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I have lots of favorite drinks. Champagne with Chambord with a twist in one. Most fruity martinis are another. How about you?

New Years Eve is tonight here...I know, you're over and done with it by now. We are having Alaskan King crab legs, cold water lobster and steak for the non-fish eaters. There will be other things...but who cares what they are when there is lobster with hot melted butter and a little fresh lemon drizzled about?

Happy New Years to you all.

Put lobster, crab or any other delicious sea food down in front of me and I would think heaven had arrived. Oh, my! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I don't know what we are having because New Year's dinner is really no big deal here. Last night we had a pot luck dinner at a friend's house and I made a chard/blue cheese flan that was wonderful. There is some left over for our lunch today.

CHARD AND BLUE CHEESE FLAN.

Saute three leeks cut into rounds until just soft. Add an ice cream container full of chopped up silverbeet (chard) and cook until just wilted.
Add 2 cups cream and cook until thickened. Season. I added pinenuts at the end. Cool.

Roll out savoury shortcrust pastry into a round. Tip the vegetable mix into the centre and fold up the edges to form a flan shape. Dot 150 g of strong blue cheese in pieces all over the vegetable mix and bake at 200 deg for 30 minutes. Egg wash the edges. You could, of course, bake in a flan tin.

For extra interest I divided the pastry and put one piece on top of the other, sandwiching grated parmesan cheese in between. Re-rolled to desired thickness.

Oh I went to my friend Nelly's place who is the most amazing cook, and she had made tapas type snacks - marinated veges, crumbed chicken livers, seafood, taramasalata etc. She also made meringues with chocolate and walnuts in them, they were deeevine. My other triplet in crime Wiki, had made the christmas cake and it was a doozie. We drank a range of lovely bubblies etc as you do, until the fairly small hours, but not as small as we would have liked as we had to get up and at it today. I hope everyone enjoyed their NYE wherever and however you did it.

Oh Maryanne, I love taramasalata! Yummm. It sure sounds like you know how to "party"!!!

Thanks Faye... I am sure that we will enjoy having your Blue Cheese and Chard Flan one day very soon. It sounds scrumptious !.
I am all hammed out, and looking forward to something very tasty and your flan will fill the bill nicely. I love blue cheese, and have an abundance of silverbeet in the garden right now too.
Yesterday I made a very quick savoury short pastry in the food processor,lined a flan tine with half of it, and filled it with a mixture of potato , ham and pineapple in a mustard sauce , and after topping it with the rest of the pastry, baked it for tea last night. It was very tasty with a nice salad and we enjoyed it, and a bottle of wine out on the deck where it was a little cooler. There was only the 3 of last night , so it was pleasant and peaceful and we linger out there until about 8.30. Will be having the left over portion of that pie for lunch today, and then, that is the ham gone at last !.
I will add the recipe here too, in case anyone else has run out of ideas of how to use the last of their Christmas ham too !

Potato and Ham Pie
Filling :
1 - 2 potatoes which have been cubed ( 225grms) and cooked in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes only. Drain and set aside.
2 Tblespoons butter
8 shallots , halved. ( I used two medium new onions quartered)
225 gr ham which has been cubed
2 1/2 Tblespns plain flour
300 ml milk
2 Tablespns wholegrain mustard
50 grm pineapple cubed .
Melt the butter in a saucepan , add the shallots /onion and cook gently for 3 -4 minutes until they soften and begin to colour a little.
Add the cubed ham and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Stir in the flour and and then gradually stir in the milk. add the mustard and pineapple and bring to boil. Season with the salt and pepper and then add the cubed partly cooked potato.
Set aside.
Preset your oven to 190 degs C ( 375 F) and make the pastry.

For the Pastry.

225 gr plain flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch each cayenne pepper and salt
150 gr cubed chilled butter
125 gr mature cheese, grated
2 egg yolks
4 Tblespns chilled water ( approx)

Put the first 3 ingredients into your food processor and whizz for a few short bursts until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the great cheese, zap again for a couple of secs. then add the egg yolks plus half the water while running until it clumps into a ball. Add more water a few drops at a time , if needed.
Tip out, halve mixture, and kneed quickly into two balls . Lightly spray flan dish.
Roll out first ball to fit and line dish with it. Roll out the second half into a circle to cover top ,
Spoon the filling into the flan and brush edges with a little water before topping with the second circle of pastry. Brush the top with a little egg white, and back for about 40 minutes until pastry is cooked and golden.

I think sliced leek would also be a nice substitute for the shallots.