A Conde Nast Traveler Exclusive: Editor’s Tips + Itineraries Not to Miss
Chef-Favorite Recipes for Holiday and New Year’s Eve Gatherings
‘Tis the season of entertaining – with holiday gatherings, potlucks and New Year’s eve gatherings filling the weeks ahead, I love having a slate of easy-to-prepare appetizer and small bite recipes on hand. I’m sharing some of favorites that you can easily scale up as needed, depending on the size of your gathering: a cheese medley that you prepare individual servings of for a holiday dinner or larger bowl for a group gathering, bite-sized French onion crostini and an elevated take on a class finger food – jalapeño poppers.
Happy cooking and happy holidays from all of us at Oceania Cruises!
CONFETTI CHEESE MEDLEY RECIPE SERVES 4 TO 6
8 ounces assorted cheeses (such as sharp Cheddar, Stilton, Gruyere, Camembert and/or chevre),
room temperature
1⁄3 cup mixed nuts or seeds (such as walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and/or pine nuts), toasted
1⁄3 cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons honey, thinned with 1 tablespoon port wine
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 baguette, sliced, buttered and toasted
In a medium bowl, crumble the cheeses into ¼-inch pieces. Fold in the nuts, cherries and thinned honey. Stir in the lime juice, adjusting the amount to taste. Serve in dessert bowls with the baguette slices.
FRENCH ONION CROSTINI RECIPE
MAKES 8 TOASTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced yellow onions
½ cup beef stock
2 tablespoons cognac
8 slices baguette
¾ cup freshly shredded Gruyere
In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, sweat the onions in the butter, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 30 to 40 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the beef stock and cognac. Sauté until the onions are caramelized and the liquid evaporates.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lay out the baguette slices on the prepared pan. Top each slice with a spoonful of onions and top the onions with the cheese, carefully mounding the cheese around the onions to keep them contained on top of the bread. Bake until browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
JALAPEÑO POPPERS RECIPE
MAKES 24 POPPERS
12 jalapeño peppers
8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese, such as queso Oaxaca or Cotija
2 grilled scallions, minced
¼ cup cilantro leaves, minced
Zest of 1 lime
24 strips thin-sliced bacon
Halve the jalapeños lengthwise and seed them, leaving the stems attached. In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, scallions, cilantro and lime zest and mix well. Stuff each jalapeño half with about 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture, depending on the size of the jalapeños. Wrap each stuffed pepper half in a strip of bacon, wrapping on a diagonal. Place the poppers, stuffing side up, on the prepared pan and bake until the bacon crisps, about 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to 350°F/177°C and bake until the peppers are cooked through, about 8 to 10 more minutes.
About Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Enrichment Kathryn Kelly
Since joining Oceania Cruises in 2011, Chef Kathryn Kelly’s passion for adult learning has been the driving force behind The Culinary Center. While overseeing a faculty of dedicated Chef Instructors, she is the chief architect of more than 100 unique culinary classes as well as our popular Culinary Discovery Tours™, which are immersive chef-led excursions offered in more than 40 destinations worldwide. Chef Kelly completed her doctoral studies in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds two master’s degrees in community medicine and biostatistics. After a fulfilling career in health care, she pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a chef, graduating with honors from The Culinary Institute of America in the fifth decade of her life. Chef Kelly resides on Amelia Island, Florida, and in Austin, Texas. She is an avid golfer and the proud grandmother of Kate, Luke and Jack – who spend cherished hours with their ”YaYa” grilling, cooking and baking for their grateful family.