a modern holiday party menu

An easy and modern holiday party menu featuring roasted grape and honey chèvre toasts with fresh rosemary, black olive tapenade, and a vibrant beet tzatziki with winter vegetable crudités. This post is sponsored by Mirassou Winery. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! Jump to recipes.  

It’s important to remember the main aim of holiday parties is to gather the people you love and hang out with them. Too often, I forget this central tenet in favor of demonstrating both what a great cook I am and how poor my time management skills are – an equation for great food, but also an evening spent stuck in the kitchen. This year, I put an end to this unwanted holiday tradition by creating an easy and modern holiday party menu that paired wonderfully with a selection of Mirassou wines, whose breezy, unfussy deliciousness makes any party more festive.

We served savory and sweet roasted grape and honey chèvre toasts with fresh rosemary, black olive tapenade, and a vibrant beet tzatziki with winter vegetable crudités. Mirassou wines are perfectly balanced and always enjoyable, and here they paired beautifully with our holiday party menu. With hints of blackberry and brown sugar, and a crisp finish, Mirassou’s Cabernet Sauvignon lent balance to the sweetness of the roasted grape toasts, while hints of berry and spice stood up nicely to the briny black olive tapenade. Lightly oaked, buttery, and with a faintly tropical finish, Mirassou’s Chardonnay complemented the earthy undertones of the beet and fresh turmeric tzatziki beautifully. We also selected mustard-flecked Red Dragon and creamy local Appalachian Tomme cheeses to pair with the Chardonnay.

Both the tzatziki and tapenade can be made ahead of time, though the roasted grape toasts should be made just before serving. Add to this a cheese plate with fresh fruit and olives, and you have a simple and refined holiday party spread. All that’s left is to pour a glass of Mirassou wine and enjoy the cheer of the season.

Print Recipe

Roasted Grape and Honey Chèvre Toasts with Rosemary

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

A savory sweet recipe for roasted grape and honey chèvre toasts with fresh rosemary that makes a great addition to any holiday party menu.

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Makes: 12 toasts

Author: Brooklyn Supper

Ingredients

Honey Chèvre and Toasts

• 12 1/2-inch thick slices bread (I used rye)
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 ounces chèvre
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Roasted Grapes

• 2 cups black seedless grapes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• pinch of chili powder
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into a small bowl; use a pastry brush to brush bread with oil on both sides. Toast 10 - 15 minutes, until crisp and golden, flipping halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, stir to combine chèvre with 2 tablespoons each honey and olive oil. Fold in minced rosemary and a generous pinch each sea salt and pepper.
4. Toss grapes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary sprigs, and a pinch each chili powder, sea salt, and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast 9 - 12 minutes or until grapes just start to burst, shaking pan often.
5. Spread honey chèvre mixture on toasts and top with grapes; serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Black Olive Tapenade

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Effortless black olive tapenade is a holiday party menu classic.

Cuisine: Appetizer

Makes: 2 cups

Author: Brooklyn Supper

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pitted Nicoise olives
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pitted black oil-cured olives
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed
• 4 oil-packed anchovies, patted dry
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
• 2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times. Mixture should have a bumpy texture – don't over-process. Taste, and add more lemon juice or olive oil as needed. Mixture will keep well covered in the fridge for 4 days.
2. Before serving, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few twists of black pepper. Served with toasted naan triangles, flatbread, or crackers.

Print Recipe

Turmeric and Beet Tzatziki with Winter Vegetable Crudités

Prep Time

2 hrs

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 40 mins

 

A vibrant beet tzatziki recipe with red beets and fresh turmeric served with a platter of winter vegetable crudités. You'll want to cook the beets in the oven and then assemble the tzatziki, and let it chill at least two hours, but preferably overnight. 

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Makes: 2 cups

Author: Brooklyn Supper

Ingredients

• 2 large red beets, scrubbed, with all but 1/2-inch of greens trimmed
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh turmeric (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 pound small carrots, scrubbed and halved
• 1 pound radishes, scrubbed and halved
• 2 endive, ends trimmed and leaves carefully peeled off

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place beets in a small baking dish. Fill with water to a 1/4-inch depth and cover tightly with foil. Roast beets 40 - 45 minutes or until very tender. (Use caution to avoid steam plume when removing foil – it's extremely hot.) Set beets aside until cool enough to handle. Under cold running water, use hands to remove peels. Grate beets.
3. Meanwhile, combine garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 - 20 minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, fold to combine grated beets, Greek yogurt, garlic lemon mixture, and turmeric. Cover and chill 2 hours or as long as 1 day.
5. Before serving, stir well and adjust salt levels as needed. Serve on a platter with halved carrots and radishes, and endive leaves.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mirassou Winery. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that make Brooklyn Supper possible!