Saint Sylvestre

Remember Y2K? Well that was 10 years ago and even with the threat of our airplane falling out of the sky and the end of the world looming we bravely set off to celebrate the new millennium in Paris. Where better to spend one’s final days?

Well it wasn’t the end of the world and no doomsday scenario thwarted our plans, it was Mother Nature who intervened. A fierce storm delayed our arrival and when we finally reached Paris we were shocked by the devastation wrought especially in Vincennes woods and the Versailles park.

Fast-forward 10 years and Mother Nature struck again. Heavy snow and cold in France delayed our French friends arrival here in Toronto. However, now we are finally together to plan our menu for Saint Sylvestre, the French name for New Year’s Eve dinner.

There are three classic elements to every French New Year’s meal: oysters, foie gras, and champagne. So it’s obvious that we should start our meal with Malpeques oysters from Prince Edward Island. While these oysters resemble the coveted huitres plates one finds in France, they have their own unique sweet, salty taste. We’ll open them together and serve simply on the half shell.

To follow, a terrine of foie gras with toast is an easy choice. My homemade terrine using fat plump livers from Quebec will let my friends know that excellent foie gras is produced outside La Belle France. Toasted egg bread from the neighbourhood Jewish bakery and pink sea salt from Australia’s Murray River will add an exotic touch and enliven the conversation.

Now for le plat (the main course), it is always the hardest decision. After tossing around several ideas we choose a grass-fed standing rib beef roast, locally raised and dry aged by our butcher. As for the vegetable dish, we decide on a variation of the French Pommes Anna flavoured with fresh thyme, adding of slices of local root vegetables to the traditional potatoes.

There is no serious French meal without cheese and the debate heats up over the choice and number of cheeses. I argue vigorously for just two or three instead of a platter but I’m quickly voted down. We finally agree on a Vacherin Mont-d’Or, a classic cheese from the Swiss Alps, at its peak at this time of the year, a well-aged, sharp Canadian cheddar and a crumbly, ivory English Stilton. We add two Ontario goats’ cheeses from the Fifth Town dairy; Lost Lake, a soft, creamy crottin-style cheese, and a wedge of the smooth nutty Lighthall tome, a gold medal winner.

Dessert? I’m beginning to feel full just discussing this meal. After Christmas with its excess of dried fruits in cakes, puddings, and sweet breads I propose a tarte tatin and this time I win. With a spoonful of tangy crème fraîche it will be the perfect sweet fruity end to the meal.

As for wine my husband and I have the final say. We’ll introduce our friends to a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand and an Australian Grange Hermitage. To support the French we’ll match the foie gras with a sweet wine from the Loire and also serve a Margaux from Bordeaux we’ve been saving for this dinner.

To toast the New Year and herald in the next decade there is no mystery at all – it simply has to be French champagne. We’ll clink glasses, wish everyone health and happiness, and promise to do it all again in 10 years time.