let us eat cakes and cassoulet for the new year

12-29-2025 -- 01-04-2026

HOLIDAY EPISODE 2  --- 

apple cake 

bagel 

with Norwegian smoked salmon and Japanese fish roe 

Chinese fermented sweet rice 

with Chinese sweet rice dumplings 

borscht soup with black rye bread 

stir-fried daikon and scallion 

sauteed snow peas 

duck breast 

Cassoulet with duck confit 

orange cheese cake 

Spanish truffle potato chips 

Mexican red corn popcorn 

afternoon cocktail

to NYC

fresh ramen noodles 

Helene Schjerfbeck show in Met 

Balthus paintings nearby  

soup and pasta in MOMA cafe 2

ASAWA show in MOMA 

leaving in a car by a tunnel

watching  the first sunset of the new year 

quick apple scone and slow duck cassoulet

1-20-2019 Sun. 



WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee  |  homemade apple cranberry scone |  fruit
AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---  tea
DINNER ---  baked Japanese sweet potato fries | duck confit cassoulet | sauteed mustard greens 

• many hours into the cassoulet 
• apple scone is a quick bake 

French with Mexcian accent

11-24-2014 Mon. mild, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice and vegetables 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple
DINNER ---  butternut and apple soup | duck and sausage cassoulet with pinto beans and chipotle | sauteed French green beans | wine

•   beans are cooked days before from the same batch for chili,  pinto and small black beans are better than thick-skinned  kidney beans
• duck legs are lightly cured with salt and pepper for a day,  browned with shallots and chipotle, then braised in bean juice with beans for 2 hours.

cassoulet and risotto, around the corner

11-11-2011 Tue. warm, sunny.  


BREAKFAST --- coffee | scallion pancake | apple 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea 
DINNER --- ( at Bistrot Lepic) lemon risotto with grilled shrimp | duck and sausage cassoulet  | wine 

 

• back to the corner place with other parties

New Year's Eve special: Caviar, Cassoulet, Goat-cheese mousse

12-31-2011 Sat. mild, sunny.



WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee baileys | grapefruit | croissant
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | tangerine
DINNER --- smoked salmon and smoked salmon roe caviar, served with creamy mustard sauce, watercress, and radish | cassoulet : slow-baked pinto beans, duck confit, smoked bacon and sausage | dessert: goat cheese mousse with fried bread crumbs, balsamic dried cherry compote, tangerine and lime granita | wine

table for the New Year Eve

layering and baking cassoulet



caviar and smoked salmon


duck confit and sausage cassoulet


goat-cheese mousse, tangerine granita

• duck confit cassoulet is an extreme example of slow-cooking, a whole process of several days of patient reduction of ingredients into concentrated flavors and tender creamy but not mushy textures
• the desserts ( recipes from Del Posto) play salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar with honey, fruit, and sweetened goat cheese and cultured cream.
  

pinto beans

12-30-2011 Fri. mild, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee with baileys | ciabatta | french brie | grape fruit
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | tangerine
DINNER --- Thai hot & spicy seafood soup | sauteed baby spinach | stir-fried chive flower, smoked tofu and Chinese bbq pork | rice | wine

pinto beans

simmered pinto beans

• pinto beans are slow-cooked with thyme, garlic and olive oil, prep for cassoulet of the New Year Eve dinner tomorrow