NYE Snacks and a Cocktail

(for a celebratory night at home)

Hi friends and Happy last Friday of 2024. Thank you for hanging out with me. It’s been fun getting to know you this year through your messages and comments. And a warm California welcome to new subscribers!

If you’d rather close your eyes and listen, the audio is above.

We are talking about delicious snacks for New Year’s Eve in this post but before we get to that, a heads up about next month.

In January’s newsletters: a month of soups and breads. Healthy-ish steaming soups plus some warm bakes. Yes, they will be Southern California-influenced so expect fresh ingredients, a riot of colors, and a mash-up of Asian, Latino, and global cuisines.

Also, new subscription benefits are coming for 2025! It is a great time to become a free, paid, or founders subscriber. Details in the next newsletter.

Let’s move on to these beautiful snacks.

NYE

Are you a “let’s go out to a New Year’s Eve bash” or a “let’s stay home and binge-watch Black Doves tonight” kind of person?

In my twenties, it was all about finding a cool thing to do on NYE. Try as I did, plans never seemed to go the way I thought they would.

One year while on our university winter break, my best friend and I traveled through West Germany and eventually made our way to Berlin. I mentioned this briefly in my German-themed menu post a few months ago. We were so excited to spend New Year’s Eve in the city and planned to dance the night away at Metropol, a Berlin disco and music club. If you remember Wings of Desire, Wim Wender’s 1987 classic, a segment of the movie was filmed inside this club.

Photo by Julia Solonina on Unsplash

After sightseeing around the city all day, we decided it was smart to have a brief rest after dinner before getting glammed up to go out later. We fell asleep for several hours and woke up at 11:45 that night.

Much to our dismay, there would be no midnight celebration at Metropol for us.

Our consolation: we had purchased some snacks while shopping earlier in the day. So, we noshed on those as we planned our activities for the remainder of our trip.

Maybe the life lesson here is to always have snacks on New Year’s Eve? I’m happy to oblige with the following recipes.

Recipes

Roasted Grape Crostini

Yields 12 pieces

Time: 35 minutes

Think of this not as a recipe but as a formula: roasted grapes + cheese + nuts + herbs + bread = easy appetizer or snack. It’s kind of loosey-goosey, meaning you can add or subtract items and amounts to make it the way you like. You’re an adult, so you can do what you want. Thanks to Ambitious Kitchen for the recipe.

Variations:

• I’ve used goat cheese here but if you just can’t with goat, sub in feta, bleu, Gorgonzola, brie, or any semi-soft cheese you like.

• Walnuts are classic, but so are almonds, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Don’t do nuts? Try sunflower seeds or pepitas.

• Instead of fresh rosemary and flat leaf parsley, try fresh basil, cilantro, oregano, or thyme. Only have dried herbs? Remember dried herbs have more concentrated flavor. 1 Tbsp fresh = 1 teaspoon dried, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red seedless grapes

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper

• About 1/2 baguette

• Olive oil for brushing

• 4 oz goat cheese or other cheese

• 1 Tbsp regular or hot honey

• 2 Tbsp toasted, chopped walnuts or other nut

• 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary and parsley or other herbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. Tip grapes and olive oil onto a rimmed sheet pan or baking dish. Toss to coat the grapes with oil, then add a few grinds of salt and black pepper. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20-ish minutes until soft and browned in spots. Remove and let cool.

2. While the grapes roast, slice the baguette into 1/2-inch slices and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly brush both cut sides with olive oil. Top each slice with cheese and bake at 400 F for 5-ish minutes. If the walnuts need toasting, throw them on the sheet and roast them at the same time.

3. Now it’s time to assemble the crostini! Scoop up some grapes and place on each slice. Drizzle with some honey first, then sprinkle on the chopped nuts and herbs. The honey will help the garnishes stick.

4. Best eaten warm or at room temp. Cover and store leftovers in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven.

Fancy Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs

Yields 12 deviled egg halves

Time: 20 minutes plus 4+ hour soak

Can we talk about how beautiful these are? They are also a great protein-y snack for a holiday evening. This oh-so-pretty version of deviled eggs gets its gorgeous hue from first being soaked in beet brine. I left these overnight but even a four-hour soak will do. The whites are slightly firmer because of the mild brine but they do not taste of beets, just FYI. Thanks to Downshiftology for the recipe inspiration.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium beet, peeled and cubed into 2-inch pieces

• 1 cup white vinegar

• 3 cups water

• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 6 hard-boiled eggs

• 1/3 cup mayo

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 1/4 tsp salt, only if needed

• Finely chopped parsley or other herbs for garnish

Directions:

1. Add the cubed beets, vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Take out the beet cubes and eat or discard.

2. Peel the hard boiled eggs and place in a glass container. Pour the beet liquid over the eggs until they are fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

3. Remove the eggs from the liquid and pat dry. Slice eggs in half and remove the yolks to a bowl. To get a clean cut for each egg, wipe the knife of any residual yolk before slicing into the next one.

4. Smash the yolks with a fork, then add mayo, mustard, and curry. Taste and see if it needs salt. If so, add a 1/4 tsp to start and taste again. Stir until smooth and combined.

5. Now you have a choice. If you are, in fact, feeling fancy, use a piping tip and bag (I used a plastic sandwich bag and Wilton 1M tip). Fill the bag with the yolk mixture and pipe the filling into each egg half. Garnish with parsley or other herbs. Otherwise, use a spoon to divide the filling into each egg.

6. Admire how lovely they are, then devour.

Gochujang Glazed Nuts

Yields 3 cups

Time: 40 minutes

Sweet and mildly spicy, these nuts are a delicious riff on traditional glazed nuts. Gochujang, Korean red pepper paste, brings some funky heat and umami.

I used one cup each of whole almonds, pecans, and walnuts but use whatever nuts you like. Whole nuts are better than chopped because they are less likely to burn. Don’t skip toasting the nuts! The short time on the stovetop is not enough to take the nuts from raw to roasted.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw whole nuts

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

• 2 Tbsp gochujang

• 1 tsp kosher or flaky salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F/175 C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Tip the nuts onto the sheet into a single layer. Toast for 15 minutes, then remove from oven.

2. Add the sugar, soy sauce, and gochujang to a large saucepan or deep skillet. Whisk as it melts together over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble.

3. Pour in the toasted nuts and stir to coat. Keep the parchment on the baking sheet. Continue stirring nuts over the heat until the nuts are coated with the sugar mixture. Tip the nuts onto the parchment paper and spread into a single layer.

4. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool completely. Break into small chunks before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Berry Gin Fizz

Yields: 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

A champagne toast is expected on NYE (and I am a huge fan of bubbly), but this Berry Gin Fizz is a delicious sparkly alternative that is fizzy and fruity but not too sweet.

Gin Fizz is comprised of gin, lemon juice, sweetener, soda water, and an egg white (sometimes). This one adds Chambord, a berry liqueur, which gives it a floral and fruity profile. Plus, it’s pink!

No cocktail shaker? No problema. Use a mason jar or a jar with a screw top lid. Thanks to Boulder Locavore for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin

• 1 oz lemon juice

• 1 oz Chambord or raspberry liqueur

• 3 oz plain seltzer water or club soda

Directions:

1. Add the gin, lemon juice, and Chambord to a cocktail shaker. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes.

2. Put the top on and shake for 20 seconds until cold. Strain into a glass.

3. Top off with seltzer water. Sip and enjoy.

Tell Me

What are your New Year’s Eve plans this year? Are you a let’s go out or let’s stay home person? Do tell.

Happy New Year and thank you for being here!