...And Elegant Fare

Holiday dinners, like dinner jackets, have recently undergone dramatic changes in style. The stereotyped turkey and suckling pig, worked to death for so many year-end parties, are giving way to one of the great baronial favorites, roast crown and saddle of lamb. Holiday plum pudding, overladen with spices and groaning with its own weight, yields pride of place to pears blazing in crème de menthe spooned over a luscious mound of ice cream. But whatever the details of your year-end feast may be, the principal formula for an auspicious house party is clear: Elegance and ease should get equal billing.

The guests you invite to a black-tie affair should be, for the most part, your closest friends. They will come not just to savor the lobster soufflé or the sauce maltaise or the champagne or to display their formal finery but to toast their friendship with raised glasses, whether your base of operations is a town house, penthouse or pied-à-terre.

Five or six couples are sensible numbers for an intimate holiday party. A group of 12 is large enough to be festive but manageable enough so that a single voice doesn't have to struggle to break through the sound barrier. Most importantly, you needn't spend your time going from group to group to make sure that cordiality is unconfined.

Whether you invite 10 or 12 or 14 guests will depend to a large extent on one elementary consideration--the size of your dining room. It should be sufficiently large so that those at table can comfortably sit or rise to make a toast, and be served without the waiter having to squeeze between chair and wall. If your present table isn't large enough, both table and chairs can be rented. It's unwise to plan a black-tie dinner party where groups must be assigned to different tables--sometimes in different rooms. At a huge buffet blowout, where guests sandwich themselves in at the most convenient spot, individual tables are practical; but when dinner guests are awaiting the New Year, intimacy should be the keynote.

Your invitations to a New Year's Eve dinner party should always be made as early as possible. Be sure to make it clear that it's black tie. Give prospective guests a specific time both for cocktail and for dinner. If you intend to. toast the midnight hour at the dinner table, cocktails should be available from 8:30 onward and guests should be seated about 9:30 or 10 o'clock. If you plan to have a party break after dinner and draw the champagne corks later in another room, perhaps before a blazing fire, the dinner hour should be earlier. The menu you plan should be flexible so that preparation time can be easily moved an hour in either direction.

High on the host's list of pre-party preparation is getting competent help for cooking, serving and bartending. It's asking for needless headaches to try to be host, servant, butler and cook all rolled into one. You may want to do part of the cooking the day before the dinner to ease last-minute preparations. During cocktails, you may want to check the progress of the meal in the kitchen and, at the table, you might want to do the carving yourself. But the real test of your ability to run the show is whether you're enjoying it all as much as your guests. For a party of 12, you should, therefore, hire at least two people, a bartender-butler and a cook. Every employment agency for domestics keeps a roster of people available for holiday assignments. It's best to call as early as possible. Even those employment agencies that don't normally check up on their employees do follow up on those they send out for the once-a-year holiday jobs. Among the best agencies, any employee who fails to show up for a holiday assignment without a valid reason is persona non grata thereafter. The most competent help is usually at the beck of the private agencies that have had long experience with the carriage trade. Many of them have lists of people who have steady jobs during the year but who get weekends off and are eager to moonlight for a well-paying holiday assignment. In some cases, you may find such help on the staffs of men's clubs, which are normally deserted on New Year's Eve, or in elegant restaurants in the business district that are not open at night. It isn't terribly important whether or not the people you hire have worked together before--but it helps. You should, however, spell out beforehand just what their duties will be. If, for instance, the cook is expected to prepare the whole dinner from scratch, and if you want the cook to follow specific recipes of your own, it's a good idea to call in the employee the day before the party to review both menu and recipes as well as your own cooking equipment. A professional cook of high caliber usually does not serve at the table. At a small party of a dozen or so people, the cook and bartender-butler usually take care of all the kitchen cleanup. Just what their going rate of pay will be depends upon the section of the country in which you live; but this, too, is always settled upon comfortably in advance. Tips should not be bestowed automatically, but if you've had good service and, especially, if you might have need of them again, you should give something extra (15 percent is ample) at the end of the evening.

Cocktails before the New Year's Eve dinner should be made from liquors of distinguished labels as an augury of the feast to follow. One of the best ways of keeping pre-dinner drinks to a reasonable minimum so that your guests may properly enjoy your holiday meal is to offer hors d'oeuvres that are as different from the usual assorted canapés as a vintage champagne from a cooking wine. Fresh Beluga caviar is the opulent, absolute monarch of the hors d'oeuvre table; all gourmet shops receive a fresh supply of it at this time of the year. Its price, extortionately expensive most months, is frequently reduced for the holidays. The most prized of the sturgeon eggs, of course, is the large, light-gray Beluga caviar; the second best is the Sevruga caviar, with somewhat smaller eggs. Third in line is the Beluga caviar in sealed jars that is somewhat saltier and smaller than the fresh but that can be stored for months if not used. The only other hors d'oeuvre that can sit on the same throne with Beluga caviar is genuine pâté de foie gras. If both hors d'oeuvres are in the king's-ransom class, it's not just their scarcity but because they are the most delectable appetizers you can offer to the people whom you most esteem--your New Year's Eve dining companions.

Years ago, it was the custom to offer four wines with a four-course dinner, a practice that is followed less and less these days. At the beginning of the dinner, the Spanish custom of offering a freshly opened bottle of a fino sherry and passing it with both the soup and the seafood makes wonderful dining sense. The great sherries are always elegant curtain raisers; when a renowned red wine is later offered with the roast, the wine will be enjoyed for its own magnificent flavor; it won't have to compete with a wine that preceded it. Champagne or an haut sauterne may be offered with the dessert; but if the dessert includes a flaming liqueur, wine is unnecessary. The wine you select for the roast of a New Year's Eve dinner should bear a château label of one of the great growths if it's a Bordeaux or be one of the eminent estate-bottled burgundies. Among French champagnes, the '61s, '62s, '64s and '66s were all great vintages of the past decade.

The old saying that elegance is not a manly ornament is daily proved false by the clothes we wear, the furniture with which we live and the cars in which we ride. Add to the list the following New Year's Eve menu. Recipes are for 12.

Beluga Caviar, Pâté de Foie Gras Oyster Barquettes, Buckwheat Crepes

Clear Turtle and Tomato Soup

Fresh Lobster Soufflé

Roast Crown and Saddle of Lamb, Black Currant Jelly

Potatoes Lorette

Broccoli, Sauce Maltaise

Celery Knob, Fresh Mushroom and Sweet Pepper Salad

Ice Cream with Crème de Menthe Pears, Grasshopper Sauce

Demitasse

For 12 guests, 1 1/2 lbs. caviar will be generous. Keep it chilled until served. It should be in its original tin, surrounded with cracked ice, at the hors d'oeuvre table. Alongside the caviar, there should be a bowl of sour cream mixed with finely chopped fresh chives. Offer warm buckwheat crepes with a dollop each of caviar and sour cream. Pâté de foie gras should also be served, chilled in its original crock. Serve it on tiny rounds of toasted French bread or Melba toast. The boat-shaped patty shells called barquettes are available at French bakeries and gourmet shops. Line them with softened butter mixed with horseradish. Add a small, freshly shucked oyster. Serve with tiny wedges of lemon.

(continued on page 265)Elegant Fare(continued from page 116)

[recipe_title]Buckwheat Crepes[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]6 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup water[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]2/3 cup buckwheat flour (stone-ground, if possible)[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup white all-purpose flour[/recipe]

Melt butter over low flame. Skim foam from top. Pour butter into bowl, discarding solid part in bottom of pan. Set aside. Put eggs, milk, water, salt, both kinds of flour and 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter into blender. Blend 15 seconds at high speed. Stop blender and scrape sides. Blend 1/2 minute more. Pour batter into bowl. Preheat Swedish cast-iron platter pan; i.e., a pan with 7 sections for making small pancakes. Place pan over moderate flame; adjust flame from time to time as necessary. Brush pan with clarified butter. Fill each section with about 2 teaspoons batter. Tilt pan if necessary to spread batter completely. Fry until light brown. Turn crepes with fork to brown lightly on other side. Crepes may be freshly made as party progresses or they may be made in advance, covered with aluminum foil, chilled and then reheated in a slow oven until warm.

[recipe_title]Clear Turtle and Tomato Soup[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 lbs. fresh tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]6 egg whites[/recipe]

[recipe]3 medium-size onions, chopped fine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 carrots, chopped fine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 leeks, chopped fine[/recipe]

[recipe]4 quarts chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]2 bay leaves[/recipe]

[recipe]6 whole cloves[/recipe]

[recipe]12 whole allspice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon leaf thyme[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 10 1/2-oz. cans turtle meat[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup medium-dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]6 thin slices lemon[/recipe]

Remove stem ends from tomatoes; chop tomatoes fine. Pour egg whites into soup pot. Beat just until they begin to turn foamy. Add onions, carrots, leeks and tomatoes, mixing well. Pour in cold chicken broth. Add bay leaves, cloves, allspice and thyme. Slowly bring to a boil. Vegetables and egg whites will cohere during cooking. Simmer slowly 1 1/2 hours. Let soup cool slightly. Strain through a double thickness of cheesecloth. Add salt and pepper if necessary. A few drops of red coloring may be added if desired. Remove turtle meat from cans, reserving turtle broth in cans. Cut turtle meat into 1/4-in. dice. In saucepan, combine turtle broth, turtle meat and sherry. At serving time, reheat soup and turtle mixture separately. Divide turtle mixture among soup plates or cups. Pour clear soup into plates or cups. Cut lemon slices in half; float a half on each portion.

[recipe_title]Lobster Soufflé[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 1 1/4-lb. freshly boiled-live lobsters[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 bay leaves[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup very finely minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup all-purpose flour[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cups hot milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]12 egg yolks, beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]12 egg whites[/recipe]

Remove meat from lobster shells. Save tomalley and roe, if any. Break roe apart. Cut meat into small dice no larger than 1/4 in. Butter 12 individual souffle dishes of 1 1/4-cup capacity each or 2 2-quart soufflé dishes. Melt butter with bay leaves over low flame. Add onion and sauté until onion is yellow but not brown. Remove from flame and stir in flour, blending well. Slowly stir in hot milk, mixing well with wire whisk. Return to moderate flame and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from flame. Remove bay leaves from sauce. Stir in lobster, tomalley, roe and wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Preheat oven at 375°. Let sauce stand 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Stir in egg yolks, blending well. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; that is, until they form soft peaks and will not flow from bowl when it is tipped. They should not be so stiff that they have lost their shine. Gradually fold egg whites into sauce. Pour into soufflé dishes; place them in baking pan containing I in. very hot water. Bake 20--25 minutes if dishes are small; bake 35--40 minutes if dishes are large. Serve at once.

[recipe_title]Roast Crown and Saddle of Lamb[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 crown roasts of lamb, prepared by butcher, 14 to 16 ribs each[/recipe]

[recipe]1 whole saddle of lamb (double loin cut across back)[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 quart stock[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon meat extract[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons madeira or medium-dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons sweet butter[/recipe]

Normally, 2 crown roasts and 1 whole saddle are sufficient for 12 people. For extra-hearty trenchermen, another saddle may be added. Be sure backbones have been completely removed from crown roasts for carving. Ends of rib bones should be trimmed off meat and covered with aluminum foil. Have butcher cut off tough flanks of the saddle. They may be boiled and used for the stock or they may be used another time for a stew. Remove meat from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Preheat oven at 375°. Place meat in shallow roasting pan. Brush lightly with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 1 1/4--1 3/4 hours, depending on doneness desired; lamb connoisseurs prefer the meat slightly pink. While meat is roasting, bring stock and meat extract to a boil. Dissolve arrowroot in 2 tablespoons each of cold water and madeira. Slowly add to stock, stirring constantly. Simmer 5 minutes. Set aside. When meat is completely roasted, remove it from pan. Pour off fat from pan. Add stock, scraping pan bottom, and bring to a boil over top flame. Simmer 2--3 minutes. Remove gravy from pan. Stir in butter; add salt and pepper to taste. Before carving, remove foil from rib ends. They may be garnished by fastening spiced crab apples or kumquats soaked in rum to each rib. Carve crown by cutting into chops. Carve loin lengthwise into thin strips, not forgetting the two filets on the underside of the saddle. Pass pan gravy at table. Serve lamb with a 12-oz. jar of black-currant jelly, into which 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar has been blended with a wire whisk.

[recipe_title]Potatoes Lorette[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 1/2 cups diced potatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]6 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour[/recipe]

[recipe]6 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

Boil potatoes in water to which 1 teaspoon salt has been added. Cook until potatoes are soft. Drain well; mash with potato ricer. Do not add the usual butter or milk. In a saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups water, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and butter until water boils and butter melts. Reduce heat. Add flour all at once and stir until batter is firm and leaves sides of pan. Remove from fire. Turn batter into bowl of electric mixer. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add potatoes and mix until well blended. Heat 1 in. oil in electric skillet preheated at 370°. Drop potato mixture by teaspoons into hot oil. Fry until puffed and light brown. Drain on paper toweling. Place in a single layer in very shallow baking pans or cookie sheets. Place in freezer. Potatoes will freeze rather quickly. At serving time (after lamb and soufflés have been removed from oven), turn oven heat to 450°. Bake potatoes uncovered 8--10 minutes or until medium brown. Sprinkle with salt.

[recipe_title]Sauce Maltaise[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 lb. unsalted butter[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]9 egg yolks[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons grated orange rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 tablespoon lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne[/drinkRecipe]

Melt butter over low flame. Remove from fire and skim foam from top. Beat egg yolks and orange juice with wire whisk in top part of double boiler. Place over barely simmering, not boiling, water. Top part of double boiler should not be in contact with water. Beat constantly with whisk, scraping corners and bottom of pan; cook just until egg yolks begin to turn creamy in consistency. Do not cook until they become thick or firm. Turn yolks into bowl of electric mixer. Heat butter over low flame until hot. With mixer at medium speed, add hot butter in dribbles, no more than a tablespoon at a time. Do not add solid part of melted butter in bottom of pan. When all of the butter has been added, turn off mixer. Stir in orange rind and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne. Sauce may be made in advance and kept in a warm, not hot, place. It should not be reheated; it is served lukewarm with broccoli, which has been trimmed and boiled.

[recipe_title]Celery Knob, Fresh Mushroom and Sweet Pepper Salad[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 1/2 lbs. celery knobs (celeriac)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lb. fresh firm white mushrooms[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 large sweet red or green peppers[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup olive oil[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons wine vinegar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon dry mustard[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 heads Boston lettuce[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Salt, freshly ground pepper[/drinkRecipe]

Remove leaves and root ends of celery knobs. Peel. Boil in salted water until tender--usually 20--30 minutes or longer, depending on size. First, cut into thin slices, then cut slices crosswise into match-stick-size strips. Cut mushroom caps and stems same size as celery knobs. Cut peppers in quarters lengthwise. Remove stem ends, seeds and inner membranes. Cut crosswise into thinnest possible strips. Store in refrigerator. Pour olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, both kinds of mustard and 1/4 teaspoon salt into blender. Blend at high speed 30 seconds. Put celery knobs and mushrooms in bowl and pour olive-oil dressing over them; toss well. Chill until serving time. Wash and dry lettuce and tear into small pieces. At serving time, toss lettuce in large salad bowl with celery knobs and mushrooms, together with their dressing, and peppers. Add salt and pepper.

[recipe_title]Ice Cream with Crème de Menthe Pears, Grasshopper Sauce[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 18-oz. jars pears in crème de menthe 1 2-quart bombe French-vanilla ice cream or 2 quarts vanilla ice cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ozs. cognac[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ozs. crème de menthe[/recipe]

[recipe]3 ozs. white crème de cacao[/recipe]

Drain pears, reserving juice. Divide ice cream among 12 dessert dishes. Heat pear juice over low flame. Place pears in shallow porcelainized iron pan or chafing dish. Add about 1/4 cup pear juice. Heat over chafing-dish flame for several minutes until pears are warmed. Add cognac, crème de menthe and crème de cacao. Set ablaze. When flames subside, spoon hot pears into serving dishes alongside ice cream. Add flambéed liquid to pear juice and pour over ice cream.

A felicitous gathering of kindred spirits, the holiday feast will be made more so with appropriately gala food and drink, such as that set forth in the preceding recipes, for an ebullient New Year's Eve. Let the revels begin.