Holiday Humdinger

I am still full.

Christmas dinner at John and Elisabeth's was amazing. It put my dinner parties to shame. (And that's hard to do!)

First up was Champagne and a series of nibbles that included homemade Gravlax on Toast Points with Herb-Flecked Creme Fraiche (pictured above), miniature Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes still warm from the saute pan, and slivers of John's own salty-cured Duck Proscuitto (pictured below).

Yet this was only a warm up session for the meal to come...Next, John brought out Andouille Sausage Souffles, hot, puffy, and emitting an aroma that could transport you from Brooklyn to N'Awlins in one whiff. Still, it wasn't enough for our chef. In true Big Easy fashion, he decided to take the dish up a notch, topping each of the golden souffles with a mound of shrimp sauteed in a buerre blanc.

To me, that could've been dinner right there - and a mighty memorable dinner at that. But, no. All of this was simply a prelude to the evening's main course: Lasagna.

This was no ordinary specimen. Elisabeth had been inspired by Bill Buford's cooking memoir "Heat" and crafted the pasta sheets herself. Not to be outdone, John made teeny meatballs that he stuffed inside, along with spicy Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, creamy ricotta cheese and a rich, vibrant tomato sauce.

I wouldn't have put it past this couple to have made the cheese too, but I guess it would have been hard to keep the necessary cows in their one-bedroom walk-up.

Store-bought cheese aside, the resulting pasta dish was masterful, each forkful denser than the next. A few bites into the gooey, gorgeous Italian treat and I was grateful for John's side of Sauteed Broccolini, its crisp greenery off-setting the Lasagna's heft.

Speaking of heft...

Yes, it's my Chocolate-Almond Layer Cake. Thankfully though, for all its butter, chocolate and other sundry ingredients, it's fairly light on the tongue. The cake layers were airy and moist, and it proved a perfect counterpoint to the deep cherry bubbles of the Brachetto d'Acqui dessert wine I had brought for the occasion.

So, will I eat again? I have a feeling the answer to that question is "yes." But I can only hope that once again it's at John and Elisabeth's table.