This time of year is all about the easy apps.
No, not the stuff you download to your phone. We’re talking the yummy snacks you nosh on while counting down to the New Year.
Of course, the easiest thing to do is to let someone else do the work for you. Michael McGee, Bistro manager at AJ’s Fine Foods, 2805 E. Skyline Drive in La Encantada, and his crew put together tons of hors d’oeuvres platters throughout December.
“The holidays are about food,” says the father of three boys.
But, if you like to cook, there’s no greater pleasure than watching people enjoy something you made.
“I just love to sit back and watch people talk and then be completely silent when they’re eating,” says McGee, 49, who gravitates toward French cooking techniques. “Just watching their eyes roll back in their head, saying, ‘Oh this is so good.’ It’s fun to make people happy.”
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His suggestions for easy New Year’s nibbles that’ll wow guests:
Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. Blanch the asparagus and spread a little cream cheese onto a slice of prosciutto before wrapping around the spears. If you want to gussy up things, add tomato concasse, essentially fancy, diced tomatoes.
Pinwheels. Spread pesto, cream cheese and roasted red peppers across a whole wheat wrap. Roll it up and slice into pinwheels.
Tempura fruit. Cut up sturdy fruits like apples, pears and kiwi. Dip them into a tempura batter and fry. Serve with lemon curd-poppy seed dressing.