Holiday entertaining is more fun when the prep work doesn’t exhaust the host before the party even begins. A few shortcuts can help you create quick and easy appetizers that will delight your guests without taking a toll on the chef. Mini chicken salad sandwiches start with a store-bought rotisserie chicken; you dress it up with a few ingredients. To make easy-to-assemble shrimp taco bites, buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined and serve on your favorite bagged tortilla chips. Then go enjoy your party!
Photo by William P. Edwards
SHRIMP TACO BITES
MAKES ABOUT 25
1 pound shrimp (21–30 count), peeled, deveined and tails removed
1 tablespoon blackened or Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
½ ripe avocado
½ ripe mango
Pinch of salt
Round, store-bought tortilla chips*
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, spices and lime juice. Refrigerate about 30 minutes to 1 hour. In another medium bowl, mash avocado, mango and salt together, using a potato masher.
Increase oven temperature to broil. Spread shrimp on a shallow baking pan, and broil 3 minutes per side. Remove from oven and set aside.
To assemble, spread each tortilla round with some of the avocado/mango mash, and top with a shrimp. Garnish with a small dollop of sour cream and cilantro leaf.
* You can make your own tortilla rounds by buying a package of 6-inch corn tortillas. Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a small cookie or biscuit cutter (about 2½ inches), cut out small circles from the tortillas—about 3 per tortilla. Place the small rounds on a cookie sheet, and bake for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and let cool.
CHEESE-STUFFED LETTUCE CUPS
Photo by LeeAnn White
YIELDS 1½ CUPS
½ cup softened blue cheese*
½ cup spreadable cream cheese
¼ cup chopped candied walnuts (see recipe below)
¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
Small lettuce cups (endive, butter or Bibb leaves)
In a medium bowl, combine cheeses, nuts and cranberries. Separate, wash and dry lettuce cups. Using a small scoop or a piping bag, put desired portions of cheese spread (about ½ to 1 teaspoon) into lettuce cups. If desired, roll lettuce around cheese filling and secure with a decorative toothpick.
* If you prefer a different flavor, you can substitute feta or goat cheese for the blue cheese.
Candied walnuts
½ cup walnut pieces
½ tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
In a nonstick saute pan over medium heat, place all ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer nuts to a large piece of parchment or wax paper; separate and let cool.
PECAN CHICKEN SALAD MINIS
Photo by William P. Edwards
YIELDS 3 CUPS
1 rotisserie chicken, chopped to make about 2 cups
1 large shallot, finely chopped
⅓ cup sweet pickle relish
⅓ cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
¼ to ½ cup mayo
Salt and pepper, to taste
Green leaf lettuce
Mini rolls, sliced
In a large bowl, combine chicken, shallot, relish, pecans and thyme. Add the mayo, a little at a time, until the chicken salad reaches desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Open sliced rolls, and lay some lettuce on bottom half. Top each with a scoop of chicken salad, and cover with top half of roll.
CHOCOLATE-APRICOT LOLLIPOPS
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
MAKES 20
20 dried apricots (or dates, prunes or figs)
20 4- to 6-inch wooden skewers
6 ounces dark chocolate, melted
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts (or your favorite nuts)
Spear one dried apricot on the tip of each skewer. Dip the entire apricot into the melted chocolate, and let excess chocolate drip off. Dip the tip of each apricot into the chopped nuts. Place flat on a large piece of parchment or wax paper to cool and harden.
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BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN is a chef and food writer who lives in Trenton, where she is a member of Aiken Electric Cooperative. She has a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University and is certified in wine studies from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif. Her articles have been published in several regional magazines and in her blog, “The Flying Foodie.”