Gala Event

There are fund-raisers and fund-raisers. No matter how worthwhile the cause, some are duds--affairs where you wish you had just sent a contribution and missed all the hullabaloo.

One fund-raiser that is not to be missed, however, is the extravaganza put together each year by energetic Los Angeles chef Wolfgang Puck of Spago and Chinois on Main to benefit the Los Angeles Chapter of Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is a national charitable organization that provides and delivers regular meals to the elderly, disabled and others in need.

This year actor and food buff Vincent Price joins Puck as honorary chairman for the 4th Annual American Wine and Food Festival to be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Pacific Design Center at Melrose Avenue and San Vincente Boulevard in West Hollywood. The gala event is expected to draw at least 1,000 attendees and to raise $100,000 for the charitable cause.

Forty premiere wineries, both domestic and foreign, will provide a sumptuous array of wines for guests to enjoy as they wander around sampling the specialties of 15 well-known U.S. chefs and one from France. Among those contributing their talents are New York-based chefs Larry Forgione, of An American Place, Anne Rosenzweig of Arcadia, Nancy Silverton (formerly of Los Angeles) and Jonathan Waxman, also a former Angeleno, now of Jams, Buds and Hulot’s in New York.

Other visiting chefs are Dean Fearing of the Mansion on Turtle Creek and Jean Marie Josselin and Steve Singer of Crescent Court Hotel in Dallas; Mark Miller of the Coyote Cafe in Sante Fe, N.M.; Jimmy Schmidt, Rattlesnake Club, Denver; Bradley Ogden, Campton Place Hotel, and Jeremiah Tower, Stars, San Francisco; Alice Waters, Chez Panisse and Cafe Fanny, Berkeley; Patrice Lelaurin, Chateau de Saran, Epernay, France.

Local chefs are Peter Rosenberg, Hotel Bel-Air; Lydia Shire, Four Seasons Hotel (scheduled to open next March in Beverly Hills); restaurateur Piero Selvaggio of Valentino and Primi; and Puck. Maida Heatter, author of a number of dessert cookbooks, will also be present with some of her fabulous cookies.

Additional Donation

In addition to an evening of food, wine and dancing, those attending will find raffle tickets available for an additional donation that will bring the lucky winners such prizes as a week’s vacation for two in Tahiti, a dinner for six at Michaels in Santa Monica with limousine service and a case of Acacia Marina 1983 Chardonnay (magnums), a weekend for two in New York at the Pierre Hotel with a dinner at An American Place, a weekend for two in San Francisco at Campton Place Hotel with a dinner at Stars and many others.

Tickets for this year’s festival are available for a $125 per person donation by calling (213) 652-3706 or by writing to: American Wine and Food Festival, c/o Spago, 8795 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90069.

For those who would like to try their hands at preparing some of the foods to be served during the evening, several of the chefs agreed to share their recipes. The recipes were adapted for home use in The Times Test Kitchen. LARRY FORGIONE’S GOAT CHEESE CREPES WITH SWEET ONION SAUCE

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup milk, about

Salt, pepper

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped chives

2 tablespoons butter

Olive oil

1 (10 1/2-ounce) log goat cheese

3 tablespoons finely shredded basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped black olives

1/2 cucumber, skin scored lengthwise with fork and cut in 12 thin slices

Sweet Onion Sauce

8 teaspoons finely slivered black olives

Sift flour into mixing bowl and add egg and yolk. Stir in enough milk to make smooth paste. Gradually add additional milk and mix until batter is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon parsley and chives and stir well.

Heat butter until foamy and light brown. Whisk into batter, then let batter stand at least 2 hours.

Thin batter with more milk, if necessary, until consistency of whipping cream. Brush 7-inch non-stick crepe pan with thin film olive oil and place over medium high heat. When hot, add about 3 tablespoons batter and swirl to coat pan. Cook crepe until lightly golden on one side, about 1 minute. Flip and cook other side 30 seconds. Continue with remaining batter, making 8 crepes. Stack finished crepes between wax paper sheets.

Bring goat cheese to room temperature. Mash in mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft and smooth. Stir in basil, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped olives and season to taste with pepper. Using narrow spatula or butter knife, evenly spread about 2 tablespoons cheese filling in each crepe. Neatly fold each crepe in quarters, being careful no filling seeps out.

Arrange stuffed crepes in shallow baking dish and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Blanch cucumber slices in boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain well. Warm Sweet Onion Sauce in small saucepan. Remove crepes from oven and arrange 2, overlapping slightly, on each of 4 warmed plates. Arrange 3 cucumber slices in fan pattern next to crepes and garnish with slivered olives. Spoon sauce around crepes. Makes 4 servings.

Sweet Onion Sauce

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, sliced

2 cups veal or beef trimmings, cut into 3/4-inch dice

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 quart veal or chicken stock

1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

Salt, pepper

Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and meat trimmings and cook, uncovered, shaking pan and stirring occasionally, until browned, about 20 minutes.

Stir in vermouth, then stock. Bring to gentle boil, and cook, skimming surface frequently, until reduced to consistency of light syrup, about 30 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter pieces, one at a time, making sure each piece is fully incorporated before adding next one. Strain mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup sauce.

WOLFGANG PUCK’S SONOMA LAMB SALAD

1 baby lamb shoulder (less than 1 pound), boned

2 tablespoons strong Dijon mustard

2 branches thyme (about 2 teaspoons thyme leaves)

Pepper

Salt

2 bunches arugula

2 bunches mache (lamb’s lettuce)

1 small head curly endive

1/2 cup Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes

1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Brush both sides of lamb with mustard and sprinkle with thyme leaves and pepper. Cover and let marinate overnight in refrigerator. Sprinkle lamb with salt and place on rack in small roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees 20 minutes, or until meat is medium-rare, 150 degrees on meat thermometer. Remove from oven and let lamb rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Wash arugula, mache and endive and pat dry with paper towels. Tear greens into bite-size pieces, place in bowl and toss with enough Mustard Vinaigrette to coat lightly. Arrange salad greens in center of 4 individual serving plates. Slice lamb thinly and arrange slices attractively on greens. Divide sun-dried tomato slices over lamb and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Mustard Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon

1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar

Salt

White pepper

1 cup almond or extra-virgin olive oil (or mixture of both)

Combine mustard, tarragon, vinegar in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Slowly whisk in oil. Makes about 1 cup.

LYDIA SHIRE’S FIG AND MASCARPONE BUTTER COOKIES

5 whole dried figs, about 1/4 pound

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon anise seeds

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon anisette liqueur

1 3/4 cups flour

Remove stems from figs. Cut figs crosswise into strips about 1/4-inch wide. (There should be generous 1/2 cup cut figs.)

Beat butter and anise seeds on high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in sugar until well blended. Whisk together egg yolk, mascarpone and liqueur and beat into butter mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add flour and mix only enough to combine. Mix in fig pieces. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill.

Divide dough into 4 parts and work with 1 at a time, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. Place each part of dough on lightly floured surface and using hands, shape into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on baking sheet and chill at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to slice. Repeat with remaining dough.

Using very sharp knife, slice logs into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined or non-stick baking sheets. Bake on rack in middle of oven at 350 degrees 12 to 15 minutes, until firm and lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes until cookies firm up before removing. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

PIERO SELVAGGIO’S SPINACH RAVIOLI WITH DUCK

1/4 pound spinach, cooked and well-drained

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon oil

Dash salt

2 cups flour

Duck Filling

Duck Sauce

Sage leaves

Place spinach in food processor fitted with metal blade and chop fine. Blend in egg, then water and oil. Add salt and flour and process until dough forms ball.

Divide dough into 2 parts and roll each into 20x8-inch rectangle. Place about 1 teaspoon Duck Filling about 2 inches apart over 1 sheet of dough to form bottom of ravioli. Dip pastry brush in water and brush edges of dough, then use to draw damp lines between rows of Duck Filling lengthwise and crosswise. Place second sheet of dough on top of first and press in between each mound of filling and around edges to seal. Using pastry cutter, cut between rows to form individual ravioli.

Bring large kettle of salted water to boil and drop in ravioli, being sure to maintain boil (cook in several batches to avoid crowding). Boil 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain. Bring Duck Sauce to boil, add ravioli and cook about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly and ravioli are heated through.

To serve, place 5 or 6 ravioli on each plate and spoon sauce over. Garnish with sage leaves. Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen ravioli, about 8 servings.

Duck Filling

1 teaspoon butter

3/4 cup minced duck meat

1/2 small carrot, minced

1/4 small onion, minced

1 small stalk celery, minced

Dried rosemary, crumbled

1/4 cup white wine

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Melt butter in shallow baking pan. Combine duck meat, carrot, onion and celery and stir into butter in pan. Season to taste with rosemary. Bake mixture at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Stir in wine, return to oven and cook 10 minutes longer.

Remove from oven, place in blender container and blend until smooth. Add egg and cheese and blend mixture until creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 cup.

Duck Sauce

Bones and skin of 5-pound duckling

8 cups water

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon minced sage leaves

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated and minced

1 tablespoon butter

Pepper

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

Place duck bones and skin in roasting pan and bake at 375 degrees until skin is crisp and brown, about 1 hour. Pour off fat and discard. Place bones and skin in deep kettle. Pour 1 cup water into roasting pan, place over heat and cook, stirring and scraping bits from bottom of pan. Pour into kettle with bones and add remaining 7 cups water. Bring to boil and boil until liquid is reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Strain, reserving liquid and discarding skin and bones.

Saute shallot, sage and mushrooms in butter until tender. Season to taste with pepper. Add wine and cook, stirring often, until liquid is almost evaporated. Add reserved duck stock and cream. Bring to boil and boil about 4 minutes. Makes about 2 cups.