Hors D'oeuvres for Garden Party

Cafe Society
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My brother-in-law will be graduating this May, and Left Hand of Dorkness and I have agreed to host a party in his honor. Since our proposed theme of “plastics” was rejected, we’ve decided to go with an afternoon garden party, serving wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres Left Hand will make spanakopita and his infamous caffiene cookies, and I’ll be making cheese straws and cream puffs filled with apricot mousse. I’m looking for other suggestions for party foods that can be prepared in advance and served with minimal re-heating, etc. Also, because my brother-in-law and many of the guests will be vegetarians, we’ve decided to go with all-vegetarian menu.

So hit me with your best shot. What fun new recipes have you got for me?

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Well, what garden party would be complete without cucumber sandwiches?

(Not exciting, but a bit campy. I’ll try to think of something more exciting. Are you trying to make them typical “garden party,” or do you just want interesting and veggie-friendly? If the latter, I have lots of ideas.)

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Interesting and veggie-friendly, please. My BiL and his girlfriend are tres goth, as are most of their friends, so “traditional” is not exactly a requirement. The garden party was our best effort at something that would be 1) fun for Brother-in-law and 2) Mother-in-law (who asked us to host a party), and 3) would allow us to leave town early that evening to catch my brother’s graduation the next morning.

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I often take these two to potlucks, and they go over well.

  1. Coarsely chop equal parts green and black olives. (Sicilian and Kalamata are good together.) Mix in fresh oregano to taste and plenty of garlic, both chopped fine. Pack into a bowl or jar, cover with olive oil and let rest overnight.

  2. Coarsely chop Italian tomatoes. Slice some mild onion very thin and cut the rings into strips. Add fresh basil (Hint: roll the leaves and slice to make thin strips) and, again, plenty of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Make this one fresh.

Serve with crusty bread to pile the toppings on. I like the skinny baguettes, small enough to get your fingers around. Slice and optionally toast under the broiler, with a little olive oil if you like.

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Sounds good so far! Given burundi’s totally incomprehensible aversion to olives ;), I’ll be the one handling the olive mix (which sounds wonderful, by the way); other recipes would be welcome.

Great thread idea, by the way!

Daniel

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Up until you said vegetarian, I was going to say “proscuitto and melon!” But perhaps just melon balls could work? Just make balls and stick a toothpick in. Place next to the dessert items, I guess.

A cheese platter is always a good idea. Get an assortment of breads and crackers, and 3-5 different cheeses, and either set out a selfserve platter or prepare pieces of cheese on crackers ahead of time. Add grapes, apples, or other fruit as you like.

You’d think, as a former waitress, I’d have more ideas, but no! :smiley:

Have fun!

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I’ve got 3 shelves full of cookbooks at home, including a tapas one, a Middle Eastern one, a former Soviet one (which has some killer Georgian things in it involving eggplant and walnuts, as well as a truly mind-blowing salad of shredded beets, walnuts, mayo, garlic, lemon, and brandy—sounds weird, but trust me, it works!), and a book specializing in the foods of the Greek Islands. Between those, you could probably find a few hundred things to cook. Any things you particularly like or dislike? I’ll thumb through them, maybe later tonight.

Or if you want to browse, does your local library have a cookbook section? How much actual cooking are you game for?

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We both do a fair amount of cooking, and my mother and sister will both probably be willing to chip in on this front. I’m not sure how fond the little brother is of beets or eggplants; on the other hand, the garden we planted yesterday (yay!) will have a bunch of beets coming up around then, probably, so maybe we’ll be able to serve some fresh ones. Middle Eastern and tapas sound especially good to me; I make a mean hummus, but don’t have much experience with cooking other ME foods.

Daniel

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I’m not sure if there’s a name for these but we’ll frequently serve little garlic toasts that I’ve spread a minced olive paste on and covered with fresh parmesian and put under the broiler for a minute or two. Tasty and easy.

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Here’s something both easy and veggie-friendly (although not vegan friendly).

Get yourself a package or two of the small size flour tortillas. With each tortilla, spread cream cheese over it, then spread your favorite guest-friendly hot sauce over that. Roll up tortilla as tight as you can. Stick toothpicks into that and cut between the toothpicks.

One of the yummiest horse doovers around!

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First of all, I have to say that if someone proposed to throw me a “plastics” themed graduation party, I’d be very excited.

As someone who has specifically sought out recipes from the Caucasus part of the world (long story), I’d be very keen to hear about a few more of Eva Luna’s Georgian recipes!

As for the OP, I know I’ve got a million of these types of recipes, but I’m drawing a total blank right now. I’ll get back to you with something clever.

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I get confused at times over vegetarian/vegan. Are eggs alright to eat? Deviled eggs are pretty easy to make ahead of time and as appetizers are pretty good.
If I’m way off base with the former suggestion, bloomin’ onions are also pretty easily made, cheap and go over pretty well with some dip.

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These ideas sound good, y’all!

rjk, that tomato spread sounds divine.

Eva Luna, I find it hard to ever eat enough eggplant or walnuts, so I’d be interested in hearing more about the Georgian recipes.

Eggs are copacetic. BiL doesn’t eat meat or seafood, but he digs the dairy and eggs.

The library has a decent cookbook selection, as do we, but I’m interested in recipes that others have tried and can recommend from experience. As Left Hand mentioned, we’re both handy around the kitchen, but we’ll be going to the graduation ceremony that morning and hosting the party that afternoon, so I’m particularly looking for foods that can be prepared up to a few days in advance.

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Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Using large cherry tomatoes, cut off the top 1/4 part of the tomato and scoop out insides with a small melon baller. Trim the bottom of the tomato slightly so it can rest on a plate without rolling around. Stuff with things like chunky guacamole, corn salsa, or a mixture of crumbled blue cheese and chopped watercress.

Miniature Empanadas

Using Pillsbury ready-made pie crusts (if you have the time, you can use a basic pie dough, but this is an easy shortcut), cut 3" circles from the dough. Fill with a mixture of cheese (Queso Fresco is a good one for this), spinach, and onion. Fold in half, seal using egg wash and use a fork to flute the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden. You can easily make these a day or two before, then bake on the day of the party.

Pita Chips and Hummus

Take one package of pita bread. Cut into wedges, toss with olive oil and salt, and bake at 350 until dried and crispy. Hummus is very easy to make if you have a food processor: take 1 15-oz can of garbonzo beans, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 3 Tbs. Tahini paste, 2 Tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt–dump all into the food processer and puree until smooth. Serve with the pita chips.

Sweet & Spicy Mixed Nuts

In a sauce pan, bring 1 cup of real maple syrup to a boil, and let boil for approximately 4 minutes, when the syrup begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, add 1 tsp of Chinese 5-Spice mixture and 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, and 5 cups of unroasted mixed nuts. Pour mixture out on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Let cool, and break nuts apart.

Baked Brie

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter on a low heat. Add 2 thinly sliced red onions, and let cook until onions are soft and beginning to caramelize. Add 1 tsp of fresh chopped thyme, 1 Tbs. sugar, and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. Let simmer until vinegar has mostly evaporated and onions have a jam-like consistency. Take off heat and let cool.

Take one sheet of puff pastry (comes frozen, let defrost enough to be pliable), and pour onion jam into the center. Place a wheel of ‘baby brie’ (7" diameter) onto onion jam, then wrap puff pastry around cheese, pinching the dough to seal. (Up to this point, this can be done a day or more ahead). Place on a sheet pan with seam side down, eggwash, and bake at 375 until pastry is golden.

Serve warm with sliced apples and fresh baguette slices.

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Bah. I came in to suggest cucumber sandwiches, but Eva Luna beat me to it. Don’t scoff, they’re very popular (I made once as sort of a joke, and now I get asked to make them everywhere).

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Three words: Guac A Mole. Make it yourself as the stuff from the plastic tub I think is used for spackle in some parts of the world. 2 ripe avacodos, 1 tomoato diced, 1/2 red onion diced, 1 glove garlic minced, 2 TBSP sour cream for creaminess and 1/2 lime juice. You can serve this with chips - if you have a trader joe’s in the area, they make these incredible flax seed chips that are sold as lo-carb, but have a smoky sweetness that is just totally yum.

Easy: slices roma tomato with fresh basil leaves and mozz. cheese drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Serve with the freshed bread warmed in the oven for a few moments.

Spanish Tortilla (Potato Omelet): peel and dice 5 potatoes, 1 onion, 2 clove garlic. 5 eggs. Cook potatoes onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir into beaten eggs and return to pan to cook. Turn once by inverting a plate over top of pan flipping and returning raw side to pan–OR–cook low and slow with a lid on to cook both sides.

Boil high quality penne pasta and toss with grated parm and cut of mozz cheese, olives and sliced boiled eggs. Add a little mayo and you have a unique pasta salad. Cover with croutons if you want a little crunch.

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OK, here goes…my favorite all-purpose former Soviet cookbook, so far, is Anya von Bremzen and John Welchamn’s Please to the Table. I bought mine at Borders.

Note: Caucasian cooking is much different from Slavic cooking, with a much greater emphasis on fresh veggies and herbs, walnut sauces, and grilled meats. Those Georgians know their food! (Note to burundi it’s also a cuisine chock-full of eggplants and walnut sauces. You might want to Google around for some more Georgian recipes: try pkhali and satsivi.)

P. 306, Eggplant Stuffed with Walnuts (Badrijani Nigvzis Satenit):

8 small eggplants, no more than 4"long and 2"wide
1 teaspoon coarse (Kosher) salt
1/2 c. walnut pieces
2 large cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 small rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 t. hot Hungarian paprika
5 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
3 T finely chopped fresh parsley
3T water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil, plus additional for the eggplants

Garnishes: cilantro sprigs, red onion rings, pomegranate seeds

  1. Stem the eggplants and cut them lengthwise in half. Place them in a colander, sprinkle with coarse salt, and let stand for 30 min.
  2. Rinse eggplants thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. In a food processor, grind the walnuts together with the garlic and cilantro. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
  4. Add the onion, celery, paprika, vinegar, parsley, water, and salt and pepper. Stir well.
  5. Select a skillet large enough to accommodate all of the eggplants, or use two skillets (in which case increase the amount of oil). Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the eggplants and saute on both sides until they feel soft when pricked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Cool the eggplants until manageable. Scrape off about 1 tablespoon of the pulp from each half. Reserve for another use.
  6. Spread the eggplant halves generously with the walnut mixture. Place on a serving platter, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  7. Serve garnished with cilantro sprigs, red onion rings, and pomegranate seeds.
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And my favorite from this book so far is a Russian recipe: Beet Caviar with Walnuts and Prunes (Svyokla s Orekhami i Chernoslivom, pp. 16-17): don’t be dissuaded by the beets. Even non-beet lovers love this one! I had a Russian potluck in November, and this was the most-requested recipe (except for plov, but that’s got lamb in it and is much more of a pain in the neck).

3 large beets, with skins, but stemmed, washed, and dried
1/3 cup brandy
7 pitted prunes
3 medium-sized cloves garlic, cut in half
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup walnut pieces, finely chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 1-1/4 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, bring the brandy to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over the prunes in a bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove the prunes from the brandy, reserving the brandy. Finely chop the prunes and set aside.
  4. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and chop coarsely. Process the beets and garlic in a food processor until finely minced but not pureed.
  5. Transfer the beets to a bowl and add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the reserved brandy, the chopped prunes, and the walnuts. Toss thoroughly with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Cover and rfrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

[hint: if you like it moister, you can add more lemon juice or more of the reserved brandy.]

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And then there’s one I basically improvised:

Huge pile of various minced mushrooms, preferably not just plain white button mushrooms: should include some portobello, crimini, or other types

Medium-sized pile of minced garlic

Couple tablespoons of sour cream per pound of mushrooms

Generous handful of chopped fresh dill

Slug of sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms and garlic. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream, dill, salt, pepper, and sherry. Eat spread onto thin slices of dark rye bread.

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I can post more over the next couple of days, but I need to go to sleep now! Let me know which things sound appealing, and I can extrapolate from that. But hey, you have a little time, right? so you can experiment between now and then.