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"Holiday time always reminds me of the years I lived in Scandinavia. In the late 1970s, the great French chef Roger Verg\u00E9 brought me to Copenhagen to oversee one of his restaurants. I loved Denmark and ended up staying for three and a half years. Christmas was an especially magical time in Copenhagen. Groups of friends would go from house to house, spreading cheer and exchanging toasts. Invariably, there would be food\u2014light snacks such as the bite-size sandwiches, smoked fish, and meatballs that one typically finds on a traditional Scandinavian smorgasbord. For a holiday cocktail party, I&amp;#039;ve created a miniature smorgasbord incorporating some of my favorite midwinter ingredients. Fresh oysters, served here with minced apple and grated horseradish, always feel celebratory. I like to use the Pacific variety, as they are particularly creamy. The sandwich\u2014smoked trout with radicchio and grapefruit on rye\u2014has an amazing balance of flavors: bitter, tart, sweet, and smoky. I give it my own Gallic spin with a spread of chive butter, instead of the classic lard, and a little cr\u00E8me fra\u00EEche. Finally, no smorgasbord is complete without meatballs. Mine were inspired by the iconic Danish Christmas lunch: duck with red-currant sauce and cabbage. Pair these hors d&amp;#039;oeuvres with an ice-cold shot of aquavit, and let&amp;#039;s toast to a wonderful holiday season and many more delicious meals and happy gatherings in the new year. Sk\u00E5l! FRESH OYSTERS WITH APPLE AND HORSERADISH  Makes 36 2 stalks celery, peeled 1 Granny Smith apple \u00BD bunch dill 3 T minced shallot 2 T apple cider vinegar Salt to taste 3 dozen oysters, rinsed and scrubbed (preferably a fatty, creamy variety) 2 T freshly grated horseradish Finely mince one of the celery stalks, and thinly slice the other. Chop half the apple into a fine mince, and slice the rest into thin half-moons. Chop half the dill leaves, and pick small sprigs from the rest. In a medium bowl, combine the minced celery and apple, the chopped dill, and the shallot with the vinegar and salt to taste. Place an oyster, cup side down, on a kitchen towel. While gripping the lip of the oyster with the towel, insert an oyster knife to pop open the hinge, then run the knife around the inside of the top shell to remove it. Slide the knife under the oyster to detach the muscle. Repeat with the remaining oysters, and transfer them to an ice-lined tray. Top each one with a spoonful of celery-apple mixture, a slice of apple, and a slice of celery. Sprinkle horseradish on top, garnish with a dill sprig, and serve. SMOKED TROUT, RADICCHIO, AND GRAPEFRUIT ON RYE Makes 30\u201340 \u00BC bunch chives 3 T butter, softened 1 2-lb. loaf unsliced rye bread 1 small head red radicchio 4 T cr\u00E8me fra\u00EEche Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste 2 fillets smoked trout 1 Ruby Red grapefruit Thinly slice half the chives, and cut the rest into 1&amp;quot; lengths for garnish. In a small bowl, mix the butter with half the thinly sliced chives. Using a sharp bread knife, cut the bread into \u00BC&amp;quot; thick slices. Cut 2&amp;quot; squares from the slices, spread the squares on one side with the chive butter, and transfer them to a tray. Core and finely chop the radicchio. In a large bowl, mix the radicchio with the cr\u00E8me fra\u00EEche and the remaining thinly sliced chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the skin from the trout, and cut the fillets into \u00BD&amp;quot; pieces. Remove the skin and pith from the grapefruit, cut into segments, and then slice the segments into small pieces. To assemble, top each square of rye bread with a spoonful of the radicchio salad, one piece of trout, a piece of grapefruit, and a 1&amp;quot; piece of chive. The makings of a holiday smorgasbord:clockwise from top left, duck meatballs with currant sauce, smoked trout with radicchio and grapefruit on rye, and fresh oysters with apple and horse-radish. The blue plate, white rectangular plate, and long tray are by Mud Australia, and the white square plates are by Bernardaud; the cocktail picks are by Ercuis, the oyster forks are by Christo e, the napkins are by Sferra, and the tablecloth is of a Larsen inen.  DUCK MEATBALLS WITH CURRANT SAUCE Makes 40\u201350 Meatballs 3 T olive oil \u00BD cup minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 lbs. ground duck meat (or substitute pork, veal, or lamb) 1 egg, whipped \u2153 cup dried currants \u00BC cup fine white bread crumbs 2 T chopped parsley \u00BC tsp. ground juniper berry \u00BE tsp. ground coriander 1\u00BD tsp. salt \u00BE tsp. finely ground white pepper Sauce \u00BD cup orange juice 1 T Dijon mustard 2 T currant jelly \u00BD cup unsalted chicken stock 1 T freshly grated orange zest Preheat the oven to 350\u00B0F. In a small saut\u00E9 pan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat; add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent; transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool. Add the remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl, and mix until well combined but not pasty. Roll the mixture into approximately 1&amp;quot; diameter meatballs. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saut\u00E9 pan, and add the meatballs in a single layer (you may need to work in batches). Sear on all sides, then transfer to a baking sheet. Bake the meatballs until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. For the sauce, using the large saut\u00E9 pan, reduce the orange juice to a syrup. Stir in the mustard, jelly, and stock, and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the meatballs to the pan, add the orange zest, toss to coat, and serve hot. WHAT TO DRINK Daniel Johnnes, wine director of Daniel Boulud&amp;#039;s restaurants, would pair a full-flavored beer with these Scandinavian hors d&amp;#039;oeuvres. He recommends a saison, a Belgian farmhouse ale. &amp;quot;Its refreshing flavors won&amp;#039;t be overpowered by the well-seasoned appetizers,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison [$10 for a four-pack] has ginger and spice notes and a crisp finish that make it versatile.&amp;quot; For a more traditional smorgasbord experience, try a shot of ice-cold aquavit. Arnaud Dissais, head bartender at restaurant Daniel, recommends the smooth, rich Linie Aquavit ($27 for a 750-ml bottle). "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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