Executive Chef Jason Tilmann has assembled stunning flavors and visual excitement, making this the menu we want to eat on New Year’s Eve.

Normally, we eschew words like “decadent” and “sinful” that some people inaccurately use to describe luscious foods. But in the case of luxurious excessiveness, we bow to Benjamin Franklin in “Poor Richard’s Almanac”:

No wonder Tom grows fat, the unwieldy Sinner,
Makes his whole Life but one continual Dinner.

Let Chef Tilmann’s menu inspire your own thoughts for New Year’s Eve dining. And may the richness of your dinner inspire restraint in the new year—at least, until Valentine’s Day.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS MENU

1. ENVY: a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.

Dish: osetra caviar, buckwheat blini, onion, egg and chives.
2. VANITY: excessive pride in one’s appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.

Even if you can’t make complex dishes like Triomphe’s, you can combine ingredients simply, like smoked salmon, salmon caviar (at the bottom of the dish), black caviar, a dab of crème fraîche and an herb garnish. Photo courtesy Tsar Nicoulai.

Dish: lobster dumplings, wakame salad and ginger butter.

3. WRATH: strong, stern or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.

Dish: spicy prawns, lemon, roasted garlic and herbed risotto.

4. GLUTTONY: excessive eating and drinking.

Dish: Pol Roger champagne sorbet, gold leaf and crispy grapes.

5. SLOTH: habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness.

Dish: slow-cooked cassoulet with duck confit, slab bacon and white northern beans.

6. GREED: excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions.

Dish: smoked Kobe tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, asparagus and bordelaise sauce.

7. LUST: an overwhelming desire or craving.

Dish: Valrhona chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier crème anglaise.
 
These seven “sinful” courses are certain to engender a day of restraint on January 1st.

Today’s tip is inspired by these delicious cupcakes from Perfect Endings, a Napa Valley bakery that sells them online via WilliamsSonoma.com.

You can buy or bake and frost your own cupcakes, then decorate them with festive elements. It’s a fun family activity. Consider:

 
Make a double batch: They’ll disappear quickly!

But the special holiday popcorns are the our favorites: Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt Holidrizzle Kettle Corn and White Chocolatier Holidrizzle Kettle Corn.

We like both the chocolate and peppermint popcorn so much, that we’re stocking up for the next few months:

 
Plain popcorn is just 35 calories per cup; the chocolate and peppermint popcorns are 135 to 150 calories, but worth it! And, if you need a sugary snack, popcorn is a whole grain.

Check the store locator for the retailer nearest you, or head to AngiesPopcorn.com.

WHAT’S A CHOCOLATIER?

Find more chocolate terminology in our delicious Chocolate Glossary.
 
Find more of our favorite snacks in our Gourmet Snacks Section.