OK, so a few friends & I have decided to throw a joint X-mas party. We’ve been planning on just finger foods and hors d’œuvres, but are having some ‘disagreements’ on specifics. I need some suggestions for christmas-y type, classy small dishes. (One of my friends laid down the law by saying “No stupid pigs-in-a-blanket!”) Got any suggestions for recipes?
Go to the library and grab “Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres Handbook” - don’t laugh, this book is seriously good, and has a lot of great ideas you can modify or just build off of.
Simple stuff –
*little grilled breads with roast beef & horseradish sauce
*goat cheese tucked into Globe grapes (scoop out the seeds with a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon)(Note: Globe grapes are extra-giant. Do not attempt with normal sized grapes!!)
*smoked salmon with dill butter on…toast triangles (easy)… little fried patties of potato (intermediate) … blini (advanced)
I generally love a smoked salmon tray, with sides of chopped egg, chopped red onion, cream cheese and capers, with little rye toasts to put it on.
Dates wrapped in bacon are delicious. Serve them with a sherry vinaigrette dipping sauce. If you want, you can stuff the dates with marcona almonds or manchego cheese. To find a recipe, search for “datiles con tocino.”
Bacon-wrapped scallops are always a big hit!
box or two of puff pastry
1 small round of brie cheese [presidente brand is a good one, wholesale clubs tend to have it]
1 single serve packet of sliced almonds
1 apple
1 sprinkle of cinnamon
thaw the puff pastry per direction, gently flatten out and seal the bend seams gently. DO NOT just mash it down flat.
slice the brie in half through the middle, making 2 equal rounds. Lay the bottom round on the first sheet of puff pastry. Spread the sliced almonds evenly. Peel and slice the apple and lay neatly on top of the almonds. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon lightly. Place the other half of the brie on top. Trim the bottom sheet of puff pastry so it is a round that when you bring the sides up it will just sort of lap over the top edge slightly. Take the other sheet of putt pastry and trim it into a round, lay over the puff pastry covering the bottom and sides of the brie disc, seal gently. Cut some of the leftover brie into cute shapes and sprinkle with sugar and bake along side the brie puff pastry thingy and snack on them. Bake per directions on the box. Should look like this when done