The Season

Season's eatings

Menus for festive holiday meals from four New England restaurants

Holidays are traditionally a time for eating and drinking in excess, so why not invite friends over and make it a party? We asked chefs from four New England restaurants to provide menus, recipes, and wine suggestions for festive holiday meals. Michael Leviton, of West Newton's popular Lumière, came up with a formal dinner party for friends: an impressive multi-course feast that even novice hosts will find manageable. For a cocktail party, Bill Brady, of Sonoma in Princeton, recommended a Spanish-style tapas spread. His recipes are short on kitchen time but big on originality, with both vegetarian and meat-centered dishes to satisfy all your guests. David Turin, of David's in Portland, Maine, took on the assignment of creating a festive brunch: his suggested dishes are the type that can anchor a long, leisurely meal -- no last-minute preparations or fragile soufflés here! Finally, to bid farewell to the holiday season, Loren Falsone and Eric Moshier of Empire in Providence, Rhode Island, created a New Year's Day lunch: here, the husband-and-wife chefs offer delicate yet hearty dishes that'll soothe your stomach and calm your mind as you greet 2001.

MICHAEL LEVITON of Lumière does a formal holiday dinner
1293 Washington Street, West Newton, MA (617) 244-9199

WARM APPLE-ROQUEFORT TIMBALE WITH MâCHE AND WALNUT SALAD AND BEET-JUICE VINAIGRETTE

2 Fuji apples, peeled and diced to make approximately 2 cups
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons seasoned rice-wine vinegar
11/2 cups mâche leaves
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 to 4 ounces Roquefort cheese
Walnut oil
Salt and pepper
Four 21/2x3/4-inch ring molds
Tin foil
Beet-juice vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Remove the Roquefort from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature. Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat and add the sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan. When the sugar begins to caramelize, add the vinegar and the butter and stand back. Continue cooking until all the ingredients are dissolved. Add the apples and toss to coat with the caramel. Cook for about two minutes until the apples are slightly soft. Remove from the heat and put the apples in a strainer.

Grease the ring molds. Fold a 9x12-inch piece of tin foil into thirds. Cut the resulting 3x12-inch strip into 3x3-inch pieces. Grease the foil squares. Place one ring mold on each foil square.

When the apples are cool enough to handle, pack one-fourth of the apples into each mold. The molds should be about three-quarters full when well packed. Sprinkle about one tablespoon of walnuts on to each timbale. Finish by covering each timbale with one-fourth of the Roquefort. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the timbale on a baking sheet and place in the oven until the Roquefort begins to melt, about seven to eight minutes. Poke a knife into the timbale and make sure the apples are hot. Remove from the oven when they are hot.

Slide each timbale onto a medium plate. Toss the mâche with the remaining walnuts, salt, pepper, and a little walnut oil. Place one-fourth of the salad on each plate. Drizzle a little beet vinaigrette (recipe follows) around the plate and serve immediately. Serves four.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
2 beets, peeled and puréed with 1/2 cup water
1/8 cup rice-wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Strain the purée through a fine mesh strainer. You should have approximately one-third cup of juice. Place in a non-reactive saucepan and reduce over a medium heat to one-eighth cup of juice. Strain again. Combine the reduced juice, vinegar, and olive oil.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH WELLFLEET-OYSTER AND OSETRA-CAVIAR MIGNONETTE

TO PREPARE THE SOUP:
1 head cauliflower (approximately 2 pounds)
1 bunch leeks (approximately 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
21/3 cups water
1/3 cup crème frâiche
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Halve the leeks lengthwise. Then slice them into half-moon shapes approximately 1/4-inch thick. Soak the leeks in cold water for about 30 minutes, mixing frequently to remove any dirt that may be stuck to them. Lift the leeks out of the cold water and drain in a colander.

Cut the cauliflower into quarters. Remove the core and break the cauliflower into large florets. Rinse under cold water to remove any traces of dirt. Drain well.

In a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until they are tender and have begun to lose their color. Do not let the leeks brown.

Add the cauliflower and the water and raise the heat to high. When the soup boils, turn the heat down so that it simmers. Cook until the cauliflower is tender enough to fall apart. Add the crème frâiche and return the soup to a boil. Remove the soup from the heat.

Using a food mill or blender, purée the soup as finely as possible. Pass the soup through a fine chinois, or a strainer if that's all you have. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper.

FOR THE MIGNONETTE:
4 Wellfleet oysters -- shucked, liquid reserved
Osetra caviar -- as much as you can afford
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 tablespoon finely diced cucumber
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
1 tablespoon Marukan Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Just before serving, combine all the ingredients in a plastic or glass bowl and mix gently with a plastic spoon.

To serve:
Ladle eight ounces of soup into four soup bowls. Using a plastic spoon, place one oyster and a generous amount of the mignonette in the center of each bowl. Enjoy!

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE-BEAN RAGOUT AND NICOISE OLIVES

4 lamb shanks
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 cloves garlic: 2 cloves peeled and chopped finely, 4 cloves peeled
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup tomato confit, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup dried small white beans, soaked in cold water overnight
1/2 cup pitted niçoise olives
Chicken stock
Gremolata (recipe follows)
2 small bouquets garnis, made with thyme and parsley

To cook the shanks:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat an oven-proof pan large enough to hold the four shanks over a high flame. Season the shanks with salt and pepper.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the shanks. Brown the shanks on all sides; then remove from the pan and drain off the oil. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, the coarsely chopped carrot, celery, and yellow onion, and the whole cloves of garlic. Sauté for about five minutes until the vegetables have softened and slightly browned. Return the shanks to the pan, then add one of the bouquets garnis and chicken stock to cover. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover with parchment paper, and place in the oven. Cook for three to four hours or until a skewer will easily go all the way through the shank. Remove from the oven and allow the shanks to cool in their liquid. When the shanks are cool, remove from the pan along with the bouquet garni. Strain the broth, reserving the vegetables and the broth.

Purée the vegetables with some of the broth until very smooth. Thin the purée to sauce consistency by heating it in a saucepan over a medium flame and adding some of the remaining broth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If there is any remaining broth, save it.

To cook the beans:
In a medium saucepan, cover the beans with cold water. Add the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Skim any scum that floats to the top. Simmer the beans until tender (approximately 45 minutes). Drain the beans in a colander and reserve.

While the beans are cooling, heat a medium sauté pan over a medium flame. Add one tablespoon olive oil and then the red onion. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and cook the onion until meltingly tender. Add all the chopped garlic and the diced carrots and celery, and cook until the vegetables just lose their crunch.

When the beans are done, add the cooked vegetables, the tomato confit, and the olives. Set aside.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In an oven-proof pan large enough to hold the shanks, put the meat and the sauce over a medium heat and bring to a boil. After it boils, place the entire pan in the oven. After five minutes, rotate the shanks in the broth. Keep checking and rotating the shanks every three to five minutes until they are heated throughout. Remove from the oven. If the sauce has thickened too much, thin it with some of the leftover broth or water.

While the shanks are in the oven, heat the bean ragout in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add just enough lamb broth, chicken stock, or water to keep the ragout from drying out. When the ragout is hot, remove from heat and season liberally with gremolata.

FOR THE GREMOLATA:
1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Zest of two lemons, minced

How easy is making gremolata? Just combine all the ingredients and use at your discretion.

Presentation:

In each of four large bowls, place a few spoonfuls of the ragout, top with a lamb shank and spoon some sauce around the ragout and over the shank. Garnish with a sprinkle of gremolata. Serve and enjoy.

CHEVRE CHEESECAKE

1 pound aged chèvre (the better you buy, the better it'll taste)
2 pounds Laura Chenel chèvre, or any young, fresh chèvre
1 quart cream
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
1/4 cup honey

Cream together the aged and young chèvre. Combine the cream and sugar in a pot and cook over medium heat until the mixture is reduced to three cups. Let cool and then add to the cheese mixture. Then fold in the eggs and honey. When mixture is well combined, pour it into the pre-baked pâte sucrée shells (recipe follows). Bake for 12 minutes at 275 degrees (low). Yields twelve 31/2-inch tart shells.

FOR THE SHELLS:
2 pounds plus 8 ounces butter
6 cups confectionery sugar (10X)
2 cups almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 eggs
14 cups all-purpose flour

Cream the butter. Add nuts, eggs, and confectionery sugar. Mixture will curdle. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick and fit it into twelve 31/2-inch tart pans, pressing gently against the sides. Cover the tart shells with silver foil and fill with rice, beans, or baking weights. Now bake the shells -- this is called baking "blind" -- for 12 minutes at 300 degrees, then remove the weights and bake five more minutes or until golden. When the shells are cool, fill them and bake.

FOR THE COMPOTE:
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried prunes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries
8 ounces maple syrup
4 ounces white wine
1 vanilla bean
2 ounces lemon juice

Combine maple syrup, wine, vanilla bean, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan large enough to hold the liquid and the fruits. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fruits, bring back to a boil, and remove from heat. Just before serving, warm the mixture over a low heat.

BILL BRADY of Sonoma does cocktail-party tapas
206 Worcester Road, Princeton, MA
(987) 464-5775

Bill Brady sees no boundaries when it comes to the pursuit of flavor. So at Sonoma, his 50-seat restaurant in a Princeton storefront, he serves dishes from Morocco, New Mexico, Tuscany, the south of France, and other varied climes. "I call it global cuisine," he says of his wide-ranging cooking style. "And it's not something I picked out of the air. I do foods of different regions, and I try to be culturally correct when doing them. I don't want to just slap soy sauce on something and call it Chinese."

For five years, Brady's something-from-everywhere approach has been offering something for everyone. Sonoma has drawn high praise from local critics, prompting the Worcester Phoenix to call it the "Best Reason Not To Go to New York for Dinner" in its annual "Best" issue. The restaurant has only a handful of tables, but bigger isn't necessarily better; staying small allows Brady to have his hands in "everything from food to service." That leaves him more time to track down ingredients like quail from Manchester Farms, chèvre from Crystal Brook Farm, and produce from local farm stands.

If ever there was a time for bringing together friends with different tastes, it's the holidays. So we challenged Brady to come up with a menu that would allow for maximum guest interaction and minimal kitchen preparation. For him, the choice was obvious: a savory meal inspired by the tapas tradition of Spain. "I try to hold the line whenever I cook tapas," he says. "It almost doesn't matter what items are cooked. It's more about the feel of the event. It's a lighter eating style that's geared, like a holiday party, toward allowing conversation."

Shall we sample Brady's bill of fare? First there's garlic shrimp, a flavorful tapas staple. Then a potato omelet or "tortilla," a dish that Brady says is greater than the sum of its parts. "It's incredible the amount of flavor you can get out of those ingredients," he muses. Other Spanish classics get Brady's own spin. For his Cabrales canapés, he blends cream cheese into the mix to cut the ripe, pungent strength of this Asturian blue cheese. To round out the menu, Brady serves a plate of garlicky mushrooms, in which the meaty texture is key, and a dish of pork and clams in green sauce. Preparation for all these dishes is straightforward, so culinary stress should be low. And here's one more tip: try using lots of differently shaped and decorated serving vessels to make the feast a visual one as well.

GARLIC SHRIMP

1/2 pound of shrimp (21-25 per pound), deveined
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 dried red chili, seeds removed
Juice of one small lemon
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 ounce clam or shrimp broth
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt

In an earthenware pot, heat oil, garlic, and chili pepper. Just as the garlic starts to brown, add shrimp and cook over high heat for about three minutes, stirring constantly. To finish the dish, add lemon juice and broth, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve in the same dish. Serves six.

POTATO OMELET

1 cup olive oil
4 large eggs, beaten with a touch of salt
4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces chorizo sausage, diced
Coarse salt

In a non-stick nine-inch sauté pan, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium heat. Add sliced potatoes one slice at a time, overlapping slightly, until bottom of pan is covered. Repeat this layering with one layer of sliced onions and an ounce of the diced chorizo. Then cover with another layer of sliced potatoes. Continue layering the potatoes, chorizo, and onions until ingredients are gone. Add egg mixture to the pan, poking layered potatoes to ensure that the egg mixture runs between all the layers. Cook until set, about 15 minutes. If brave, flip the "omelet" over to brown the second side; if not, slide the dish out onto a plate, invert a second plate over top, flip it over, and slide the mixture back into the pan. Cut into wedges and serve, either hot or at room temperature. Serves four to six.

CABRALES CANAPES

4 ounces Cabrales or other strong blue cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 ounces cream cheese
8 slices of French bread
Pimento strips
Flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Combine cream cheese and blue cheese in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Spread mixture on toasted French bread and garnish with pine nuts, pimento, and parsley. Serves four to six.

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS

2-ounce slab bacon, diced
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 ounces dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound assorted mushrooms, cleaned

Sauté the bacon over medium heat. When the bacon begins to brown, add garlic, parsley, and wine to the pan. Reduce the wine by a third and add mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms for three to four minutes and serve at once. Serves four to six.

PORK AND CLAMS IN GREEN SAUCE

3 dozen littlenecks or mahogany clams
1 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup clam broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
11/2 pounds pork loin, cut in 2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons chopped onions
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup dry white wine
Fresh-ground salt and pepper

Heat a large pot on medium high. Add the olive oil and heat until slightly smoking. Season pork cubes with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Brown pork well on all sides. Add onions and garlic. When they start to soften, add wine, red-pepper flakes, and clam broth to the pot. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. When pork is cooked through, add parsley and the clams. Cover and continue cooking until the clams start to open -- about five minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serves six.

DAVID TURIN of David's does a festive brunch
22 Monument Square, Portland, ME (207) 773-4340

David Turin has been cooking for other people for decades now. He opened his first restaurant at age 25 in Plymouth back in 1989, and cut his teeth at Boston's Bay Tower Room. Now he owns not one, but three places: David's and the Rim in Newburyport, and David's in Portland. Unlike so many chefs these days, Turin made his name with simple cooking and larger-than-life flavors -- honesty, really. That may be why his Portland restaurant is one of a handful of places that spearheaded the historic port city's fine-dining boom.

Despite his vast restaurant experience, there was a little bit of fear in Turin's voice when we told him what kind of holiday meal we hoped he'd cook for us. "Brunch?" he said. "I only cook brunch about twice a year, unless you count breakfast for my four kids." Just make it formal enough to warrant celebration, we told him.

And he did. His idea of a holiday brunch is endearingly simple: "I just think of what I'd want to eat around noontime." It's also ideal for the impromptu demands of holiday entertaining. Translation: most of the dishes have the type of boldly flavored character that makes them taste just as good cold as warm. "During the holidays people eat like at a Chinese restaurant," says Turin. "Oh, I'm hungry again. I'll have more."

For egg lovers, that means a frittata -- a slow-cooked, open-faced Italian/Spanish omelet -- sinfully rich with goat cheese, lobster, and caviar. The key to this one, says Turin, is to avoid overcooking the eggs, which toughens them. The centerpiece of his meal is a crown roast of pork with apple, fig, and currant stuffing and a taste-reinforcing dressing of Madeira and raisins. For a better-tasting crown roast, don't be afraid to leave the pork a little pink, and be sure to buy good-quality Madeira, Turin advises. Flank that with a roasted-root-vegetable medley, in which all the natural sugars are brought out in cooking ("they get brown and so sweet," says the chef), and then give them a light balsamic glaze. And finish things off with a pumpkin-and-ricotta cheesecake, topped with a sauce that's ideal for brunch: to make it, just let it sit there.

FRITTATA OF LOBSTER, GOAT CHEESE, AND CAVIAR

6 large eggs
2 cups light cream
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
3 raw scallions, minced
2 cups French bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup goat cheese, broken into small pieces
Meat of one 11/4-pound lobster, broken into small pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ounces fresh-pressed caviar
1 teaspoon lemon zest, shocked under hot water

Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine eggs and cream in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a small pan, sauté the red onion in butter over medium heat until tender; remove from heat and fold into egg mixture with all remaining ingredients except caviar, sour cream, and lemon zest. Pour egg mixture into the greased springform pan and bake at 325 for 30 to 35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the frittata -- tough eggs are no fun. The frittata is done when a knife comes out clean. One hint: be sure to stick the knife into the egg mixture and not the cheese. Garnish with caviar, sour cream, and lemon zest. Serves 10 to 12.

CROWN ROAST OF PORK WITH APPLE, FIG, AND CURRANT STUFFING AND MADEIRA-RAISIN DRESSING

FOR THE ROAST:
1 crown roast of pork, fully Frenched with chine
and feather bones removed. (Be specific with your butcher.)

FOR THE RUB:
1 tablespoon garlic salt
11/2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly cracked

FOR THE STUFFING:
4 cups French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 McIntosh apples -- cored, peeled and chopped
24 fresh figs, stems removed and quartered
1/2 cup dried currants
1 large Spanish onion, minced
1 small red onion, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 pound salted butter
1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons kosher salt

FOR THE DRESSING:
2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Madeira wine
2 tablespoons minced red pepper
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Let crown roast come to room temperature before cooking. To make the rub, combine Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and black pepper. Rub this mixture evenly into crown roast several hours before cooking.

Make the dressing ahead of time by whisking ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside. To make the stuffing, sauté onions and celery in melted butter over medium-high heat until tender. Remove onions and celery from heat and combine with remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Roast pork at 325 degrees for an hour or until internal temperature is 110 degrees. Remove crown roast from the oven and fill it with the stuffing mixture. Finish roasting at 325 degrees for one more hour or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Carve crown roast of pork and drizzle each slice with dressing before serving.

ROASTED ROOT-VEGETABLE MEDLEY WITH AGED BALSAMIC GLAZE

3 beets, peeled
3 carrots, peeled
3 sweet potatoes
3 parsnips, peeled
3 red onions, peeled
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

FOR BALSAMIC GLAZE:
3 cups aged balsamic vinegar
1 cup sugar

Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Reduce mixture over high heat until it's the consistency of maple syrup. Set aside. Cut all vegetables into half-inch chunks. Toss vegetables with canola oil, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Spread vegetables out in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Reheat glaze over medium heat and drizzle it over the vegetables. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN AND RICOTTA CHEESECAKE WITH MAPLE-GINGER SAUCE

FOR THE FILLING:
2 pounds softened cream cheese
6 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups canned pumpkin-pie filling
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash powdered ginger
dash mace

FOR THE CRUST:
21/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 tablespoon ginger, julienned
2 cups maple syrup

Combine maple syrup and ginger. This will be your sauce. Allow the "sauce" to sit at room temperature for approximately four hours. Taste after each hour to make sure the ginger doesn't become bitter. Serve with cheesecake and use for spooning or drizzling.

To make the crust, combine ingredients in a 10-inch springform pan and press into a crust. Be careful not to use too much butter. The crust should just hold together in the pan. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, eggs, and sugar in a food processor until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients and continue processing. When mixture is smooth, fold into springform pan and bake at 250 degrees for three hours or until cake is firm. Serve with maple-ginger sauce.

LOREN FALSONE and ERIC MOSHIER of Empire do a low-key New Year's Day dinner
202 Washington Street, Providence, RI (401) 621-7911

They say empires aren't built overnight, yet Empire restaurant joined the pantheon of Providence's best in no time. In the restaurant's first year, husband-and-wife chefs Loren Falsone and Eric Moshier received raves from critics in Boston and Providence. The couple, who worked together at Al Forno for years, developed many of their recipes at home. They say they're inspired by travel, and you can taste the earthen flavors and rugged landscapes of Italy on their menu. "When you love to cook, you are a good cook," they say, and indeed they love to cook. Their restaurant succeeds largely because they bring to the kitchen that extra something many chefs lack: passion. So it was no great surprise when Food & Wine magazine made Moshier and Falsone one of the only kitchen couples ever to be honored as Best New Chefs in America.

Given Empire's reputation for serving tasty food without fuss, it was no surprise that Moshier and Falsone jumped at the opportunity to prepare the kind of low-key, high-flavor dinner one would serve on New Year's Day -- the calm after the storm. Their New Year's Day menu represents one of the pillars of their cooking philosophy: "If we made it at home and liked it, it probably made it on the menu."

The proof is on the table. Falsone and Moshier's first-course recipe, a marinated-shrimp and fennel salad, is a brightly flavored dish they first made at home one summer weekend. Its strength lies in its simplicity: fresh shrimp, crunchy fennel, dynamic hits of cilantro and jalapeño. The crespelle -- more or less Italian crêpes -- are lavished with two kinds of cheese and mushrooms, which are napped with an austere "sciue-sciue" sauce of garlic, cherry tomatoes, and water. It's based on the Italian-American feasts Falsone's family makes on holidays, but "it's the kind of dish you can't really argue with, Italian or not," say the chefs. If the double-marinated chicken (first cured in salt brine, then marinated in herbs and lemon) with roasted red onions and a potato torta seems like a bit much, consider that it involves very little pre-cooking fuss and results in copious flavor and tender-as-a-baby's-butt meat.

At Empire desserts must be ordered an hour ahead of time, but the dessert Falsone and Moshier present here works well when made in advance: lavender panna cotta, a molded Italian custard, weaves the earthy-sweet flavors of lavender, honey, apple, and caramel into a seamless whole. Not a bad way to wrap up the holiday season.

MARINATED SHRIMP AND FENNEL SALAD

12 large shrimp, peeled, with veins removed and tails left intact
1/4 cup vodka
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion rings
1 teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeño pepper (optional)
3 sprigs coarsely chopped cilantro
1 medium-size bulb fresh fennel
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fennel greens and tops for garnish

Bring two quarts of salted water to a boil in a small saucepan. Place four cups of ice cubes in a stainless-steel bowl and add cold water to cover. Set aside.

Dip the shrimp in the vodka and, without rinsing, immediately blanch the shrimp for three minutes in the boiling water. Drain the shrimp and plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking. When they're completely cool, remove them from ice water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove to a stainless-steel mixing bowl and dress with two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, scallions, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate for two hours.

Trim and clean the bulb of fennel. Shave the fennel into paper-thin slices with a vegetable slicer or very sharp knife, remove to a salad bowl, and dress with remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pile the fennel salad in the center of a large serving dish and place the shrimp decoratively around it. Garnish the dish with sprigs of the fennel greens and tops and serve. Serves four as an appetizer.

CRESPELLE WITH CHANTERELLE AND CRIMINI MUSHROOMS AND TWO CHEESES IN SAUCE "SCIUE-SCIUE"

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
2 cups thinly sliced chanterelle mushrooms
2 cups thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup whole milk
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 cups ricotta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves thinly sliced garlic
Two 10-ounce cans imported Italian cherry tomatoes with basil
2 cups heavy cream (1/3 cup per serving)

To prepare the crêpes:

Combine the milk and the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and whisk until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Fry the crêpes in a shallow Teflon or seasoned cast-iron crêpe pan, brushing the pan with a little salad oil between crêpes. Stack the finished crêpes with small pieces of wax paper between them so they don't stick together. Allow to cool.

To prepare the filling and sauce:
Combine the chanterelle and crimini mushrooms and sauté in the olive oil until the mushrooms are soft and browned around the edges. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Stir the milk and Parmigiano Reggiano into the ricotta cheese, seasoning to taste with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine and refrigerate the chopped herbs.

In a large frying pan, quickly brown the sliced garlic with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for about five minutes, seasoning with kosher salt and pepper and adding a little water if necessary to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.

To finish the crespelle:
Lay each crêpe "pretty-side down" and divide the cheese mixture and the mushrooms among the 12 crêpes, placing a dollop of cheese on top of each one, followed by a few slices of mushroom. Sprinkle each with a little of the fresh herb mixture.

Roll each crêpe, fully enclosing the filling and turning the seam down, so that the crêpe stays closed. After each crêpe is closed, place it in the pan on top of the tomato sauce, seam-side down. When all of the crespelle are in the pan, add the heavy cream. Cover and cook over medium heat until the crespelle are thoroughly hot and the sauce is slightly thickened, about five minutes. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve. Serves six as a light entrée.

DOUBLE-MARINATED
HALF-CHICKEN WITH LEMON, ROASTED RED ONIONS, AND CRISPY POTATO TORTA

1/2 cup kosher salt
2 large (3- or 4-pound) roasting chickens, split in half, cleaned, and with backs removed
5 lemons
1 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Pure olive oil for brushing
4 medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large red onions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To marinate the half-chickens:
Dissolve one-half cup kosher salt in four quarts of cold water. Submerge the half-chickens in the salt brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Chop the lemons, rind and all, into half-inch pieces and transfer into a storage container big enough to hold the half-chickens. Mix the parsley, rosemary, and thyme into the chopped lemon. Remove the half-chickens from the salt brine and place them in the chopped lemon-herb mixture, folding the lemons over the chickens with a spoon or spatula to cover completely. Again, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

To prepare the potato torta:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the inside of a nine-inch pie pan with the pure olive oil and set aside. Peel, wash, and dry the Yukon Gold potatoes. Thinly slice the potatoes with a very sharp knife or vegetable slicer. Layer some potato slices over the bottom of the oiled pie pan, dot with two tablespoons of the unsalted butter, and salt generously with kosher salt. Layer the remaining potatoes over and repeat dotting with unsalted butter and kosher salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until the interior of the potato torta is soft and its bottom is brown. Remove from the oven and set aside, keeping the torta in the pan and covered with the foil.

To prepare the red onions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Peel (allowing the root to stay intact), wash, and dry the red onions. Cut each onion into four wedges longitudinally through the root. Transfer the onion wedges to a small bowl and toss with the extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Spread them out on a baking sheet or pie pan in a single layer. Roast uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until the onions are well-browned and soft. Remove and set aside uncovered.

To roast the chickens:
Leave the oven heated to 475 degrees. Liberally brush a baking sheet with pure olive oil. Remove the half-chickens from the lemon-herb marinade and arrange, cut-side down, on the baking sheet. Brush lightly with pure olive oil and season with freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes uncovered. Remove and cover loosely with aluminum foil. (This "rest" allows the juices, which are near the surface just after roasting, to settle into the meat.)

While the meat is resting, slice the potato torta into four sections and reheat the onions and potato torta in the hot oven. Remove the half-chickens to a warm serving dish and add the remaining unsalted butter and a few tablespoons of water to the baking tray. Heat on the stove to deglaze the baking tray, stirring and scraping the tray with a rubber spatula to create a sauce. Add kosher salt to taste if necessary.

Serve the roasted red onions and a slice of potato torta with each half-chicken, spooning the lemon sauce over each half-chicken. Serves four as a solid main course

LAVENDER PANNA COTTA WITH CARAMELIZED APPLES

11/2 teaspoons gelatin
1/4 cup cold milk
23/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
Empire or McIntosh apples
1/4 cup sugar

To prepare the panna cotta:
With a fingertip, rub the insides of four half-ounce ramekins or soufflé cups very sparingly with a little salad oil. Set aside.

Combine the gelatin with the cold milk, stir well, and set aside at room temperature.

In a saucepan, combine 21/4 cups of the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, honey, and lavender buds. Scald over medium heat, stir, and allow to steep uncovered for 20 minutes.

After the cream has steeped, reheat until it starts to bubble, and then strain into a mixing bowl. Add the gelatin-milk mixture to the hot strained cream and whisk to combine.

Pour into the prepared ramekins or soufflé cups and refrigerate for two hours, until the gelatin has set and the panna cotta is slightly firm in the middle.

To prepare the caramelized apples:
While the panna cotta is finishing, peel and core the apples. Slice each into four thick latitudinal slices. Warm the remaining heavy cream and set aside.

Cook half the sugar in a sauté pan over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally. The sugar will begin to darken around the edges and bubble. When the sugar in the pan is completely caramelized, add the remaining sugar, continuing to stir and caramelize. Do not touch or splash yourself with the caramel -- it hurts! When the sugar is dark brown and has reached a thickened, liquid-like consistency, reduce heat and add the warm cream, stirring gently, being careful to avoid splattering -- the caramel will react violently to the addition of the cream. Stir and boil over low heat until the caramel is dissolved in the cream.

Add the apple slices to the caramel-cream mixture in a single layer and gently poach over low heat, turning once, until the apples are soft but still hold their shape. Remove from the pan to a flat plate, again in a single layer, and set aside with the remaining sauce.

To serve the panna cotta:
Unmold the panna cotta by cutting around the edge of the molded cream with a knife to separate it from the ramekin or soufflé cup. Invert the panna cotta over the plate upon which you intend to serve the dessert and gently wiggle it out of the mold. Adorn the panna cotta with slices of caramelized apple and lots of caramel sauce and serve. Yields four servings.