus and vinegar to dress mache + shallots…make sure the dressing is cooled before you put it on salad or it will wilt.

Frisée was the best choice for underneath, as I was unable to find mache; I’m proud of this dish, and grateful to Chef Galen for the advice.

Then, I seared flank steak (it looked better than the skirt steak) and stirred wilted escarole with garlic into nutty kernels of farro,

and the earthiness of this dish (simplified from this month’s F&W recipe) helped ground us as we prepped for a party invite that had arrived, like the morning snow, as a gift that afternoon.

Rosie and Faris are really delightful and as much fun as Margaret and Joel, so it was good to be all in the same place as we counted down the seconds. I hope to spend more time in 2010 with all four of them.

The other gift of the day was this dress I happened upon in a store a few blocks away; I do think sequins are appropriate for ringing in a decade,

with blue vintage earrings for a blue moon under my vintage hat from the Brooklyn Flea.

Spending today quietly, I’ve been looking at the beautiful tulips Margaret and Joel brought with them along with their creative energy,

and even in its newness, I can feel how important the year ahead will be for all of us…

Related posts:

1. chicharrones, alliums, an opened garden
2. spheres of influence
3. for those summer nights

1. Mica:
   January 1st, 2010 at 8:26 pm

   Beautiful food, photos, and dress! You really know how to ring in the new year with great style and delicious eats. Did you eat hoppin’ jonathan for good luck? I hope 2010 brings kthread more delicious victuals and cultural adventures!

2. Kristen:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 11:44 am

   Thanks, Mica, your NYE evil brownies looked rather decadent in the post and I would have helped put a dent in those–I made Hoppin’ John instead of Jonatha this year (just blogged that). Did you make collards in NoVa? I hope so too, for kthread, and also for a great year of running and cooking on MicaPie!

3. Solanasaurus:
   January 10th, 2010 at 12:26 pm

   SPARKLES!

4. Kristen:
   January 10th, 2010 at 4:06 pm

   Indeed, sparkles. Cannot wait until you return to Brooklyn with Solanasaurusness energy.

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Posted by Kristen Taylor on Friday, January 1st, 2010, 2:22 pm * Filed in brooklyn, Entertaining, flowers, Food, holiday. * Tags: eve, kristen, kthread, new, taylor, year's. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.