June 19, 2011

Cocktail Party, Full Circle

To celebrate my high school graduation, my mom threw a lovely party catered by Elephant's Delicatessan. There was a huge spread including teriyaki salmon bites with wasabi mayo, sesame chicken satays and plenty of lemon bars. Just before the guests arrive, I came down to survey the dining room table. What I discovered led to a full blown tantrum: there was no cheese platter. "What do you mean we don't need it?" I screamed, "If we were only going to have one thing, it would be a cheese platter!" So I took action. I stormed out of the house, drove down to Wizers grocery and purchased a dozen cheeses and the appropriate accoutrements. Instead of greeting my friends, I huffily sliced baguettes and arranged grapes on a tray. Now, while this wasn't my finest moment, I realized last week just how far I've come. While planning a menu for a cocktail party, my friend suggested a cheese platter, as everyone likes it. And she's right, they do. But we didn't need it. The tomato, thai basil & mozzarella crostini plus the ricotta, stone fruit & balsamic syrup crostini were enough. The moral of the story: my mom was right. While there is always room for charcuterie and cheese, sometimes it's nice to add a little seasonal variety to cocktail fare. I even attempted to recreate Elephant's famous teriyaki salmon bites. I marinated one-inch cubes of wild Alaskan salmon in teriyaki sauce and simple roasted them on tin foil in a 500 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then, I finished them off under the broiler for one minute. For the dip, simply mix wasabi or sriracha with mayonnaise and a little lemon juice until desired spiciness. Kind of insane...like my behavior.
The Menu

teriyaki salmon bites with wasabi mayo

chicken satays with peanut sauce

smashed avocado, red pepper flakes, lemon on whole wheat toast points

tomato, thai basil and mozzarella crostini

ricotta, stone fruit, arugula and balsamic syrup crostini

sesame noodles with red peppers and scallions

green bean and chickpea salad

little gems with japanese cucumber and green goddess dressing

cookie plate

chocolate espresso, strawberry shortcake & lemon ricotta

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your crostini look amazing...lucky you who lives near so many farmers markets to get such great looking veggies...and 'little gems'...I want that salad right now, for breakfast! SO mature to say that Mom is always right :)

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