Appetizers, a New Year’s Eve Tradition
I love New Year’s Eve. I always have. I love the celebration and revelry, the noise and the glitter. Everyone is happy. It’s a joyous holiday, full of pomp and excess. And I love my tradition of feasting on a wide variety of small bites and appetizers throughout the evening.
It wasn’t always my tradition to serve appetizers on New Year’s Eve. About 20 years ago a new couple moved to town and we invited them to spend New Year’s Eve with us. Our oldest was a baby at the time and we needed a night of celebration to break the routine of dealing with an infant, despite the exhaustion it would bring for several days to follow. Our new friends described their tradition of nibbling on appetizers on New Year’s Eve. We immediately opted in, and I, the one who loves small plates and tapas and mezze and dim sum, took it to heart.
Our friends brought a few small dishes; an appropriate amount of food for the four people that we were. I cooked for a party of 25. I made appetizer after appetizer. And why cook enough for us to have just one bite of each? After all, if you’re cooking, it makes sense to prepare a reasonable amount of a dish, not just a bite or two. Right?
While our guests prepared their food to be served all at one time, I wanted the small bites to last all night, a little at a time. So every hour there would be another dish ready. At 12:45, already in the New Year, the kitchen timer rang, signaling one final dish. Our new friends must have thought I was insane. No one was hungry and everyone just wanted to go to bed. But the kitchen timer insisted that we all just have one more bite.
Despite, or perhaps because of my insanity in the kitchen, we spent many a New Year’s Eve with our friends. And I still carry on that feeling of joy and excess by preparing appetizers for guests or small plates for my wife to celebrate the New Year.
Anyone can serve appetizers on New Year’s Eve without too much effort, it just takes a little forethought. And while some may be thinking that they don’t want to cook a myriad of dishes, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Prepare one or two simple dishes yourself, and buy the others.
I have listed below some of my favorite appetizers that I have written about over the last year (with links to their recipes). But you can supplement these with items that you have purchased. A beautiful charcuterie board with a couple of meats, cheeses, fruit, and olives is a perfect place to start. Trader Joe’s has a large variety of decent frozen appetizers that just need to be put in the oven to be warmed. They also sell little jars of spreads that can be smeared on toasts, perhaps topped by sour cream and inexpensive caviar to make them elegant for a New Year’s Eve celebration. Many stores sell cans of stuffed grape leaves and jars of roasted peppers. Even your neighborhood supermarket will have pigs-in-a-blanket in the freezer section and tins of fancy fish that can be opened and eaten over crusty bread.
It doesn’t need to be a big chore to serve your guests on New Year’s Eve. Just don’t make enough food to feed an army if you are only celebrating with a small crowd, and don’t force them to eat any more after the ball has dropped.
Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Manchego Cheese
Endive Boats with Caramelized Walnuts, Blue Cheese, and Asian Pear
Butternut Squash-Stuffed Mushrooms
Onion, Olive, and Rosemary Focaccia
Truffle Potato and Caramelized Onion Tart
Happy New Year…enjoy each day..one small bite at a time.
You too Sue – Happy New Year!
Ahh, Max. …our friendship was indeed kindled 20 years ago. Quite an anniversary to honor. That tradition we introduced originated on NYE 1980. I was babysitting alone next door and my mom, feeling sorry for me, delivered a series of appetizers over the course of the night You took it to a whole new level and New Year’s hasn’t been the same since. Love and miss you and your family so much.
It is a great tradition! Thanks for introducing it into our lives. Miss you too, but we will see you soon.