After the detritus of Christmas wrapping paper has taken hold throughout the house, the next challenge is one of New Year celebrations.
It is during this time we honour the ‘must get together’ conversations that have so far been tethered to the recesses of our minds in favour of a bottle of red and a roaring fire as the cold winter nights roll in. Our hopes of such casually uttered mutterings being quickly forgotten are dashed along with the promised ‘non-drop’ needles on the Christmas tree.
But now with the imminent trip into the loft space in the vain attempt to find misplaced stockings and hastily wrapped baubles it is time to put on our party faces and expand our domestic goddess status to one of gracious host or hostess for the final few weeks of the year.
During the season where everyone seems to be in high spirits and the strain of throwing a party seems far less painful than normal, most of us will be contemplating some sort of soiree.
The question is how to do this with minimal fuss and effort. Not because you’re lazy but just because you would like to enjoy the event too. How do you create an easy and relaxed atmosphere where everyone enjoys themselves and no one (aka you) is left in the kitchen with the feeling of witnessing a great party with your nose pressed against the window viewing it from the outside?
The trick is to remember that less is often more. But the little you do should be simple and fabulous!
- Do it in one take. Try and get everyone together at once. Overall less time consuming leaving you the remaining free weekends to accept everyone else’s invitations in return.
- To create a good impression you do not need to do masses of gourmet food with silver service and a resident butler. Keep it simple by serving interesting canapés to eat rather than the full works. Remember to focus on interesting rather than normal – anyone can do normal and if you wanted to be dull you wouldn’t be doing this at all. Serve around 6-7 canapés per person with drinks and see if you can rope the kids in to help serve. It’s a great way of making them feel like part of the party should it be possible to prise them away from the game console long enough to make the negotiation viable.
- Serve a selection of drinks of just the right quantity to have everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves without the need to pour them messily into a taxi several hours later. Wines, beers and soft drinks are perfectly acceptable should you not wish to break out the malt.
- Sound effects have a dual purpose. The right music can help create the party atmosphere and has the added benefit of noise creation should the conversation wane at any time (unlikely but better to be prepared). It’s probably best not to raid the teenagers’ iPod mix or play anything too highbrow for fear of creating entirely the wrong ambience. Go for something generically easy on the ear and remember the volume control; it is supposed to be background noise rather than a disco or the Royal Albert Hall.
- Dress to Suit Yourself. Most people like to dress up around Christmas time. The ladies will likely put on newly purchased party frocks in order to get maximum return before the Christmas munchies have taken hold and the dress shrinks before their eyes. Most men seem happy to either take consultation from their partners or at the very least throw on a good shirt with a pair of less worn jeans. The point is people should be comfortable.
- Decorate. We are not talking re-modelling the kitchen or painting the downstairs loo but a few choice Christmas decorations or seasonal flowers dotted around. They remind everyone why they are there and promote a happy, seasonal feel.
- Give people a time-frame. Don’t be afraid to invite people round for just a couple of hours. The purpose is not to give them a weekend-break but to catch up with friends in a great atmosphere– after all it’s always best to leave people wanting more.
- And finally... stay calm and relax. People will feed off your mood. It’s a party not a judgement and your friends should be coming to see you not test your culinary or hostess skills.
Here are a few canapé ideas which can be made in advance, look gorgeous and can be creatively positioned on platters just before your guests arrive. They also have the added benefit of creating the somewhat false impression of you slaving in the kitchen for hours for their benefit... how perfect.
Serve 6-7 bite size canapés per person with drinks.
Burgundy Shallot Tatins
Caramelise halved shallots in a little butter, sugar and fresh thyme on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and a golden syrupy consistency is achieved.
Add half a glass of red wine – preferably Burgundy or something equally robust – and cook until the shallots can be easily pierced with a sharp knife (this will take around 15 minutes).
Place in the bottom of some mini muffin tins along with the juices.
Lay a round of puff pastry (cheat and use ready-made for this dish). Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden.
Invert the tin immediately to avoid the caramel from sticking to the tin.
Medjool Dates stuffed with Stilton Mousse and Caramelised Walnuts
Take some large juicy Medjool dates and slice down the middle, but not through, removing the stones.
Combine equal ingredients of Stilton cheese with Mascarpone and mix until smooth and creamy in texture.
Melt a knob of butter with a couple of tablespoons of honey in a saucepan and coat the Walnuts. Place on a non-stick mat and bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes until nicely caramelised. Remove from oven and leave a few minutes before moving them.
Pipe the mousse into the recently vacated middle of the dates and top with a piece of caramelised walnut.
Black Forest and White Chocolate Cups
Brush the inside of paper muffin cases with melted dark or milk chocolate. Repeat 2-3 times to ensure you get a decent coating and will enable the paper case to be removed when set.
Macerate some fresh cherries (cans or jars work fine too but ensure they are drained) in some kirsch for a couple of hours (be generous... it is a celebration).
Whisk up equal quantities or double cream with melted chocolate.
Place some cherries in the bottom of the chocolate cups, pipe the white chocolate cream on top and decorate with milk chocolate shavings.
