A perfect 3-course menu for New Year's Eve

My tradition is to devote my last column of the year to a New Year's Eve feast. The menu is composed of an assortment of the best recipes I developed during 2011.

Be prepared for a marathon day working on all these recipes. Ideally, you should have some company to help you through all the steps to prepare the meal.

We will start with some amuse bouche consisting of Alaskan Smoked Salmon on Buttered Toast hors d'oeuvres paired with Champagne.

The first course will include Dungeness Crab Ravioli served with a dry riesling.

The main course is a Leg and Breast Duck Confit served with Potatoes Gratin and a medley of seasonal vegetables. We pair this with pinot noir.

The dessert is Persimmon Tarte Tatin (recipe may be downloaded here) paired with a late-harvest sauvignon blanc.

This menu, along other choices, will be served at Café Collage on New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year!

ALASKAN SMOKED SALMON ON BUTTERED TOAST

1 bag sliced white bread

10 ounces butter

For topping:

1⁄2 pound Alaskan smoked sockeye salmon, wild and firm

1 hard-boiled egg, finely diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

4 ounces crème fraîche, cream cheese or Lebanese labne

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a 1- to 2-inch round cutter, cut 4 to 5 circles from each slice of bread. Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Place all the bread circles on a baking sheet and brush them with butter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. The toasts need to be crunchy but not firm.

Dice the salmon into small pieces. Mix the salmon and egg with the onion, capers and parsley. Using a teaspoon or a small knife, spread the crème fraîche on the toast. Top with some of the smoked salmon mixture. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley leaves.

DUNGENESS CRAB RAVIOLI

Serves four

This consists of a filling of Dungeness crab mixture sealed between two layers of pasta dough. The ravioli can be rectangular, circular, triangular or shaped like a half-moon. The sauce is quite delicate. One has to relate to this type of dish as one relates to a ritual. The reward in this case is far more than the time and effort invested in preparing the dish.

For pasta dough:

2-1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs (preferably organic)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For sauce:

4 ounces unsalted butter

1⁄2 pound prawns (21-25 size)

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Kosher salt, ground pepper and curry, to taste

1⁄4 cup Meyer lemon juice

2 cups white wine

1⁄2 cup tomato sauce

For filling:

1 pound Dungeness crab

1⁄2 of a red onion, diced and sautéed lightly in a bit of butter

3 hard-boiled eggs, diced

Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 egg yolk

For garnish: 1⁄2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese; 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

Prepare dough: Mound the flour on a wooden or marble surface. Make a well in the top of the mound. Beat the eggs together and add to the well in the mound of flour. Add the olive oil and salt. Blend the ingredients together little by little until the dough gets firm but not too stiff. If necessary, add flour to the surface to keep the dough from sticking, or small amounts of water to the dough to keep it moist. Knead the dough by pressing it flat. Cover the dough and let it rest for one hour.

Alternatively, you may use a food processor to make the dough. Add all the ingredients and process until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead the dough on a floured surface and let it rest for one hour.

Prepare sauce: Melt the butter in a deep pan. Add the prawns and garlic. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and curry. Cook for five minutes over medium heat. Add the lemon and wine and cook for another five minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook for five more minutes.

Remove the prawns and transfer them to a food processor. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then pulse until smooth. Return the blended prawns to the sauce and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat. Pour the sauce through a strainer, pressing the prawn mixture to release all the liquid. Transfer the remaining solids to a separate container.

Prepare filling: Combine all the filling ingredients and stir until well blended.

Filling the ravioli: Divide the dough into four equal portions. On a floured surface, roll out each portion until it is 1 square foot. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, trim the edges to make the dough a perfect square. Mark the square into four equal quarters.

Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each quarter. Whisk together 3 egg yolks and brush around the edges of each quarter. Place a second dough square on top of the first one with the filling and press down lightly to remove any air pockets. Gently press on the edges to ensure they are sealed. Cut the large square into four quarters. Repeat the same steps for the remaining ravioli sheets.

In a large pan, bring 10 cups of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli, two or three at a time, for eight to 10 minutes. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon to drain and place on serving plates. Top with the sauce and 1 tablespoon of the prawn mixture. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and parsley.

LEG AND BREAST DUCK CONFIT

Serves 4

4 duck legs (Muscovy brand; ask for the hen. The drakes are quite large.)

2 duck breasts

375 ml red wine (I prefer pinot noir)

2 cups fresh orange juice

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1⁄3 cup herbs de Provence

For sauce:

1 cup duck juices from the pan

1⁄2 cup pomegranate molasses

1⁄2 cup raspberry puree

1 cup pinot noir

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the duck legs and breasts in different baking pans, as they require different timing. Add the wine and orange juice. Top the duck pieces with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence.

Cover the pans with aluminum foil and bake the duck pieces for one hour. Remove the breasts from the oven. Continue baking the legs for 20 minutes more.

Uncover the pans and return the breasts to the oven. Broil the duck for 10 to 15 minutes at 450 degrees, until the tops are crispy. Serve 1 leg and 1⁄2 breast as one portion.

Prepare sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pan and reduce over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until thickened. Top the duck with the warm sauce and serve.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.