Recipes for a great dinner party

Oct. 25 - As the holiday season approaches, many people will be having friends and family over to celebrate. So it’s probably a good idea to make sure you have a festive menu for your hungry guests. Chef Daniel Boulud from the restaurant “Daniel” in New York City shares recipes for our dinner party from his new cookbook “Daniel ‘s Dish.” Check out the recipes below.

LAMB STEW WITH ROSEMARY AND ORANGE

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

One 4-pound lamb shoulder, boned and cut into

1-inch chunks

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

4 small carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 large turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes or 16 baby turnips, peeled and trimmed

1 large celery root, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

One 3-inch cinnamon stick

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange

1/2 cup dry white wine

5 to 6 cups water or unsalted chicken stock

4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

DIRECTIONS

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 300F.

Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the onion, carrots, turnips, celery root, fennel, garlic, rosemary and cinnamon stick. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the lamb and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, adding more olive oil if needed.

Sprinkle the flour on top and continue to cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and parsley. Add the orange juice and wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add enough water to almost cover the lamb and vegetables; bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and orange zest; cover the pot. Bake until the lamb is fork-tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Serve immediately.

Wine box

The very affordable Dr. Cosimo Taurino’s Notarpanaro, a peppery Italian wine, is a great match. Another option comes from California: Infused with the penetrating aromas of spices and cassis, Ravenswood Zinfandel, Vintner’s Blend, is also characterized by its smoked-meat and dried-fruit flavors.

CHICKEN SATAY WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 small jalapeòo chile, halved, seeded, and finely chopped

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 Tbsp Asian fish sauce (preferably nuoc nam)

2 Tbsp tamarind pulp or paste

2 tsp honey

For the chicken

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, outer leaves removed, and bulb thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil

Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)

Sixteen 8-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the sauce

Warm the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and chile and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the peanut butter, coconut milk, fish sauce, tamarind, and honey. Mix well; cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. (The sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just before serving, rewarm the sauce.)

To prepare the chicken

Put the coriander and fennel seeds in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, periodically shaking the pan back and forth until toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Finely grind in a spice grinder. Mix with the lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, sugar, turmeric, and salt.

Pour a third of the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Cut the chicken lengthwise into sixteen 1/4-inch-thick strips and arrange them on top of the lemongrass mixture in a single layer in the dish. Pour the remaining marinade on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Gently scrape the marinade off the chicken using the back of a knife. Thread a chicken slice onto each bamboo skewer. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the chicken 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with the peanut sauce.

Wine box

The clean tropical-fruit flavors and midrange acidity of the 2001 Domaine du Clos Naudin, a Vouvray demi-sec, is soft on the palate while echoing the richness of the peanut sauce. Or the touch of sweetness offered by the German Riesling Selbach-Oster Spätlese Zeltinger Schlossberg 2001 also makes a good selection.

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Recipes excerpted from “Daniel’s Dish: Entertaining at Home With a Four-Star Chef” by Daniel Boulud and Margaret Russell. Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Boulud and Margaret Russell. Published by Filipacchi Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt can be used without permission of the publisher.