Party Food, part 1

As the Holidays approach it had me thinking about parties. And parties mean appetizers – small bites. This is a collection of ideas for tasty accompaniments to your holidays potables. It is important to be mindful of dietary restrictions and avoidances that many people have these days, so make sure your bites offer something for everyone.

We’ve all eaten a lot of pigs-in-a-blanket, crudité (raw vegetables and dip), mini-quiches and cheese balls! Boring, right? Well, I still love my pigs in a blanket and am always happy to see them. Not very elegant, but I like them. Let’s talk about some other options for treating your guests to something special and different. These options require no baking. They are simple and easy to put together.

In this post I will explain how to create a cheese board and a charcuterie board – a board of cured meats. Sometimes these are combined - cheese and meats on a single board or a couple of boards with the addition of some fruits, nuts, olives, etc. I will also make a suggestion for how to make a better raw vegetable platter – crudité. These 3 items make for a well-rounded spread offering a variety protein, vitamins, complex carbs and fiber as well as something for everyone who may have dietary restrictions. I also give some links to videos and articles related to the topics.

* Be sure to have some small plates so guests can create a plate rather than just stand and “graze” at the food table.

Cheese Board

Forget the cheeseball! Put together a cheese board. Cheese is a protein and that’s good to have with alcohol. The protein balances the sugar in alcoholic beverages and brings down your glycemic index. The classic cheese plate usually has 3 to 5 types of cheese – hard cheeses, soft cheeses and pungent cheeses like a blue cheese or goat cheese. The amount of cheese obviously depends on how many people you are serving. If you don’t know much about cheese go to a shop that specializes in cheeses where someone can give you advice. Just tell them you are making a cheese board - what cheeses would they recommend. If it’s a good cheese shop they will let you sample the cheese before you buy. Always buy the cheese is a block, wedge or round, not sliced or crumbled. If a cheese shop isn’t available to you then here are some sure-fire cheeses you should be able to find anywhere:

Hard Cheeses: smoked gouda, havarti, white cheddar, muenster

Pungent Cheeses: blue cheese, goat cheese (chevre) with herbs

Soft Cheeses: camembert or brie (I will have a recipe for baked a Brie in my next post.)

Fondue has come back into “style.” Hot, melty cheese … yum! A fondue pot could be a nice centerpiece to a cheese board.

To create a cheese board you will need:

• A large board or plate or 2. Try to use something flat like a large wood cutting board or a large, shallow serving plate used for a turkey.
• Cheese knives. Cheese knives are short and wide, similar to a butter knife. You can buy some cheap ones at a store if you don’t have any.
• A variety of crackers and/or bread. Stay away from highly seasoned crackers - you want the cheese to shine, not the cracker. Buy a baguette and slice it in small rounds.
• Some red and green grapes. These are a typical addition to a cheese plate. They are good with cheese and also offer some color when you arrange the board.
• A small bowl of honey which goes really well with camembert and brie
• Some people like to add some dried fruits like apricots to the plate or slices of apple or pear. If you use apples or pears you need to toss them in some water with lemon juice first so they do not turn brown while on the plate.
• You could also add some pitted olives, like kalamata, in a small bowl.
• Walnut or pecan halves or cashews are a nice addition as well sprinkled around the plate.

Arrange the cheese board:

Prepare the board about 1/2 hour before the party so the cheese can come to room temperature. Leave the cheeses in blocks, don’t pre-cut them up in squares. The cheese will dry out. Let your guests slice what they want.

You want to spread out the blocks of cheese and intersperse them with the crackers/bread, grapes and other items you might add. Often the grapes are left in a bunch and people pick off the grapes they want, but this means there are a lot of hands touching the grapes. Instead, pick them off the branch and put them in mounds on the board or in small bowls.

It’s always a nice touch to cut one slice from the cheese and set it at the block of cheese so guests are not intimidated by being the first one to cut into it.

It’s also nice to place a small card next to the cheese with its name so guests know what they are tasting.

Do pre-slice the bread if you use it.

Don’t overload the board – leave space for guests to slice the cheese.

You can always add crackers and bread as needed.

HELPFUL VIDEOS: CHEESE BOARDS        video 1    video 2    video 3

Charcuterie (shar-koo-terr-ee) Board

You might also have a board of thinly sliced cured meats – again, protein. Wikipedia defines charcuterie as “the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.” There are a host of cured meats that you may have never tried. Again, if you know very little about cured meats, go to a place that specializes in them and talk to the butcher. They will give you samples. Always have the meats sliced very thinly so you can fold them when arranging the board. If seeking out a butcher is too daunting or not available here are some cured meats you can find most places:

• Sausages: salami, pepperoni (not the small kind typically used on pizza), capicola, mortadella, soppressata, andouille and chorizo.
• Meats: Black Forest ham, country ham, prosciutto (an Italian ham)
• Paté: a mixture of cooked ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste; liver paté is perhaps the most common.

You may see pre-made packages of cured meats at your market in the Deli section which might include 2 or 3 types of cured meats. 

Arrange the charcuterie board:

You will create “piles” of the meats. Larger sliced meats like proscuitto, salamis and ham can be loosely folded in half and then in half again. The type of meat and it’s flexibility will determine how you arrange the board.

• Avoid laying out the meats in rows of slices. Intersperse the meats with small slices of french bread and crackers if you have a paté.
• Add a bowl of a spicy mustard or a fig jam
• A bowl of small pickles and/or olives and/or pepperoncini (mild/hot peppers)
• Include a small fork for people to pick up the meats or toothpicks for slices of small round sausages like andouille

VIDEO: How To Make a Charcuterie Board

ARTICLE: How to Make a legit Charcuterie Board

ARTICLE: 5 Tips For A Fabulous Charcuterie Board

ARTICLE: Cheese and Charcuterie Board

Crudité - vegetable platter

This is not your usual crudité platter – so please read on ...

Considering that your guests will be imbibing it’s nice to serve something healthy! Raw veggies are an easy solution. One problem with raw vegetables is that they can be pretty bland - hence the fattening dips we use to enhance them. Try this instead. Don’t buy a vegetable tray at the market! The veggies are old. You will buy fresh veggies and blanche them so they are just slightly soft and marinate them in a vinaigrette. Then there is no need for a fattening dip just toothpicks. Veggies that work well this way: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and a couple you don’t need to blanche: cucumber, zucchini, grape tomatoes and olives.

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

Asparagus: you will need spears that are at least 1/2 inch in diameter, not those pencil-thin kind. Place your fingers in the middle of a spear and the fingers of your other hand at the end of the spear. Bend the spear until it snaps. Discard the end piece. This guarantees you will not be eating a woody, fibrous piece of asparagus. Cut the remaining piece into1-1/2 inch pieces.

Carrots: please don’t buy those prepared “baby” carrots. They are tasteless and god knows how long they have been in that bag! Better to buy fresh ones, peel them and cut them diagonally into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch long depending on thickness.

Cut the cucumber and zucchini into 1 inch rounds then cut the rounds in half or fourths depending on the size so the pieces are bite-sized.

Prepare an ice bath: a large bowl filled with cold water and some ice.

Steam the veggies: Add a little water to a large pot and salt it. If you have a steamer, use that. Steam the broccoli and cauliflower for about 2 minutes. Don’t let it get soft – it needs to remain a little firm. Test with a sharp knife. Remove the veggies to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Steam the asparagus for about 1 minute and remove to the ice bath.

After 5 minutes in the ice bath you can drain the veggies. Put them and any other veggies into a large bowl. GENTLY toss with a vinaigrette dressing. You can make your own or use a bottle variety. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours tossing occasionally. Just before serving drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice and give them one final toss. Spread them out on a plate lined with Romaine lettuce leaves and have some toothpicks nearby.

Click to download recipes.

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