With a week to go, you’re finalizing the seder menu. There are the standbys, tried and true family favorites, but there is also the need to shake things up, to try something new and different — because it’s spring, because seasonality and local ingredients matter more than ever, and because the earth is finally turning toward the sun and it is a time for growth.

Peter Berley, jcarrot’s James Beard Award-winning chef-blogger and author of the forthcoming The Flexitarian Table, plans an elegant holiday dinner in which symbolic seder items such as bitter greens, horseradish and lamb shank are cleverly worked into the meal itself.

Peter Berley’s Passover Menu

Salad of Bitter Greens with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette
Poached Salmon with Horseradish and Crème Fraiche
Wine Braised Lamb Shanks with Orange and Figs
Roasted Asparagus with Garlic
Braised Carrots with Olives and Mint
Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

Note: Peter firmly believes that no seder meal is complete without matzo ball soup, but would never presume to offer a recipe that would improve upon your Bubbe’s. A vegetable broth-based (parve) soup can be served between salad and salmon, but if you’re a purist and matzo balls must be dressed in chicken stock, the soup can just as easily be served after the fish course.

Salad of Bitter Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 6

2 bunch watercress
2 heads frisee (French curly endive)
1 Belgian endive cored and sliced
1 green apple, cut into julienne, or very thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl whisk the lemon juice, honey and Dijon mustard. Whisk in the oil until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Toss in watercress, frisee, endive and apple. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Poached Salmon with Horseradish and Crème Fraiche
Serves 6

For the poaching liquid:

6 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 sprig dill
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 quarts water

6 center cut fillet of wild salmon, skin on, about 6 ounces each

For the crème fraiche:

1 cup crème fraiche
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons copped dill
prepared white horseradish

1. Combine the poaching liquid ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

2. Place the salmon fillets in a single layer, in a wide saute pan. Pour over enough of the poaching liquid to cover by 1/2 inch.

3. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Make sure that the liquid never boils. It should remain at 180 degrees.

4. Transfer the fish to a wide platter, spoon a little of the poaching liquid over the fish. Place a slice of carrot and a few pieces of onion on each fillet and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. The fish can be poached up to 2 days before serving.

5. Make the sauce: combine crème fraiche, mustard and chopped dill in a small bowl. Season to taste with horseradish. Serve the fish with crème fraiche.

Wine Braised Lamb Shanks with Orange and Figs

Serves 6

6 small lamb shanks, 10-12 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine (organic and kosher for Passover)
5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
12 large shallots, peeled and left whole, roots trimmed
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Juice of 1 orange
1 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
3 tablespoons honey
14-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes with juice
12 dried figs
2, 4 inch branches fresh rosemary
3, 2-inch strips of orange peel

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Chopped parsley or scallion for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

2. Season the shanks all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan. Add as many shanks as will fit comfortably and brown over medium heat. This will take 15-20 minutes. Reduce the heat if the shanks are browning too quickly. Repeat with the remaining shanks. Transfer the shanks to a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them comfortably in a single layer. Deglaze the pan with half of the wine, scraping the browned bits off the bottom and pouring the juices over the lamb.

3. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the sauté pan. Add the garlic, shallots, carrots and ginger and sauté 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the remaining wine. Scrape the vegetables and their juices into the roasting pan with the lamb shanks.

4. Add the orange juice, water or stock, honey, tomatoes with their juice and peppercorns to the roasting pan. The shanks should be almost covered with liquid, if not add a little water.

5. Tuck the figs, rosemary sprigs and orange strips between the shanks.

6. Place the roasting pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover the roasting pan and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is very tender.

7. Remove the shanks, shallots and figs from the liquid to a warm platter, cover with foil to keep warm.

8. Place a sieve over a clean saucepan. Strain the braising liquid into the saucepan pressing down on the vegetables and herbs to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the vegetables and herbs.

9. Place the saucepan over high heat and reduce the sauce until thickened so that it coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Spoon some of the sauce over the lamb and serve the remaining on the side. Sprinkle the lamb with chopped parsley and serve.

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic
Serves 6

2 bunches thick asparagus
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, squeezed

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Trim away the bottom 1/2-inch or so of the asparagus stalks.

3. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

4. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until crisp tender.

5. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with lemon juice to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature. Can be prepared up to a day in advance.

Braised Carrots with Olives and Mint
Serves 6

3 pounds carrots peeled
3/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large sprig of mint plus mint leaves for garnish
11/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1, 2 inch piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup oil cured black olives, pitted

1. Quarter the carrots lengthwise and cut into 1 inch lengths

2. Combine the carrots in a sauce pan with coriander, cayenne, mint sprig, lemon juice, honey and water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender. Discard the mint sprig and cinnamon stick.

4. Transfer the carrots with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Pour back any juices into the pan. Set the pan over high heat and boil until reduced to 3 tablespoons.

5. Stir vinegar and olive oil into the reduced pan juices.

6. Toss the carrots with the pan juices. Stir in the olives and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint.

Bittersweet Chocolate Espresso Cake
Serves 10-12

vegetable oil and matzo meal, finely ground for the cake pan
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons espresso powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch spring-form cake pan and dust with matzo meal.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or in a microwave on low stirring every 20 seconds until melted and just smooth.

3. Beat the egg yolks with sugar and salt until pale yellow. Stir in the ground almonds, melted chocolate, vanilla, and espresso powder.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks but are not dry. Stir ¼ of the whites into the chocolate and egg mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

5. Transfer the batter to the cake pan and bake in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes until puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Cool on a rack. Run a knife around sides to loosen sides of cake, remove pan sides and serve cake at room temperature on a platter. Can be made a day in advance, covered tightly in foil.