Fruit and cheese plate

Ingredients:

3 types of fresh seasonal fruit (bite size chunks: fruits like melon, mango, jackfruit, pineapple, pear or apple; entire: fruits like strawberry or grape)

2 types of dried fruit (like apricot, fig, apple or pear)

2 types of nuts (like walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios or almonds)

3 types of cheese (entire: a soft cheese like brie; wedge: a semi-soft cheese like stilton or danish blue, bite size chunks: a hard cheese like cheddar or gouda)

1 pack of crackers 

Method: 

Arrange the fruit and crackers around the edges of the platter and place the cheese and nuts towards the center. Ensure each cheese has its own knife to avoid taste cross-contamination, and keep some wooden picks or serving plates handy nearby. There is no fixed rule as to the amount of fruit and cheese to include in the platter; it will depend on the number of guests and their preference, but roughly allow 20g cheese per person and 6-7 pieces of fruit. You may also prefer to add a particular item to the platter as and when it is running low, or store a smaller platter in the fridge to bring out when needed. 

Savory egg canapes

Ingredients:

5 slices dark rye or pumpernickel bread, quartered

1/4 cup almonds, unblanched

3 eggs

1 tbsp chives, fresh chopped or dried

1 tsp Dijon mustard sauce

1/4 cup sour cream or mayonnaise or bit of both

Salt and black pepper

Method: 

Roast almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until light golden brown. Allow to cool. Blend in a food processor until powdery. Set aside. Cover eggs in a saucepan with cold water, and place on a burner at high heat till the water starts boiling. Allow the boiling to continue for 2 more minutes. Then quickly remove the saucepan from the burner, close with lid and rest the eggs in the hot water for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, open the lid, tip out the hot water and run the eggs under cold water. Set the saucepan aside and allow eggs to cool. Peel the hard-boiled eggs and chop into tiny pieces in a medium sized bowl. Add almond powder, chives, mustard sauce, sour cream and/or mayonnaise and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture onto bread quarters and serve. Makes 20.

Rice crackers with pesto

Ingredients:

1 bowl original rice crackers

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 cups fresh basil leaves 

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Ground black pepper

Method: 

Roast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until light golden brown. Allow to cool. Blend in a food processor along with basil leaves and garlic at medium speed, adding olive oil in a thin stream until a smooth, thick paste is formed. Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese and black pepper. 

Serve pesto dip with a bowl of rice crackers. Serves 6.

Variations:

Include some rocket leaves and/or parsley in place of basil. 

Include walnuts in place of pine nuts. 

Mix in soft butter for a creamier texture.

Grilled vegetables with walnut dip

Ingredients for grilled vegetables:

1 small sweet potato, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips (e.g. 1 inch)

1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips

2 zucchinis, cut into thick strips (e.g. 4 inch)

1/4 pumpkin, thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced from top to base (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for the walnut dip

75g chopped walnuts

200mL natural low-fat yogurt 

1 egg white (separated, ready to use containers are available at most supermarkets)

20g freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 clove garlic, crushed

2-3 drops chilli sauce

pinch of paprika or chilli powder

Salt and pepper

Method: 

Begin the walnut dip by grinding the walnuts into a coarse powder in a food processor. Mix well with yogurt, egg white, cheese, garlic and chilli powder. Add the chilli sauce. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat gently for 1-3 minutes till warm (but not boiling). Season with pepper and salt. 

The vegetables can be grilled in the oven (400 degrees F), on a barbecue or in a cast-iron skillet. Brush the sweet potato, fennel and pumpkin lightly with the olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes or until they just begin to turn brown in the edges but are still semi-crunchy.  Halfway through, add the peppers and the zucchinis. There is no need to brush them with oil and as they cook faster than the other vegetables, should be ready by the time the pumpkin is done. 

Serve grilled vegetables with warm walnut dip. Serves 8.

Variation:

Use fresh herbs like basil, parsley, mint or dill in place of the chilli sauce to give the dip a more subtle aromatic flavor.

Corn chips and guacamole

Ingredients:

1 bowl original corn chips (such as Doritos)

2 ripe avocados

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 green chilli

5 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp lemon juice 

1 tbsp chopped coriander

4 tbsp natural yogurt

Salt and pepper

Method: 

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop flesh into a tall vessel and add all the remaining ingredients except the yogurt. Puree the ingredients with a hand blender till completely smooth. Blend in the yogurt. Adjust guacamole to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. 

Spoon onto a serving dish and serve with a bowl of corn chips. Serves 6. 

Cocktail munchies

Cocktail munchies take the edge off your appetite, mellowing your mood and enhancing your enjoyment of the gathering. My rules for munchies are 'the simpler to eat, the better', and 'a mix of tastes and textures is always a safe bet.' Here are 5 appetizers that will supplement almost all cocktails. 

Screwdriver

Ingredients:

60 mL vodka

120 mL orange juice

2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Ice cubes

Orange slices

Method: 

Combine the ingredients over ice in a tall glass and stir. Garnish with a fresh orange slice and serve with a stirrer.

Pina colada

Ingredients:

60 mL light rum

60 mL coconut cream

120 mL crushed pineapple

Crushed ice

Pineapple slices and/or maraschino cherries for garnish

Method: 

Blend all the ingredients in a blender for a few seconds without ice. Then add crushed ice and blend to a fine, smooth consistency. Pour into a highball glass (tall drink glass). Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry on the same toothpick. Serve with a straw. 

Martini

Ingredients:

45 mL gin

Few drops vermouth

Green pimented olives

Ice

Method: 

Swish the vermouth around in a chilled cocktail glass and then pour it out. Shake the gin in a shaker with large ice cubes to minimize dilution and then strain straight up into the cocktail glass. Garnish with one or more olives and serve. 

Variations:

There are countless variations on the classic martini. Vodka can be used in place of gin. To convert the martini into a gibson, use a white cocktail onion garnish in place of olives. Subtle distinctions in taste may also be obtained by the manner of preparation as in "Shaken, not stirred" (James Bond, Agent 007). 

Margarita

Ingredients:

60 mL tequila

20 mL cointreau or triple sec

1.5 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

Ice

Salt

Method: 

Moisten cocktail glasses with lime or lemon juice and dip rim in salt. Combine the other ingredients with ice, shake well and then strain into the cocktail glasses and serve. 

Variation:

For the popular frozen margarita, combine the same ingredients in a blender with ice to a fine consistency and service in a high-ball glass with a slice of lime on the rim. 

Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:

50 mL vodka

10 mL cointreau

15 mL cranberry juice

15 mL lime juice

Ice

Lime wedges or twists

Method: 

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist and serve. 

Classic Cocktails

I was going to continue with my 'Flavours of...' theme but am inspired by memories of an art show on Union Square yesterday and the grand houses in my neighborhood to take a tiny diversion......into a more sophisticated world, with its tradition of witty conversation, exclusive mingling, inherent style and enjoyment of leisure. Their appetizer of choice: Cocktails!

As always, 5 recipes follow.....