TASTY TIDBITS let the good times roll

By JACKIE BURRELL

As auld lang syne time rolls around this year, partygoers everywhere will bid adieu to 2009 with more than a little relief. That New Year Baby better be packing flu shots, a revived economy, some drought-ending rainstorms and a little razzle dazzle in his confetti-strewn diaper bag.

But the holidays are all about hope — and the joy of spending time with friends and family. So here’s our present to you, with a little assist from experts near and far: 20 great party tips from nibbles and nuts to skewers and spears. (We’ve included recipes for anything where ingredient quantity matters. Where spontaneity works, we’ve merely described.)

Go ahead. Pick a handful to try: Greek-style zucchini fritters, perhaps, Waldorf endive spears and a scallion crepe that turns a little bit of salmon into a whole lot of luxe, without stressing the pocketbook. Finish it off with tiny fruit napoleons or a key lime white chocolate cheesecake that takes all of five minutes to make.

Lift your glass and toast the new decade.

Don’t just serve drinks — the new trend in upscale parties is signature cocktails, Roman-themed cocktails at a Berkeley Rep party for “You, Nero,” for example, or a Cranberry Kiss for a holiday fete on the Peninsula. Mix your favorite libation, give it a new name and voil °.

Or, make a simple syrup of 6 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup water, bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is clear, 4-5 minutes; stir in 3‚Ñ4 cup fresh lemon juice and chill. Add 3 cups cranberry juice, a splash of vodka (or seltzer water) and serve over ice with a lemon twist — we’re calling it a Mercury Drop and madly celebrating because cranberry and citrus is healthier, prettier and cheaper than any martini.

Bay Area caterer Paula LeDuc is the queen of whimsical, special touches, and her staff often offers guests their own little stash of spiced nuts or tiny cookies, neatly packaged in decorative paper cones. They make a fetching display, especially when you use triangles of colorful, coordinated paper to roll the cones. (And in this age of influenza worries, it also eliminates any worries about communal nut bowls.)

Tiny French macaroons or coin-sized gingersnaps are wonderful served this way, but we also like pecan halves that have been tossed in a little simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar work best here; boil for the usual 4-5 minutes), salted and roasted at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. For a spicy kick, add cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder to the syrup. For more color, use a mixture of pistachios, cashews and pecans. When cool, toss with dried cranberries.

Or, take a tip from Simi chef Eric Lee, who pairs Bleu Cheese Oreos with the Healdsburg winery’s cabernet. The mixture of bittersweet chocolate and blue cheese is for adventurous palates, but the filling — equal parts Gorgonzola dolce (or any good bleu cheese) and mascarpone — is divine with sweet wheat crackers. Add chives and dried cranberries, for color, then form a log and roll it in chopped walnuts.

Beaucoup bruschetta

Brush baguette slices with olive oil (warm the oil with a crushed garlic clove for more flavor). Then toast the bread in a 350-degree oven for 5-8 minutes. Linda Wyner, whose hors d’oeuvres 101 class is a particularly popular offering at Pleasanton’s Pans of Fire boutique, tops her bruschetta with a smear of mascarpone, a little prosciutto and some thinly sliced figs, which have been soaked in marsala wine.

Also lovely: A dab of whipped cream cheese blended with pesto, topped with thinly sliced tomatoes, slivered purple onion and fresh mozzarella that has been marinated in basil-infused olive oil.

Or, turn that perennial favorite, artichoke-parmesan dip, into a bruschetta topping. Toss finely chopped, marinated artichoke hearts with grated lemon zest, minced chives and shredded parmesan. Add just enough mayonnaise to bind and place a dollop on each baguette slice.

Divine vegetables

Spears of Belgian endive make handy, edible holders for all sorts of tasty hors d’oeuvres. Wyner suggests filling the spears with a gorgonzola-scented Waldorf salad (see recipe), but the artichoke-parmesan mixture above would work well, too.

Mini-fritters, such as the Greek-style zucchini cakes (see recipe) in Jennifer Joyce’s “Small Bites” cookbook (DK Publishing) offer farmers market flair — the tiny, fried fritters are laden with shredded Italian squash and fresh mint, and dipped in a dill-yogurt sauce — and plenty of flavor. The dill dip is marvelous with crudites, too.

Lovely lox

Williams Sonoma’s experts suggest you cook up a batch of crepes using your favorite recipe, but sprinkle the still-wet batter with sliced scallions and minced fresh dill as you cook them. When cool, spread the crepes with whipped cream cheese, and add a layer of very thinly sliced smoked salmon. Roll tightly, wrap in plastic, and chill. Slice in spirals to serve.

Spears and skewers

Yoshi’s Sho Kamio suggests adding small skewers of Muscovy duck and grilled leeks (see recipe) to your party menu for added pizzazz, while Ming Tsai, who hosts the PBS cooking show, “Simply Ming,” opts for ponzu-glazed prawns and bacon. Tsai rolls a strip of bacon around each raw prawn, dips it into a mixture of 1‚Ñ2 cup ponzu (available in the Asian food aisle) and 2 tablespoons of agave nectar or honey, then arranges it on a radicchio-lined, ovenproof plate. Drizzle the ponzu mixture over the exposed radicchio leaves too, then broil for about 3 minutes per side.

A sweet suite

Finish the evening with something sweet. Chocolate-dipped anything is always a crowd-pleaser, but you might try dunking dried apricots or pineapple into the melted chocolate. Or go glamorous with tiny fruit napoleons (recipes included) or key lime and white chocolate cheesecake bars.

WALDORF SALAD IN ENDIVE SPEARS

30-40 spears Belgian endive

1‚Ñ2 cup light mayonnaise

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Salt, pepper

1‚Ñ2 cup crumbed Stilton or Gorgonzola cheese

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 sweet-tart apples, such as Granny Smith

Rinse the individual endive spears and pat dry.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper. Taste and add more sugar, salt and pepper as desired. Stir in the crumbled cheese.

Core apples and cut into a very small dice. Toss cheese mixture with apples and walnuts. Place a dollop at the base of each endive spear and serve.

Linda Wyner, Pans on Fire

SKEWERS OF GRILLED MAPLE LEAF DUCK BREAST

Find Japanese leeks at Asian markets or Berkeley Bowl, or substitute scallions.

2 6-ounce Muscovy duck breasts

1 bunch Tokyo negi or

Japanese leeks

2 cups sake

Small handful black peppercorns

Skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes

Tamari Balsamic Reduction

2 cups balsamic vinegar

Tamari soy sauce to taste

Marinate the duck breast in the sake and peppercorns for 20 minutes.

Using a barbecue or grill pan, lightly grill the Tokyo negi or leeks, removing them before they become too soft. Cut into small pieces, a 1‚Ñ2-inch or so; set aside.

Remove the duck from marinade, pat dry and cut into 1‚Ñ2-inch cubes, making sure to keep the skin intact on each piece.

Thread skewers, alternating duck meat and negi, so you have 3 pieces of duck and 2 of negi on each. (If you push the skewer down and back up through the skin, pulling the skin taut, it makes the skin really crispy.)

Meanwhile, reduce the balsamic vinegar over low heat until it thickens to a caramel sauce consistency. Add tamari soy sauce one teaspoon at a time until the sauce loosens up slightly and has a salty quality to it. Cool in pan.

Season skewers with salt and pepper and grill until medium, 4 minutes on the skin side first, and then 2 minutes on the other side. Drizzle balsamic reduction over the skewers and serve.

Sho Kamio, executive chef, Yoshi’s Oakland, Calif.

ZUCCHINI CAKES

Makes 15-18

1 pound small zucchini, grated, salted and drained

13‚Ñ4 cups breadcrumbs, divided

4 scallions, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2‚Ñ3 cup feta, crumbled

1‚Ñ2 cup fresh mint, chopped

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt, pepper

Olive oil for frying

Dill yogurt dip

1 cup Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Salt, pepper to taste

Squeeze zucchini dry, then mix with 1‚Ñ2 cup breadcrumbs, scallions, eggs, feta, mint, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Form into 15-18 small, plump patties.

Pour the rest of the breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl and coat the zucchini cakes with breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, mix the dip ingredients until smooth.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add a 1‚Ñ2 inch or so of olive oil and heat until a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in. Fry the patties for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little more salt, if needed. Serve with the dill yogurt sauce for dipping.

Adapted from Jennifer Joyce’s “Small Bites” (DK Publishing 2005)

FRUIT NAPOLEONS

Serves 24

1‚Ñ2 package Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups fresh (or frozen, defrosted) strawberries or raspberries

Granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Thinly slice and lightly chop hulled strawberries. Mix with 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar and allow berries to macerate. Drain before assembling napoleons.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut into 24 or so small squares. Place the pastry squares on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the egg mixture. Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste. Split the pastries midway between the top and bottom layers. Place a dollop of whipped cream on one-half of each pastry. Top with a small spoonful of berries and the other half of the pastry.

Linda Wyner, adapted from a Pepperidge Farm recipe

KEY LIME WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BARS

24 Oreos

1‚Ñ4 cup butter, melted

1‚Ñ2 cup whipping cream

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fresh key lime juice

1 teaspoon or more freshly grated lime zest

6 ounces white chocolate, melted

Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil, letting the foil extend over sides for easy lifting later. Using a food processor, pulverize the cookies. Add the melted butter, then press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of the pan to form a crust. Chill. Wipe processor bowl with a paper towel to remove cookie residue.

In a mixer, beat the cream until peaks form.

Place the cream cheese, sugar, lime juice and zest in the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and blend. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over crust and chill at least 2 hours.

Lift cheesecake from pan and cut into small squares. Garnish with white chocolate curls and lime twists, if desired.

Adapted from “Bon Appetit Celebrations Deck” (Chronicle Books 2009)