One-bite wonders

Chicago Tribune

A New Year’s party often means open season on the host’s resources. Whether you use a caterer or prepare the food yourself, it’s possible to offer guests a feast for their senses without a feast on your nerves.

One secret to simple sophistication: “One-bite wonders,” said Elaina Vazquez, owner and executive chef of Chicago catering company Boutique Bites. “They’re not messy and there’s not a lot involved.”

Guests appreciate smaller hors d’oeuvres over four- or five-bite appetizers. “You pop it in your mouth and it’s done,” she said. No fumbling with crumbling foundations or talking with your mouth full.

Restaurant-quality nibbles, not standard chips and salsa, are feasible and affordable, even for the do-it-yourselfer. Vazquez advises starting with inexpensive, versatile and hearty ingredients such as polenta, chorizo and pasta. A sauce adds instant zing. Plus, most sauces can be made the day before, then heated in the microwave the day of. “I don’t even dirty a saucepan,” Vazquez said.

Polenta cakes with tomato jam and goat cheese, and dates with chorizo are elegant but easy.

“People don’t think about polenta. But there’s so much you can do to it. You can add different herbs. Chopped tarragon. Saffron. Every single time, at our tasting events, clients always choose it.”

Focus on complementary bites. “I always incorporate one spicy and one or two comfort ones, and then I usually like to have one upscale one, like a buckwheat-flour blini with smoked salmon and cr ®me fra Æche.”

Her shrimp lollipops happen to be economical because Vazquez butterflies the shrimp so that one turns into two, to make them manageable in one bite.

Mac-n-cheese bites, with white cheddar, Gruy ®re and Parmesan cheeses, fulfill the comfort-food requirement of a winter fete, but are easily elevated. She bakes then chills the macaroni and cheese the day before, then cuts out circles with a ring cutter. “The day of the party we reheat until they’re just warm — you want guests to be able to pick them up.” She sprinkles minced chives on top.

“The good thing about hors d’oeuvres, unless you’re getting into caviar, is that since they are so small, they’re not really going to cost you a lot.”

As a ballpark estimate, for an hors d’oeuvres and cocktail party, she recommends planning 10 to 12 bites per guest per hour and a half. A rough budget for a DIY host would be about $7 to $10 a person; for catered bites, $15 to $20.

“The only thing I like to do the day of is assembly and garnish and reheating,” she said.

“The last thing you want on the day of is to be stressed out. If I can, I set the table the day before. The more you can do the day before, it really frees you up to enjoy the party.”

PARTY TRIOS FROM CATERER ELAINA VAZQUEZ

3 to avoid

A one-dimensional table. “Height is always a good thing. I use risers, and you can get them at CB2 or Crate & Barrel,” Vazquez said. Even cake pans can be pulled out to add height.

Chips and salsa. Guests standing at the bowl can create a blockade.

Olives with pits. “You can find any kind of olive pitted.”

3 to remember

Sufficient glassware. “You don’t really want to be washing and drying to replenish,” Vazquez said. “You don’t have to go out and buy it, you can rent it — or there are nice options in disposables.”

A shot glass or other vessel for disposal of toothpicks/skewers. (Place on the side of the platter and stick one pick in it, so guests know what it’s for.)

Cocktail napkins and disposable towels for the bathroom.

3 to trade

Table cloths: “I always like the look of just the table, even if it’s distressed wood,” Vazquez said. “Then I use different serving pieces and garnishes to make the table pop.”

Flowers. In winter, consider potted herbs, flowering artichokes or kale, or branches in a simple cylinder. “Branches are great because they have such height,” Vazquez said.

New platters. Disguise humble serving trays with banana leaves cut to the size of the plate. They also hide residual juice from foods such as skewered meatballs. They can be found in the freezer section at some produce stores.

BACON-WRAPPED DATES WITH CHORIZO AND RED PEPPER SAUCE

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Makes: 1 dozen, 4 servings

Have wooden picks handy for guests to spear the dates.

12 dates, pits removed

6 ounces Mexican chorizo, removed from casing

6 slices bacon, cut in half horizontally

1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika

1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, liquid drained, diced

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff each date with about 1/2 teaspoon of the chorizo. Wrap each with 1/2 strip of bacon. Arrange dates on a baking pan; bake in the oven until bacon is crispy, about 22 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat; add paprika. Cook just until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add peppers and tomato sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add to a food processor or blender; pulse until almost smooth. Keep warm. Remove dates from oven; dab with paper towels. Pour the warm sauce on a platter. Top with dates.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 336 calories, 55 percent of calories from fat, 21 grams fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 23 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 1,006 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

POLENTA CAKES WITH TOMATO JAM AND GOAT CHEESE

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes: About 80 cakes, 20 servings

You could make the polenta cakes a day ahead, including the frying. When ready to serve, top with tomato sauce and goat cheese and heat in the oven.

5 cups water

1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups instant polenta

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 can (12 ounces) diced tomatoes in sauce

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1. Heat water and cream to a simmer in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the salt. Whisk in polenta in a steady stream, until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a greased 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking pan. Cover polenta with parchment paper; refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours.

2. Heat diced tomatoes in sauce to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add tomato paste; cook 5 minutes. Add sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to a food processor or blender; pulse until slightly chunky. Keep warm.

3. Cut 11/2-inch shapes out of the polenta (squares, circles, diamonds). Heat olive oil in a medium skillet; add polenta shapes in batches. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 16 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Dab with more paper towels. Place polenta on serving platter; top each with a little of the tomato jam and goat cheese. Serve warm.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 182 calories, 61 percent of calories from fat, 12 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 38 milligrams cholesterol, 14 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 905 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.