Setting The Scene For A Season Of Stress-Free Holiday Gatherings

By Nancy Crevier

When the early morning reveals lawns that glitter like buckets of spilled diamonds, and cryptic, frosty etchings paint windowpanes, you know that Jack Frost is setting the scene for the holiday season. The crisp air ignites a sense of excitement and fires up the creative spirit.

It is a time of gathering together; a sharing time that calls for festive moods and flavorful foods. Savory pastries, spicy dips, exotic cheeses, buttery bites – all of the temptations we’ve avoided the past several months are back to entice us. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin – or when to end! And that goes for the cook as well as the guest.

Holiday parties don’t have to be fraught with anxiety, though. First rule: Don’t take on more than with which you’re comfortable. If you’re not the type to serve a roast goose with all the trimmings, serve a knockout buffet of appetizers instead.

Even ordinary foods become extraordinary when festively garnished and displayed. Think in terms of a variety of tastes, textures and colors – crunchy vegetables, smooth dips; tangy sauces, mellow pates; chunky salsas, silky pastas. Contrast sweet with salty, spicy with mild for a well-rounded presentation.

Forego the plain old potato chips when it’s party time – beet chips, sweet potato chips and plantain chips lend a colorful, exotic flair. Blue, yellow, white and red corn chips are the perfect compliment to spicy fruit salsas – go for it! It will be hard for guests to turn away from colorful trays garnished with red radish roses, curly green parsley, bright orange kumquats and star-shaped slices of carambola (star fruit), or dips served in cheery red and yellow bell pepper cups.

Miniature foods make a good impression and can be eaten with grace. Tiny phyllo pastry cups (found in the freezer section) can be filled with roasted peppers, herbs, Gorgonzola cheese and a dash of vinaigrette; or chunky bits of curried vegetables topped with tamarind sauce; popped into a hot oven for 10 minutes, morsels of feta tossed with sautéed spinach, onions and oregano turn these cups into – voila! – instant spanakopita.

Toss tidbits of cheddar cheese and avocado with jalapeños, lemon and lime juice and a squeeze of olive oil for a South of the Border filling. The possibilities are endless!

Petite lettuce, radicchio and endive leaves are excellent vehicles for cream cheese dips, smoked fish or smooth pates, and take virtually no time to throw together.

Remember that pesto you made last summer and froze? It will be delicious topping a tiny piece of fresh mozzarella tucked into those one-biter grape tomatoes!

Silver dollar potato pancakes served hot off the griddle with sour cream and applesauce will disappear as quickly as you make them. Add a twist by making some of them with sweet potatoes and cinnamon applesauce, instead.

For melt-in-the-mouth goodness, try mini cream puffs filled with sweet cream and pineapple, or a dilled smoked cheese pate. (Cream puffs take a bit of time to make, but can be frozen for up to a month, revived in a hot oven and filled at serving time.)

Stuff baby croissants or bagels with your favorite sandwich fillings – hot and cold – and pile them high on the platter! Mini size doesn’t have to mean mini flavor!

And don’t forget about the standards, like cheese and crackers, fruits, nuts and vegetables. The holidays are the perfect time to indulge, so mix up your usual cheese selections with those from far-flung locales.

Peppery cheddars, exotic blues, pungent camemberts and smoky Gouda paired with crackers that can stand up to them are always crowd pleasers. Cleanse the palate with fresh fruit – a welcome addition to holiday fare.

Fruit salad is nice, but bite-size chunks of pineapple, melon and grapes on bamboo skewers turn fruit into a manageable, mobile treat for your guests.

For easy serving, stick the skewers threaded with fruit into a grapefruit or cantaloupe half placed cut side down on a plate. Pistachios, caramelized walnuts and roasted cashews scattered around the edge of the plate are a nice complement.

Dips range from mild to zesty, silky to chunky and add just the right amount of diversity to the buffet table. Pears, apples, pineapple, mango and grapes are excellent bases for unusual salsas. Add fresh, minced hot and sweet peppers, garlic, onion, lemon and lime juices, a splash of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and your salsa is ready for scooping.

Red or black beans make a nice addition to any salsa if you want to stretch it.

Cream cheese dips are always popular, but why go with plain old onion dip when you can jazz it up with fresh ground pepper, smoked cheese or trout, fresh, minced dill and a splash of Tabasco? Hearty whole grain crackers and crunchy carrot sticks are an ideal compliment. With a little imagination, roasted peppers, marinated artichokes, cannelloni or garbanzo beans can all be turned into flavorful pates, so let yours go wild!

An assortment of holiday cookies, chocolates and truffles is the easy answer to satisfying the sweet tooth, and it just wouldn’t be the holidays without them.

Fruit and nut breads can come out of the freezer (weren’t you smart to think ahead?!), ready to be arranged on your prettiest plates. A fragrant gingerbread with a bowl of fresh whipped cream, a bouquet of candy canes and the dessert table is set. It’s almost too simple!

All that’s left is the centerpiece for your festive feast: place a decorative tureen of pasta fagioli, lentil stew or Christmas soup – made a couple of days ahead – up on a pedestal. Surround it with an array of crusty breads, surround yourself with the people you love, and you’re ready to enjoy the fruits of the season! 

 

Scandinavian

Christmas Fruit Soup

2 cups raisins

2 cups dried figs and/or

  apricots, diced

1 cup dates, pitted and diced

6 large navel oranges, peeled

  and diced

6 cups seedless grapes

½ gal natural apple juice or cider

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp cinnamon

1 qt light cream

Place fruit and spices in a large pot and cover with apple juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently.

When fruit is plump and tender, puree two-thirds in blender in several batches until very smooth. Whisk in cream and enough water to thin to soup consistency.

If serving chilled, cool and refrigerate.

If serving hot, keep warm over low heat. Do not b oil.

Can be served with a dollop of sour cream on top.

(Yield: About 5 quarts.)