Cocktail party: round food

[suse]

So I'm having a little drinks & nosh get together tomorrow evening and am making a couple of things tonight - one is little meatballs and the other some mini-souffles made in mini muffin tins. I had planned on buying party tomatoes....I realized that so far everything is round so I thought maybe I'd just make it a theme and stick to round food. Any ideas?!

[BobB]

Perfect for a cocktail party: spicy cheese-olive balls. My recipe here: http://www.chow.com/recipes/12097-bob...

[grayelf]

Too late for the OP but BobB's balls freeze really well (before cooking). Been making them for years at Christmas.

[suse]

Wow. So many amazing ideas. Thank you. Better than I had expected, especially since several of the ideas are easy and I tend to follow the plan: make a couple of things and buy the rest. Would like to a have a recipe for some of the others.

[Mother of four]

Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies. So good.

[Gail]

Pls explain. I know Cheddar and pepper jelly, but the cookie part?

>>>Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies<<<

[Mother of four]

Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies

8 oz (2 cups) Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 TBL (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup flour
1/3 cup hot pepper jelly

Place cheese and butter in a food processor (could be creamed by hand or mixer); add flour and process until the mixture forms a soft dough.

Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until chilled, about 45 minutes. (You really don’t need to chill the dough)

Position two racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 400°.

Line two baking sheets with parchment or use nonstick sheets.

Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll the dough into small balls and place 1 inch apart on the sheets.

Bake 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon or 1/2-inch-thick dowel, poke an indentation in each cookie. I use the handle of my dough whisk to form the indentation for the jelly. Place a dollop of the jelly into the indentations.
Return to the oven and bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.)

Transfer to racks and cool completely. Recipe makes about 20 cookies.

Can be baked up to two days ahead. Store at room temperature in an airtight container and separate layers with wax paper.

[Gail]

Thanks for taking the time to write it out for me. I'm not a baker, but these don't look too dificult and sound wonderfully good.

[Mother of four]

Very,very simple. I make them ahead as balls, freeze on cookie sheet then put in freezer bag. When I am ready to make them I just take them out and follow the instructions for baking. They also keep well for a number of days.

[suse]

What she said.

[weezieduzzit]

BLT stuffed cherry tomatoes

[suse]

Interesting. How do you make these? Do you hollow them out and fill it with small chopped bits?

[weezieduzzit]

Sorry about the delay in getting back here, it's been a busy weekend!

Exactly what you're thinking- hollow the tomatoes, chop the usual ingredients and mix with mayo, season with s&p and fill the tomatoes with the mixture. They're super simple but really tasty- and they're cute. :)

[suse]

Thanks. Next time...they sound yummy.

[katecm]

How cute! Chocolate covered grapes are amazing, and you can make them sweet or savory. You could do baked bite-sized crab balls too. I'd say melon balls, but if you wrapped them with prosciutto you might lose the shape.

[souschef]

Gougeres
Pumpernickel bread rounds topped with smoked salmon or salmon mousse
Tete de Moine cheese
Shrimps
Scallops wrapped in bacon
Braised cippolini onions
Peas, prosciutto, and onions in mini tart shells
Rosemary and parmesan cookies
Phyllo stuffed with good stuff and made into beggars' purses
Thickly sliced cucumbers hollowed out and stuffed with tobiko

[suse]

Intrigued by the peas, prosciutto and onions in mini tart shells. Do you have a recipe (or guideline) for that one handy? Thought about gougeres but the mini-souffles seemed too similar (eggs/gruyere). Next time though.

[souschef]

It's simple. Dice an onion and cook in olive oil till soft. Add cooked peas and diced prosciutto; stir to warm through. Put into baked mini-tart shells to serve. I've made the combination without the tart shells many times when entertaining and it has always been popular.

[Uncle Bob]

Melon balls...

[suse]

I was thinking of melon balls....have you ever macerated them in vodka and a touch simple syrup?

[jlhinwa]

Mozzarella balls
Pickled grapes

[pikawicca]

A wheel of baked Brie, topped with chutney.

[Gail]

Grilled sausage cut in rounds, speared with toothpicks, plated with a bowl of interesting mustard for dip in the middle.
Round Tostito's corn chips topped with bean dip and cheese, popped in oven to melt cheese.

[suse]

Love the sausage idea. Easy!

[Claudette]

Cucumber rounds topped with shrimp and sauce
stuffed mushrooms
macadamia nuts
figs wrapped in prosciutto

[suse]

I'm now regretting not buying that big container of macadamia nuts at Costco the other day...

[ROCKLES]

crostini
carrot chips
ritz crackers with toppings
cheeseball

[beanodc]

Bocconcini with the cherry tomatoes.