Cheers

DAVID REYNOSO IS IN THE KITCHEN sauteing lamb chops. His wife, Wendy, is running after their kids, Sofi, 1, and David, 5. Hosts Tony Tjan and Laura Murray Tjan are popping champagne corks and greeting guests at the elevator. Laura's sister, Louise Murray, and Louise's fiance have come from New York for the night. Tyler, the Tjans' 2-year-old son, is up from his nap and ready for the party to begin.

Guests invited to the Tjans' Back Bay apartment always find good food and interesting company. On this occasion, Reynoso, the chef of Providence's renowned Al Forno restaurant, is at the stove. The Reynosos and the Tjans became friendly when Tony ate a fabulous apple tart at the former Cafe Louis, where Reynoso was cooking at the time, and asked to meet the chef. Now the couples get together regularly, including during visits from Tony's mother, who lives in Newfoundland. During one stay, she prepared a Chinese feast, to the chef's delight. This time, says Tony, "my Mom is going to be very upset that she's not here." For this party, Reynoso, a native of Mexico, is making lamb rib chops, served with a dark Mexican-inspired chili sauce. Warm dates, stuffed with blue cheese and topped with bacon and celery, are being passed around. Crisp toasts are draped with salami, prosciutto, and sopressata, as well as finely sliced fennel. Reynoso calls the cured meats by their Italian plural, salumi. "You're such a snob," Tjan teases his friend. Hot oysters, snug under bread crumbs, fly out of the kitchen.

The guests are a mix of new and old friends and neighbors. Tony runs Cue Ball, a firm that focuses on venture and hedge fund investments. Laura is an attorney with the PAIR Project, which provides legal services to asylum seekers and immigrants in detention. They met at Harvard, where both were undergraduates. Louise Murray is director of medicine at the ASPCA (Tony calls her a "superstar vet"), and her fiance, Peter Archer, is a lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department.

After lots of finger food and plenty of wine, it's time for a little sweet. Reynoso offers buttery Mexican wedding cookies, made with pecans and dusted with confectioners' sugar. He finally takes off his white chef's jacket, Tony opens another bottle, and they all laugh and eat well - late into the night.

CROSTINI WITH SALUMI AND SHAVED FENNEL
MAKES 12

12 slices of crusty sourdough baguette, each 1/4 inch thick
1 clove garlic, halved Salt, to taste
1 bulb of fennel, very thinly sliced crosswise
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
12 slices of prosciutto
12 slices of Genoa salami
12 slices of sweet or hot sopressata

In a hot skillet, grill the bread on both sides until golden brown. Lightly rub one side of the bread with the cut side of the garlic and sprinkle with salt.

In a bowl, toss the fennel with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Place a slice of prosciutto, a slice of salami, and a slice of sopressata on the salted side of each piece of grilled bread. Garnish with the fennel salad and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED DATES WITH BACON AND CELERY SALAD
MAKES 12

1 slice (1/2 inch thick) slab bacon
12 pitted dates
1/3, cup crumbled blue cheese
2 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery leaves
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil Salt, to taste

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a small skillet with a heatproof handle and a small baking dish.

Cut the bacon into 12 pieces. Transfer to the skillet and cook in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Stuff each date with 1 teaspoon of blue cheese. Set the dates in the baking dish and bake for 4 minutes or until they are just warm.

In a bowl, toss the celery slices and leaves, vinegar, and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Top each date with a piece of the bacon and garnish with celery salad.

Cut the bacon into 12 pieces. Transfer to the skillet and cook in the oven for to 10 minutes or until it is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Stuff each date with 1 teaspoon of blue cheese. Set the dates in the baking dish and bake for 4 minutes or until they are just warm.

In a bowl, toss the celery slices and leaves, vinegar, and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Top each date with a piece of the bacon and garnish with celery salad.

CHIPOTLE-BAKED OYSTERS
MAKES 12

1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 cup mixed olive oil and canola oil
1 whole canned chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oysters on the half shell
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs Kosher salt (for serving)

Set the oven at 375 degrees.

In a blender, combine the egg, yolk, vinegar, and lemon juice. Work the mixture on low speed. Gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream until it is all added and the mayonnaise is thick. Add the chipotle pepper and salt and work until the mixture is thoroughly blended.

Set the oysters in a baking dish. Cover each oyster with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the chipotle mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of the panko crumbs.

Bake the oysters for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mayonnaise melts slightly.

Lay a bed of kosher salt on a platter, sprinkle the salt with water just to moisten it, and set the oysters in the salt. Serve at once on small plates.

LAMB CHOPS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PASILLA PEPPER SAUCE
SERVES 8

LAMB
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, quartered
2 sprigs fl at-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme or marjoram
8 lamb rib chops, end bones cleaned Salt and pepper, to taste

In a shallow bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and thyme or marjoram. Stir well. Add the lamb chops and turn them in the mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning the chops from time to time.

Remove the lamb chops from the marinade and pat them dry.

Heat a large heavy skillet and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the chops for 4 minutes on a side or until they are cooked through and pink inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

SAUCE
2 plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
8 roasted, dried pasilla peppers, seeded, soaked in water for 30 minutes, and drained
1 sprig marjoram or thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup honey

Set the oven at 400 degrees. In a small baking dish, combine the tomatoes and garlic. Transfer to the oven and roast them for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are very tender and the garlic is pulpy.

When the tomatoes and garlic are cool enough to handle, remove the tomato skins. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. When it is hot, cook the onion over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Add the tomato mixture and pasilla peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the marjoram or thyme, cumin, squash, stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until the squash is very tender. Discard the marjoram or thyme. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Set a strainer over the saucepan. Strain the sauce into the pan.

Add the honey and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper, if you like. Arrange chops on a serving platter, add a spoonful of sauce to each, and serve at once.

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES
MAKES 3 DOZEN

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, toasted and ground
2 cups flour
1/2 cup extra confectioners' sugar

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft.

Add the salt, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla. Continue beating until the mixture is very fluffy.

Beat in the pecans. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand.

With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour until it is well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough for several hours or until it is firm enough to form into balls.

Set the oven at 350 degrees.

Roll the dough in your hands into walnut-sized balls. Set them on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Sift the extra sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll the cookies in the sugar until they are coated all over. If you like, make the cookies one day ahead, storing in one layer in an airtight container. Sift extra sugar over tops just before serving.