The New Year's Day Brunch

Of all the formulas concocted to cast off the post--New Year's Eve pall, none is more likely to recapture the previous night's comradery and smooth the rumpled feathers of the late-rising night owl quicker than a festive early-afternoon array of good food and drink. If you're the host of a holiday brunch, you're in the particularly attractive position of being able to stick close to your own glowing hearthside. Don't let your open house be too open; you'll want only those of your confreres and confidantes with whom you honestly enjoy eating and drinking. They should come as they are with no particular protocol for dress or diversion. A few may arrive at your door exhibiting a slight under-the-weather-beaten look. But after the first round of frozen screwdrivers, their listlessness will dissolve into spirited note-trading on the previous night's itineraries. This urbane renewal of the year-end's wassailing has its roots in history. In the days when New York was Nieuw Amsterdam, Dutch bachelors on New Year's morning always called on young Nieuw Amsterdamsels. After eight or ten stops and eight or ten punch bowls, the average young Dutchman would begin Zuider Zeeing things, and would then have to be carefully guided home on the arms of his nearest Dutch uncle. After your second or third round of drinks, the Japanese New Year's celebration lasting an entire week begins to make more and more sense. The proper milieu for your brunch is, of course, the inviting expanse before a blazing log fire, close enough to the buffet table to savor the fragrance of scrambled eggs and truffles, of finnan haddie and capers, of sausages sizzling in a chafing dish. Although your agenda may be vaguely scheduled for a noonish kickoff, the whole day's docket should be as flexible as possible. Brunchers, always a law unto themselves, are entitled to the privilege of eating when they're hungry and drinking when they're dry in either order. Only one exception comes to mind. If there's to be revelry around a bowl of creamy eggnog, this event is best billed after the food is offered. The same counsel holds for sherry flips or port flips, both of which are quasi desserts and are best enjoyed after eating. Every pick-me-up should produce the glowing effects of a hot-and-cold shower, alternately soothing and stimulating. When you mix the bloody marys, there should be an extra dash of Tabasco, an extra squirt of lemon juice. Let the jigger runneth over when you pour the cognac or kirsch on the rocks.

One of the first duties of the brunchmaster is to set a table that's sumptuous, and the most important step in making your table bounteous is to acquire buffet ware that's vivid and inviting. Highly burnished Sheffield silver platters and coffee sets, for instance, once the main interest of antiquarians, are now sought after as modern graces of easy entertaining.

Even a New Year's Day get-together designed along the lines of a Continental breakfast -juice, rolls and coffee -can be done up memorably. A single glass of orange juice or a screwdriver is a somewhat forlorn sight. How much more munificent are the very same drinks poured into a deep glass pitcher, resting in an iced champagne bucket, surrounded with a wide circle of polished Delmonico glasses or tulip-shaped stemware. One of the most auspicious sights on any New Year's Day table is a commodious breadbasket piled high with warm quick breads. Today, this kind of prodigality is merely a matter of shopping at the right places. If you've access to a French baker, you can garner an assortment of brioches, the richest and silkiest of soft rolls, flaky croissants so tender they seem to float away when you sample them, long salt sticks and crisp club rolls. For partisans of Americana there are blueberry muffins, corn muffins and pecan buns, all from the frozen-food counters. They require no more toil than brief baking or warming in their own pan. Pre-serves can be lined up, ranging from French Bar-le-Duc to Canadian wild blueberry jam to Hawaiian orchid honey. Coffee should be in the largest and brightest urn and ever-flowing. In the cold light of the morning after, the brew should be unadorned and, if anything, a little darker than usual. The best coffee in the world will taste even better if you own an electric grinder and use it right before brewing.

Realistically, however, you'll want more than an orange juice, roll and coffee routine when you're holding a house party. But the holiday brunch should never be expanded into an overworked smorgasbord. Two or three chafing dishes of hot food should suffice. Each should be cooked and stowed away a day in advance, whenever possible, both for better flavor and for avoiding the occasional confusion that sometimes accompanies last-minute preparations. If there's a small gathering of two or three couples, such short gastronomic services as shirred eggs, waffles or griddle cakes can be proffered. In larger groups one of the distaff members of the crowd should be designated as tender of the waffle iron or griddle iron, filling orders as requested.

Your only worry in the midst of such festive carryings-on may well be how you're going to keep the following 364 days from being anticlimactic.

[recipe_title]Frozen Screwdrivers[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]6 ozs. frozen undiluted orange juice[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. water[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups coarsely cracked ice[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. vodka[/recipe]

Put all ingredients in an electric blender. Blend 10 to 15 seconds.

[recipe_title]Frozen Bloody Marys[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]18-oz. can tomato juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]8 dashes Tabasco sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. vodka[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon celery salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

Freeze tomato juice in the ice-cube tray of the refrigerator. Put balance of ingredients in electric blender. Add tomato juice cubes. Blend until all ingredients are puréed. Move frozen pieces of tomato juice toward blender knives as necessary. The drink will be quite thick and may be served with a spoon.

[recipe_title]Coffee Eggnog[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]6 ozs. coffee liqueur[/recipe]

[recipe]4 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. heavy sweet cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 quart milk[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ozs. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]Ground coriander seed[/recipe]

Beat eggs well in a large mixing bowl. Add coffee liqueur, cream, milk and cognac slowly, beating well. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator. Sprinkle with coriander, after pouring in serving glasses.

[recipe_title]Scrambled Eggs with Truffles[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]12 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]4-oz. piece of slab bacon (unsliced)[/recipe]

[recipe]7/3-oz. tin truffles[/recipe]

[recipe]Madeira or sherry wine Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 ozs. sweet butter[/recipe]

Cover bacon with cold water in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer slowly until bacon is very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Chill bacon in refrigerator. Cut off rind from bottom of bacon. Discard rind. Cut bacon into thinnest possible slices. Cut slices into smallest possible dice. Drain truffles. Cut truffles into small dice. Cover truffles with Madeira. Let stand for about 1 hour. Drain trufflcs, discarding Madeira. Beat eggs well in a deep bowl. Add bacon and truffles to eggs. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or more to taste. Melt butter in electric skillet over low heat. Add eggs. Stir constantly, cooking until eggs are soft scrambled. Serve with buttered-toast triangles.

[recipe_title]Scrambled Eggs with Genoa Salami[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]6 ozs. Genoa salami sliced very thin[/recipe]

[recipe]4 medium size fresh tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]4 scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]12 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]3 ozs. sweet butter[/recipe]

Salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.

Lower tomatoes into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove tomatoes from water. Place under cold running water for a minute. With a sharp paring knife, remove tomato skins. Cut out stem ends. Cut each tomato in quarters. Press gently to remove seeds. Cut tomatoes into 1/2-in. dice. Separate slices of salami. Place in a shallow pan in oven preheated at 370° for 20 to 25 minutes or until salami is browned. Remove from oven. Drain and discard fat. Break salami slices into coarse pieces, crumbling it by hand. Cut scallions crosswise into thin slices, using white part of scallion and about 2 in. of green. Beat eggs well. Melt butter in electric skillet over low heat. Add tomatoes. Sauté until tomatoes are tender. Add eggs, salami and scallions. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon white pepper or more to taste and dash of cayenne pepper. Stir constantly, cooking until eggs are soft scrambled. Serve with sliced toasted Italian or French bread.

[recipe_title]Ham, Chive Sauce, Poached Egg[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1-lb. ham sliced paper thin[/recipe]

[recipe](No. 1 on slicing machine)[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced fine Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices white bread[/recipe]

[recipe]4 poached eggs[/recipe]

(Be sure ham is machine-sliced, not hand-sliced, and not the usual packaged sliced ham.) Tear ham into pieces about 1 in. square. Place ham in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons butter. Sauté over low flame, stirring frequently until ham is curled, not brown. Blend cream and flour in blending machine about 10 seconds. Pour over ham, bring to a boil. Simmer slowly about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chives and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm. Heat salad oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet until butter melts. Fry bread until medium brown on both sides. Spoon ham mixture over bread on serving plates. Place poached egg on top of ham.

[recipe_title]Cheese Soufflé with Brandy[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]6 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]6 egg whites[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup hot milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon onion powder[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon garlic powder Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan and remove from flame as soon as melted. Stir in flour slowly with a wire whisk until no lumps remain, and very slowly add hot milk, stirring constantly. Return to moderate flame, simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and remove from fire. Beat egg yolks well and stir into sauce slowly. Add nutmeg, brandy, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Place over moderate flame and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is very thick; then remove from flame and let cool an hour. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat egg whites stiff but not dry, until they form soft peaks, and fold into cheese mixture. Turn into a 2-quart casserole. Bake approximately an hour in preheated 325° oven or until souffle has risen and is golden brown. Serve at once.

Of one thing you can be certain: Your brunch will be a comfortably casual, contagiously convivial way of starting the New Year off on the right fete.