2016 is almost here! Whoo-hoo!!
My plans for New Year’s involve staying home with my family, preparing TONS of stuzzichini (small bites), eating zampone and lentils (for good luck), fiercely playing tombola to possibly win some money, let my cousins and uncles scare me to death while they set off firecrackers, drink a glass or two of fine Franciacorta, and shamelessly do the conga around the table to 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music. Oh, and I failed to mention my favorite part: lighting sparklers!!
What about you? How are you going to ring in the new year?? If you’re hosting dinner or you’re participating in a potluck, I’d like to inspire you with some of the small bite party appetizers I made for our NYE party. They’re pretty, refined, and elegant — suitable for any party and especially perfect for New Year’s Eve!
Since cups and containers vary in capacity, you won’t find any measurements in the recipes at the bottom of this post. Consider them rough guidelines rather than instructions and feel free to add ingredients or change proportions, based on your taste.
Happy New Year! BUON ANNO NUOVO (:
- rye bread, cut in small squares
- asiago cheese, finely diced
- apple, finely diced
- speck ham, cut in small strips (mine were about ½ inch wide)
- salt
- pepper
- cinnamon
- sugar
- extra-virgin olive oil
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Toast your bread square until crispy.
- Sauté diced apple in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Add some salt, pepper, sugar and cinnamon to taste. Remove from heat when it has softened.
- Lay your speck ham strips side by side on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll paper lengthwise so that each strip curls on itself. You can tie the paper with cooking twine, if necessary. Bake until speck is crispy, then remove. Cut each curled speck strip in small pieces.
- Arrange sauteed apples, diced asiago cheese and then your curled speck strip on top.
- cucumber, finely diced
- fresh dill
- 2 parts cream cheese + 1 part sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- smoked salmon, cut into strips
- lemon zest
- salt to taste
- extra-virgin olive oil
- poppy seeds
- Dress cucumbers with a bit of salt and extra-virgin olive oil. Place some at the bottom of your cup or shot glass.
- Mix sour cream with cream cheese, lemon zest, dill until all is combined. Add salt. Transfer mixture into a piping bag and pipe some into your your cup, making sure you leave some extra space for the salmon topping.
- Arrange salmon strips nicely on top and sprinkle with few poppy seeds or lemon zest
- whole wheat crackers, crushed
- unsalted butter, melted
- 1 part gorgonzola cheese + 1 part mascarpone cheese
- a generous drizzle of heavy cream
- walnut kernels, coarsely chopeed
- pear compote at room temperature (*), for topping
- Blend crakers and melted butter (you don't need much of it). Using a teaspoon, carefully arrange the mixture at the bottom of your cup or glass.
- Whip together cream cheese and gorgonzola cheese. Soften the mixture adding a generous drizzle of heavy cream. You should obtain a cream that's soft enough to be piped into your container. With a piping bag, pipe some cheese mixture into your cup.
- Top with pear compote and a chopped walnut.
Did you make these Small Bite Party Appetizers? Please leave a comment and let me know how they turned out for you! Also, don’t forget to share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #veryeatalian!
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