Hosting a Christmas party for my employees. Would love some quick and easy favs for a gourmet style finger food selection.

Thanks everyone! Hope you all are getting in the spirit!!

Grape jelly, mustard and cocktail wieners in crockpot, we always called them sundown doggies.

But for real get a nice charcuterie and cheese plate

Bacon wrapped dates

Candied Bacon

Smoked Brie & Apricot Perserves

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Brie Cheese
• 1/2 cup Apricot Preserves
• 1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence, dry
• Baguette (or pita chips)

Remove rind from cheese and place in oven-safe skillet (cast iron makes for nice presentation). Top with preserves and herbs. Cook in oven or BBQ until cheese is melted (about 30 min at 350).

Brie wrapped in crescent roll dough and baked is also really damn good.

beef tenderloin, rolls, creamy horseradish. shrimp, cocktail sauce.

CharlieBrown17 said:

---

Brie wrapped in crescent roll dough and baked is also really damn good.

---

I do something similar but I wrap it in a puff pastry dough sheet. First I set the Brie on the puff pastry sheet, then slice the Brie in half and sprinkle in dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and drizzle with honey. Put the two halves together and fold the puff pastry sheet up around the top. You can apply an egg wash to make it shiny if you like. Then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until brown. Serve with crackers.

I also like to do toothpicks with cherry tomatoes, a basil leaf and a small mozzarella ball and serve with a basil vinaigrette or balsamic vinaigrette drizzle.

Toppings are the best part

We usually mix it up with what goes on it so I left any other ideas to the OPs imagination

Keeper of The Spirits said:

---

Grape jelly, mustard and cocktail wieners in crockpot, we always called them sundown doggies.

---

Username fail. You misspelled Crown Royal as "mustard" in your ingredient list.

Crab cakes
Bruschetta
Mini quiche
Beluga caviar and saltines

Funeral sandwiches
Wolf Brand chili, grape jelly, frozen meatballs

Bacon wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates were a big hit at a party I hosted Saturday.

Medjur dates stuffed with goat cheese + mascarpone wrapped in prosciutto di parma... delicious!

And since you're going to have prosciutto on hand, you might as well skewer some of that with melon balls for another app.

And as long as you have additional skewers on hand, marinate some artichoke hearts (and hearts of palm) in a zippy Italian dressing for another app.

And if you've done all or any of this, you can't go wrong with an assorted olive plate.

Quote:

---

It doesn't matter how classy the shindig, everyone loves pigs in a blanket.

---

For reasons that no one can seem to agree with, those are called "monkey puns" in my family. The story changes each year, but it generally has to do with one of the grandchildren saying "they looked like monkey puns" to my grandmother many moons ago. The parties involved tend to change with whoever tells the story.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I took a variation of this to a party recently. I prepared the original recipe from The French Laundry cookbook, and made my own reduction using a 2004 Warres LBV port.

I may make this variation for another party that we have next weekend.


https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-coldrec4aug23-story.html

Whipped Brie de Meaux with Tellicherry pepper and fig compote

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Note: The whipped Brie is adapted from a recipe in "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller. Brie de Meaux, which is creamier and nuttier than regular Brie, is available at Bristol Farms markets, the Beverly Hills Cheese Store, Say Cheese in Los Angeles, and the Cheesestore of Silverlake.
1 cup quartered fresh Black Mission figs (about 5 figs)
1/4 cup Port wine
12 ounces chilled Brie de Meaux
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
Tellicherry pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
18 thin slices baguette, cut on the bias
Fleur de sel
1. Put the figs and wine in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until most of the Port has reduced, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
2. Remove the rind from the Brie; you should have about 8 ounces left. Put the cold cheese into a mixer with a paddle attachment and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides from time to time, for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is very white and creamy. Beat in the pepper.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Drizzle about one-eighth teaspoon of balsamic vinegar over each slice of baguette in a thin line, brush lightly with oil on both sides and cook each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Brown the bread in batches. Remove from the heat and reserve. (The bread can be stored in a plastic bag or container until needed.)
4. For each serving put a crouton on the plate, then angle a quenelle of Brie over the crouton. Top with a second crouton and another quenelle of Brie, then another crouton. Place about a tablespoon of the fig compote and a sprinkle of fleur de sel next to the stack and serve immediately. Repeat for six plates total.
Each serving: 375 calories; 15 grams protein; 25 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 57 mg. cholesterol; 532 mg. sodium.