'Tis the season to entertain

Just as you’ve wrapped up and packed away the last of the Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce, it’s time to start thinking about cooking again. Finger foods like appetizers, canapés and hors d’oeuvres are the fare of the season. Why not plan a party?

Let invitations set the tone
If you haven’t already secured a date on the calendar, it’s not too late – impromptu affairs are often the most successful, but you need to start planning soon. First, find a time that works for you and then call your friends to give them a heads up. Follow up with a printed invitation. Be as creative as you feel or have time for … from Internet e-vites to handmade, 3-D requests to drop by. Grab guests’ attention by mailing small boxes or padded envelopes of loose jingle bells with a note tucked inside to ring in the season. Or print the party details on a colorful note card and tuck it into a small felt stocking with a candy cane or two. For something more elaborate, send out party information boxed with a holiday toy like a small wind-up Santa or a dreidel, available at party or dollar stores.

Jingle and mingle
Once you have the guest list completed and the invitations sent, start thinking about the food and the drinks. Don’t make the bar more complicated than it has to be. Many holiday hosts and hostesses think the season calls for an open bar, but this route can be costly. The truth is people will drink whatever you offer.
To help make selections, drop by a wine shop for suggestions of a couple of red wines and a couple of white wines. Many good selections on the market cost less than $12. Plan on five to six glasses per bottle. Most upscale shops are happy to let you taste from some of their recommended collections, and many offer regular 10 percent full- and mixed-case discounts. If you’re pressed to offer more, couple the wine with some sort of signature drink – a pitcher of margaritas or cosmopolitans, for example, or maybe even a punch bowl of eggnog. Don’t forget several nonalcoholic selections like soft drinks, sparkling or fruit-flavored waters and maybe even a pot of hot apple cider. To avoid a myriad of glassware, serve almost everything in standard wine glasses. To give the bar a more festive ring, tie each glass stem with a holiday ribbon and thread a jingle bell or two onto the bow.

A taste of the season
When it comes to the food, look for good combinations and a balance of both flavor and texture. Plan on a couple of sweet selections as well, but make them bite-sized offerings and don’t overdo it – one chocolate, one fruity and one nutty choice is all you will need.
As far as the buffet goes, a raw vegetable plate is a complete waste of your pre-party chopping time. It’s the holidays and people want to splurge, so it’s the creamy, cheesy stuff they’ll eat first. Avoid lots of leftover vegetables by using them as garnish for other dishes instead of arranging them on a platter all their own.
The same goes for bread. As popular as small rolls stuffed with sliced tenderloin or turkey used to be, lots of folks continue to count carbohydrates and will steer clear. Instead, serve open-faced bruschetta or stuff small, ready-made pastry croustades or phyllo dough shells. Suggested recipes this week are all easy to make. Many may even be done ahead of time, cutting out the hectic pre-party rush in the kitchen.
Brie may be stuffed with many different condiments but the sun-dried tomato pesto looks as good as it tastes and may be made ahead and frozen until party time. The ready-made dough makes preparation a breeze. Garnish the stuffed cheese with fresh fruit for a winning combination.
The Parmesan asparagus may be coated early in the day and kept on a baking sheet in the refrigerator to be baked just before serving time. They are good hot or at room temperature and are an excellent diversion from the raw veggie dilemma. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and make more than you think you will need.
Stuffed jalapeños offer a spicy twist. The recipe for these holiday jewels came to me from South Charlotte resident Rick Haefle. The chilies may be sliced and stuffed early in the day or even the night before. A serious word of caution here – wear rubber gloves when slicing and stuffing the raw chilies to avoid the stinging pain the oil of the jalapeño will leave on your skin. When purchasing the jalapeños look for even color, good size and smooth skin. The best place to buy the jalapeños is at any one of Charlotte’s Hispanic markets, most located on South Boulevard or Central Avenue. Thirty or 40 chilies here will cost less than $2, making this dish an affordable appetizer. Again, these are good hot, warm or cold, so don’t panic over last-minute baking time.
Finally the crab cakes make a wonderful hot companion to a bowl of cold, boiled shrimp. Allow for assembly time; the crab mixture and the formed cakes themselves must have time to chill. For best results, bake just before serving.

BRIE BAKED IN PASTRY

1 round brie cheese
1 carton crescent roll dough
Your favorite mustard, jam, combination of nuts or any olive or sun-dried tomato pesto

Cut the round of brie in half widthwise. Fill with several tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato pesto (recipe follows) or your favorite mustard, jam or mix of nuts. Top with remaining half of cheese. Reserve. Unroll the crescent roll dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Carefully pinch the perforated seams on both sides of the dough. Place the round of brie in the middle of the dough and fold the dough up and around the cheese, pinching any holes or openings to seal. Transfer the parchment paper and wrapped cheese to a baking sheet. Bake according to the directions on the package of crescent roll dough. Let cool slightly before serving.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
1 cup fresh Italian basil leaves, packed
1 cup oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/2-3/4 cup of pine nuts
1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the basil, tomatoes and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely chopped. Add the shredded cheese and minced garlic. With the machine running, drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. Thicker pestos work better as spreads or toppings and thinner pestos are best used as sauces.

PARMESAN-COATED ASPARAGUS

1 bunch fresh asparagus
Egg Beaters
Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Snap the end off each asparagus spear and discard. Dip the spears first in the Egg Beaters and then into the finely grated Parmesan cheese. Place the coated spears on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes.

CHEESE-STUFFED JALAPEÑOS

15-20 whole jalapeños
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey jack, Muenster or white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry, seasoned bread crumbs

Wear rubber gloves and slice jalapeños in half lengthwise, scraping out all of the seeds and ribs. Place open side up on a baking sheet.
Combine the three cheeses in a food processor until smooth. Stuff jalapeños with the cheese mixture. Top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
Variation: substitute blue cheese for the Monterey jack

MINI CRAB CAKES

1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1 egg
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 roasted or grilled red bell pepper, minced
1/2 roasted or grilled yellow bell pepper, minced
Salt and pepper
Dash of Tabasco (more to taste)
1 1/2 lbs. canned crabmeat
4 cups Panko crumbs

Whisk together mayonnaise, egg, Old Bay, minced bell peppers, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Tabasco, then gently stir in crabmeat. Chill, covered, at least one hour.
Form the soft crab mixture into 1 1/2-inch-diameter balls and then gently dredge in Panko crumbs. Place the coated crab on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill again for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
Instead of serving sliced tenderloin with little rolls and condiments for party sandwiches, try this grilled and sliced tenderloin with blue cheese dipping sauce for an out-of-this-world alternative.

GRILLED TENDERLOINS WITH BLUE CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE

1 whole tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 12-13 fillets
Coarse-ground sea salt
Garlic salt
Black pepper
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2-3 cups crumbled blue cheese

Season fillets and grill over a hot flame 4-5 minutes on each side. Cool, then slice. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add cream. When the mixture is warm, add the crumbled cheese a little at a time until it melts and the sauce thickens. Serve the cheese sauce in a hollowed-out bread round surrounded by the sliced beef for dipping.