On the menu (serves 8):
Corn Soup With Potato Skin Salad
Roast Chicken With Spiced Apples, Onions & Yogurt Rice
Chocolate Pancakes With Candied Beets or Ice Cream
Also:
Timeline for a 7:30 p.m. meal
Variations on these recipes
Grocery list for this meal
Tips from Samuelsson
Q&A with the chef
Wine picks for this meal

A world-mix dinner party

Marcus Samuelsson

Cooking with a few close friends is a chance for chef Marcus Samuelsson, 30, to relax and unwind. As everyone gathers in the kitchen, he puts on a little music -- Sade or Miles Davis, please -- uncorks a nice bottle of wine and gives each person a task that fits his or her individual kitchen savvy.

"People, when you do something, you've got to put some passion and some love into it. If you only make the recipe straight up

, it's not going to do anything for anybody. You have to find that state of mind where you enjoy cooking. The holiday season is one of the few times when everybody is actually at home and you can enjoy doing this together with the whole family or with your boyfriend, girlfriend," says the chef/owner of the upscale Aquavit restaurants in Manhattan and Minneapolis.

This adventurous menu, Samuelsson says, "takes you on a flavor journey. An experience. And it's not so difficult that you can't make it. But you're going to say afterward, 'Wow! I did this. And it tastes really, really great.' That's encouraging for anyone who might be scared of cooking. Or for somebody who might not enjoy cooking."

As with this holiday menu of corn and potato soup, spicy roast chicken with tangy yogurt rice and chocolate pancakes with -- of all things -- beets, his roots show in each dish's exotic taste. "I'm from Ethiopia. I lived in Sweden. I trained in France and in Asia. Now, I'm cooking for Americans. My food is a reflection of this.

"What makes this menu interesting is that it's a mix of spices and techniques from all over the world. The spices that you rub on the chicken could be Caribbean or Indian. The way you do the pancakes is very French. The way you do the soup, with the corn and potatoes, is very American. So there are flavors from all over the world."

And don't forget the music! "For the holidays, it's fun to get in the mood by listening to a great mix of Christmas songs."

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Corn Soup With Potato Skin Salad

For the soup:

4 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 Tbs. canola oil
4 ears of corn (or 4 cups frozen corn kernels)
4 sprigs cilantro, chopped
4 sprigs tarragon, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, sauté shallots and garlic in canola oil on low heat for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. If using corn cobs: Lift out the cobs and cut the corn off the cob. Discard cob and return kernels to soup. Purée soup in batches in the blender. Blend well and strain through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm with Potato Skin Salad (recipe follows). Put 2 tablespoons potato salad in the bottom of each soup bowl, then pour 1 cup soup on top.

For the Potato Skin Salad:

1 Tb. pickled ginger, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsps. grated horseradish
1 lb. small red creamer potatoes, boiled and thinly sliced, skin on
1 Tb. capers
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tb. fresh chives, chopped
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Whisk together the next five ingredients, and toss with the potato mixture. Do not refrigerate; serve at room temperature with warm soup.

Per serving: 499 calories, 41g carbohydrates, 35g fat (15g saturated), 8g protein, 4g fiber, 1,188mg sodium.

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Roast Chicken With Spiced Apples, Onions & Yogurt Rice

"The chicken skin is going to come out really crispy and the spice mixture will give it an Indian flavor, with enormous aroma. Yogurt makes the rice a little sour, which is what sets it off, with great fragrances."

2 3 1/2-lb. free-range chickens
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 shallots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
1 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. water
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
4 whole star anise (or 1 tsp. ground star anise)
4 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves)
4 cardamom pods (or 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom)
8 white peppercorns
4 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1 cup water
Yogurt rice (see recipe)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chickens with cool water and pat dry with paper towels.

Fill a medium saucepan half full of water and bring to a boil. Add cubes of sweet potato and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, onion, apples, shallots, garlic, thyme and mint. In a small bowl, combine olive oil with water, and add to vegetables. With a mortar and pestle, or with the base of a heavy pot on a cutting board, lightly crush together cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and salt to taste. Add one-quarter of the spice mixture to the vegetables; set aside another quarter for the yogurt rice. Reserve the rest.

Stuff each chicken with 1 cup of the vegetables and place the remainder of the vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Rub the reserved spice mixture on the outside of each chicken. Place the chickens in the pan facing opposite directions, pour 1 cup water into the pan and place the pan in the oven. Check every 15 minutes, adding water as needed: The bottom of the pan should be covered by a half-inch of water at all times. When the vegetables in base of pan are tender, after about 60 minutes, remove and reserve. Start testing the chickens for doneness after 90 minutes: Stick a meat thermometer into the leg meat, checking every 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. The chickens will be done in 90-120 minutes.

When done, remove from oven. Add vegetables from chicken cavities to vegetables removed from the pan; use all to make Yogurt Rice. Carve chickens in kitchen.

Serve family style: Put rice on a nice platter and arrange chicken slices alongside. Or serve in two separate bowls.

Yogurt Rice

2 cups basmati rice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (divided)
Roasted vegetables from chicken
Reserved spice mixture from roasted chicken
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Kosher salt
1 Tb. fresh chives, chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine basmati rice with 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is almost tender and liquid is almost gone, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 4 cups chicken broth and roasted vegetables, and toss gently. Add the remaining quarter of the spice mixture from the roasted chicken recipe. Cover pan and continue cooking until the rice is tender, 5-10 minutes.

Fold in yogurt and salt to taste. Stir in the chives. Serve hot with carved chicken.

Per serving of chicken and rice: 836 calories, 51g carbohydrates, 45g fat (12.8g saturated), 58g protein, 2g fiber, 300mg sodium.

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Chocolate Pancakes With Candied Beets or Ice Cream

"Nobody would expect chocolate and beets to work well together. That's what makes it interesting."

Pancakes:
1/2 lb. bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 lb. butter, cut into small pieces
8 eggs (4 separated into yolks, whites)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cake flour
6 Tbs. coconut flakes or ground nuts
Candied Beets (recipe follows) or vanilla ice cream

The day before: In a double boiler, or in a big bowl over boiling water, melt the chocolate and butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Combine the egg mixture and chocolate mixture. Mix in flour to form a batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until you get stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into batter. Put batter in a large piping bag and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Dust two non-stick baking sheets with 4 tablespoons of the coconut flakes or ground nuts. Pipe 12 small pancakes (3 by 3 inches) onto each baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons coconut or nuts on top of piped cakes. Freeze on trays.

Just before serving: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake trays one at a time, taking them directly from freezer to oven. Bake each tray for 4 minutes.

To serve: On each dessert plate, put three pancakes and drizzle 2 tablespoons of the Candied Beets and some of the beet liquid. If you're not adventurous enough for beets, serve with ice cream: Put pancakes on a platter, pass ice cream and let guests serve themselves.

Candied Beets

2 cups sugar
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup honey
2 beets (about 1/2 lb.), peeled and finely diced into 1/4-inch cubes

In a medium saucepan, boil sugar, juice and honey, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add beets, reduce heat and simmer for 90 minutes. These taste even better the next day.

Serve at room temperature.

Per serving of pancakes and beets: 691 calories, 40g fat (24g saturated), 77g carbohydrates, 10g protein, 2g fiber, 316mg sodium.

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Timeline for a 7:30 p.m. meal

You'll need about two hours of prep time the day before and three hours of prep time the day of the dinner party.

• Start with the beets because they need to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
• Cut all vegetables for chicken and make spice rub.
• Prepare pancake batter. Pipe the pancakes so they can freeze overnight.

The day of:

4:30 p.m. Wash potatoes. Boil in pot of water for 20 minutes.
5 p.m. Prep veggies for soup. Take candied beets from refrigerator to warm to room temperature.
5:15 p.m. Put chickens in to bake two hours before serving. Put veggies inside chicken. Rub chicken with spices and bake.
5:30 p.m. Assemble potato salad.
6:30 p.m. Start rice.
6:45 p.m. Take chicken out of oven and let it rest.
7 p.m. Purée and strain soup.
7:15 p.m. Carve chickens and dish soup.
7:30 p.m. Serve.

After the main course is eaten Pop pancakes into oven. Dessert will be ready to serve in about 10 minutes.

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Variations

This is an adventurous meal, so be brave. Experiment. Some ideas for mixing things up:

• Substitute plums, pears, mango or papaya for the apples in the chicken dish.
• Use turkey instead of chicken, but you'll need to cook it longer, until the internal temperature between the leg and the thigh reaches 145 degrees.
• Use arborio rice, to make risotto, rather than basmati rice.
• Try purple potatoes instead of white potatoes to get more color in your potato salad.
• Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth in the soup to please vegetarians.

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Shopping list

Produce
1 lb. creamer potatoes
1 lb. redskin potatoes
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium Spanish onion
6 shallots
2 Tb. chives
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh mint
1 1/2 tsp. grated horseradish
4 ears of corn (or 4 cups frozen corn)
2 beets (about 1/2 lb.)
2 Granny Smith apples
2 cups orange juice

Dairy
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 lb. butter
8 large eggs (not egg substitute)
1 gallon vanilla ice cream

Dry goods
3 quarts plus 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups basmati rice
1 Tb. pickled ginger
1 Tb. capers
4 Tb. canola oil
3 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cardamom pods or 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
4 whole star anise or 1 tsp. ground star anise
4 whole cloves or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
8 white peppercorns
4 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1/2 lb. bittersweet chocolate
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cake flour
6 Tb. coconut flakes or 6 Tb. ground nuts
1/2 cup honey

Meat
2 3 1/2-lb. free-range chickens

Equipment list
Large stock pot
Strainer
Mixing bowls
Food processor or blender
3 medium sauce pans
Mortar and pestle
Large roasting pan
Meat thermometer
Double boiler
Large pastry bag
2 non-stick baking sheets

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Tips from Marcus Samuelsson
-- A good beet shouldn't be moist. It should be firm on the outside.
-- If you use canned chicken stock, use the low-sodium variety.
-- When using a meat thermometer for the chicken, put it in the thigh. If the chicken is undercooked, it's because you didn't check the thigh.
-- If you don't have a meat thermometer, test the chicken's doneness by cutting into the leg. When the liquid comes out clear, it's done. If it comes out bloody, it needs more time.

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Q&A with chef Marcus Samuelsson

What sets you apart as a chef?
I've had an opportunity to be a part of be a part of different experiences. Cooking with my grandmother as a very young child. Being sent to Switzerland. Cooking in France, Cooking in Asia. Now I'm cooking in America. I've had an opportunity to be exposed to different scenarios and it's truly an advantage. And also I've sacrificed myself to do it -- my time, my location. I've been cooking all my life and cooking professionally since 15. I've been a partner with Aquavit since 1995.

What makes the menu you've created for USA WEEKEND's readers different or new?
What makes it interesting is that it's a mix of spices and techniques from all over the world. The spices that you rub on the chicken could be Caribbean or Indian. The way you do the pancakes is very French. The way you do the soup, with the corn and potatoes is very American. So there are flavors from all over the world.

Is this a menu that you could cook with friends?
Absolutely.

Why do you like it?
It's all food that I would eat myself. It's corn and potatoes, can't go wrong with that. It's chicken and rice. And it's chocolate. It's all things that I would enjoy eating.

If the meal were to be cooked by a group of friends, how would you assign it out?
First, I would decide what each person would do. The one who is least comfortable cooking would do the easiest thing. The most difficult thing is to really check the chicken so that you don't overcook the chicken. The one with the least experience could cut the potatoes when they're done, could cut the vegetables for the chicken. That's not difficult.

Why is this a holiday meal?
It's adaptable to many things. You can substitute a turkey if you need to, for Thanksgiving. You would need to let it cook a little bit longer. Having chocolate always works well for the holidays. Regardless of religion or background, everyone can relate to chocolate and enjoy it. The corn and the potato skin salad goes back to, again, food that everyone can enjoy. Nobody's going to say, "Oh, I can't eat corn" or "I can't eat potatoes." It's pretty basic stuff.

In general, what makes a good dinner party?
Music, food, good company. When I do a dinner party, I first serve snacks, get everyone together and talk and sort of feel each other out. You have to position yourself so that you are not totally stuck cooking. You're the host. You have to have stuff that you can just pop in the oven that you've cooked before. Precooking is more important so that you'll have some time. Position yourself so that you'll have time for your guests.

How do you choose guests?
Think about the occasion. Is this a dinner where you need to win somebody over? Is it just friends and family? Will there be kids there? If it's just for your friends, have great snacks, great drinks. In a restaurant, food can be an intellectual process: 'Wow, this is really good, I've never tried this before.' A dinner party should be more safe -- pop it in your mouth, 'Wow, this tastes really good.'

What really makes it -- the host, the guests, the food?
It's the combination.
When you go to somebody else's house for a dinner party, what are you hoping for?
First of all, when you get invited to somebody's house, you should just be really grateful that you're invited. It's the most personal can get, really. Hope for? Hope for great company, great food, great wine, a great night.

With this particular dinner party, how should you set the table? Is it a sit down, a buffet?
You can definitely do it as a buffet. The appetizer and the main course can definitely be eaten at the same time. Go back and make the pancakes later.

Is this a more casual menu?
You can dress it up by serving it dish by dish. It's totally your call, which is great. The food can always be served individually and you can go run back and forth. But if you're trying to do a dinner party with a bunch of friends, then I would go back to the idea that you are more important than the food, and you are hanging out with your friends.

What else is important?
Music totally sets the mood. Listen to great music. Invite friends over. Open some great wine. You don't cook in the same way as you do in a restaurant. You set a mood where it's comfortable for you. You truly bring back the joy of cooking. And your guests will really feel it.

You're on the cutting edge of all things culinary. What advice do you have for young cooks who want to be adventurous?
Go back and enjoy reading cookbooks. Once you have a basic knowledge of cooking, you can mix the cultures however you like it. First get comfortable knowing how to cook period. Then you'll come back and sushi won't scare you. Ceviche won't scare you. African culture won't scare you. Get a pretty broad base going, and then you'll own it. You can do whatever you want.

What's your philosophy on cooking?
I always base everything on my building blocks, how I see food. And I see it through fish and seafood, meat and game. Asthetic, texture. And these five decide the outcome of my flavor. To put that in a menu, I always try to include something from the ocean. Shellfish, lobster, fish, salmon. I always try to include a game meat, a bird, let's say a squab or a duck. And to make it cutting edge texture-wise, to make it do something to your palate, I always try to texture it different. That's how it's going to decide the flavor. Nothing else. That's the key thing.

How did this menu come about from that?
Originally when I did this menu, I did it with duck. But when you cook for [potentially less adventurous people], you have to adjust. That philosophy you can't really use. So I have to use a different philosophy from the one that I use at my restaurant, where people come knowing what they'll get.

So how do you continue to be adventurous when you're cooking for less adventurous people?
You can use the surprise element. The candied beets with the chocolate is a great surprise element. Plus it looks beautiful, the chocolate against the purple. So you can always throw a surprise element. Leaving the skin on the potato salad, it might be "Wow, I never thought of that before. There are degrees of elegance or exotic that you can throw in even if you cook for the most uninterested-in-food person you'll ever meet.

You're not from the U.S. What would you like American cooks to know?
I think America is the leading food country in many ways. We have enormous amount of produce here that we should be really proud of. For the first time ever, really, the rest of the world is looking to America to move the food culture forward. Before we always looked to France. It's a great time to cook here.

What's the next big thing in American cooking?
I think we will move into personalized cuisine. Instead of saying, he cooks French food or he cooks Japanese food, I think the chefs in the restaurants on the menu will say what they want to say. It can be much more interesting than to just cook from the culture they come from. For a lot of chefs, the country is not necessarily "it" anymore. It's more like where are they at? What's their love of cooking? You're going to go to personalized cuisine. Instead of, "This guy's French, he's only going to cook French food." We don't think like that anymore.

So more fusion cooking?
No. I would never say that. More personalized cooking, designed after the chef and his or her journey. Where have they been? I'm from Ethiopia, I lived in Sweden. I've lived in Asia. I'm cooking for Americans. My food is a reflection of this. Versus I'm from Sweden, I can only cook Swedish food. That's a major difference. I've traveled. I'm living in America right now. My influences are from all of that.

What are your plans for the holidays?
I try to rest as much as I can during the holidays. But I try to have people over or I go to someone's house. And somehow I always end up in the kitchen. [laughs] But I love holiday cooking. It's the one time where we actually still have time for us, friends, family. You play games, you cook, you eat. It's a totally different pattern than your every day life where you eat in five minutes and then you run. More than anything, I try to be around people that I like and enjoy being with and we end up cooking together. So I'll be in the States for the holidays, celebrating with friends and family.

Finally, what IS aquavit, anyway?
Aquavit is vodka. Take it and put your favorite berries and seeds, 2 cups of strawberries into a jar. Two sticks of mint. And then you pour in one gallon of vodka into that. Let that sit for 6 to 8 weeks. And then you have beautiful strawberry aquavit. Aquavit in Latin means water of life. And it's a really nice drink. You can also purchase it. Absolut Vodka is in essence an aquavit. [For a dinner party,] I'd serve it with some type of fish as an appetizer. Smoked salmon on toast with caviar.