Ruby Coleslaw Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes, including macerating 1 small head red cabbage, 1 pound Salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 medium red onion, sliced paper thin 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil, preferably purple opal basil.

SHAKER LEMON PIE Adapted from Pleasant Hill Shaker Community Time: 45 minutes, plus 2 hours' standing and 30 minutes' cooling 2 large thin-skinned seedless lemons, sliced paper thin 2 cups sugar 4 eggs, well beaten 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell and crust.

I was recently served the best piece of calf's liver I can remember having in a restaurant, the meat sliced paper thin and carefully cooked in brown butter and sage.

Pinch of sugar 1 cup warm water Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cups flour (approximately) 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Cornmeal 1 large baking potato, peeled 1 medium onion, sliced paper thin 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried.

Beet and Watercress Salad Total time: 40 minutes 3medium beets 3tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 1/2teaspoons Dijon mustard 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1small red onion, sliced paper thin 2bunches watercress, rinsed and dried.

Radish, Goat Cheese And Black Bread Canapes Total time: 30 minutes 12 thin slices black bread, preferably square 4ounces mild, creamy fresh goat cheese 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup round red radishes, sliced paper thin Whole radishes for garnish.

ROSEMARY-GRILLED SCALLOPS Time: 30 minutes 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops (about 30) About 30 fresh rosemary sprigs (each 3 to 4 inches long) 3 ounces prosciutto, sliced paper thin 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

On the whole, the fried dishes were the most consistently reliable, from surprisingly tasty onion rings (sliced paper thin, fried light as gossamer wings) to fried belly clams and oysters.

When I ate lunch with him after watching him making sausage, I tasted not only his chewy, delectable, thoroughly cured soppressata, sliced paper thin, but also one of his more recent experiments - a Moroccan-style dry-cured lamb sausage called merguez, jampacked with cumin and cayenne.