December menus; sugarplum party for the nutcracker set. A shellfish salad with rice soup. A sugar pie to bake for Christmas breakfast

Sunset, Dec, 1985

Festive holiday events become more memorable when you pair them with a special menu. After The Nutcracker ballet, have ready a desert party featuring some of the dancing sweets to reinforce the story for the young and refresh older guests.

For Christmas morning, sweet fragrances from the kitchen greet early risers. And when tree trimming is finished, you can all sit down to a ready-when-you-are salad supper of marinated seafood and vegetables.

Nutcracker tea

From the Kingdom of Sweets comes the cast for this easy-to-execute party menu for 6 to 8 of any age.

Sugarplums

Popcorm Snowflakes

Candy Canes Chocolate Kisses

Russian-Chinese Dance Tea

Prunes baked in almond paste make delectable sugarplums. The tea is high in fruit juice and light on spice and tea to appeal to youngsters; you can make sugarplums and tea ahead. Make popcorn to fill the role of snowflakes. Purchase candy canes and chocolate kisses.

Sugarplums 1 can (8 oz. or 3/4 cup) almond paste 1 egg white 24 moist-pack pitted prunes Water Sugar

In medium-size bowl of an electric mixer, beat almond paste and egg white at medium speed until smooth. Pat about 1/2 tablespoon almond mixture around each prune to cover; slightly moisten fingers with water if needed to keep paste from sticking. Roll each coated prune in sugar and place slightly apart in an ungreased 10- by 15-inch rimmed baking pan.

Bake at 350[deg.] until confections are brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then remove with a metal spatula. Serve, or store airtight up to 1 week. Makes 2 dozen; allow 3 or 4 for a serving.

Russian-Chinese Dance Tea

Stud 1 large orange with 4 teaspoons whole cloves. Put orange in a 4-to 5-quart pan along with 7-1/2 cups water, 5 cups orange juice, 1-2/3 cups water, 5 cups orange juice, 1-2/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 4 cinnamon sticks (each 2-1/2 to 3 in. long), and 3 cubes (each 1 in. square) fresh ginger. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently until liquid is well flavored by spice, about 1 hour; discard ginger.

Place 1/3 cup orange pekoe tea leaves in a large tea ball or tie tea up loosely in 3 layers of cheesecloth. Add to spiced hot liquid, cover pan, and steep until tea flavor permeates, about 5 minutes. Lift out tea leaves and discard.

Serve; or remove orange and spices from tea and chill them up to 3 days. Let tea cool, cover, and chill up to 3 days. To serve, return orange and spices to tea and reheat. Pour into mugs. Makes 3 quarts, 6 to 8 servings of 1-1/2 to 2 cups each.

Winter seafood bowl

You use knife, fork, and fingers to eat this cool fish salad.

Chilled Winter Shellfish Bowl with

Hot Risotto Chowder French Bread

Sparkling Water with Lime

Cook the vegetables and shellfish in sequence, lift from the broth and chill, then mix to serve. Use broth for chowder.

Chilled Winter Shellfish Bowl

with Hot Risotto Chowder 3 slender carrots, peeled 2 medium-size (2-to 2 1/2-in.-diameter) turnips, peeled 1 medium-size onion, peeled 1 quart regular-strength chicken broth 2 cups dry white wine 1 bottle (8 oz.) clam broth 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspon dry thyme leaves 4 cloves garlic, sliced 6 small (1 1/2- to 2-in.-diameter) thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed 1 pound medium-size (26 to 30) shrimp, rinsed. 1 pound each clams (suitable for steaming) and mussels in shells, well scrubbed Tarragon vinaigrette (recipe follows) Water, optional 1/2 cup short- or medium-grain white rice 1 cup loosely packed parsley sprigs 12 to 18 large leaves of romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce, washed and crisped

Cut carrots into 2-inch lengths and turnips and onion into eighths. In a 4- to 5-quart pan, bring chicken broth, wine, clam broth, bay leaf, thyme, and garlic to boiling on high heat. Add turnips and potatoes; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add carrots and onion and continue simmering, covered, until vegetables are tender when pierced, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside.

If desired, devein shrimp by inserting a thin wooden skewer through shell and back, going under vein. Gently pull skewer up through back, drawing vein out; repeat in 2 or 3 places if needed to remove all of vein.

Stir shrimp into boiling broth; cover and cook on high heat until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test), about 5 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to vegetables. Add clams and mussels to broth. Bring to a boil; then simmer, uncovered, until shells open, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer opened shellfish with a slotted spoon to vegetables, then drain liquid in container of vegetables back into the pan and set liquid aside. Gently stir vinaigrette into vegetables and seafood; cool, cover, and chill from 1 to 6 hours.

Pour broth through a colander lined with 3 layers of wet cheesecloth set over a 2- to 3-quart pan. You should have 4 cups broth; if not, add water or boil rapidly, uncovered, to reduce to this amount. Stir in rice; cover and simmer until rice is very soft, about 40 minutes. Serve; or let cool, cover, and chill up to 1 day, then reheat.