USVI-On-Line

This is what I know I am making- It is a cocktail party. I want to add one or two more things and maybe one more dessert. Any thoughts? Not shrimp.

Brushetta Trio- Asparagus Proscuitto/ SD tomato and mozz/ tomato basil
Goat Cheese Tart with Pesto and SD tomato
Swedish Meatballs
Crab salad in endive
Italian Antipasto platter
Portabello Mushroom and Brie Quesadillas
Waterchestnuts wrapped in bacon with brown sugar glaze
Warm spinach dip in artichoke bottoms

Dessert
White chocolate Peppermint bark
Mild chocolate and hazlenut bark
Mini cupcakes ( to go in my new Christmas tree cupcake holder)

Deviled eggs. Put a jalepeno on top. Jazz them up if you want, but there is nothing that men like more. (except tenderloin)

Baklava - I can PM you a recipe if you like.

ohhhhh. can I come?
I have a nice recipe for sweet and sour sausage. if you are interested let me know and I will send it your way. it's easy and you can make a few days in advance.
I have to go look at my recipe index now

dessert, how about some cheesecake squares. yummy. you pick the flavor basically!

Wishin I could eat like this! Yikes I'd weigh 200 lbs! Sounds great though...maybe in my next life!

It all sounds delicious! How about a nice fruit tray to complement your cheese items? Maybe chilled pear slices, kiwi, strawberries, apples, grapes? It would be easy to do before the party, refrigerate, then just take it out at the last minute.

I love smoked salmon! We put out chopped boiled egg, onions chopped fine, capers and cream cheese in bowls to put on top with crackers! Talk about good!

Salmon Pate

Put a couple of slabs of cooked, cold salmon in the food processor. I use leftovers from the night before. It works best if the salmon is cold. Turn on and while the blades are whirling, add a bit of caper juice and mayo. Do a little bit at a time. You only want enough to bind it all together. You do not want it too wet or it won't set-up. Add dill weed and salt and pepper to taste while whirling.

When done, line a small bowl with plastic wrap, put in the salmon pate and tap it down, pull the sides of the plastic wrap up and over the top to cover. Chill for 24 hours.

Before serving, unwrap and invert onto a plate, take drained capers and run around the edges of the pate. Serve with little crackers or rye crisps.

Yum!! and Enjoy!!!

Yummy! Can I come??

I think your menu sounds really good. I would make a few suggestions:

The flavors of your goat cheese tart and your SDT-mozz bruschetta sound kind of similar. So, I would drop the SDT, add the mozz to the tomato-basil one, and then make a different kind of third bruschetta.

A couple of suggestions that have worked for me in the past: paper-thin sliced beef with a little dollop of horseradish cream sauce and minced chives; white bean spread topped with minced herbs, roasted peppers marinated in olive oil and balsamic and topped with a shave of parmesean cheese…I make a chickpea one too that is so yummy but it’s a little messy.

I’m guessing you have the olives covered on your antipasto plate. Maybe add in some grissini breadsticks for people to eat with the meats on that plate…they come in a bunch of different flavors and you can display them standing up in pretty glasses.

A couple of bowls of nuts would be nice. I have a recipe for delicious warm sweet and spicy nuts with rosemary if you want it.

I noticed you don’t have a chicken dish. Most everybody loves chicken, so maybe you’d want to add a chicken dish? In her first cookbook, Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) has a super easy and delicious recipe for lemon and thyme-marinated chicken skewers that can be served warm or chilled. They are always a hit when I make them. People just love food on sticks.

I would add a fruit plate also, for people who can’t have the sugary desserts. If you wanted to get elaborate you could have chocolate fondue for dipping (I don’t like to do fondue for big groups though…too much chance of someone double dipping, bleech!).

Finally, can you share your spinach-artichoke recipe? I’m intrigued by serving the dip in the artichoke bottom…it sounds like it would look really cool.

WOW- This is why I now love the OT forum. I love the Chicken idea, I will search on FoodTV for her recipe and I would love the recipe for the White bean spread.

I make my own breadsticks for the antipasto platter.

The artichoke bottom recipe is super easy. I have tried many variations of this and this is the best for serving it warm. I am not great with measurements but here goes.

Drain artichoke bottoms and pat dry. They really need to be very dry.

1 cup mayo
1 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
5 cloves roasted garlic
1 package thawed frozen spinach (wrung dry)
salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in food processor and put into pasty bag. Pipe small amount into artichoke bottom and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Top with roasted red pepper strip (that I tie into a bow)

Xislandgirl wrote:WOW- This is why I now love the OT forum. I love the Chicken idea, I will search on FoodTV for her recipe and I would love the recipe for the White bean spread.

I make my own breadsticks for the antipasto platter.

The artichoke bottom recipe is super easy. I have tried many variations of this and this is the best for serving it warm. I am not great with measurements but here goes.

Drain artichoke bottoms and pat dry. They really need to be very dry.

1 cup mayo
1 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
5 cloves roasted garlic
1 package thawed frozen spinach (wrung dry)
salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in food processor and put into pasty bag. Pipe small amount into artichoke bottom and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Top with roasted red pepper strip (that I tie into a bow)

Is this recipe for one can of artichoke bottoms? You used canned, right?

Thanks for the recipe for the artichokes. I am wondering also...canned? I cant imagine taking the time to cook and carve out a bunch of fresh ones!

Here are the recipes for the bruschetta I mentioned earlier:

Cannelini bean bruschetta

2 cans cannelini beans, well rinsed and drained
2 tbsp oilve oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp. flat leaf parsely, chopped
salt and pepper

heat the oil over medium-low heat and gently saute the garlic with the rosemary until aromatic but not browned. add the beans, 1/4 cup water or chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until beans are heated through. Mash coarsely, and add the parsely.

Spread on your toasted garlic rubbed crostini and serve warm or at room temperature, topped with extra parsely if you like.


chickpea bruschetta (adapted from Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook)

1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I use the really thick aged kind)
2 tbsp. black olive paste
1/2 tsp. each fresh chopped rosemary and red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. fresh basil, sliced thin
1 smallish clove garlic, mashed to a paste with a sprinkle of salt

stir everything together and serve at room temperature on your toasted garlic rubbed bread. You could probably mash this together too so it will stick better on the bread.

I tried using fresh but there was soooo much waste, so cannd it is. I usually get 2 cans and use about 1 3/4 cans. it was really trial and error on the amounts because you never know who many you will get in a can.

liamsaunt wrote:Thanks for the recipe for the artichokes. I am wondering also...canned? I cant imagine taking the time to cook and carve out a bunch of fresh ones!

Here are the recipes for the bruschetta I mentioned earlier:

Cannelini bean bruschetta

2 cans cannelini beans, well rinsed and drained
2 tbsp oilve oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp. flat leaf parsely, chopped
salt and pepper

heat the oil over medium-low heat and gently saute the garlic with the rosemary until aromatic but not browned. add the beans, 1/4 cup water or chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until beans are heated through. Mash coarsely, and add the parsely.

Spread on your toasted garlic rubbed crostini and serve warm or at room temperature, topped with extra parsely if you like.


chickpea bruschetta (adapted from Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook)

1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I use the really thick aged kind)
2 tbsp. black olive paste
1/2 tsp. each fresh chopped rosemary and red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. fresh basil, sliced thin
1 smallish clove garlic, mashed to a paste with a sprinkle of salt

stir everything together and serve at room temperature on your toasted garlic rubbed bread. You could probably mash this together too so it will stick better on the bread.

Becky, I am making the Canelleni bean bruschetta for Christmas day. When can I make it?