In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a food processor and let cool.

Add Guinness, cheeses, caraway and paprika to food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl, cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crackers and crudités.

Warm olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peas are soft, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Puree soup in a blender in small batches. Serve hot.

Warm a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toast fennel seeds in skillet until golden brown and fragrant, 1 minute. Remove from skillet to a plate. When seeds are cool, crush with a rolling pin.

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, warm oil and bubbles. Add half of ham steaks and cook for 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove ham to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with another 1 Tbsp. butter and remaining ham. 1 Tbsp. butter until it melts and

In same skillet, after cooking and removing second batch of ham, melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add onion and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, broth and cream, along with reserved crushed fennel seeds and both mustards. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of skillet, and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a warm platter. Place ham steaks on vegetables and spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds, if desired, and serve.

To make dressing, puree all ingredients except broccoli slaw and onion in a food processor until smooth. In a bowl, toss slaw, onion and dressing until well combined.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and add 2 tsp. salt. Boil potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and mash with a masher or potato ricer until smooth and free of lumps. Add cream, butter, egg yolks, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Mix well.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Spoon potato mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe decorative swirled mounds about 2 inches in diameter and about 2 inches apart. Bake until tops are lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning over a few times, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned around edges. Serve immediately.

Make the lemon curd: In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk together lemon juice, butter, sugar, eggs and salt until butter melts and mixture thickens and coats back of a wooden spoon, about 25 minutes (do not let it boil). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl and stir in zest. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist 2 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until soft. Gradually add sugar and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well before each addition. Stir in ¹/3 of flour mixture, then half of sour cream. Repeat, ending with last ¹/3 of flour mixture. Stir in lemon juice.

Divide batter between pans, spreading evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out cakes onto rack to cool completely.

Make frosting: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, cream cheese and zest until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. Gradually add sugar. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the cake has cooled. If frosting becomes too warm, refrigerate it until it firms up, but don't allow it to become too stiff to spread.

Assemble cake: Using a serrated knife, carefully slice both cakes horizontally into 2 layers. Place one layer on a platter. Spread ¹/3 of lemon curd over cake. Top with second cake layer and spread with another ¹/3 of curd. Place third cake layer on top and spread with remaining curd. Top with final cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake. Chill cake for up to 2 hours before serving.

Place 1 drop of green food coloring into each of 8 wine glasses (or 8 drops in a large pitcher).

Divide 1 chilled 750ml bottle of dry white wine among glasses, or pour into pitcher.

Top with 1 liter chilled plain or lime-flavored seltzer; stir lightly. Serve promptly. Serves 8.