Entertaining with Ease
The simplest of recipes to make your holiday season sophisticated and effortless.
Written By Tonia Wilson-Vuksanovic Photography By Steve Krug
It’s the time of year
when the invitations begin to circulate, holiday festivities are being planned and guest lists are being compiled. If you’re thinking of hosting people in your home why not make it as simple as possible. For some people entertaining can be a daunting prospect, but with a little advanced preparation you can throw a stylishly chic party with little effort. Having an assortment of simply prepared, yet flavourful hors d’oeuvres is the key. And to accomplish this you’ll want to use fresh, colourful ingredients in dishes that are relaxed and not too contrived. The recipes below will help you achieve your goal.
Each recipe makes enough for 10 people as an hors d’oeuvre (about 2 pieces per person).
Fig and Blue Cheese Flatbread
Ingredients:
• Flatbread or Greek-style pitas
• Fig jam
• About 1 cup (250 mL) blue cheese, you can try Gorgonzola (Italy) or St. Agur (France)
• A bout 10 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto, each slice cut into four pieces • A generous handful of arugula
Directions:
There really is no real “recipe” for this dish, it’s about as easy as making a sandwich. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Generously spread flatbread with fig jam, dot the bread with pieces of blue cheese and prosciutto. Bake flatbread in middle of oven place until warmed through and cheese has softened and bread is lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with arugula and cut into wedges.
Crudités with Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
• 3 cups (750 mL) marinated bottled artichokes, drained
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• Assortment of crudités, i.e. carrot sticks, red and yellow pepper sticks, Belgian endive leaves, cherry tomatoes, radish slices, etc.
Directions:
Purée artichokes, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in food processor until blended, the mixture will not be completely smooth. Place in bowl and serve dip with the crudité.
Spicy Lime and Honey Shrimp
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced (the long thin ones!)
• 2 lb large shrimp*, peeled and deveined
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1⁄3 cup (80 mL) honey
• 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• Lime wedges for garnish
* shrimp sizes are determined by how many come in a pound, therefore the larger the number on the bag the more shrimp there will be, but they will also be smaller. The most common retail sizes are 21-25’s (jumbo) and 41-50’s (medium). For this recipe the bigger the better.
Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add chili pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp, lime zest, lime juice and honey. Increase heat to high and stir, cook until shrimp just turn pink and liquid has reduced to a light glaze. About 4 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with toothpicks and lime wedges.
Marinated Olives
Ingredients:
• 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fennel seeds
• 1 tsp (5 mL) red pepper flakes
• zest of 1 orange, preferably with a rasp
• 2 cups (500 mL) Lucca-style black olives (these are the ones in oil, not brine)
Directions:
In a medium pan heat oil over low heat, add fennel seeds and pepper flakes, and warm through for 1 minute. Add zest and olives and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from pan, let cool to room temperature and serve.
Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Mayo
Ingredients:
• 25 baguette slices, sliced 1⁄2″ thick and lightly toasted
• 1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
• 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) prepared horseradish, or to taste
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) grainy Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 11⁄2 lb (700 gr) beef tenderloin, trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Season tenderloin generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a medium heavy bottomed pan heat oil over medium-high. Carefully sear the tenderloin until browned on all sides. Place in preheated oven to continue cooking to desired doneness, for medium-rare internal temperature should read 140 °F (60°C) with a meat thermometer. Make sure to not overcook the beef. Let cooked beef rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat as thinly as possible, place a generous dollop of mayonnaise on each baguette slice and top with beef. Top with a light grinding of fresh pepper and serve.
Ricotta Crostini with Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients:
• 25 baguette slices, sliced 1⁄2″ thick and lightly toasted
• 1 container full fat ricotta
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (preferably with a rasp)
• 1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg (optional)
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 bottle sundried tomatoes in oil, drained (oil reserved)
• 25 small leaves of fresh basil
Directions:
Coarsely chop sundried tomatoes and set aside. Stir together ricotta, lemon zest, nutmeg, olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Top each baguette slice with generous dollop of ricotta and top with 1 tsp (5 mL) sundried tomatoes. Drizzle the crostini with a small amount of the reserved tomato oil, and top with a small basil leaf. Serve.VM
