A Friday Night Cocktail Party!

 

    I have been perusing my cookbooks, and have come up with a few ideas for appetizers and cocktails, that when paired together, would make for as great Friday night cocktail party! You know, those things that adults in TV-Land host every few episodes, with cute dresses and shoes, martini glasses, and men with combed-back hair? The cocktail parties of the good-old days that have been slowly replaced with gatherings of beer-pong players and take-out...Much to my chagrin. So, instead of ordering the keg and downloading some pirated music and dancing gangnam style while everyone funnels beer and cold pizza, maybe some of us could try doing our hair, mixing a few drinks, and serving some appetizers while reconnecting with our friends. (Hey, you can still gangnam-it-up if you want while sipping a Cosmo, I am not judging!) But, seriously, a trip down to the good old days when you could party classy and still enjoy yourself, that is a little something 2012 could use.

Three Appetizers:

1) Tapenade with Crostini (serves 12, feel free to multiply quantities to suit your party!)

For the Crostini:

Ingredients

• 24 slices of crusty Italian OR French Bread, cut about 1/2 inch thick

• Melted Butter

Steps:

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F

2. Place bread on baking sheets

3. Brush with butter

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden

5. Top with Tapenade, serve immediately

For the Tapenade:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup green olives with pimentos
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives (remove pits)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 2 tsps balsamic vinegar
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup seeded tomato, finely chopped
• 2 tbs sliced green onion

Steps:

1. Combine olives, oil, mustard, vinegar, and garlic in a blender.

2. Process until almost smooth

3. Stir in tomato and green onion

4. Spread on crostini

5. Serve immediately

2) Apple and Brie Quesadillas (serves 8)

Ingredients

• 2 thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples

• olive oil

• 8 8-inch tortillas

• 16 oz brie cheese, sliced, rind removed

• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

• 2 tbs maple syrup

• 4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Steps:

1. Preheat pan to medium-high
2. Toss apples with 4 tsp olive oil, cook until tender (3-4 mins)
3. Separate apples and cheese into 8 servings
4. Cover half of each tortilla with one serving of apples and cheese, fold the other half over to make quesadilla
5. Heat 2 tps of olive oil in a large skillet (nonstick), and cook over medium heat
6. Cook quesadillas about 2 mins on each side, until melty and golden
7. Combine mustard and syrup in a bowl
8. Drizzle quesadillas with syrup, sprinkle with bacon

Note: For a vegetarian version, cut out mustard-maple syrup and bacon, replace with a warm drizzle of caramel sauce!

3) Charred Pineapple Rings (serves six-eight...make two or three for a larger crowd!)

Ingredients

• 1 large pineapple
• olive oil

Steps:

1) Cut pineapple into rings

2) Brush each ring on both sides lightly with olive oil

3) Heat a ridged grill pan to medium high on the stovetop

4) Grill, turning once, until each side is lightly charred, about three mins per side

Three Cocktails:

1) Florida Skies (makes 1)

Ingredients

• ice cubes, cracked

• 1 measure white rum

• 1/4 measure lime juice

• 1/2 measure pineapple juice

• soda water (to top up)

• thinly sliced cucumber

Steps:

1. Put cracked ice in a tall glass

2. Put rum and juices in a shaker, shake lightly

3. Strain into glass

4. Top up with soda water

5. Garnish with cucumber slices

2) Purple Haze (1 Drink)

Ingredients

• Ice

• 1 measure vodka

• 1 dash Cointreau

• 1 dash lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

• 1 dash raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord

Steps:

1. In a shaker, combine vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice. Briefly shake

2. Strain into shot glass

3. Slowly add a dash of Chambord, it should settle prettily to the bottom

3) Loving Cup (serves 12)

Ingredients

• 8 sugar cubes

• 2 lemons

• 1/2 bottle sweet sherry

• 1/4 bottle brandy

• 1 bottle sparkling dry white wine

Steps:

1. Rub sugar cubes over lemons, to absorb zest's oils

2. Peel lemons, remove pith

3. Slice lemons thinly, set aside

4. Put sherry, brandy, sugar cubes and lemon zest in a pitcher until sugar dissolves

5. Cover and chill, 30 mins

6. When ready to serve, add wine to the pitcher, and float the lemon slices on top

I hope this inspires someone to host a cocktail party! Also, feel free to comment with your favorite appetizer or cocktail recipes! Enjoy :)