New Year's Eve 2012 @ Nami-Nami

We hosted a big New Year's Eve party at our home on December 31st. We were 16 adults and 6 kids in total, so we decided against a proper sit-down meal and went for the buffét instead (known as "Swedish table" or "Rootsi laud" in Estonian). And although many Estonians would be eating pork and sauerkraut and roasted potatoes - our typical Christmas fare - on New Year's Eve as well, we never do and go for a much lighter and rather different dishes. Here's what we were having for the last meal of 2012 (I've provided links to English-language recipes available on Nami-Nami, where appropriate).

Rye bread canapés with mustard and lemon butter, dill and shredded beets:

Crostini with Brie and lingonberry jam:


Red onion "boats" with smetana and salmon roe (which I also served on the last day of 2007):


Soft and sweet dried dates with tangy goat cheese:


Smooth and silky chicken liver paté:


Three layered salads - one with beets, peas, cheese and eggs; one with canned tuna, eggs, regular and cottage cheese; one with surimi, cheese and eggs:
 

Here's the close-up of the beet and cheese and egg and pea salad (you'll find the recipe here; I seem to have served it for the last meal of 2008 as well):
 

Swedish shrimp salad (recipe available here):
 

Fresh sauerkraut salad:
 

We also had fruit on the table, namely grapes and tangerines. Here's our oldest child peeling tangerines that she was kindly offering to all the guests later:  

A very traditional Estonian cake, curd cheese sheet cake with lots of raisins (I needed some raisin syrup to make the chicken liver paté above, so decided to use the cooked raisins in this cake as opposed to wasting them):
 

Mocca cheesecake with chocolate coffee beans:

And here's the star of the night - our croquembouche 2012:

Wishing all the readers of Nami-Nami a happy and successful New Year, full of delicious and satisfying meals!

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New Year's Eve 2011
New Year's Eve 2007