Classic Cocktail Party, Redux
December 31, 1955. Any Town, USA. A beaming housewife in satin and pearls opens the door to greet her guests for her New Year's gathering. She takes coats and makes introductions, air kissing the husbands and wives and showing each in to her thoroughly modern sunken living room. Her husband mans the cocktail shaker, turning out dry martinis and pouring out Scotch on the rocks. Out of the kitchen our coifed hostess appears with trays of hors d'oeuvres, the product of her New Year's Eve day labors.
The spread is elaborate and her guests duly "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" over the many bite-sized delights. There is unnaturally yellow cheese (product) that she has rolled into balls with a coating of crushed nuts. A tray of crudite lines up alongside a milky and aromatic ranch dip ("Just open the mix, stir with sour cream and serve!"). There are beer nuts and smoked nuts and popcorn in balls. Toothpicks spear mini meatballs next to pigs all snug in their refrigerator biscuit blankets. And if her husband's bartending skills prove insufficient, a bowl of rum punch complete with ice mold and ladle patiently waits for its turn to celebrate the achievements of the year gone by and to toast a new year and bright future.
Flash forward fifty years to New Year's Eve 2005. Half a decade has gone by since we all thought we were going to die from Y2K. Half a decade and our country has experienced a life-time of changes; we are not who we were 5 years ago, let alone 50. In times of change, there seems no better reason to have a party that looks back with the familiarity of the food of our contemporaries and a nod to the golden era of the Cocktail Party.
The good news is that the Fifties were the beginning of an age of convenience, to which we certainly can still relate today. However, where the idea of convenience had a lot to do with pre-fab and processed foods, today we want that same ease of preparation, yet with a more wholesome approach to eating and more interest in the gourmet.
So to welcome 2006 we are doing the Cocktail Party Redux. We are going to take all those classic party foods, pare them down to "real" ingredients and dress them up for an occasion worthy of a 21st century bash. I've kept the menu simple and mostly make-ahead so you have plenty of time to dress and decorate. However, if you choose to wait (or procrastinate) until the last minute, the whole menu can be done in about a half an hour with little cooking time necessary once guests arrive.
I swapped out fake cheese for goat cheese, made those into balls, rolled them in spices and drizzled them in olive oil. Beer nuts became Champagne nuts when they were mixed with chocolate and dried cherries for a festive and luxurious sort of holiday trail mix. A different sort of herbaceous dip in the form of a pesto sauce is as quick as the mix and a nice addition to the usual veggie tray. Let's not forget about our piggies! Lose the biscuit and bring in the puff pastry, change out wieners for chorizo and voila! Pig in Pashmina.
To top it all off, serve a festive rum punch with white rum, cherry juice, lemon juice, sugar, and ginger ale. That will ensure that your guests will be plenty punchy long before the ball drops.
Serves/Makes: 18 pcs
- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed for half an hour
- all-purpose flour, as needed
- 1/3 pound Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1/4 pound manchego cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Unfold each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Cut each sheet into nine 3x3-inch squares.
Roll out each square to 4x4-inches with a floured rolling pin.
Whisk together the egg and milk in a bowl until blended.
On each puff pastry square, add a couple pieces of chorizo and a pinch of cheese. Brush the edges of the square with the egg mixture. Fold up one corner of the square to form a triangle and press the edges to seal.
Place the filled puff pastries on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
Serve hot.
Made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper, olive oil, sour cream, mayonnaise
Serves/Makes: 1.5 cups
- 2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil (or as needed)
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
In blender combine basil, garlic and pine nuts. While blending add oil in a steady stream until a thick but liquid paste comes together. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, stir together, pesto, sour cream and mayonnaise.
Adjust seasoning with salt. Refrigerate until service. Serve with assorted vegetables for dipping.
Serves/Makes: 32 balls
- 1/2 cup herbs de provence
- 1 pound goat cheese
- olive oil
Spread Herbs de Provence out on a large plate.
With oiled hands, take about a tablespoon of cheese and roll between hands into a ball.
Roll that ball in Herbs to coat and set aside on serving platter.
When all balls are fully rolled and coated drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Made with microwave popcorn, butter, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt
Serves/Makes: 20 cups
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 bags microwave popcorn, Natural or Light
Mix together first five ingredients. Wait on the salt as the popcorn may be salted already. The seasoning can be prepared in advance. One bag of popcorn can be made at a time as needed.
To serve, drizzle popcorn with butter and toss with some of the spice mixture to coat. Season to taste with salt.
Made with walnuts, powdered sugar, dried cherries, chocolate covered almonds, white chocolate pastilles or chips
Serves/Makes: 4.5 cups
- 1 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup chocolate covered almonds
- 1 cup white chocolate pastilles or chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse walnuts in a colander and toss with the powdered sugar.
Arrange in one layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes stirring once during baking.
Let cool completely then toss to combine with remaining ingredients.
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