Our New Year's Eve Dinner Menu

2013 New Year's Eve Menu

Drinks

Coronas

Triple-Citrus Mojitos

Appetizer

Gorgonzola Artichoke Crab Dip

With Assorted Crackers

Entree

Frogmore Stew

Bread

Golden Cornbread with

Creamy Honey Butter

Dessert

Key Lime Pie with Fresh Whipped Cream & Raspberry, Mango Sauces

Triple-Citrus Mojitos

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 pkg (.75oz) fresh mint leaves

1 orange

2 lemons, divided

2 limes, divided

1/2 cup white rum

5 cups chilled lemon-lime soda

Combine sugar and water in a small bowl. Tear six mint leaves in half and place into a pitcher. Set aside. Finely chop remaining leaves. Place into small bowl. Zest orange, one of the lemons and one of the limes. Add zest to mint mixture. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Slice orange, both of the lemons and both of the limes in half crosswise. Reserve half of one lemon and half of one lime for garnish. Juice remaining lemon and lime halves. Add juices to pitcher. Juice orange and add juice to pitcher. Pour mint mixture through a strainer into pitcher.discard chopped mint. Add rum. Carefully add soda to avoid overflow. Slice reserved lemon and lime halves, place into pitcher. Serve over ice

To garnish the rims of glasses zest an additional orange. Combine zest and 1/2c sugar. Place on a plate. Rub rim of glass with orange wedge to moisten. Dip rim of glass into sugar mixture. 

8 servings

Gorgonzola Artichoke Crab Dip

5 Slices pre cooked thick bacon

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts well drained and Chopped

6oz lump crabmeat 

1 1/2 (12oz) packages cream cheese softened

2 oz (1/2c) Gorgonzola cheese crumbled  

2 oz (1/2c) Parmesan cheese shredded

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch quiche dish or pie plate with cooking spray. Chop 3 slices of bacon. Place in a medium bowl. Reserve remaining bacon for garnish. To bacon in bowl add remaining ingredients mix well. Spread mixture in sprayed dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Stir dip. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until dip is bubbly around edges. Chop the reserved bacon. Sprinkle on top of dip. Serve warm dip with petite toasts, assorted crackers or baguette slices. Makes 2 cups. I like to use rosemary crackers or butter rounds. 

Frogmore Stew

Ingredients

6 quarts water

3/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning 

2 pounds new red potatoes

2 pounds hot smoked sausage links, cut into 2 inch pieces

12 ears corn - husked, cleaned and quartered

4 pounds large fresh shrimp, unpeeled

Directions

Bring water and Old Bay Seasoning to boil in a large stockpot.

Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes more. Add corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes. Drain immediately and serve. You can add king crab legs, mussels, scallops or whole crabs if you like. Add it towards the end of the cooking time. I cover our table with plastic then brown paper. When ready to serve, drain the water then dump out onto the center of the table right on the brown paper. Squeeze butter on top of seafood and add old bay seasoning. Set out extra squeeze butters, old bay seasoning, cocktail sauce, salt, pepper and napkins.

Golden Cornbread

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup of cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the dry ing. in a medium bowl. Add the wet ing. and mix only until well combined. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.Yum!

Creamy Honey Butter

1 cup honey

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

In a medium pan, combine honey, cream and sugar. Bring to a boil; continue to boil for 1 minute. Place butter in blender. Pour honey mixture over butter. Pulse until thoroughly blended. Pour into jars and refrigerate.

Easy Key Lime Pie I

INGREDIENTS

5 egg yolks, beaten

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup key lime juice

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust (I like to make my own crust)

Whipped cream topping

(I like to make my own)

1 small key lime for garnish

Mango sauce:

2 11.5 oz can's Kern's mango juice

Bring the mango juice to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Raspberry sauce:

1 1/2 cups of water

2 cups frozen raspberries 

1/2 c granulated sugar

Combine the water and raspberries in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer raspberries for 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to crush the raspberries as they boil. Strain raspberry seeds from water, then put the liquid back in the saucepan and add sugar. Bring mixture back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Cover and cool sauce  until ready to serve pie.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Cover pie and put in freezer for a couple hours before serving. when ready to serve let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Top with whipped topping, both sauces and garnish with lime slices if desired.

Ready in 2 hrs 35 min, Servings: 8