‘Tis the season to crawl out of your hibernating holes, kick up your party heels, clink your crystal Champagne flutes together, and share some holiday mirth. December’s a celebratory month showcasing our communal melting pot of traditions, cultures, and creativity. Here’s a line-up of some dinner parties highlighting an assortment of fun foods, libations, and entertaining styles. So, pick your pleasure!
A New Twist on the Old Cocktail
The secret, sexy speakeasies of the 1920s evolved into the cool cocktail culture of the Rat Pack and “Mad Men” era, and now into today’s trendy cocktail soirees shaking things up like Bond’s martinis with some fun little bites (best made in advance), garden-to-glass thirst quenchers, and an organized, gracious host who is busy mixingwith their guests rather than mixing their drinks.
Creative mixologists concoct sassy seasonal sips (which can also be made beforehand) like cilantro gin slushes, vodka thyme lemonades, blackberry mint juleps, matcha martinis, and ginger limoncello mimosas. Have plenty of ice and mocktails on hand for the teetotalers.
Serve simple yet substantial hors d’oeuvres, such as, lamb lollipops with mint chutney, goat cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto, mushroom caps filled with braised short-ribs, turkey sliders, mini crab cakes, and elegant dips like baked brie tricked outwith dried fruits and nuts enveloped in puff pastry.
Have Party will Travel
For a peripatetic group of merrymakers, the progressive dinner party rocks. Start at the “Adler’s” for appetizers and liquid cheer, then saunter over to the “Murphy’s” for the main event. Stroll down the block to the “Sack’s” for sweet indulgences, and finally turn the corner to the “Newberg’s” for nightcaps. This is a great chance to bond with neighbors and enjoy a variety of holiday homes and styles of entertaining. Everyone in the travelling troupe can contribute their specialty dish, a nice bottle of wine, or box of bon-bons.
Bring your own Party
The concept of “potluck” transports back to Elizabethan times when unannounced guests arriving at suppertime were invited to take their “luck” at whatever was cooking in the pot on the hearth.
Today, the art of hosting a successful potluck party lies in the smart organization and delegation of the dishes. Divvy up the courses with invitees contributing an assortment of appetizers, main courses, sides, or desserts. Ask guests to bring their favorite dish or personal specialty. Try an ethnic-themed potluck whether Italian, Greek, or Mexican, or just wing it with a smorgasbord of cuisines.
Perfect Pitch Parties
Even the grumpiest Grinch loves a caroling party serving up sheet music with holiday tunes and harmonious treats. Start with smoked salmon crostini, and a soul soothing caramelized butternut squash soup. Keep up the tempo with a wild mushroom and chicken puff pastry tart, and an arugula, pomegranate, and pecan salad.
For sweet finales Christmas spices roar out of the pantry like cloves, nutmeg, peppermint, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger enlivening classics including mincemeat pie, plum pudding, cranberry trifle, assorted crème Brulés, and chewy ginger cookies. Wash it down nicely with some top holiday hits like silky eggnogs, warm spiced apple ciders, hot buttered rums, and cranberry mules.
The Cultural Crossover
This year the first evening of Hanukkah converges on Christmas Day for a “Chrismukkah” celebration that lets us partake in the delights of both traditions. On the Hanukkah table cholesterol is king offering symbolic and scrumptious potato latkes (pancakes) traditionally fried in oil and topped with chunky applesauce or sour cream. As nearly 2,200 years have ed since the Maccabee miracle, it’s time to dial up the latkes’ repertoire with a pop of color and dose of healthful fruits and vegetables, even a dollop of caviar for a luxurious holiday vibe.
For the cholesterol-conscious, latkes can be prepared with the French technique en papillote–sealed in a parchment pouch to maintain the fresh flavors. To round out the Hanukkah meal add roast chicken sliders and mini bagels with smoked salmon, capers, and horseradish cream cheese. An old-world apple strudel would hit the sweet spot.
Now blend the spirit of Christmas into the mix with a gangbuster of bold holiday herbs and spices to ramp up both sweets and savories. Celebratory centerpieces of festive fowls, including goose, duckling, capon, Cornish hen, and quail, stuffed with chestnuts and wild rice, or an herb-crusted rack of lamb will make jaws drop.
Decadent desserts come but once a year so don’t on the obscene line-up of tipsy fruitcakes, marzipans, rum balls, stollen logs, and pavlova wreaths. Up to the lips, over the gums with cocktails that scream Christmas cheer like a Gingerbread Man and a Mistletoe Martini.
A Fine Kettle of Fish
A Feast of the Seven Fishes is a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner that showcases seven courses of treasures from the sea perhaps symbolic of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. A true piscivore’s’ paradise, the feast might begin with grilled scallops and mixed olive bruschetta or fritto misto, followed by lobster bisque or seafood cioppino, and a candied salmon Caesar salad.
For the main event, a whole grilled branzino in Meyer lemon wine sauce, mouth-watering lobster tails drizzled with clarified truffle butter, or shrimp sampi and bucatini sure to please all. While traditional pistachio biscotti and assorted gelatos make sweet endings.
My wonderful neighbor of northern Italian heritage honors her beloved mother’s tradition of packing her home like sardines with friends and family for her Feast of the Seven Fishes gathering. Each course so divine, she never has to fish for compliments on this special evening.
Now, this multi-tasking holiday thirst quencher exclusively created by the mixologists at Parakeet Café will shake up the private party of your choice. Cheers!
Holiday Sangria
2-ounces red wine2-ounces organic Prosecco2-ounces organic cranberry juice2-ounces organic orange juice1-ounce raw honey syrupPour ingredients over ice in a wine goblet. Garnish with citrus slicesand whole cranberries. Cheers!
Courtesy of Paola Llamas Parakeet Café, One Paseo
