Cocktail party recipes from Christy Rost - Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

from Christy Rost, PBS Chef & Author
Celebrating Home: A Handbook For Gracious Living
www.christyrost.com

COCKTAIL MEATBALLS WITH SPICY CRANBERRY GLAZE

Ingredients:

2          pounds ground chuck
1          cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
½         cup red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3          large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1          teaspoon kosher salt
1          teaspoon onion powder
½         teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½         teaspoon cayenne pepper
2          eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the meat, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and eggs.  Mix well with a fork or hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs, and place them on large cookie sheets.  Bake 12 minutes, turn the meatballs over, and bake 12 minutes more. Remove them from the oven, cool several minutes, and remove them from the trays.

Cranberry Glaze

1          14-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
1          14-ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1 ½      cups chili sauce
1/3       cup dry red wine
3          tablespoons brown sugar, packed
½         teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
3          shakes of Tabasco, or to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cranberry sauces, chili sauce, wine, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce, and Tabasco.  Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce the heat to low, add the meatballs, cover, and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are hot.

Yield:  65 meatballs

BRIE CHEESE with PECANS FOSTER

Ingredients:

1    tablespoon unsalted butter
¼    cup dark brown sugar, packed
1    tablespoon light corn syrup
2    teaspoons rum
¼     cup chopped pecans
¼    cup pecan halves
1    small wheel of brie cheese

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add brown sugar, corn syrup, and rum, and stir until the mixture is smooth.  Bring the syrup to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add pecans, reduce the heat to low, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.

When the syrup is cool, arrange the pecan halves along the top edge of a wheel of brie cheese.  Spoon the remaining pecans and syrup over the edge of the cake so it drips down the side.

Serve with crackers, flat bread, or thin slices of toasted baguette.