New Year's Harvest

For New Years eve, we decided to invite three friends up from the city.  Eddie Ross, whom I've known since his House Beautiful days, and his partner Jaithan Kochar and my long time friend Vicki Arzano.

I had decided on the menu weeks ago.  To start, a spinach soup that I love. The receipe I learned at one of the cooking classes that I've taken at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier in Paris. The main course was roasted Cornish Game Hens stuffed with red currants, white raisins and wild rice, glazed carrots, sauted mushrooms and home grown leeks. Dessert was a simple chocolate mousse with almond and orange tuiles.

One of my greatest pleasures is sharing the bounty of my garden with friends all year long. It is somewhat harder to do in the lean months of winter.  But the menu set as it was the leeks needed to be picked.

The garden under cover.

The snowy leeks.

The future braised leeks.