We typically celebrate New Year's Eve fairly quietly — no noisemakers, no hats, but there is always a bottle of Piper Heidsieck champagne! I usually cook just one more fancy schmancy dinner and we invite a few close friends to enjoy dinner and hopefully can all keep our eyes open until midnight so we can pop the cork for a toast. Peter and I then have our own little celebration with brunch on New Year's Day — that someone else cooks.

As Martha says, "It's a good thing." Then out of party mode for awhile and nothing but healthy eating!

Today's column offers a few delicious recipes that are just right for pulling out all the stops for a lovely celebratory New Year's Eve dinner. Happy, healthy 2015 to all my faithful readers. The new year 2015 celebrates the 20th birthday of What's Cooking.

CRAB CROSTINI

A lovely bite with a cocktail

1 lb. fresh crab meat

1/4 cup minced celery

2 green onions, minced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

1-/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Few shakes of Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

Salt to taste

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Olive oil

1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Combine crab meat, celery, green onions, chives, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and toss to blend. Add mayo, sour cream, lemon and lime juices and Tabasco. Season to taste with a bit of salt. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day ahead.

Arrange baguette slices in single layer on rimmed sheet pan. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 6-8 minutes; turn bread slices over and bake another 6-8 minutes or until golden. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store cooled crostini in zippy bags at room temperature.)

Take crab mixture out of 'fridge and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon mixture onto each crostini and place on sheet pan. Sprinkle crostini with cheese and place under preheated broiler for about 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve warm. Yield: about 30 appetizers.

ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS AND RED WINE

Make the sauce while the tenderloin is in the oven.

1 2-1/2 to 3-lb. beef tenderloin roast, room temperature and trimmed of silver skin.*

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, divided use

3 large shallots, peeled, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1 cup)

3/4 cup dry red wine

1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus 1/2 tsp. finely chopped, divided use

3/4 cup reduced sodium beef stock

Place beef in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish lined with aluminum foil. Brush beef with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 450 F oven for 25 minutes for rare (thermometer reading 120-125 F) or 30 minutes for medium rare (125-130 F). Roast will continue cooking and thermometer will rise about 5 F more as it rests. Wrap roast in foil and let rest on carving board for 15 minutes.

To make the sauce, melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a 12-inch skillet set over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring often. They should be soft and golden brown. Add wine and rosemary sprig; bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook about 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add stock; boil about 5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup. Reduce heat to low; remove rosemary sprig and stir in the chopped rosemary. Cut the remaining 2 Tbsp. cold butter into small pieces; add a few at a time to the sauce, stirring to melt each addition.

Unwrap the tenderloin and stir any accumulated juices into the sauce. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

*Silver skin is a tough piece of connective tissue that encases the top part of the tenderloin and even with cooking, it is totally inedible and should always be removed.

KALE GRATIN

Sometimes larger kale leaves have tough stems so either trim them or use baby kale.

1-1/2 lbs. kale

4 slices bacon, chopped

3 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 small red bell pepper, seeded, cored and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

2-3/4 cups half-and-half

1-1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan, divided use

1-1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs made from white sandwich bread

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Rough chop kale and cook in a large Dutch oven with 1/2 inch of water for 7-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well; drain again.

Cook bacon in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon to paper towel lined plate and reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings in pan. Add butter to drippings and when melted, add shallots, red bell pepper, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook 6-7 minutes or until tender. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in half-and-half. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 cup Parmesan. Fold in drained kale.

Spoon mixture into 2-quart baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, olive oil, and remaining 1/4 cup cheese; sprinkle over kale mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375 F oven 40-45 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

BLACKBERRY MOUSSE

Substitute another frozen berry (or combo of several) if you'd like.

1 lb. frozen blackberries

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

4 large egg whites, beaten until stiff but not dry

Fresh mint, for garnish (optional)

Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil; remove pan from heat and let cool. Puree mixture and set aside.

Put the water in a small saucer and sprinkle the gelatin over it and let stand a few minutes to soften and then add to the berry puree. Fold in the whipped cream. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Place in individual goblets or in a soufflé dish; refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish each portion with a sprig of fresh mint. Yield: 8 servings.