Easy Cocktail Party

A knowledgeful person tending the bar is helpful.

Ingredients

• This menu can serve as many or few as you invite.
• The "Big" cocktail this season is the Cosmopolitan. Trust me, I just hosted a group of 75 hungry 'with it' mixed age individuals. We had a designated Bar tender who did Cosmopolitans for 3 hours.
• Cosmopolitan Cocktail:
• 1 1/4 oz. Absolut citron Vodka (about 2 1/2 Tbls.)
• 1/4 oz. Rose" lime juice (about 3/4 Tbls.)
• 1/4 oz. triple Sec or Cointreau (about 3/4 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup ice cubes
• Garnish: Lime twist
• In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients. Shake well and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with lime.
• Cheese Olives:
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
• 2 drops Tabasco
• 40 small olives stuffed with piemento or onion. or small cocktail onions, or a mix
• Souffle filled potatoes:
• 40 very smalln new potatoes or 20 slightly larger ones
• Tbl. butter
• 1 Tbl. flour
• 6 Tbls. milk
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt to taste
• Dash Worchestershire sauce
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 egg separated
• 1 egg white
• Tarragon Scented Shrimp Pasties:
• cream cheese pastry-
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsps. milk
• Shrimp Filling:
• 1 cup mashed, cooked shrimp (can use frozen or canned)
• 4 green onions, minced
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. tarragon
• 2 tsps. lemon juice
• 4 Tbls. ayonnaise
• Salt to taste
• Mushroom sausage Crustades:
• Croustades:
• Butter
• 18 slices white bread cut into 3-inch rounds and flattened
• Filling:
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 Tbls. finely chopped Shallots
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 Tbls. flour
• 1-1/2 Tbls. finely chopped chives
• 1 Tbl. finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Cayenne pepper
• 1/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbls fresh grated Parmesn cheese

Directions

Cheese Olives:
Combine cheese, flour, butter, Worchestershire and Tabasco sauce in a mixing bowl. knead until well combined and pliable. Form into 1-inch balls and press an onion or olive into center. Reshape ball to enclose onion or olive. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400*F. for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. These may be frozen ahead of time and baked for 20-25 minutes.

Souffle filled potatoes:
Preheat oven to 425*F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Bring salted water to a boil and boil potatoes for 8 minutes until skin can be pierced easily with a fork. Using a melon baller, make a well in the top of each potato. If using the larger potatoes, cut in half and hollow out the center. Place potatoes, hollow side up on cookie sheet. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour.Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and add mustard, salt, Worchestershire sauce, and cheese; whisk. Add egg yolk and whisk. In a separate bowl whip the 2 egg whites until they stand in peaks but are not dry; fold into cheese mixture. Using a pastry bag or small spoon, fill potato cups with souffle mixture. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes until the souffles have risen and are golden brown.

Taragon Scented Shrimp Pastries:

Pastry:
Mix butter, cream cheese, salt, and flour to form a soft dough. Chill overnight. Break off part of the dough and roll it thin on a floured surface. With a cookie cutter, cut 3-inch circles and place small amount of shrimp filling on one side. Fold over and crimp edges with a fork. Chill one hour and brush top with egg yolk beaten with milk. Bake at 350*F. for 20 minutes or longer if frozen.

Shrimp filling:
Mix all ingredients together.

Mushroom sausage Croustads:
For Croustades: Preheat oven to 400*F. Butter small muffin tins. Carefully fit bread into muffin tin presing gently to form cup. Bake until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

For Filling:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallot and saute until browned. Blend in mushrooms, stirring constantly until liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. prinkle with flour, chives, parsley, salt and cayanne pepper. Add sausage stirring constantly until browned and crumbly. Pour in cream and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. To assemble: Preheat oven to 350*F. Spoon filling into croustades. Arrange on baking sheet and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. These may be filled and frozen ahead. Bake about 20 minutes if frozen.

For croustades: Preheat oven to 400*F. Butter small muffin tins. Carefully fit bread into muffin tins, pressing gently to form a cup. Bake until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Filling:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallot and saute until browned. Blend in mushrooms, stirring constantly until liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, chives, parsley, salt and cayenne pepper. Add sausage stirring constantly until browned and crumbly. Pour in cream and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 350*F. Spoon filling into croustades. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top. Bake until cheese melts about 10 minutes. These may be filled and frozen ahead. Bake about 20 minutes if frozen.

Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: Wesley MY Bartender
Submitted By: Eileen Werth
crzylegs@erols.com
Easy Cocktail Party