New Year’s Eve buffet sets scene for toasting
Another year is about to pass. There’s no better way to celebrate “out with the old and in with the new” than a party sharing delicious food and drink with those we hold dear.
Traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas center upon full meals.
New Year’s Eve is a more laid-back festivity. Friends and family mingle throughout the evening, often party-hopping throughout the night. An appetizer buffet, filled with party-worthy food and drink, fits the entertaining bill for a fête that can be enjoyed from a brief 30-minute visit to an all-night-long celebratory affair. Create a New Year’s Eve menu focusing on appetizers that can be prepared ahead and replenished throughout the evening. And don’t forget the bubbly.
Pick the right bites
When it comes to selecting appetizer recipes for a party, aim for a mix of lighter bites (hand-held and easy to eat) plus a few heartier selections to fill up those that came with a bigger appetite. Don’t overshoot the selection process and attempt to make more than you can chew (pardon the pun). Pick five to six recipes that you are comfortable with, that fit your budget and that, for the most part, can be prepared ahead. Fill in your buffet with store-bought items such as hummus, bowls of nuts, marinated olives and a selection of cheeses.
Something light
Some guests may be going from party to party during the evening. A lighter selection or two makes it easy for party-hopping guests to enjoy a few bites and still leave room for the parties to come.
Winter pears, prosciutto and goat cheese are a perfect combination for an easy make-ahead nibble. Spread pear slices with a small amount of softened goat cheese. Place a whole basil or baby arugula leaf on top then wrap with prosciutto and secure with a decorative wooden skewer.
Something bright
Add a little color to your buffet with easy-tomake crostini. Toasted French bread can be prepared the afternoon of your party and stored in an airtight container or bag. A make-ahead mixture of softened goat cheese flavored with a touch of honey and lemon zest is spread on top of the toasts. Speckle the crostini tops with maple-roasted cubes of bright orange butternut squash and rubyred pomegranate arils.
Something decadent
New Year’s Eve requires one splurge-worthy appetiz-
er. Lobster and New Year’s Eve go hand-in-hand but often can be a budget buster.
A budget-friendly option (or at least as budget-friendly as you can get when dealing with lobster) is shooters filled with lobster, avocado and watercress.
Many grocery stores stock frozen lobster meat in 1-pound bags. Most often precooked, the meat can be simply thawed overnight in the refrigerator and added to the additional shooter ingredients.
Less-expensive warm-water lobster tails also can be used and are available at less cost than their cold-water cousins.
Size doesn’t matter when making shooters, so look for smaller, less expensive tails.
Broil, bake or steam the lobster tails and remove the cooked meat.
Chop into bite-size pieces and add to the shooters, displayed in small appetizer glasses or shot or martini glasses.
Extra lobster mix can be stored in the refrigerator to replenish shooters throughout the evening.
Main attractions
Include a few more substantial items to complete the spread. A sweet and savory cranberry, walnut and blue cheese tart provides an edible centerpiece for your New Year’s Eve buffet.
Ground walnuts are in both the tart’s crust and filling.
Fresh cranberries give the tart a pop of color and flavor. Creamy blue cheese melts throughout the finished dish, creating an unusual mix of flavors and textures.
Place the tart on an elevated cake plate to serve as a buffet focal point.
Make the carnivores happy by offering an interesting slider. Give your mini-burgers a Moroccan flair by using ground lamb flavored with spices and fresh herbs.
Top the finished sliders with diced fresh oranges, red onion, black olives and mint. A dab of spicy mayonnaise finishes off this delectable but substantial offering.
Sips and sweets
New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be New Year’s Eve without a little bubbly. Instead of offering straight champagne or sparkling wine, let your guests be creative with a do-it-yourself bubbly bar.
Guests mix their own celebratory beverages with a DIY bar filled with champagne, prosecco, sparkling wines and sparkling ciders along with various fruit juice mixers, fruit liqueurs and colorful fruit garnishes.
Include a few interesting liqueurs with flavors like pomegranate, raspberry and ginger.
For folks wanting a more herbaceous sparkler, have a bottle of bitters at the bar along with some fresh rosemary sprigs.
Have garnishes like citrus twists, fresh raspberries and pomegranate arils available in small dishes.
Remember the champagne stoppers, available in most liquor departments, to keep the bubbles in the bubbly. No stoppers? Put a silver spoon, handle side down, into the open bottle. The metal from the spoon is thought to help cool the air inside the bottle, making the air more dense.
The denser air acts like a blanket on the wine’s surface, preventing the bubbles from escaping.
Although this method’s effectiveness is often debated, the simple trick does seem to make a difference, especially for a shorter time period like the few hours of your party.
Last but not least, include a sweet treat.
Chocolate cocktail cookies are easy to make ahead, are bite-size and include a couple of surprising flavors; cayenne pepper and sea salt.
Made with cocoa powder, these delicate cookies are sweet, salty and spicy at the same time.
The flavor mix of the cookie helps bring out the flavor of the champagne.
Your guests will be happy that one recipe makes 5 dozen 11⁄2 -inch-round cookies.
(One is definitely not enough.)