Whether you have a relaxing night watching
the ball drop with friends or throw an extravagant party, food is always a major
part of celebrating New Year’s Eve. The night is long, and the challenge is how
to keep your guests entertained and satisfied as long as the party lasts. Here
are a few tips to help you and your guests have a great time welcoming 2016.
Offer light snacks rather than a filling meal.
Since it’s typically
a late night, I suggest small hors d’oeuvres that everyone can snack on
throughout the party. Keep in mind who’s coming and make sure there’s an
interesting variety with something for everyone. For example, two easy yet
filling favorites are fontina-stuffed-bacon-wrapped-dates and sausage-stuffed
mushrooms. For your vegetarian guests, try fresh bruschetta and a decadent cheese
platter with an interesting variety of cheeses surrounded by crackers,
flatbreads and colorful, bite-size pieces of fruit. The options are endless! I’ve
included some recipes below.
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
What you’ll need: (Makes two dozen)
·
24 dates, pitted
·
3 ounces Fontina
cheese
·
12 slices of bacon
Steps:
·
Preheat the oven to
425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
·
Slit the dates open
lengthwise, keeping the bottom together. Place a slice of cheese inside each
date and wrap with a half piece of bacon.
·
Bake for 15 to 20
minutes, turning the dates halfway through baking until the cheese is melted
and the bacon is browned.
·
Serve out of the
oven.
Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
What you’ll need: (Makes two dozen)
·
3 Italian hot
sausages, casings removed
·
1 ½ teaspoons dried
oregano
·
1 cup freshly grated
parmesan cheese
·
½ teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
·
½ teaspoon garlic
powder
·
1 8-ounce package
cream cheese
·
1 large egg yolk
·
Olive oil
·
24 large mushrooms,
stemmed
·
1 cup dry white wine
Steps:
·
Sauté sausage and
oregano in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is browned.
Transfer into a large bowl and let cool.
·
Mix in Parmesan
cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cream cheese. Season with salt
and pepper and mix in egg yolk.
·
Coat a 15x10x2-inch
glass baking dish with olive oil.
·
Brush cavity of each
mushroom with white wine and fill with 1 tablespoon of filling.
·
Sprinkle with
remaining Parmesan cheese and arrange in baking dish.
·
Preheat oven to 350
degrees and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and
filling is brown on top.
Create a signature drink. Have a stress-free night by keeping it
simple with a signature drink. Creating a specialty cocktail allows you to
stick with a few main ingredients rather than stocking an overwhelming
selection of beverages. As an example, I’ve included a recipe for Minted
Cranberry-Lime Martinis below. Also plan to offer a red and a white wine, a
craft beer and plenty of Champagne to toast the New Year at midnight.
Minted Cranberry-Lime Martini
This cocktail is simple and refreshing. You
can dress it up with gold flecks and serve it in a martini glass or dress it
down by throwing everything into a serving pitcher. Either way, it will be a
hit.
What you’ll need: (Serves eight)
·
1 cup fresh mint
leaves, crushed
·
1/3 cup lime juice
·
¼ cup cranberry
juice
·
1 cup of vodka
·
1 ½ cup carbonated
water
·
Gold or silver fleck
(optional)
Steps:
·
In a pitcher,
combine the mint leaves, lime juice, cranberry juice and vodka; stir
·
Strain out the mint leaves
·
Add the carbonated
water (and gold flecks, if you like) and stir gently
If you have questions, please email me at provisions@thegratefulpalate.com. We are situated on the east side of the Intracoastal
Waterway just south of Oakland Park Boulevard at 3033 NE 32 Avenue in Fort
Lauderdale. Our three complementary businesses, Grateful
Palate Provisions, Events
by Grateful Palate and Shooters
Waterfront,
share a 340-foot deep-water concrete dock offering shore power and water
service. Call +1 954.566.2855 for more information.
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