Trend Talk: Luxe New Year's Eve Party For Less

Trend Talk: Luxe New Year's Eve Party For Less

Great Party Wines

Inexpensive, versatile, delicious wines, perfect for New Year's Eve:
Segura Viudas Aria Cava ($12) -- all-purpose sparkling wine in place of champagne. **Pair with marcona almonds. It's a classic pairing.

Antinori Villa Antinori Bianco ($12) -- all-purpose white wine. **Serve with Taralli, those little ring-shaped Italian crackers (esp. w/ rosemary). They're a nice combo.

Magnificent Wine Company "House Red" ($12) -- all-purpose red wine. **If you did a mix of nuts, particularly walnuts, with something like dried cherries, that'd be a nice pair for the red. Also amazingly good are the rosemary-maple cashews from Gifts We Like to Give story.

Wine Cocktails: Pitcher Solutions

Mixing cocktails one by one is impractical at a big party, so instead try this pitcher drink:
Frost Nip

The Ultimate American Cheese Plate
Fox & Obel or Trotter's To Go

The perfect cheese plate should include a mix of fresh, aged, soft and hard cheeses, arranged in the order in which they should be tasted: from the lightest and freshest to the ripest and most intense.

1.Fresh Cheeses

Ready to eat as soon as they are made – no aging required.
Generally have mild, minerally flavors of their primary ingredients: milk and salt.
Example: Fresh Mozzarella from Crave Brothers Dairy Farm, Waterloo, WI

2. Soft-Ripened Cheeses

Distinguished by their white “bloomy” rinds and creamy interiors, soft-ripened cheese get softer instead of harder as they age.
Best known are Brie and Camembert.
Example: Green Hill from Sweet Grass Dairy, Thomasville, GA
3. Washed-Rind Cheeses

Get their characteristic orange-pink rinds from being "washed" (rubbed, really) with a solution of salt water and beneficial bacteria
Often described as stinking (in a good way), washed-rind cheeses can smell stronger than they taste.
Example: Grayson from Meadow Creek Dairy, Galax, VA

The Best Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres One great way to save at a party is to have food with high-impact flavors. These comfort-food classics are transformed into irresistible hors d'oeuvres:

Bagel Chips with Ricotta, Chive Puree and Prosciutto

Using bagel chips as the base for an hors d'oeuvre is a quick way to add flavor and crunch. Top the chips with fresh ricotta, chive puree and prosciutto. As an alternative, you can use dried apricot halves in place of the chips.

Ginger Beef and Pork Toasts

These crispy, Asian-inspired hors d'oeuvres are similar to shrimp toasts (flavored shrimp paste spread on bread and fried), except they're made with a succulent combination of beef and pork.

Greek Salad Skewers with Anchovy Aioli

For a playful presentation, slide a fat, flat slice of cucumber onto the bottom of each skewer, so these hors d'oeuvres can stand upright on a serving platter.