A festive buffet - holiday dinners - Recipe

Sunset, Dec, 2000 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

A trio of holiday dinners -- from three rich traditions -- to spread on a sideboard for your Christmas gathering

Count them up--there are the two of you, the kids (and their kids), Aunt Sylvia.... Before you know it, your guest list for Christmas dinner numbers a dozen or more, and you're faced with the age-old holiday dilemma: how to serve a profusion of food to a multitude of people. The solution? A buffet. The easiest way to serve a crowd is not to serve them at all--let them help themselves.

The beauty of it is, many holiday foods, from every part of the world, fit naturally into this serving pattern. Here we bring you three menus: an elegant dinner with classic Northwest accents from Oregon, a unique Mexican-Middle Eastern feast from Arizona, and a Scandinavian smorgasbord from Washington. Much of each can be made ahead; use the countdowns to plan your preparation schedule. Each menu serves 10 to 12 people. To expand the meal for more guests, make two or three batches of the recipes or add some of your favorite dishes to the spread.

Holiday traditions, after all, are from the people. It stands to reason you should share one of the most traditional meals of the year with a crowd.

dinner at the White House

At Portland's White House Bed & Breakfast, a stately Greek revival inn that somewhat resembles the more famous White House in Washington, D.C., Lanning Blanks serves this festive meal to raise money for Our House of Portland, a nonprofit AIDS care facility. The menu, which works beautifully for holiday buffets at home as well, adds Northwest touches to traditional American foods. Little preparation--much of it done ahead of time--delivers a lot of elegance.

Smoked Salmon and Caper Crostini

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 50 minutes

NOTES: Reserve baguette ends and extra pieces for the sage stuffing for grilled beef tenderloin (page 100). Toast slices for crostini up to 1 day ahead; cool and store airtight at room temperature. Make salmon mixture up to 8 hours ahead; cover and chill. Spoon onto toast up to 1 hour ahead. Or present salmon mixture, garnished with remaining tomatoes and dill sprigs, and toast separately so guests can assemble crostini.

MAKES: 36 crostini; 10 to 12 appetizer servings

3 dozen baguette slices (3/8 in. thick and 2 in. wide, about 5 oz.)

9 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped Roma tomatoes

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon drained capers, finely chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice Fresh dill sprigs

1. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on racks on 2 baking sheets (14 by 17 in. each). Bake in a 425[degrees] oven until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; switch pan positions halfway through baking.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix salmon, 1/2 cup tomatoes, onion, chopped dill, capers, and lemon juice.

3. Spoon equal portions of salmon mixture onto toast slices. Sprinkle equally with remaining tomatoes and garnish with dill sprigs.

Per piece: 27 cal., 17% (4.5 cal.) from fat; 1.9 g protein; 0.5 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 3.6 g carbo (0.2 g fiber); 190 mg sodium; 1.6 mg chol.

Dungeness Crab with Wasabi Soy and Pickled Ginger

PREP TIME: About 10 minutes

NOTES: Have crabs cleaned and cracked at the seafood market. Look for wasabi and pickled ginger in a well-stocked supermarket or an Asian food market. Offer extra wasabi for those who want their dipping sauce a little hotter.

MAKES: 10 to 12 appetizer servings

4 or 5 cooked Dungeness crabs (2 lb. each), cleaned and cracked (see notes)

3/4 cup soy sauce

3 to 4 teaspoons prepared wasabi

1/2 cup sliced pickled ginger

1. Arrange crab on a platter, with small forks alongside.

2. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce with 3 to 4 teaspoons wasabi to taste. Mound ginger in another small bowl.

3. Have guests arrange portions of crab and spoonfuls of wasabi soy and pickled ginger on their plates, then extract bites of the crab with small forks, dip in wasabi soy, and eat with pickled ginger.

Per serving: 104 cal., 12% (12 cal.) from fat; 16 g protein; 1.3 g fat (0.2 g sat.); 6.4 g carbo (0 g fiber); 1,274 mg sodium; 72 mg chol.

Baby Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

PREP TIME: About 20 minutes

NOTES: The fragrant dressing for this salad comes from Justin Petersen of Portland. Make it (step 1) up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Also rinse spinach, wrap in towels, enclose in a plastic bag, and chill.

MAKES: 10 to 12 servings

2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or coarsely chopped

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

11/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

11/2 teaspoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

About 1/2 teaspoon salt

6 quarts baby spinach Leaves (11/4 lb.), rinsed and crisped (see notes)

1 cup crumbled chevre (goat)cheese (4 oz.)

1. In a food processor or blender, whirl garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, pepper, and vanilla until smooth. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and whirl just until blended. Pour into a wide bowl.