New Years Dinner a Day Late

On New Years Day, I was so tired by the time we got to the end of the day that I just cooked up a simple dinner.  Monday, I was off work and puttered around at a reasonable pace.  I had plenty of energy to make a celebratory dinner.  I cooked all of Brett's favorite things (not that I suffered; I love this stuff too).

We started with a salad made with pears and cranberry goat cheese that Brett found at Bristol Farms.

I sauteed some mushrooms and put the potatoes on to boil.

I assembled my ingredients for the bernaise sauce so everything would be ready to go when the steaks were done.

egg yolks at room temperature, ready to be whisked into a thick base.

A reduction of wine vinegar, wine, and tarragon

Butter.  Lots and lots of butter.

Some of it is chilled and some of it is soft.

After whisking the egg yolks and then adding the vinegar/wine reduction, I cooked it ever so slowly and carefully, whisking constantly and adding butter.  It turns me into a sweaty mess everytime.  So tricky...  but it worked!  Phew!





I opened a very special bottle of wine; a bottle of 2002 Bordeaux from my friend Sylvie.  It's been in the cellar for a number of years waiting for the right occasion. 

I put it all together and voila!  dinner.  ...we drank the entire bottle of wine.  Thanks Sylvie and Christian -- it was awesome.

This is my plate.  You couldn't find the steak through all the potatoes on Brett's plate. 

And he polished it all off.

I call that success!