86-Lancaster Farmma Saturday December 28 2002
Make-Ahead Appetizers
Put You A Step Ahead
Take the hassle out of the holi
day entertaining dilemma.
Host an appetizer party.
Sara Reddington, director of
the Beef and Veal Culinary Cen
ter of the National Cattlemen’s
Beef Association, suggests a com
bination of convenient purchased
items along with one or two
homemade.
Choose a recipe such as Mini
Holiday Beef Crescents. Make
these flavorful tidbits with pre
pared refrigerated pie crust, cut
into wedges, and then topped
with a ground beef, dried tart
cherry, pepper-jack cheese filling.
Roll-up, bake and freeze. A quick
reheating is all you need at party
time.
Another time-honored party
favorite is meatballs and dip. a
hit with kids and adults, depend
ing on the dip.
Reddington saves time by
starting with heat-and-serve fro
zen beef meatballs. The biggest
decision is what to dip the in.
That’s simple, too, because there
are myriad prepared options
from which to choose.
More basic choices include bar
becue sauce, marinara sauce,
nacho cheese sauce or ranch
dressing. For more sophisticated
palates choose Thai peanut
sauce, blue cheese dressing or
salsa.
Mini Holiday Beef Crescents
1 pound ground beef
11/:I 1 /: cups shredded jalapeno
pepper cheese or Monterey
Jack cheese
'/: cup chopped dried cher
ries
2 tablespoons apple juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
'A teaspoon garlic powder
I'/: packages (15 ounces each)
refrigerated pie crusts (3
crusts)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahr
enheit. Brown ground beef in
12-inch nonstick skillet over me
dium heat 8 to 10 minutes or
until beef is not pink, breaking
up into small crumbles. Pour off
drippings. Stir in cheese, cherries,
juice, cumin and garlic powder;
set aside.
Cut each pie crust into 12
wedges. Place 1 packed, rounded
tablespoon beef mixture on wide
end of each wedge.
Beginning at wide ends, roll up
wedges; curve ends to form cres
cents. Place 1-inch apart on 2
greased baking sheets.
Combine egg and water in
small bowl. Lightly brush over
tops of crescents. Bake in 400 de-
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for topics listed below, please share them
with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include ac
curate measurements, a complete list of ingredients, and clear
instructions with each recipe you submit. Be sure to include your
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fore the publishing date listed below.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O.
Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522.
January
4 Warm Up With Soup
11 Make It With Coffee
18 Make It Healthy
25 Breads, Muffins, More
grees Fahrenheit oven 15 to 18
minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm.
Makes 36 appetizers.
Total preparation and cooking
time: 1 hour.
Cook’s Tip; To make crescents
ahead, prepare and bake as di
rected; cool. Wrap tightly: freeze
for up to 2 weeks. To reheat,
place on lightly greased baking
sheets. Bake in 350 degree Fahr
enheit oven 12 to 13 minutes or
until heated.
Add purchased mixed olives,
seasoned nuts, cheeses, fruits,
crudites with dip, marinated
mushrooms and artichokes from
the supermarket to round out the
menu.
And, don’t forget dessert. De
corated holiday cookies help
carry out the festive theme.
Brownie bites, dusted with con
fectioners’ sugar will satisfy the
craving for chocolate. Eggnog?
Purchase it, pour into a pitcher
or punch bowl, sprinkle with
freshly grated nutmeg and you’re
set
Finally, remember what a dif
ference a garnish makes. Red
dington says take some tips from
chefs. A sprinkling of chopped
parsley, chives or bell pepper
does wonders to enliven a presen
tation. Sprinkle dip with minced
chives or the rim of a erudite
platter with minced parsley. Star
fruit slices make a natural gar
nish for a fruit tray. Add a sprig
of rosemary or thyme to mixed
olives you get the idea.
Most of all, plan foods that you
will feel good about preparing
and serving to your guests, and of
course, that they will enjoy eat
ing.
Party Pointers
(NAPS) Entertaining for
large groups, be it family affairs
or for friends, can be stressful.
The logistics alone might be
daunting. Where do I seat every
one? Do I have enough chairs?
What to do with the f00d...d0 I
need a buffet? How about a bev
erage station?
When you need that extra seat
ing, table, or serving buffet, it can
be as easy as unfolding some ta
bles and chairs.
With this in mind, here are
some of my party pointers and
easy entertaining ideas that will
ensure your next event will be an
organized and successful affair.
Setting The Scene;
• For large parties of 20, try
using two tables in a “T” pat
tern-great for lively conversa
tion.
Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches with Nutty Herb-Cheese Spread and Caramelized Onion
Relish add an elegant touch to a New Year’s party.
• Extra seating is a snap with
folding chairs.
• The Lifetime* Adjustable
Tables are perfect for a tall
bar...or a low “Kiddie” table.
Easy Entertaining Ideas:
• Pick a “theme” and color to
carry throughout your party. Pur
chase fabrics from outlets, and
make your invitations on the
computer using colored paper.
• Build a beautiful buffet with
different heights: Use metal ris
ers, upturned bowls or terracotta
pots covered with cloths, to
create different levels.
• For larger tables, think big
for decoration: big bowls of lem
ons, tall vases with branches tow
ering over the buffet, big pots of
fresh herbs, fruits and flowers.
• Breads tumbling out of wick
er baskets laid on their sides.
• For a sit-down affair cen
terpiece, bring the outdoors
in...arranging branches and
leaves (magnolias work great)
down the center of the table, cre
ating a garland effect, then nestle
fruits, vegetables and herbs in an
around the leaves.
• Place votives or tea light
candles in juice glasses and tuck
into garland. Great solution if
you are on a budget.
• Try “dressing up” the chairs
by wrapping the backs with a
complementing fabric and tie the
back with a “nosegay” of leaves
and herbs.
• Be realistic about what you
can and can’t do.
If you are on a tight budget,
look around you for what is sea
sonal and accessible. Don’t be
afraid to use your imagination.
(A bucket of paint and some old
sheets can create a wonderful
table covering. Or just use giant
philodendron leaves to decorate.
It doesn’t have to be expensive,
but rather a reflection of you hav
ing fun entertaining.
Catering For Company:
• Have a good invitation...this
sets “the stage” for your party.
• Plan the menu two weeks in
advance. Do easy “do-ahead”
dishes, thinking about the fresh
est ingredients, balance of flavors
and how it will all look on the
plate.
• Make as much as you can
ahead of time and freeze or re
frigerate. (Breads, rolls, sauces,
etc.)
• Find out any dietary restric
tions ahead of time and try to ac-
Featured Recipe
BEEF TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES
1 center-cut beef tenderloin roast (2-3 pounds), not tied
'A cup sun-dried tomato spread
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Assorted breads and rolls
Nutty herb-cheese spread (recipe follows)
Carmelized Onion Relish (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Make horizontal cut through center
of beef roast, parellel to surface of meat. Cut to, but not through,
opposite side. Open meat so it lies flat.
Combine sun-dried tomato spread and parsley. Spread length
wise on half of meat. Fold other half of meat over to form origi
nal shape of roast. Tie at l!/2-2-inch intervals with kitchen twine;
trim off excess twine.
Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof
meat thermometer so it is centered in thickest part of beef, not
resting in sun-dried tomato filling. Roast in 425 degree oven
35-40 minutes for medium rare.
Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 135 degrees.
Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Let stand 10 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about
10 degrees to reach 145 degrees for medium rare). Refrigerate
roast several hours or until chilled. If desired, roast can be wrap
ped tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerated up to 2 days.
Carve roast into Vi-inch thick slices.
Assemble sandwiches as desired with breads, spread and rel
ish. Makes 30-35 appetizer servings.
Nutty Herb-Cheese Spread:
Vi cup salted shelled pistachios or slivered blanched almonds
6'/2-ounces garlic and herb cheese spread
Half-and-half
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in single layer in bak
ing pan. Bake in 350 degree oven about 5 minutes for pistachios
or 8 minutes for almonds until lightly toasted, cool slightly.
Coarsely chop.
Combine cheese spread and nuts. Stir in enough half-and-half
to thin to spreading consistency. Makes 1 cup.
Caramelized Onion Relish
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced onions
cloves garlic, minced
'A teaspoon salt
'A teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot.
Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 30 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Stir in brown sugar and vinegar; cook, and stir
until butter has evaporated. Makes 3 A cup.
late.
commoi
• Ask someone to help you in
the kitchen and with cleanup.
• Remember to have good
lighting (lots of candles) and good
music.
• Plan food and decoration to
go with the season.
• Buffet food should be easy to
eat..." Fork food.”
• Have plenty of silverware
and glassware.
For more tips on entertaining,
or information on Deborah Fab
ricant, visit www.artofenter
taining.com. For more informa
tion about Lifetime Products, Inc.
and their products, visit www.li
fetime.com or call
1-800-225-3865.