Holiday Party Snack, Wine Pairings

Think of it as an intimate holiday party with your closest friends.

Roughly half the budget was spent on wine, the other half on food.

To entertain four people, $80 may be a splurge for many people but, when you look at the quality of the wines and the elegant menu Robinson devised, you realize it's a steal!

Of course, you could always decide to serve just one bottle of wine, which would cut the cost almost in half.

The wines chosen by Robinso were all great bargains; the most expensive was $17. She served two inexpensive bubblies: a Prosecco from Italy ($11) and a Rose Cava from Spain ($10). Dessert was accompanied by a dessert wine: Muscat ($17). This Australian dessert wine comes in half bottles, which Robinson thinks makes a great hostess gift.

The wines included:

Robinson addressed the "myth" that you must drink a whole bottle of sparkling wine once you open it. She pointed out that you can buy a special champagne stopper that keeps wine sparkling and fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

The food was all finger food, which makes for much more of a "party" atmosphere. The majority of the ingredients were quite inexpensive, the exceptions being truffle oil and good chocolate.

FOOD FACTS

Prosecco: An inexpensive, generally dry sparkling wine from Italy.

Cava: "Spain's sparkling wine ... is simply the best budget bubbly on the market. It is made by the Champagne method, yet good ones cost around ten dollars, and often less." (from "Great Wine Made Simple," by Andrea Immer)

Tofu: Tofu is made from the liquid extracted from soybeans, which means it's good for you. It has a very bland flavor, so it absorbs the flavors of whatever it's cooked in or mixed with. Robinson mixed it with will chocolate and spread it on her crostini. The mixture was then topped with chorizo.

Go to Page 2 for recipes.RECIPES

TRUFFLED & HERBED POPCORN

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
3 T unsalted butter, or 2 T unsalted butter and 1 T black truffle butter, melted
1 T white or black truffle oil
kosher salt to tastes, plus black truffle salt to taste
1 T each finely chopped fresh rosemary and fresh thyme (or substitute 1 tsp each dried herbs)

Method:
Air pop the popcorn, in batches if needed (or use 2 bags low-salt, light microwave popcorn, popped according to pkg directions). For the herbed popcorn, drizzle 2 T of the unsalted butter over half the popped corn, tossing as you drizzle to distribute the butter evenly.

Immediately sprinkle with the chopped herbs and salt to taste, tossing to combine well.

For the truffle popcorn, combine the remaining melted butter (or black truffle butter) and the truffle oil, and drizzle evenly on the remaining popcorn. Season with salt and/or truffle salt to taste and serve.

BAKED POTATO BITES WITH WASABI & GOAT CHEESE

If you can't find really small potatoes, you can cut larger potatoes in half so they're close to one or two bites in size. If needed, cook the potatoes several hours ahead and let cool. To serve, reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes and then garnish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 T olive oil
3/4 pound potatoes about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, such as tiny fingerlings or Yukon golds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
1/2 cup bright green wasabi peas, crushed in a blender to fine breadcrumb texture, plus 1 T extra for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
2 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet well with olive oil.

If using whole potatoes, slice a thin layer off the bottom so they can stand up straight on the pan and the serving platter. Cut larger potatoes in half. Place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and 1/3 c of the wasabi pea crumbs, and toss until combined. Place the potatoes on the prepared pan, cut side down. Bake until tender in the middle and browned on the outside, 20 minutes (increase cooking time with larger potatoes).

When the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, score each top 1/2 inch deep with a crisscross pattern. Using the thumb and forefinger of both hands, squeeze the sides of each potato until some of the inside comes out and forms a little area on top to garnish. Season this part of the potatoes well with more sea salt and some black pepper.

Use a small spoons or the tip of a pairing knife to dollop about 1/4 teaspoon of goat cheese onto each potato (you'll need more with larger potatoes).

Sprinkle the potatoes with more salt and pepper, and with the remaining wasabi pea crumbs, which should stick to the cheese. Roughly crush the remaining wasabi peas just to break up slightly, and place a larger crushed piece on top of each potato for garnish.

Place potatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle the platter with the remaining wasabi crumbs, if desired, and serve.

CHOCOLATE & CHORIZO CROSTINI

Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 oz bar Lindt Swiss Bittersweet Chocolate
4 oz soft silken tofu
1 thin baguette or ficelle (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter - not a wide baguette)
Very coarse salt such as fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt
4 oz fully cooked, sliceable Spanish-style Chorizo (e.g., Goya)

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Break up the chocolate and finely chop it in a blender. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50 percent power for about 1 1/2 minutes to melt the chocolate.

Meanwhile, puree the tofu thoroughly in a blender.

When the chocolate is melted, stir thoroughly to make it creamy and shiny. Stir in the tofu thoroughly until there are no white streaks. Cover the mixture and chill until spreadable like frosting, about a half hour.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the baguette on the bias to make long, thin slices like melba toast. Place on a baking sheet and place in the oven until crisp and toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.

Thinly slice the chorizo on the bias.

Spread each slice of baguette with some of the chocolate mixture, and sprinkle liberally with the coarse salt. Shingle several slices of the chorizo on top of each. Place crostini on a platter and serve.

PROSCIUTTO-SAGE CHICKEN "RAVIOLI" BITES

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat and membranes
16 leaves fresh sage, stems removed (or more if the leaves are small)
6 slices prosciutto (you can use the pre-cut, blister pack supermarket kind)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons dry oloroso sherry or dry white wine

Method:
Rinse and pat dry the chicken breast halves and cut each into 3-4 bite-size (2-inch) pieces.

Place chicken breast pieces smooth-side up on a work surface. Sandwich each piece between 2 large or 3 to 4 small sage leaves (depending on size) on each piece, spacing them evenly for a uniform, "striped" look. Cut each prosciutto slice in half lengthwise and carefully center a prosciutto strip atop the chicken breast widthwise, covering the sage leaves, and wrap the slice around, securing it with a toothpick if needed.

In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Place the chicken breast ravioli top (smooth)-side down in the pan. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and continue cooking, uncovered, until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of each piece. Remove the toothpicks and transfer the chicken pieces to a platter.

Add the sherry to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, scraping to loosen any browned bits, for one minute, until the liquid in the pan becomes syrupy and thick. Pour the pan sauce over the raviolis, and serve immediately.

PUMPKIN ROCKS COOKIES
Adapted from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 stick butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 lb (about 1 3/4 cups) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups pine nuts, toasted and cooled

For the cream-cheese frosting:
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened and cut into chunks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange juice, approximately

Method:
Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Cut aluminum foil to fit cookie sheets and spray with nonstick spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter. Beat in both sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the pumpkin. (If the mixture looks curdled, that's OK). Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, beating slowly until just mixed. Stir in the raisins and pine nuts.

Drop dough by large ball-shaped tablespoons-full onto the foil-lined sheets, placing them 1 to 1 ½ inches apart (they do not run or spread while baking). Bake for about 18 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back to insure even baking. They are done when lightly browned, and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the frosting:

For the frosting:
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low -- then medium -- speed, beat together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla until well blended and very smooth. Add the orange juice and beat until evenly incorporated. If the frosting is very stiff, add enough additional orange juice to thin it to a spreadable but still firm consistency.

Cover until ready to use. When the cookies come out of the oven, slip the foil off the sheets immediately while still very hot and slide onto cooling racks. Swirl about 1 teaspoon frosting over the center of each cookie top. Let stand until the frosting sets, about one hour.