Easy, Elegant Party Recipes
Contemporary, vintage or party punch: Pick the menu that fits your mood.
The Contemporary
Rosemary-Bourbon Fizz, Grapefruit and Thyme Champagne, Fried Beet Chips with Goat Cheese and Micro Green Salad, Baked Brie Bites with Cranberry Mustard, Potato Cake Crostini with Roast Beef and Red Onion Chutney, Winter Bruschetta Crostini, Potato Cake , Crostini with Roast Beef and Red Onion Chutney, Falafel with Sunchoke Hummus and Harissa Yogurt Sauce, Classic Tuna Poke
In a nod towards the move to source local, this season’s updated cocktails feature earthbound ingredients from the garden or pots on the windowsill; think thyme and rosemary. And the savory trend continues with brie bites dolloped with cranberry mustard and fried beet chips with goat cheese, while the sushi-grade tuna poke is anything but old-school.
Cocktails
Grapefruit and Thyme Champagne
Serves 8
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 bunch of fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
2 cups grapefruit juice
1 bottle of your preferred Champagne or bubbly
Grapefruit wedges for garnish, optional
In a medium pot, combine the sugar, water and fresh thyme. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely. Discard thyme. Divide the thyme simple syrup and grapefruit juice evenly in 8 glasses. Top with Champagne or bubbly. Garnish with fresh grapefruit, thyme sprigs or both.
Rosemary-Bourbon Fizz
Serves 8
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 bunch of fresh rosemary
1 ½ cups bourbon
1 liter of ginger ale
Rosemary sprigs for garnish
In a medium pot, combine sugar, water and fresh rosemary. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely. Discard rosemary. Divide bourbon evenly in 8 rocks glasses, over ice, roughly 1 ½ ounces per drink. Top with a splash of rosemary simple syrup and 2–3 ounces of ginger ale. Stir and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Appetizers
Fried Beet Chips with Goat Cheese and Micro Green Salad
Makes 10–15
1 Tbsp Champagne or white wine vinegar
Salt, pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
Vegetable oil, for frying
1–2 medium-size beets
3 oz goat cheese
½ cup micro greens
Whisk Champagne or vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper and olive oil together until emulsified. Set aside. Fill a medium-size pot halfway with oil and heat to 350 degrees. While oil is heating, slice beets by hand or on a mandolin roughly 1/8 inch thick. Cook beet slices, in batches, 90 seconds each. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with salt. Place roughly ¼ teaspoon of goat cheese on each beet chip and top with micro greens tossed in dressing.
Winter Bruschetta Crostini
Makes 16 crostini
1 baguette, sliced ¼ inch thick pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 golden beet
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt, pepper to taste
3 sprigs thyme
In a pre-heated 350 degree oven, toast bread slices until golden, 5–7 minutes. Let cool, then swipe each crostini once with peeled garlic clove. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Wrap beet in aluminum foil and roast in oven 30–40 minutes, until tender. Toss butternut squash with vegetable oil, salt and pepper, and roast 25–30 minutes until tender. Allow vegetables to cool. Peel beet under running water, pushing the skin off with your thumb, then dice. Toss beet and butternut squash together, adding more seasoning if needed. Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable mixture onto each crostini, garnish with thyme leaves.
Potato Cake Crostini with Roast Beef and Red Onion Chutney
Makes 24
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs red onions, halved, thickly sliced
2 tsp salt
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
4–5 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced to ¼ inch thick
½ lb beef tenderloin, roasted to medium-rare
Heat olive oil in large saute pan. Add onions and salt; saute until translucent and begin to caramelize. Transfer onions to slow cooker; stir in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Cook on low until jam turns deep brown, roughly 3–3 ½ hours.
Spray cooking oil on small sheet pan, cover with parchment paper and spray with more cooking oil. Layer sliced potatoes on sheet pan, shingling slices to cover bottom of the pan in 3–4 layers. Bake in 400-degree oven, putting another sheet pan of the same size on top. Add heat resistant weight on top (e.g. a foil-wrapped brick) 20–30 minutes until potatoes become tender and crisp on the edges. Cool completely before removing from pan and cut into roughly 2-by-2-inch squares. Once cooled, layer potato cakes with a slice of beef and a dollop of red onion chutney. Serve warm or room temperature.
Classic Tuna Poke
Makes 16
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1/3 cup sliced scallions
½ lb sushi-grade Ahi tuna
1 package store-bought wonton sheets
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and scallions. Set aside. Cube tuna filet into bite size pieces. Toss with soy sauce mixture and chill in refrigerator for 15–30 minutes. Spray cooking oil on underside of mini cupcake pan. Lay wonton sheets over upside-down mini cupcake pan, forming small cup shapes. Bake at 350 degrees 5–7 minutes, until lightly brown and toasted on the edges (these burn quickly). Cool completely before removing from the pan. Scoop tuna mixture into wonton cups, garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Falafel with Sunchoke Hummus and Harissa Yogurt Sauce
Makes 16–20 falafel
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp harissa paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1/3 cup Tahini paste
¾ cup sunchokes, chunked and roasted
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2–3 Tbsp water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dried chickpeas soaked in water 24 hours
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion
1 cup cilantro
1 cup fresh parsley
Zest of one lemon
½ tsp cayenne
1 ½ tsp kosher salt, more for seasoning
½ tsp ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Feta cheese for garnish
In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, harissa paste, salt and pepper (adjust harissa according to taste).
In the bowl of a food processor combine drained chickpeas, Tahini, sunchokes, lemon zest and juice, water and salt and pepper; buzz until smooth, adding water as necessary. Add additional seasoning if necessary and set aside.
In food processor, combine soaked chickpeas, cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, cilantro, parsley and pulse until finely ground. Add lemon zest, cayenne, salt and pepper to the mixture and pulse until combined. Roll out a small amount of mixture into a small ball with your hands; it should not fall apart. Roll remainder of the mixture into uniform sized balls. (A small ice cream scoop is helpful.)
Line uncooked falafel on large plate or baking sheet until ready to cook. Pour vegetable oil in dutch oven or high-sided skillet 2–3 inches deep, enough to cover the falafel. Heat to a medium-high temperature, about 360–375 degrees. While oil heats, line second baking dish with paper towel to drain falafel when cooked. Once oil is at appropriate temperature, fry a test falafel. Oil should bubble up and sizzle, and falafel should not break apart. Cook till golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Fry falafel in batches and don’t overcrowd. Once cooked, remove falafel from oil and drain on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt.
Once falafel are cooled, serve with sunchoke hummus and harissa yogurt. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese (we prefer Narragansett Creamery’s Sea Salty Feta).
Baked Brie Bites with Cranberry Mustard
Makes 12–16
1 lb cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sriracha
1 Tbsp mustard
1 cup water
1 package prepared puff pastry sheets
½ wheel of brie
In medium pot, combine first five ingredients. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook 20–25 minutes until mixture thickens and cranberries begin to burst. Meanwhile, cut puff pastry sheets into 2-by-2-inch squares. Top each square with wedge of brie and bake according to package instructions for pastry sheets. Once pastry bites and cranberry mustard are cooked, dollop a teaspoon of cranberry mustard to each puff pastry bite. Serve warm.
The Vintage
Honey-Sage Gin Fizz, Aperol Spritz, Petit Grilled Cheese with Butternut Tomato Soup Shooters, Spinach and Artichoke Bites, Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Winter Citrus Salsa, Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, Pigs in a Blanket with Ketchup and Spicy Mustard, Antipasti Skewers
Some of us are still mourning the demise of “Mad Men,” but these elegant vintage cocktails (did someone say gin?) and nibbles are a tasty distraction. Even grilled shrimp cocktails and pigs in a blanket are kicked up a sophisticated notch with a hint of agave and Dijon mustard, respectively. We feel better already.
Cocktails
Aperol Spritz
Ice
Orange slices
3 parts Champagne or dry bubbly
2 parts Aperol
1 part club soda
Thyme, for garnish
Fill a wine glass with ice. Add orange slices. Pour in Champagne, Aperol and club soda. Stir gently. Garnish with thyme.
Honey-Sage Gin Fizz
½ cup honey
½ cup water
5 fresh sage leaves, extra for garnish
3 oz gin
5 oz club soda
1 lime wedge
Bring honey, water and sage to boil in medium pot, then reduce to simmer until honey dissolves. Discard sage and cool. In rocks glass filled with ice, combine gin and 1 oz syrup mix. Top with club soda, squeeze of lime wedge. Garnish with fresh sage.
Appetizers
Petit Grilled Cheese with Butternut Tomato Soup Shooters
Serves 16
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 15-oz cans crushed tomato
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 cup vegetable stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 crusty baguette, cut ¼ inch slices, roughly 32
12 oz cheddar cheese
In a medium pot, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomato, butternut squash puree and stock. Mix to combine, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20–25 minutes. Arrange 16 bread slices on a sheet pan, top with desired amount of cheddar cheese, then top with remaining 16 slices. Toast at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, 5–7 minutes. Once soup is done, remove from heat and cool slightly before transferring to a blender to puree, or puree in pot with immersion blender. Add additional stock as needed if soup is too thick. Serve soup warm, in glass or disposable shot glasses, with a petit grilled cheese for dipping.
Pigs in a Blanket with Ketchup and Spicy Mustard
Serves 16
1 package all-beef hot dogs
1 package prepared puff pastry sheets
1 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp sriracha
1 cup ketchup
Wrap hot dogs in puff pastry sheets and bake according to package instructions. Combine dijon mustard and sriracha, set aside. Once hot dogs are baked and are cool to the touch, slice on a bias. Serve with ketchup and spicy mustard for dipping.
Grilled Shrimp Cocktail
Serves 8–10
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
¼ cup agave nectar or honey
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp grated horseradish
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined
Bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 1 hour to prevent burning
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Cook cranberries in medium saucepan over high heat, covered, for roughly 3 minutes until they begin to burst and soften. Transfer to blender and add agave, water, tomato paste and salt. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and fold in horseradish. Set aside. Place shrimp on skewers and cook on pre-heated grill pan, 1–2 minutes per side. Chill and remove from skewers. Serve with cranberry cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Winter Citrus Salsa
Serves 8–10
1 lb sea scallops
1 lb applewood bacon, sliced
Bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 1 hour to prevent burning
1 cara cara orange
1 grapefruit
2 Tbsp agave nectar or honey
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375. Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap each scallop with half bacon slice and skewer. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until scallops are almost cooked through and bacon is crispy. A perfectly cooked scallop will be slightly raw on the inside.
Segment citrus. Remove the rind and pith from each fruit and cut out the segments, reserving the juice from each fruit. Cut segments in half or thirds if segments are on the larger side. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add the juices that drained while you were segmenting, along with agave, lime juice and zest and cilantro. Toss together and season. Arrange your scallops on a platter and garnish with citrus salsa.
Antipasti Skewers
Serves 8–10
8 oz block Narragansett Creamery Atwells Gold Cheese
12 oz Daniele prosciutto slices
5 fresh figs, cut in half
Bamboo skewers
Balsamic reduction
Cut cheese into 1-by-1-inch cubes. Skewer one end of the prosciutto, followed by a cheese block, followed by the middle of the prosciutto slice, followed by one-half of a fig, followed by top of prosciutto slice, weaving prosciutto around the cheese and fig. Platter skewers and garnish with balsamic reduction.
Spinach and Artichoke Bites
Makes 24 bites
10 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 8-oz brick of cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (red, white or sweet)
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 package store-bought wonton sheets
Combine all ingredients except wonton sheets in large mixing bowl. Transfer to slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Cook on low for 3–4 hours, or high for 2 hours, until the dip is warm throughout and cheese is melted. Preheat oven to 350. Spray the underside of a mini cupcake pan with pan spray. Lay wonton sheets over the upside down mini cupcake pan, forming small cup shapes. Bake 5–7 minutes, until lightly brown and toasted on the edges, being careful not to burn. Cool completely before removing them from pan. Once wonton cups are cool and the dip is finished, fill wonton cups with a tablespoon or so of dip; serve immediately.
Party Punch
It’s not a party without bubbly, and hibiscus, our favorite new “it” ingredient, adds a tangy accent. Riding sidecar are spicy ancho-chili chicken on skewers, steak and frites with a Tunisian hint, and sweet cranberry crostini that warm up the chilliest winter evening.
Hibiscus Ginger Punch
serves 12
4 ½ cups of water
1 cup dried hibiscus blossoms
2 thin slices fresh ginger
1 cup sugar
1 liter chilled ginger ale
2 bottles of Champagne or dry bubbly
In a medium pot, combine water, hibiscus blossoms, ginger and sugar. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer until sugar dissolves and water turns bright pink. Reserve some of the hibiscus flowers and cool. In a large bowl of ice, combine hibiscus syrup and ginger ale. Top with Champagne and garnish with
hibiscus flowers.
Appetizers to go with punch
Ancho-Chili Grilled Chicken Skewers and Winter Citrus Salsa
Makes 16 skewers
½ cup ancho chili powder
¼ cup smoked paprika
1 ½ Tbsp mustard powder
1 ½ Tbsp ground coriander
1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano
½ Tbsp salt
½ Tbsp black pepper
1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced into roughly 1-oz portions
Bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water 1 hour
1 grapefruit
1 cara cara orange
2 Tbsp agave nectar or honey
1 lime zested, juiced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Whisk spices, seasoning together. Dredge chicken slices in spice mixture and skewer. Grill or roast chicken skewers until cooked through. Segment citrus by removing rind and pith from each fruit; cut out the segments, reserving juice from each fruit. Cut segments in half (or thirds if segments are large). Transfer to medium mixing bowl. Add the juices that drained while you were segmenting, along with agave, lime juice and zest and cilantro. Toss together and season. Arrange skewers on a platter and garnish with salsa. Serve warm.
Steak ’n Frites
Makes 8–10 bundles
2 Yukon gold potatoes, wedged
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lb medium-roast flank steak
1 cup olive oil mayonnaise
3 Tbsp harissa paste
Preheat oven to 375. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on sheet until golden and crispy. Slice beef against the grain into long, thin slices. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and harissa paste. Once potatoes are roasted and cool to touch, bundle 2–3 wedges and wrap a slice of beef around potatoes. Secure with toothpick. Repeat with remaining potatoes and beef. Garnish with a drizzle of harissa mayo.
Balsamic Roasted Cranberry Crostini
Makes 16 crostini
½ crusty baguette, sliced in ¼ inch slices, roughly 16
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 lb fresh cranberries
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp thyme, chopped
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ wheel of brie
In 350 degree oven, toast bread slices until golden, 5–7 minutes. Cool, then swipe with peeled garlic clove. Toss cranberries with balsamic, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until cranberries caramelize, start to burst and soften. Top each crostini with dollop of brie, tablespoon roasted cranberries, garnish with thyme leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
What’s in your holiday pantry?
Some of our favorite chefs share their go-to ingredients for impromptu entertaining.
From Jeanie Roland, chef/co-owner, Ella’s Food and Drink, Westerly
For quick bites, keep French bread in the freezer and artichoke pesto and olive tapenade in the pantry. Grill or bake bread slices seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parmigiana reggiano, then spread with the pesto and tapenade.
Sarabeth’s brand has great fruit spreads for tart fillings. The chunky apple, strawberry rhubarb and plum cherry are perfect with apples, pears and figs. Find them at Belmont Market, Wakefield; Sandy’s Fine Food, Westerly; McQuade’s, Westerly.
In the summer, freeze purees in ice cube trays, along with fresh juices like lime, and pomegranate for cocktails (pomegranate pear martini anyone!?). Save vanilla beans in a “mother bottle” to add to bourbon and eggnog.
Keep on hand: Champagne, hard cheese and simple syrup.
From Noah Metnick, executive chef, Waterman Grille, Providence
I’m Jewish but I have celebrated Christmas with my wife and her family for years. Shrimp cocktail is always part of the spread. Chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish and Tabasco are essential ingredients. You can find nice quality shrimp at Whole Foods.
I also keep a supply of matzoh ball soup and potato pancake mixes for when I don’t have time to make them. You can find them at Eastside Marketplace.
Keep on hand: Champagne; Veuve Clicquot and Pol Roger are my favorites. I go to Nikki’s Liquors on Branch Avenue.
From Matthew Petersen, executive pastry chef, Newport Restaurant Group
I like chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for tacos, which our family makes weekly. They’re spicy, smoky and sweet.
Vanilla bean powder is great in coffee, yogurt, ice cream and baked goods. Find it at Sur la Table or online; look for the Nielsen Massey brand.
Star anise is one of my favorite spices. Steep it in milk for eggnog, or grind or sift it and use in cookies or in your holiday pie. Find it at penzeys.com.
Keep on hand: Cheese powder and popcorn kernels. Fresh popcorn is superior to microwaved and easy to make, and cheese powder is awesome; keep it in the freezer to extend the shelf life. King Arthur in Vermont has the best cheddar cheese powder I’ve had. Find it at kingarthurflour.com.
