PARTY FOODSMALL PLATES WITH BIG FLAVOR

THE BEST

OF

FavoritesThe holidays are approaching, and with them come festive get-togethers with family and friends. Finger foods are a must for any menu, like the flavor-packed savory and sweet recipes you’ll find here, ranging from an ooey, gooey dip to a tart lemon bite. Stock up on high-quality ingredients like artisans breads, briny ol-ives, fresh fruits, and Kerrygold cheeses, and you’ll be all set to wow the crowds.

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Build a Great Cheese PlateTips to take you from the store to the cheese board.

Turn to a cheese plate for a delicious and impressive appetizer or dessert. To fill the plate, just follow these simple guidelines:

• Plan on 3 ounces of cheese per person.

• Buy several cheeses showcas-ing a variety of milks, regions, or textures. Shown here are Kerrygold’ s Aged Cheddar and Cashel Blue Cheese. When you get your cheese home, wrap firmer cheeses and blue cheeses in waxed paper followed loosely by plastic wrap, which al-lows the cheese to breathe without letting plastic touch its surface. Soft and creamy cheese should remain unwrapped in a plastic container. You should poke a few small holes in the lid to keep the cheese from suffocating. Once you’ve taken care of the packag-ing, keep the cheese in the drawer of your refrigerator, where the humidity and temperature are the highest. Take your cheeses out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

• Don’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to pairing cheese with other foods. For example, fresh goat cheese has a natural affinity to olives. A salty and pungent blue cheese is great with sweet things such as honey, dried figs, and jams. Compotes, such as the Pear, Cranberry, and Blood Orange Mostarda on page 3, toasted nuts, like the Olive-Oil-Fried Almonds on pade 3, and dried fruit are great with all but the mildest cheeses. And although apples and cheese may be one of the oldest pairings around, it’s actually not the best. The high acidity of the apples makes them taste sour next to many cheeses. Round out the cheese board with fruit (for example, fresh figs, grapes, and dried apricots), olives, and toasted nuts.

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Pear, Cranberry, and Blood Orange MostardaSpread this punchy northern Italian condiment on crostini with goat cheese.Yields about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium blood orange 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 fresh bay leaf or ½ dried 1 cup dry white wine 2 Tbs. mild honey, such as clover 1 Tbs. brown mustard seeds 1 Tbs. yellow mustard seeds Kosher salt 2 medium firm-ripe pears

(preferably Bosc), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice

1 cup fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS:Peel a 1x3-inch strip of zest from the orange. Trim off any white pith from the strip with a paring knife and put the zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Trim away the remaining orange peel and cut the segments free from the membranes, letting them fall into the saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the saucepan.

Tie the rosemary and bay leaf into a cheesecloth bundle and add to the saucepan along with the wine, honey, mustard seeds, and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the honey dis-solves and the flavors meld a bit, about 2 minutes.

Add the pears and cranberries and return to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stir-ring occasionally, until the fruit is tender and the liquid is syrupy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the herb bundle and zest, and let cool. Serve at room temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Maple and Black Pepper PecansThese addictive spicy-sweet nuts are just the thing to serve with cocktails. Yields 2 cups; serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs. egg white (½ large egg white), lightly beaten

Kosher salt ¼ cup pure maple syrup 1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted

and cooled slightly Coarsely ground black pepper 8 oz. (2 cups) pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with 1 tsp. salt until very frothy, about 1 minute. Whisk in the maple syrup, butter, and 2 tsp. pepper; then stir in the pecans with a heatproof spatula.

Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once or twice with the spatula, until they have absorbed all the glaze and are a shade darker, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool for about 5 minutes. Stir with the spatula and continue to cool until crisp, about 5 minutes more.

The pecans will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Olive-Oil–Fried AlmondsThe almonds and herbs are crisp, salty, and sure to whet your appetite. Canned cocktail nuts don’t hold a

candle to these. Yields 2 cups

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups blanched almonds 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 8 large fresh sage leaves 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon sea salt

DIRECTIONS:Set a metal strainer over a large heatproof bowl to quickly drain the almonds at the end of cooking. Put the almonds and olive oil in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan with a lid (the nuts and oil should fill no more than one-third of the pot). Set the pot over medium heat, stirring almost constantly until the almonds are lightly golden, 3 to 10 minutes, depending on your stove and pot. Toss in the sage, rosemary, and thyme simultaneously and cover the pot immediately with the lid to prevent the oil from spattering. Remove the pot from the heat. The herbs will make a popping sound as they cook.

After the popping dies down, remove the lid and immediately pour the almonds into the strainer. Spread the drained almonds on a rimmed bak-ing sheet and toss with the salt. When they’re thoroughly cooled, store them in an airtight plastic container at room temperature.

—Melissa Pellegrino Fine Cooking #108

—Shelley Wiseman Fine Cooking #119

—Maria Helm Sinskey Fine Cooking #72

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Tossed with toasty brown butter and cinnamon sugar, this popcorn is slightly sweet and super delicious. Adding milk powder to the melting butter creates brown bits for even more flavor. Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbs. granulated sugar 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground cardamom Kosher salt 1 batch freshly popped popcorn 2½ oz. (5 Tbs.) unsalted butter 2½ Tbs. nonfat dry milk powder

DIRECTIONS:In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and ¾ tsp. salt.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter and milk powder and whisk over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk until the mixture becomes golden brown and smells like toasted nuts.

Pour the butter mixture over the popcorn, making sure to get all of the flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and toss well. Add the sugar mixture and toss again. Season to taste with additional salt.

Cinnamon Toast Popcorn

To bring this hors d’oeuvre to a party, pack the apple mixture, the endive, and the hazelnuts separately and quickly assemble them once you arrive (don’t make the apple mixture more than an hour ahead). Also, you can toast and chop the hazel-nuts up to one month in advance and freeze them in an airtight container.Yields 35 to 40 hors d’oeuvres

INGREDIENTS: 1 large (about 8 oz.)

tart-sweet red apple, such as Gala or Braeburn, cored and cut into 1/8-inch dice

3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (to yield about ¾ cup)

¾ cup finely chopped celery (from about 2 large ribs)

3 Tbs. mayonnaise 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice Kosher salt 5 Belgian endives,

leaves separated; smallest leaves saved for another use

½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:In a medium bowl, combine the apple, blue cheese, celery, mayon-naise, and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt.

To assemble, mound a small spoonful of the apple mixture onto the core end of each endive leaf. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

Apple, Blue Cheese & Hazelnut Salad on Endive Leaves

—Karen DeMasco Fine Cooking #138

—Laura Werlin Fine Cooking #69

Nibbles and Small Plates

Mac n Cheese 3 WaysEveryone is in for a few bites of rich, creamy, velvety macaroni and cheese. Whether they will go for the classic version or those studded with crisp bacon or spicy chorizo is anyone’s guess. Serves 6 small portions

INGREDIENTS: 4 Tbs Kerrygold Salted Butter, plus

extra for greasing 1 sprig thyme, leaves finely chopped 2 cups macaroni 3 cups cold milk 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. wholegrain mustard Pinch nutmeg

1 cup grated Kerrygold Aged Cheddar ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Sea salt and ground black pepper DIRECTIONS:Fill a large cooking pot with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, for about 12 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease six individual por-tion ramekins or ovenproof dishes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium high heat with the thyme leaves and then whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes and then pour in the milk. Continuously whisk until the mixture comes to a steady simmer and continue to cook until you have a thick sauce. Add the wholegrain mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and three-quarters of the cheese, and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Mix through until the cheese has melted. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in the pot and mix through until everything is combined. At this point you can play around with the flavors and add them at this point before baking off in individual serving pots.

Divide the pasta among the ramekins.

For the classic version leave as is.

Variation: Chorizo Mac n Cheese Cut chorizo into cubes and fry in a little oil until crispy, fold into the pasta with a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

Variation: Bacon Mac n Cheese Fry 3 thick-cut slices of bacon in a little oil until crispy. Break into pieces and fold through the last dish, with a small handful of chopped basil leaves.

Sprinkle the ramekins with the remaining cheese and pop in the oven to cook for 25 minutes or until the top has turned golden and the sauce is bubbling up the sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

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—Kerrygold original recipe

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A sweet-tart apple purée, fennel seeds, and sharp Cheddar give crisp puff pastry straws big hits of flavor, both savory and sweet. The small holes of a box grater work best for grating the cheese; a rasp-style grater is too fine.

Yields about 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS:¾ oz. (1½ Tbs.) unsalted butter1½ lb. crisp apples (such as Sierra Beauty,

Pippin, or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

Kosher salt Granulated sugar, as needed Fresh lemon juice, as needed3 ½-lb. sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

(from two 1.1-lb. packages)1 large egg, lightly beaten1½ tsp. fennel seed, coarsely crushed1½ oz. Cheddar, finely grated (¾ cup)

DIRECTIONS:Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and season lightly with salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If there is any liquid remaining in the pan, remove the lid and allow it to evaporate.

Purée the apples in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Taste the purée; it should be a little tart, but if it’s too tart, add a pinch of sugar. If it tastes a little flat, add another pinch of salt or a couple of drops of fresh lemon juice, or both. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a 12x14-inch rectangle. Brush off any excess flour. Orient the dough so a 12-inch side is parallel to the edge of your work surface. Spread a thin, even layer of the apple purée over the bottom half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the

Apple, Fennel, and Cheddar Cheese Strawspurée so that the dough measures 12x7 inches. Trim the edges. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the other sheets of dough and repeat the process. (You may not use all of the apple purée.)

Lightly brush one of the chilled dough rectangles with the egg. Sprinkle ½ tsp. of the fennel and then ½ oz. of the cheese in an even layer on top. Season lightly with salt. Gently run a rolling pin over the surface to press the seeds and cheese into the dough. Chill while you repeat with the remaining dough, fennel, and cheese.

Working with one rectangle at a time, slide the puff pastry onto a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough lengthwise into long, thin strips about 1/3 inch wide. Working with one strip at a time, hold both ends and twist slightly (if the dough is too firm to work with, give it a few minutes to soften). Transfer the twists to 3 unlined heavy-duty rimmed baking sheets, spacing them about ¼ inch apart and pressing the ends of each strip onto the pan to help hold the shape while baking. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Position racks in the top, center, and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.

Put the cheese straws in the oven and reduce the heat to 375°F. Bake until golden, 20 to 23 minutes, swap-ping the sheets’ positions after 10 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the straws in the oven until very crisp, about 1 hour. Using a long metal spatula, carefully release the straws from the baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

These are best baked and eaten on the same day, but they can be shaped in advance on the baking sheets and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 week. Bake directly from the freezer.

—Tasha DeSerio Fine Cooking #108

Lemon BitesA delicious balance of tart and sweet, these lemon squares will be stars on the dessert buffet. Serves 16

INGREDIENTS:Shortbread crust 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup confectioner’s sugar ¼ tsp. salt 8 oz. Kerrygold Unsalted Butter

(very cold), cubedFilling 1½ cups granulated sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour 4 large eggs ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon

juice (about 4 medium lemons) 1 Tbs. lemon zest Confectioner’s sugar for

finishing

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.

To prepare the crustIn the bowl of a food processor, place flour, confectioner’s sugar, salt and chilled Ker-rygold butter. Pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or, until lightly browned.

To prepare the fillingIn a medium bowl, add the flour and sugar and stir to combine. Add the eggs, whisking to combine. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for 30 minutes or until set in center.

Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dust the top with con-fectioner’s sugar before cutting into roughly 1-inch squares and serving.

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—Kerrygold original recipe

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You’ll need mini muffin tins for this recipe. Yields about 4 dozen mini quiches

INGREDIENTS: ¾ lb. bacon, cut into medium dice 3 cups medium-diced leeks, washed

and drained (about 3 leeks, white and light green parts only)

1¼ cups half-and-half 1 cup grated Cheddar (4 oz.) 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg Cooking spray 2 1.1-lb. packages frozen puff

pastry sheets, thawed according to package directions

Flour as needed for rolling out the dough

DIRECTIONS:In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined

with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 to 2 Tbs. of fat in the skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook the leeks, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

While the leeks cool, combine the half-and-half, Cheddar, eggs, egg yolks, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the cooled leeks and the bacon and stir to combine.

Assemble the mini quiches: Lightly spray four mini muffin tins (or two if your tins have two dozen cups) with cooking spray. (If you don’t have enough muffin tins, you can assemble the quiches in batches, storing the remaining egg mixture and dough in the refrigera-tor until you’re ready to use it.)

Working with one sheet of puff pastry dough at a time, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 10- by 18-inch rectangle. Stamp out 3-inch circles of dough with a cookie cutter and gently press the rounds into the mini muffin tins, making sure that each round is centered and that the dough extends up to the top of the tin. Fill each with

about 1 Tbs. of filling—you can fill right to the top of the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until all the filling is used. You may not need all the dough; save leftovers for another use. You can bake the quiches immediately or freeze and bake them later.

To bake immediately Heat the oven to 400°F and position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Bake the quiches, switching the position of the tins halfway through baking, until the filling is puffed and the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

To freeze Freeze the unbaked quiches in the muffin tins for about 2 hours, or until set. Remove them from the tins and transfer them to an airtight container, setting parchment or plastic wrap between layers, or seal them in a plastic bag. Store in the freezer, where they’ll keep for about a month. When ready to bake, do not thaw the quiches. Put the quiches back into the muffin tins, and follow the instructions above, baking for 30 to 35 minutes.

Bacon, Leek & Cheddar Mini Quiches

—Kate Hays Fine Cooking #82

These easy hors d’oeuvres pack the flavor of a croque monsieur into a flaky pastry wrapper. Yields about 44 palmiers

INGREDIENTS:1 sheet (8 to 9 oz.) frozen

puff pastry, thawed2 Tbs. honey Dijon mustard3 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded (about 1 cup )¼ cup (about 1 oz.) finely

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 4 oz. very thinly sliced

baked ham DIRECTIONS:Heat the oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a 10x14-inch rectangle. Using the back of a spoon, spread the pastry evenly with the mustard. Sprinkle on the Swiss cheese and Parmigiano in an even layer.

Arrange the ham in a single, even layer, tearing or cutting pieces to fit.

Lay a piece of parchment or waxed paper on top and gently roll and press with the rolling pin to compress the layers. Gently peel off the paper without disturbing the ham.

Cut the rectangle in half widthwise to make two 10x7-inch bands. Gently roll one long edge of a band into the center and then roll the opposite edge in so the two rolls meet in the middle and resemble a double scroll. Press lightly to stick the two rolls together. Repeat with the second band. (The rolls can be assembled to this point and held in the refrigerator for several hours.)

With a very sharp knife, slice each band into about 22 pieces, just under ½ inch each. Arrange the palmiers on two parchment- lined or nonstick baking sheets and bake until deep golden brown and no longer doughy in the center (break one open to be sure), 10 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to burn the bottoms. Let cool on a rack and serve just slightly warm or within an hour if possible.

—Martha Holmberg, Fine Cooking #54

Ham, Swiss, and Honey-Mustard Palmiers

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Warm Black Bean & Chipotle DipThis is a great party dip that can be fully assembled up to 2 days ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. Serves 10 to 12

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive

oil; more for the baking dish 2 medium tomatoes,

cored and cut into medium dice

2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed

1 large yellow onion, fi nely diced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. chili powder 2 15½-oz. cans black

beans, rinsed and drained well

2 canned chipotles In adobo, minced (about 1 Tbs.), plus 3 Tbs. adobo sauce

3 Tbs. cider vinegar 1½ cups fresh or frozen

corn kernels (if frozen, thaw fi rst)

3 cups (12 oz.) grated Cheddar

¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro Freshly ground black

pepper Tortilla chips for serving

DIRECTIONS:Heat the oven to 425ºF. Grease a 1½-qt. baking dish with oil and line a baking sheet with foil. Set the toma-toes in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt.

Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add half of the black beans, the chipotles and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water and bring to a boil. Cook

until the liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add the vinegar, and process until smooth. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the rest of the beans, the tomatoes, corn, half of the cheese, and ½ cup of the cilantro. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake on the foil-lined baking sheet (to catch drips) until the cheese melts and browns around the edges, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with the tortilla chips for dipping.

—Tony RosenfeldFine Cooking #82