NYCT&LC does NYE for the sixth consecutive year

in the winter of 2002, i had just come home from a semester abroad. i was tired. like, existentially so. even a quiet day in london involved two hours' commute on the tube. most of my friends were five time zones away and my local ones tended to while away evenings chain-smoking hand-rolled cigarettes at the pub.

which is not to say that any of that was a bad thing.
:-)

but the point is, by december of 2002, i was eager to be back in a place where we drive on the right side of the road, where the sun set later than 4pm, where the food was edible at places other than wagamama. my friends and i wanted to have a grand celebration together for the new year. of course, grand ended up involving my parents' pied-a-terre in new york city. grand ended up ad-libbing a paella and having too many martinis and almost missing the new year's fireworks. but there is always a sort of grandeur in the birth of a tradition.

for the past six years, we've managed to spend new year's eve together. it doesn't always go well. people get sick, they get engaged, they break up, they get married, and sometimes, i am ashamed to say, my recipes don't work out the right way. but i always find that the key element is that we spend it together.

this year, that almost didn't happen. maybe it was the ad-hoc nature of the year, but we all looked toward new year's eve with a lackadaisical attitude and tended to assume, without actually planning, that we would be together. funnily enough, this did not get confirmed until this morning. by noon, i decided that i should get around to cooking dinner.

in contrast to earlier years, i decided to make a simple meal--and to clean out my fridge instead of adding to the clutter. from the depths of my freezer, i found 2 duck confit legs, several sausages, and a ham hock. a can of tomatoes turned up in my pantry. i snagged a can of beans at gristede's. my very first cassoulet was born.

my friend camille has been squatting on my couch, so we made the best use of our time and conspired together on the appetizers. camille was in charge of salad, and spend hours researching different flavor combinations and their new year's eve symbolism, settling on pomegranates, blood oranges, walnuts, gruyere and spring greens. for the gentlemen, we got escargot. camille utilized her artistic talents to put together a looker of a cheese plate, and i spent the entire day rolling puff pastry for a twelfth night cake, accompanied by a small batch of madeleines.

four bottles of wine later, i think we can call the evening a success. here's to tradition!

cassoulet
(recipe from January 2008 Martha Stewart Living)

Serves 6.

• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 celery stalk, halved crosswise
• 1 leek, dark-green part only, rinsed well
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces fatback or uncured pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 8 ounces pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 1 whole clove
• 1 medium onion, halved
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 3/4 cups whole peeled tomatoes with juice, chopped (from a 14 1/2-ounce can)
• 2 cups dried navy, Great Northern, or Tarbais beans, soaked in cold water for 12 hours
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 legs duck confit (homemade or store-bought), skinned and separated at the joint
• 8 ounces fresh garlic sausage (see the Guide), cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
• 4 cups coarsely torn fresh bread (preferably from a crusty, rustic loaf)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Bundle parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, celery, and leek to form a bouquet garni, wrapping kitchen twine around the aromatics several times to secure -- which ensures easy retrieval of the ingredients after they've infused the cooking liquid with flavor.
2. Warm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add fatback or pork belly, and cook until it is golden on all sides and has begun to render its fat, about 5 minutes. Add pork shoulder, and cook until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
3. Remove pot from heat. Discard carrot, onion, and bouquet garni. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, reserving liquid, and let cool slightly. Trim meat and gelatin from the bone, dicing and returning them to the pot. Discard the bone.
4. Remove pot from heat. Discard carrot, onion, and bouquet garni. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, reserving liquid, and let cool slightly. Trim meat and gelatin from the bone, dicing and returning them to the pot. Discard the bone.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rub cut side of garlic clove over the entire inner surface of a small (5-quart) Dutch oven or other ovenproof vessel. This allows a subtle though distinct garlic flavor to infuse the resulting cassoulet.
6. Using a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon, place half the bean mixture in the Dutch oven, spreading it evenly. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot.
7. Arrange the duck confit and sausage on top of the beans in the Dutch oven to create a single, snug layer. Spoon the remaining beans over the meat, reserving the cooking liquid.
8. Add enough cooking liquid so the beans are almost, but not quite, submerged. Reserve the remaining liquid. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours. Check the liquid every 30 minutes to make sure it is no more than 1/2 inch below the beans, and add liquid or water as necessary. Do not stir.
9. After the cassoulet has cooked for 2 hours, toss bread and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over cassoulet, and return to oven until beans are tender and bread is golden, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
10. Before serving, let cassoulet stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to cool and to allow the beans to absorb some of the liquid. You can refrigerate cassoulet in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm in an oven heated to 300 degrees.