Ideas for Thanksgiving-themed cocktail party food?
November 21, 2014 7:53 AM
I am hosting a Thanksgiving cocktail/housewarming party on Wednesday evening, and I need ideas for festive, on-theme recipes that can stand up to sitting out for a few hours while people graze.
This is the fourth annual "Family-Free Thanksgiving" party, but I usually do the standard spread of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, casseroles, etc. In past years, it's been a pretty traditional dinner-party setup, with 12-15 guests eating at the table. For many reasons, I decided to expand the guest list this year and make it a more informal, open-house-type party. However, as the RSVPs have started to roll in, I'm realizing that my normal menu isn't great for this type of party.
Therefore, I'm looking for Thanksgiving-inspired finger food that can either be served cold or won't suffer too much from sitting out on the buffet for a few hours. Alternatively, ideas for keeping food warm while it sits --- I did get a couple of those disposable buffet trays with the sterno underneath, but I've never used those before and I'm kind of unsure about them. Warm or cold, I would like the food to be minimally messy to eat off a paper plate that you're carrying around.
I'm a relatively experienced cook with a full kitchen, a range hood with warming lights, an embarrassing amount of cooking equipment including a large crock pot, and all of next week off work, so not too many constraints other than the fact that I can't think of anything to cook. Specific recipes and general ideas both welcome. Make-ahead recipes a plus.
This is the fourth annual "Family-Free Thanksgiving" party, but I usually do the standard spread of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, casseroles, etc. In past years, it's been a pretty traditional dinner-party setup, with 12-15 guests eating at the table. For many reasons, I decided to expand the guest list this year and make it a more informal, open-house-type party. However, as the RSVPs have started to roll in, I'm realizing that my normal menu isn't great for this type of party.
Therefore, I'm looking for Thanksgiving-inspired finger food that can either be served cold or won't suffer too much from sitting out on the buffet for a few hours. Alternatively, ideas for keeping food warm while it sits --- I did get a couple of those disposable buffet trays with the sterno underneath, but I've never used those before and I'm kind of unsure about them. Warm or cold, I would like the food to be minimally messy to eat off a paper plate that you're carrying around.
I'm a relatively experienced cook with a full kitchen, a range hood with warming lights, an embarrassing amount of cooking equipment including a large crock pot, and all of next week off work, so not too many constraints other than the fact that I can't think of anything to cook. Specific recipes and general ideas both welcome. Make-ahead recipes a plus.
Beth's Goat Cheese Tartelettes (Easy Thanksgiving…: http://youtube/G2CkcVS8fWE
posted by Fairchild at 8:10 AM on November 21, 2014
posted by Fairchild at 8:10 AM on November 21, 2014
These sugared cranberries are a tasty, sweet little snack you can prepare ahead of time (and if you save the liquid you basically have a cranberry simple syrup, it's great in cocktails). Cheap to make and regular sugar works fine.
posted by troika at 8:14 AM on November 21, 2014
posted by troika at 8:14 AM on November 21, 2014
Potato kabob with yukon and sweet potatoes
Brussels sprouts wrapped in (bacon/ham) on a skewer
Sugared cranberries, perhaps on crackers?
If you make phyllo cups you can put all sorts of things in them - mashed potatoes, sweet potato with a mini marshmallow, diced green beans and mushroom sauce with an onion on top, pumpkin pie, pumpkin mousse.
Mini turkey and cranberry pies
posted by aimedwander at 8:17 AM on November 21, 2014
Brussels sprouts wrapped in (bacon/ham) on a skewer
Sugared cranberries, perhaps on crackers?
If you make phyllo cups you can put all sorts of things in them - mashed potatoes, sweet potato with a mini marshmallow, diced green beans and mushroom sauce with an onion on top, pumpkin pie, pumpkin mousse.
Mini turkey and cranberry pies
posted by aimedwander at 8:17 AM on November 21, 2014
Bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts on toothpicks
Mini turkey pot pies
Potato leek soup shooters
Stuffing bites (bake stuffing in mini muffin tins)
Caramelized butternut squash bites or butternut squash and sage flatbread
Cranberry compote w/ goat cheese crostini
Pie bites (use puff pastry shells or pie crust in mini muffin tins; make pie filling as usual)
In the crock pot I'd do mulled cider or wine.
Many of these will need to be warm-ish. I like to have my baking sheets ready to go and then stagger pulling things out of the oven every 20 mins or so. You can also have some stuff cool-ish, but put something like hot gravy in a crock pot (make sure you supply bowls): e.g., cold/cool stuffing bite, dip in hot gravy = warm stuffing and gravy bite.
posted by melissasaurus at 8:21 AM on November 21, 2014
Mini turkey pot pies
Potato leek soup shooters
Stuffing bites (bake stuffing in mini muffin tins)
Caramelized butternut squash bites or butternut squash and sage flatbread
Cranberry compote w/ goat cheese crostini
Pie bites (use puff pastry shells or pie crust in mini muffin tins; make pie filling as usual)
In the crock pot I'd do mulled cider or wine.
Many of these will need to be warm-ish. I like to have my baking sheets ready to go and then stagger pulling things out of the oven every 20 mins or so. You can also have some stuff cool-ish, but put something like hot gravy in a crock pot (make sure you supply bowls): e.g., cold/cool stuffing bite, dip in hot gravy = warm stuffing and gravy bite.
posted by melissasaurus at 8:21 AM on November 21, 2014
I think this one does require baking at the last minute or you'll loose the crispyness of the edges, but this sweet potato roast is a much prettier composition of a sweet potato dish I've been making for years, and it is perfect for grazing.
This brussels sprouts and mushroom lasagna looks amazing, and I think would work fine in bite-size bits at room temperature or in the chafing dish.
I think your best bang for crock pot buck is mashed potatoes (this recipe is made entirely in the crock, no boiling required), as long as you're going to have plates and forks. You can sink a pint glass or similar vessel into the finished potatoes and put warm gravy in it, and it'll keep warm as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:43 AM on November 21, 2014
This brussels sprouts and mushroom lasagna looks amazing, and I think would work fine in bite-size bits at room temperature or in the chafing dish.
I think your best bang for crock pot buck is mashed potatoes (this recipe is made entirely in the crock, no boiling required), as long as you're going to have plates and forks. You can sink a pint glass or similar vessel into the finished potatoes and put warm gravy in it, and it'll keep warm as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:43 AM on November 21, 2014
Also these pull-apart stuffing-flavored rolls and/or the regular garlic knot version.
I recommend making several batches, baking them well ahead in foil pie pans but maybe stopping 3-4 minutes shy so they're not really brown yet, and freezing them in the pie pan. Just pull them to thaw the night before, pop them in the oven while it's warm for something else, and then take them out of the pie pan and serve on a plate. You can put them in the oven frozen, but you may want to wrap in foil so they don't burn, until the last couple of minutes.
You might plan to make significantly more than you think you need. If they don't get used, you will have instant potluck mojo (or, you know, buns for Leftovers Sliders) in your freezer.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:53 AM on November 21, 2014
I recommend making several batches, baking them well ahead in foil pie pans but maybe stopping 3-4 minutes shy so they're not really brown yet, and freezing them in the pie pan. Just pull them to thaw the night before, pop them in the oven while it's warm for something else, and then take them out of the pie pan and serve on a plate. You can put them in the oven frozen, but you may want to wrap in foil so they don't burn, until the last couple of minutes.
You might plan to make significantly more than you think you need. If they don't get used, you will have instant potluck mojo (or, you know, buns for Leftovers Sliders) in your freezer.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:53 AM on November 21, 2014
A crockpot of turkey cocktail meatballs but made with cranberry sauce instead of grape jelly.
posted by gatorae at 10:10 AM on November 21, 2014
posted by gatorae at 10:10 AM on November 21, 2014
Pears? Perhaps prosciutto-wrapped pears or a gorgonzola-grilled pear crostini or roasted baby pears with herbed goat cheese (sub in other cheeses, don't grill the pear—lots of possible variations). Also delicious: roasted nuts.
posted by JackBurden at 1:02 PM on November 21, 2014
posted by JackBurden at 1:02 PM on November 21, 2014
Puff pastry tarte works well as party food. For a thanksgiving theme, maybe thinly sliced sweet potato and carmelized onion? Bit of crumbled goat cheese and thyme?
posted by Diablevert at 1:19 PM on November 21, 2014
posted by Diablevert at 1:19 PM on November 21, 2014
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Haven't tried it before, but I love charcuterie and I bet you could easily confit a turkey leg and then shred the meat and either serve as-is or turn it into a rillette.
For potatoes... little tartlet cups filled with mash and cheese? The caterer for our wedding made these stuffed, roasted baby potatoes that were pretty killer (cut potatoes in half, scoop out a little hole, add filling, roast).
posted by backseatpilot at 8:03 AM on November 21, 2014