This holiday season, drop-kick staid culinary conventions and inject some edible innovation into your holiday menu. We’ve asked five of our favorite chefs and specialty food shops to share with us their recipes for bold options for five phases of a holiday dinner: cocktail, cheese and charcuterie, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. From chef Marco Canora’s mega-indulgent lasagne verdi to Junior Merino’s kicked-up hot chocolate, ’tis the season to gobble new grub.

Cocktail: Haute hot chocolate
Mixologist: Junior Merino (Rayuela)

Cheese and charcuterie
Stinky Bklyn

Appetizer: Chestnut soup with candied chestnuts and morcilla
Chef: Alex Ureña (Pamplona)

Entrée: Lasagne verdi
Chef: Marco Canora (Insieme)

Dessert: Sweet potato custard with Grand Marnier meringue
Chef: Jerome Chang (Dessert Truck)