Nothing brings people together
better and breaks the ice like food.
Social, casual,
pick-up-and-move-around food. No
utensils. Lots of flavor. fun food.
A few tips to think about when
planning your next party menu.
1. Easy, make ahead food.
The last
thing you want is to be stressed right before you play hostess. Find recipes that can be made ahead, or at least balance the menu
so you only have a few to make at the last minute recipes.
2. The Vessel.
Avoid forks
and knives. Make everything bite-sized
and easy to eat.
Breads,
like puff pastry, Phyllo Pastry, mini bagels, Wonton wrappers, toast,
tortillas, wraps etc... cut into smaller portions with a knife or
round cutter.
Vegetables
can be great, fresh vessels. Cucumbers,
cherry tomatoes, spinach or lettuce wraps...etc.
Toothpicks
(in all sorts), Glass shooters, Chinese spoons etc...
3. Contrast.
It's just a
bite, so it's got to be good! Look for
strong flavors. Spicy & Sweet, Sour & Sweet, Sweet & Salty etc...
Contrast
textures, Creamy & crunch.
Contrast
colors. Add a garnish for a pop of
color.
4. Splurge.
Use
ingredients that are special...splurge on fresh seafood, expensive cuts of
meat, caviar, fine cheeses etc... This will automatically elevate anything you
make. You'll be surprised how little you
use of these ingredients when
used in an appetizer size.
5. Help!
Don't plan on
doing it all yourself, even if you're super organized. Enlist help for all those last minute
preps. But
do as much as you can ahead of time.
That way you can relax and enjoy the evening. I used to stress about having every last thing done before anyone arrived. What I've learned is that people actually love to help out when they arrive, so it's kind of nice to have a little something to still do.
And here are the recipes!
Butternut Squash Shooters with Crouton
Recipe:
Drizzle a cookie sheet full
of cubed Butternut Squash, one Granny smith apple and 1 large onion with a few
Tbsp of Olive oil. Salt generously.
Place everything in blender
and puree until very smooth, pour into pot.
Add a quart of chicken broth
(or vegetable)...you can add some of this to the blender to make it blend
easier.
Slowly warm soup.
Add seasoning. I love the warm notes of Garam Masala, but
you can use your favorite seasoning.
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Add some cream (about 1 cup)
until desired creaminess is achieved.
If it's too thick, add some
milk to loosen.
Because you are drinking this
directly from the cup, you don't want it too thick. Better to have it a bit thin, as after
sitting at room temp for a bit it will thicken.
Grind a bit of fresh pepper on
top of each shooter.
Toast and butter a fresh
baguette (not too hard). cut each slice
in half and place on top of shooter.
Prep: Prepare soup the day before (or even several
days) ahead. Just warm, thin to proper
consistency with milk.
Creamy Salmon Caviar Puffs
Recipe:
Use a 1 1/2" circle
cutter to cut rounds from Puff Pastry.
Leave Puff Pastry folded (it will be folded in thirds). Cook as directed or until the pastry has
puffed up and is golden. Let cool.
Carefully cut the center out
of each puff (a serrated grapefruit spoon works well for this).
Create Filling:
Mix 1/2 cup Cream Cheese and
1/2 cup sour cream. Squeeze 1/2 lemon
into mixture. Add seasoning. Salt & Pepper and a dill seasoning is
nice.
Pipe (you can spoon as well, but
it's tidier to pipe) filling into each puff.
Cut salmon into 3" x
3/4" strips. roll and place in
center of each puff. Tuck fresh piece of
dill next to salmon.
Spoon Black Caviar next to
Salmon.
Prep: Can
make early in the day and keep in fridge, covered, until ready to serve.
Brie, Cranberry & Pear Crostini
Recipe: Mix Cranberry sauce with a
stone ground Mustard (ratio 3:1). Slice shallots thinly and
caramelize in pan on a low heat in butter, until brown and about half the
pieces are crispy. If you do this
earlier in the day, place in a bowl on some paper towel, uncovered on counter
until ready to use.
Slice thin baguette
diagonally, about 1/2" thick.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake in 350 oven until outside edges start to
brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.
Lay a thick (about 1/4")
piece of Brie on top and return to over for another 5 minutes or so until the
cheese softens.Assemble: Lay slice of
pear on top of crostini, spoon Cranberry Mostarda onto pear and then some
shallots.
Prep: Early
in day you can caramelize shallots, mix cranberry Mostarda and slice cheese.This can be served at room
temperature. Prepare bread/cheese about
a hour before serving. assemble about
half hour before serving and leave uncovered.
Mini Arancini with Marinara & Pesto
You can find the recipe, instructions and video on my blog as I made these for Studio 5 in October.
Prep: you can make this the day before. Cover balls and keep in fridge until ready to
fry. can be served room temperature or
warm. Fry an hour before serving. Keep warm in oven.Prep spoons an hour
ahead. Place a small amount of marinara
in bottom of spoon. Have pesto, parmesan
and parsley ready to garnish.
Mexican Avocado Shrimp Cups
Honey-Butter Mexican Shrimp
1
lb. Large shrimp in shell
1/3
c. butter
1/3
c. honey
1
Tbsp. Cumin
1
tsp. Chipotle powder (to taste, be careful, it's hot!)
You
can also use Mexican seasoning to substitute.
1
tsp. Salt
Fresh
Ground Pepper
Clean and De-vein shrimp.
Dry with a paper towel.
Season. Cook in hot butter for a
few minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. let cool.
Avocado crema: Mash a
ripe avocado with some sour cream and lime juice. Add salt & Pepper.
Spoon into bottom of tortilla cups.
Place shrimp inside. garnish with a slice of a grape tomato, a slice of
black olive and a sprig of cilantro.
Prep: Can cook shrimp and
make Avocado crema the day before or earlier in day. Assemble right before serving, otherwise
tortilla will get soggy.
Panzanella Sticks
Cut baguette into small
squares. Toss in pan with some butter
and garlic seasoning (I like Johnnys) until lightly browned, crisp on the
outside, but still soft on the inside.
Cut grape tomatoes in half.
Cut Basil Leaves into strips
if they are large.
Assemble by threading
tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, Basil and Crouton on a large toothpick.
Lay on plate and drizzle with
Balsamic glaze.
Balsamic Glaze: Simmer 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar with 1 Tbsp
Sugar until syrupy. If it hardens, add a
bit of water to get the right consistency.
Prep: make Balsamic glaze the day (or several days)
before. Store at room temp. Add water to thin if necessary.
Make croutons earlier in the
day. Assemble an hour before serving.
Indian Potato Pea Pakoras
Make filling: Saute 1/2 cup chopped onions, a few cloves of
garlic and one finely chopped hot green chili pepper in a bit of olive oil
until soft.
Add seasoning: 2 tsp Garam Masala, 1
tsp. Tumeric, 1 tsp. cumin.
Add 2 cups left over mashed
potatoes, mix well and cook until getting slightly brown on edges.
Season with salt &
Pepper.
Add juice from half a lemon.
Add 1/2 cup frozen peas, mix
in until peas are warm, but not over cooked.
Asssemble: Roll out
pre-made pie crust (or make your own) a bit until thinned out. Cut out dough with 3" or 4" circle
cutters. Place a small amount (about a
tsp.) of filling in center of circle.
Bring edges together to create a triangle. Pinch to secure. Cool in fridge. Deep fry for 2 min. approx. 375 degrees. Can be served at room temp.
Cilantro-mint yogurt
sauce:
Finely Chop 1/2 (about 1/4
cup) onion. Mix with 1 cup finely
chopped fresh cilantro and 1/4 cup finely chopped mint. Mix with 1 1/2 cups whole milk yogurt (I like
FAGE). Add enough milk to loosen to
saucy consistency. Add juice from 1/2
lemon (or desired tartness).
Salt & Pepper to
taste. Spoon over top of slightly cooled
Pakoras. Place small piece of cilantro
on top of each piece.
Prep: make filling day(s) ahead. Assemble Pakoras earlier in the day, keep in
fridge. Fry an hours ahead, keep at room
temp.
Pineapple Habenero Meatballs
Make your own meatballs, or
buy frozen (I like Costco chicken meatballs).
Simmer in Pineapple Habenero sauce (again, Costco), or Teriyaki sauce
would work as well.
Cut up a fresh pineapple into
small cubes.
Assemble: Stick a long toothpick through pineapple, a
couple pieces of Arugula and then meatball.
Spoon a bit of the sauce on top.
Prep: Prepare meatballs and pineapple early in
day. warm up meatballs and assemble
about an hour before serving.
Crab & Mango Wontons
Make filling: Peel and chop up a mango, into small pieces.
Add a 6 oz. bag of fresh crab
meat, that has been drained (paper towel works well for this)
Finely chop 2 small stalks of
celery, 1/4 cup scallions and a 1/2 bunch cilantro and add to mixture.
Add 4 oz. cream cheese and
mix thoroughly.
Add juice from half a lime.
Add a dash of Cayenne pepper.
Season with Salt and Pepper.
Lay a square wonton wrapper
in your hand. Place about a tsp of
filling in center. Moisten all the edges
with water with your finger. Carefully
fold over, point to opposing. Lay on
counter and work from filling out to secure wrapper to each other. Refrigerate for an hour. Fry at 375 for about 2 minutes until golden
brown.
Prep: Make filling early in the day. Fill wontons early in day, keep covered in
fridge. Fry shortly before serving. Can be warmed up in oven as well. Can be served at room temp too.
