December 17, 2015 – Appetizers

In This Issue:

Three Mini-Meatballs
Thai Mini-Meatballs with Spicy Peanut Sauce
BBQ Mini-Meatballs with Sweet & Tangy Sauce
Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

<For Entertaining and Giving>

 Three Festive Crostini
Avocado-Tomato Crostini
Roasted Red Pepper and Chimichurri Crostini
French Onion Crostini

Three Party Puffs
Spinach-Parmesan Puffs
Cranberry Brie Puffs
Kalamata Olive Puffs

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“Appetizers, Holiday Style!”

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You're in the mood for a party - we are, too! We love this season because it is so full of family and friends with plenty of good times ahead. Whether you're the party host, or bringing something to a get-together, our party sampler of nine recipes ranges from fast to fancy - all delicious! Our best to you this festive season!

Holiday Hours

Gift Cards

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THREE MINI-MEATBALLS
These cocktail meatballs are just the right size! Packed with flavor, they’re designed to be enjoyed in just one bite. The sauces make them even better! Each of the three meatball recipes below have a different personality and offer a different presentation. Serve with cocktail picks and appetizer plates.

Do-Ahead Advantage: The best part about each of these meatball preparations is the ability to make them ahead of time. Mix the meat mixture, roll into small 1-inch balls, bake, cool, and store in the refrigerator for a day or two, or freeze. The sauces can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator (not freezer). Simply warm both when it’s serving time!

Thai Mini-Meatballs with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Full of the classic Asian flavors of garlic, ginger, scallions, and sesame oil, these small morsels are absolutely delicious and destined to be an instant hit! The meatballs are glazed in a dressed up soy sauce. The dipping sauce is a Thai-inspired spicy peanut sauce. Make a lot – they’ll disappear fast!

BBQ Mini-Meatballs with Sweet & Tangy Sauce These meatballs feature a combination of ground beef and hot, spicy pork sausage. The additional spices make these small bites full of flavor beyond their petite size. The BBQ-style sauce is an “oldie goldie” trick that’s made of just two ingredients – you’ll never guess what’s in there that makes it so sweet and tangy!

Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce
Another classic beef and pork combination with plenty of sautéed onions and a pinch of allspice, these meatballs define old-fashioned comfort food in bite-sized form. The sauce is a beefy Bechamel variation with a healthy dose of sour cream. The two go together better than Ole and Lena!

Three Tips:

(1) If you’re the host, relax and enjoy yourself at your get-together. Your guests will reflect the mood and tone that you set for the occasion.

(2) Choose a menu that will keep you with your guests and not in the kitchen. Or, move the party to the kitchen and put everyone to work in preparing the party.

(3) Stock your pantry with a variety of antipasto items when a quick tray requires assembling at the last moment. We keep olive, caper berries, pepperoncini, and marinated artichokes on the shelf at all times.

For Appetizer-Making and Entertaining:

GLASS STEMWARE
Invest in elegant stemware at everyday prices. A great glass is an essential part of enjoying a good wine.

METROKANE VERTICAL
RABBIT CORKSCREW
A better tool for opening wine! Removes the cork in a simple step with much less effort.

VINTURI
WINE AERATOR
Let it breathe! Three designs for red wine, white wine, or spirits. Infuses air as you pour for enhanced flavors.

PRODYNE DIP-ON-ICE
Keep dips cold all party long! Unique serving dish sits on a bed of ice with this two-part bowl.

MOSCOW
MULE MUG
A great gift! Traditional copper mugs are a favorite for many! Solid copper, 16 oz. volume.
A great gift!

CORKCICLE
WINE CHILLER
Unique tool that chills wine from the inside out! The frozen corkcicle inserts into the wine bottle, chills and keeps it chilled.
 
Three Festive Crostini
Fresh baguette slices are transformed into a wonderful crostini canvas for any number of fabulous toppings. Consumed in two or three bites, guests will be helping themselves to seconds and thirds! For the holidays, we’ve chosen particularly festive toppings that stand out on the buffet table. But, the toppings aren’t just about looks, they have concentrated flavors that taste delicious!

Making “Crostini Canvases” – A great crostini is petite in size, made from 3/8-inch slices of baguettes cut on a slight diagonal. Before toasting the slices, brush both sides with olive oil. Arranged in a single layer, the key is to toast the slices quickly in a hot oven (425°) until both sides are golden in color, but the inside still soft and not at all dried out. When cool enough to handle, yet still warm, rub a peeled clove of garlic across the surface of one toasted side. The “crostini canvases” are ready for embellishment!

Do-Ahead Advantage: Get a headstart on your crostini by slicing the baguette earlier in the day and wrapping well until time to toast. Many of the toppings can be made ahead of time.

Avocado-Tomato Crostini
A simple mixture of avocado and lime juice along with a few spices form the base of this guacamole-flavored crostini. Reserve the diced tomatoes and cilantro (that would otherwise be mixed into the avocado when making guacamole), as a topping sprinkled generously on top of the crostini. Each bite is a winner!

Roasted Red Pepper and Chimichurri Crostini
This crostini is in “over-the-top” holiday mode! Each garlic-rubbed crostini is smeared with a thin layer of herbed Boursin cheese. Strips of roasted red peppers lay across the top with stripes of a parsley-based chimichurri. The combination of cheese, fruity peppers, and piquant herb sauce is a delicious combination. Go for it – go for the full-on red-green presentation!

French Onion Crostini
If you like French onion soup, you’ll love this crostini combination! Toasted, garlic-rubbed baguette slices are sent back to oven with generous shreds of Gruyère cheese on top ready to melt. In this instance, we like the nutty-tasting Gruyère just melted, not browned. Once a little bubbly, the crostini are ready to be topped with caramelized onion slices previously prepared. Fresh thyme leaves complete both the visual and flavor profile of these delightful toasts.

Three Tips:
(1) Plan on 6-8 appetizer bites per person per hour. Take into consideration the profile of your guest list and whether there is a meal planned to follow the appetizers.

(2) Plan on one bottle of wine for every four guests per hour. Have wine charms available for guests to identify and keep track of their own glass.

(3) Invest in permanent glassware and dishes that you can use over again instead of paper foods. “Real” dishware makes any event classier (and more sustainable over time).

Three Party Puffs
Puff pastry is the perfect secret ingredient to elegant, delicious party food made quickly. At appetizer time, the delicate layers of pastry become bite-sized containers for delicious fillings. The key to using puff pastry in “miniature mode” is to roll the pastry sheets to a thinner thickness than what might typically be used. Cut squares or circles of the pastry and watch them bake to golden goodness in the oven.

Do-Ahead Advantage: All of the fillings for these party puffs may be made ahead of time – a big advantage when staging party preparations. As well, the prepared frozen puff pastry sheets may be rolled and cut into the desired sizes ahead of time. Dust the small pieces with flour and stack with pieces of parchment paper placed between each piece so that they do stick together. Keep chilled until ready to assemble.

Spinach-Parmesan Puffs
Spinach and Parmesan cheese go together as well as any two foods might! Use frozen chopped spinach for extra quick preparation. The key to this filling is the sautéing step where any excess moisture in the spinach steams away. For these puffs, we used a “king’s crown” shaping method where the four pastry corners are pinched in the center. The puffs will unfurl during baking forming “points’ on the crown. Delicious, easy, and elegant!

Cranberry Brie Puffs
In seasonal style, the red cranberries bring a big pop of color to the appetizer tray! Fresh cranberries are first roasted, then tossed with a little honey. Pastry squares are tucked into mini-muffin tins then filled with a tiny chunk of Brie cheese and a teaspoon of roasted cranberries. The pastry turns a lovely complementary golden color as it bakes. Any leftover cranberries become a lovely topping for another holiday occasion.

Kalamata Olive Puffs
Similar to an olive tapenade, this filling consists of finely chopped Kalamata olives tossed with oregano, pepper, and a dose of cayenne. Chopped pimento add just the right sparkle of red for, of course, a holiday flare. For these puffs we tucked circles of thin puff pastry into our mini-muffin tins and added a teaspoon of the olive filling to each. We rolled the extra pastry dough even thinner and cut small stars to add to the top of each puff. These are appetizing appetizers!

Three Tips:
(1) Garnish for the season! Use sprigs of rosemary and cranberries to adorn your fabulous platters. Fresh dill and pomegranate seeds is another favorite garnish. Avoid inedible holly, mistletoe berries, or sappy evergreen branches on food trays.

(2) Instead of feeling obligated to sock and set up a full bar, focus on a few signature drinks, a selection of both red and white wines, and plenty of sparkling water.

(3) Consider setting up three or four food stations so that guests can move and mingle while minimizing overcrowding around a single food table.

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Make gladly, give willingly, receive graciously, celebrate joyfully, live fully!