I truly should have named these easy and easier.  They are a cinch to make and while I do like to put a sweet or two on my buffets, I find that if anything is left at the end of the evening, it is usually the sweets.  Don’t know if people just grab appetizer after appetizer and fill up or if they don’t want to interrupt the savory with the sweet or simply have a few too many cocktails and forget!  Nonetheless, these are two great additions to your table without a lot of fuss and bother.

The cheesecake sampler is  (hold your breath)  Sara Lee storebought cheesecake.  I simply cut it into bite size pieces and then choose whatever embellishments I have in my refrigerator or pantry.  For the photo above, I chose honey with slivered almonds, red currant jam with dried cranberries, lemon curd with non-pareils and Smucker’s Fudge Mint ice cream topping with coconut.  We did these in a recent appetizer class and some students chose shaved chocolate, nuts, orange marmalade and mincemeat.  The possibilities are endless.   Freshly whipped cream, caramel, decorating gel, fresh fruit.  You get the idea.  Just use a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Inexpensive.  Quick.  Pretty.  Limitless.

The second of our dessert selections is rum balls.  I chose these because they are no bake wonders.

Toss everything in a bowl and shape into balls.  USE POWDERED SUGAR FOR THE PALMS OF YOUR HANDS.   Sorry for shouting but this is an imperative step.  Believe you me, you do not want to be scrubbing this mixture off your palms after rolling a batch of these.  And that is assuming you are able to roll your way to the bottom of the bowl without creating one very large rum ball smack in the middle of your hand!    

RUM BALLS   (from my grandmother’s recipe collection)

1/2 lb. ground vanilla wafers  (use a food processor or plastic baggie and a rolling pin)

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3 tbsp. rum

2 tbsp. water

4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, grated

Mix the ingredients together.  Coat hands with powdered sugar and roll into bite size balls.  Roll in grated chocolate and plate.

Can you believe it?!?!?  All of the food is ready for the big night.  I am aware that we have to do dessert tomorrow but they are so simple and will require no work on the prep sheet.  

And I am also aware that panic mounts each and every time you open your refrigerator or freezer and you see everything inside lovingly prepared and awaiting the big debut on Thursday night.    

Print this page and post it on your refrigerator.  When panic sets in, breathe deeply, close the door and then slowly exhale as you see THE PREP SHEET and know that everything will be okay.  

In my extreme oddness, I make a table schematic so I know the layout of my dishes.  If you are not used to entertaining, you might want to do this so everything has a place and you aren’t scrambling for room.  I haven’t included one here because if you have a different shaped table or are using two counters or one table and a portion of the counter.  You see the problem here…. 

Back in my heydey of entertaining, our Christmas festivities included a guest list of 100.  And yes, I did all of the cooking in advance.  I was cocky enough to think that no caterer could cook as well as I could and was definitely more sensible than to throw lots and lots of cash at someone to cook what I could do at home.  I was, however, very organized and smart enough to hire servers to take care of the food for the evening.  This meant table schematics so they would know what they were plating from kitchen to table.  It also meant detailed kitchen prep sheets and everything labeled in the refrigerator and freezer.  My sheets did and still do look this way today.  If it worked for my 100, it will work for yours!! 

DECEMBER 30 TO DO LIST:

Defrost Cheddar and Chive Puffs

Defrost Polenta Tarts

Defrost Chicken Nacho Cheesecake

Defrost Cranberry Chutney for Brie

Defrost Crab Cakes

Make sure all platters/forks/spoons/plates/glasses, etc. are cleaned and ready

Decorate your table

Create a table/plating schematic to alleviate last minute decisions

Get your hair and nails done or your moustache trimmed

DECEMBER 31 BAKING PREP LIST: 

TWO HOURS PRE PARTY

Bake the Asian Pork Tenderloin at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Cover and rest.    

Bake the salmon at 425 for approximately 15 minutes or until opaque.  Scrape the lime, onion and herbs off and plate.  Allow to sit at room temperature or refrigerate until service.  Serve sourrounded with accompaniments and bread. 

Remove the rind from the brie and put on microwavable serving plate.  Refrigerate. 

ONE HOUR PRE PARTY

Chicken Nacho Cheesecake:  Top with accompaniments in circles starting in the center with black olives, green onion, corn and tomatoes.  Plate and serve with chips and salsa.   (The cheesecake can actually sit out at this point to soften.)

Asparagus Spears with Sesame Mayo:  Plate asparagus and center dipping sauce.  Sprinkle platter with reserved toasted sesame seeds.

Add dessert plates to table.

Take Bacon Batons out of freezer.

ABOUT 45 MINUTES PRE PARTY

Curried Beef Triangles:  Brush with melted butter and bake FROZEN at 375 for 30 minutes.

30 MINUTES PRE PARTY

Asian Pork Tenderloin:  Slice and arrange around platter with dipping sauce.  Scatter platter with sliced scallions.  

Brie with Cranberry Chutney:  Top with chutney and microwave in 1 minute increments until cheese starts to soften.  Serve with gingersnaps and/or vanilla wafers.  

Tomato and Polenta Tarts:  Top each tart with some tomato.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Cheddar Puffs:  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until browned and puffed.  

Crab Cakes:  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  If you are tight on oven space, pan saute in a dab of olive oil/butter for about five minutes per side.  Serve with the spicy remoulade sauce.

Bake Bacon Batons at 350 for about 12 minutes or until bubbly.

Make sure you have serving spoons/forks/toothpicks next to each dish.  

WHEW.  WE’RE READY.

All that is left is to grab a glass of champagne and sing along with everyone:

Should old acquantaince be forgot and never brought to mind….  Thanks for hanging in with me.  I look forward to a long and prosperous New Year with each of you  … and old lang syne….

I like the versatility of baked salmon as it can be served cold, hot or room temperature and is equally delicious whichever way you choose.  This preparation is really simple and infuses the herbs and lime juice into the fish while it is cooking. 

Our sauce is, again, just a throw together in a bowl.  Plain yogurt, fresh lime juice and zest in a mixing bowl.  Cover and refrigerate in the serving bowl which will be on the buffet table.

I like to serve this dish with a variety of accompaniments and invite you to choose a few of the following:  chopped capers, chopped pickles, chopped onions, chopped eggs and slices of cucumbers.  These can all be prepared ahead of time and put into small bowls or can be arranged on a larger plate with each ingredient being arranged like wedges of a pie.  Cover and plate. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and oil the pan as well as the skin of the salmon.  Place the fish skin side down on the foil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Combine chopped herbs over the salmon.  I used dill, mint and parsley because it is what I had on hand.  You can likewise use whatever you have in your herb keeper.  Squeeze the juice of one lime over the herbs.  Arrange 1 cup of red onion slices over the herbs.  Then arrange lime slices over the top.  Cover and refrigerate for up to one day ahead.  

This will be baked on party day for about 15 minutes or until it turns more opaque or fleshy in color than the bright orange uncooked salmon.  The aromatics are removed and the cooked salmon will be served with the ready made accompaniments and some slices of bread to be eaten open face style.

BAKED SALMON WITH LIME YOGURT DIPPING SAUCE

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp grated lime zest

1 1/2 lbs salmon, skin on

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

1 cup chopped fresh herbs

1 lime, juiced

1 red onion, halved and sliced thin

2 limes, sliced thin

Choice of chopped accompaniments:  capers, pickles, onions, hard cooked eggs, etc.

Sliced bread cut into triangles

Place the yogurt, lime juice and lime zest in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Cover and refrigerate sauce for up to two days.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place salmon, skin side down on the foil.  Oil and salt and pepper.  Coat with the herbs.  Squeeze the juice of the lime over the herbs.  Add the onions and then the lime slices.  Cover and refrigerate for up to one day.

Preheat oven to 425.  Bake salmon about 15 minutes or until the flesh is opaque.  Remove the lime, onions and herbs.  Serve alongside chopped accompaniments and bread slices. 

I do always like to serve a couple of ”meatier” appetizers along with our one bite wonders.   Men especially appreciate my thoughtfulness so they don’t have to eat a lot of “frou frou” foods.   It also provides an option for those with dietary restrictions who can’t have a lot of butter, sugar, fat or whatever it might be.  They can enjoy without the sauce.  It is also nice for those picky eaters on your list.  Just give me meat and potatoes please.

This is a great dish as it can be served hot or room temperature and is equally good either way.   We are baking ours ahead of time, preparing the sauce and serving it at room temperature.  As pork has been raised to be more lean, it definitely benefits from a marinade.   I marinated the day before to really allow the flavors to soak into the tenderloin but four hours or so is sufficient.  

ASIAN PORK TENDERLOIN WITH APRICOT DIPPING SAUCE 

3 lbs pork tenderloin

2 tbsp sherry

4 tbsp soy

6 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine the sherry, soy, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a plastic ziploc.  Add the tenderloins and thoroughly coat them.  Refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake the tenderloins about 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.  Remove the meat and let cool.  Can be served immediately or can be covered and refrigerated for 2 days.  

DIPPING SAUCE:

4 tbsp sugar

8 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp sesame oil

5 tbsp apricot jam or jelly

1/2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp. sesame seeds

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.  Whisk until combined and heat until mixture starts to thicken. 

Slice the meat and arrange in overlapping slices around the dipping sauce.  Can be decorated with green onions and additional sesame seeds if desired.