Cocktail Party Food Ideas
You don't always have to hire a caterer to make and serve gourmet party food at your cocktail party, particularly if you are holding one on a limited budget. Instead, make the food on your own, with these unique cocktail party food ideas mentioned here. The purpose of a cocktail party is to mingle and socialize with guests, and though a cocktail party food menu is integral, the party should not center around it. However, it is necessary to have some appetizers but not a complete sit-down meal at a cocktail party. This requirement has been catered to with these cocktail party food suggestions given here. Take a look.
Recipes for Cocktail Party Food
Think out of the box, and do away with the regular chips and dips. These various unique recipes are simple and perfect for cocktail party food on a budget. They are quick to prepare and allow you enough time to mingle with your guests.
Peppered Tuna with Mayonnaise
Ingredients
For the dip:
- Mayonnaise, cup
- Water, 1 tbsp
- Horseradish powder (Wasabi), 2 tbsp
- Fresh tuna steak, 1 pound
- Soy sauce, 2 tbsp
- Watercress, 1 bunch
- Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp
- Black pepper, freshly ground, 1 tsp
- For the dip, mix together the water and horseradish powder in a small bowl. Now blend in the mayonnaise thoroughly. Cover it and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Cut the tuna into inch cubes, and mix it with the soy sauce in a bowl, till it is completely coated with the sauce. Allow this blend to rest for about 30 minutes.
- On a large plate, place the watercress as a lining, and keep the bowl of mayonnaise on it, in the center.
- Take the tuna out of the soy sauce, and pat it dry. Sprinkle pepper on the tuna, and toss it so it is well coated.
- In a skillet over a medium-high flame, heat the oil and add in the tuna. Cook for about 2 minutes, till the outside has browned, while the inside remains pink.
- Place the tuna on the plate, around the dip, to be served with toothpicks.
Ingredients
- Kale leaves, 12 large
- Olive oil, 1 tbsp
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 250 F.
- Wash and dry the kale leaves. Remove the stems, and ribs. Cut them lengthwise at the center.
- In a large bowl, toss together, the olive oil with the kale leaves, salt and pepper.
- In a baking tray, place the leaves in a single layer, and place the tray in the oven.
- Allow it to bake until the leaves are crisp, for a period of about 30 - 35 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven, and let them cool.
- Place them in a tumbler and serve.
- You may also serve it with a dip of your choice.
Ingredients
- Button mushrooms, stemmed, 2 pounds (diameter-1")
- Feta cheese, crumbled, cup (4 ounces)
- Cream cheese, 4 ounces
- Frozen spinach, thawed, washed and dried,1 package (10 ounce)
- Bacon slices, 8 ounces
- Onion, 1 cup, chopped
- Dried crushed red pepper, tsp
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 375 F.
- In a large skillet, over a medium flame, cook the bacon using a little oil, until it is crisp, for about 8 minutes. Once cooked, place the bacon on paper towels. Crumble the bacon coarsely, once it has cooled. Retain cup and 2 teaspoons of bacon fat, while discarding the rest. You may add some olive oil to the fat to create this amount.
- Over a medium flame, in a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat. Add in the onion and stir until it is tender.
- In a large bowl, put the cooked onion, and toss in the bacon, spinach, cream cheese, feta cheese, and red pepper. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Place foil on 2 large baking sheets. Toss the mushrooms in cup bacon fat, till they are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the mushrooms.
- Place these mushrooms on the baking sheets, with the rounded sides down.
- Allow the mushrooms to bake for about 25 minutes. The mushrooms will fill with liquid in this process.
- Turn the mushrooms over, and allow them to bake for another 20 minutes, until the liquid evaporates.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven, and stuff them with the spinach, bacon and cheese filling until heaped.
- Now bake these stuffed mushrooms in an oven preheated to 375 F, for about 10 minutes. Serve warm on a platter.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese, 1 package, 8 ounces (room temperature)
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, 1 cup (2 ounces)
- Gruyere cheese, cup (1 ounces)
- Whipping cream, 1 cup and 2 tbsp
- Onion, 1 chopped
- Nutmeg, tsp
- Red-skinned potatoes, 1 pound, cut into 1" cubes with skin
- Water, 6 cups
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp
- Parsley, fresh, chopped, 1 tbsp
- In a saucepan over a medium flame, heat the oil and toss in the chopped onions. Cook until tender, for about 4 minutes, and reduce the heat to a low flame.
- Add in the cream cheese, Parmesan and Gruyere cheese. Stir until the entire blend is smooth, for about 3 minutes. Add in the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Remove the blend from the heat.
- In a large saucepan, pour in the water, add in the salt and put the potatoes. Allow them to boil over a high flame. Now reduce the flame till the potatoes are tender. You can check this by piercing them with a skewer.
- Drain them and transfer them to a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and parsley, and toss them to well to coat each piece. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- If prepared in advance, warm the fondue for about 5 minutes on a medium flame, until it is smooth, while the potatoes may be reheated in the oven at 350 F.
- Serve warm in a platter.
