Simply Elegant

Throw a Holiday Cocktail Party

Alexandra Hedin

Christmas comes just once a year, so don’t forget to decorate the house, mix a fabulous cocktail and bring a few friends over for the evening. This year, since I was enormously pregnant, I went to a fabulous party rather than throwing my own. Mary and Liberty Hansen, co-owners of Kirkland’s home furnishing boutique Liberty 123, hosted a beautiful event at the home of Mary and her husband Roland. Liberty’s fiancé, chef Larry Monaco, made an assortment of appetizers. I made a cocktail for the evening and brought a few fun details, because I couldn’t just be a guest!

To decorate the house, Mary infused the neutral palate of her home with elegant tones of silver and white. Using elements from her shop, she brought the holidays into her home without having to change the entire color palate. Her ideas are easy ones you can bring home to make Christmas decorating simple and elegant.

The food was equally simple and elegant. The key with creating great appetizers is to choose interesting and quality ingredients. Larry prepared an assortment of small bites that could easily be munched while mingling with guests.

A great cocktail is critical to hosting a great cocktail party, so I made a spiced pear champagne fizz out of fresh pears, pear liqueur and Prosecco, a dry and lemony sparkling Italian wine. (Because I just can’t stand cheap champagne and can’t afford the stuff I really like.) One signature cocktail is a must.

LOBSTER ROLLS
4 cups crème fraiche
4 cups plain yogurt
1 bunch of tarragon, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced small
3 stalks of celery, peeled and diced small
2 one-pound lobster tails
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup sherry vinegar
5 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2-ounce small rolls (Macrina Bakery brioche
or any local bakery buns)

DIRECTIONS: Heat the olive oil just enough so you can keep your finger in it. Make sure the oil is not too hot. You don’t want to fry the lobster, just poach it. Poach the lobster for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. If frozen, poach longer. Times may vary. Chill immediately. In a mixing bowl, mix together the crème fraiche, yogurt, tarragon, red onion, celery, kosher salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar. When the lobster is cold, cut into small pieces and add to the mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings, spoon onto the buns, platter up and enjoy.

LAMB ‘LOLLIPOPS’ WITH DARK CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC SAUCE
1 baby lamb rack, frenched or cleaned
3 ounces of good quality dark chocolate
½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
½ cup veal demi
Kosher salt and pepper
3 tablespoons grape seed oil

DIRECTIONS: For the sauce, boil the vinegar in a heavy sauce pan over high heat until reduced to ¼ cup (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Season the sauce to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. For the lamb, in a heavy sauté pan, heat the oil, season the lamb with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Sear the fat side down first for 3 to 4 minutes then place into a preheated oven (450 degrees) for 3 more minutes. Pull out and let rest (5 minutes). Slice the lamb between the bones (it will look like “lollipops”), drizzle the sauce over and enjoy.

 

SEARED AHI WHITE BEAN PUREE AND OLIVE TAPENADE

WHITE BEAN PUREE
2 cups white beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
½ onion
½ carrot, peeled
½ head garlic
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Aromatic fresh herbs, parsley, sage, rosemary

DIRECTIONS: In a large sauce pot, add the white beans, onion, carrot, garlic and aromatics. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 35 minutes or until very tender. Once cooked, pull the vegetables and the aromatics out. Drain the cooking liquid, reserving some for the pureeing. While still hot, puree the beans in a food processor, adding approximately ¼ cup cooking liquid, the ¼ cup of olive oil, and the lemon juice and garlic to taste.

OLIVE TAPENADE
2 cups kalamata olives, pits removed
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
½ to ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Pulse the olives using a food processor until they are fine but still chunky. Place the chopped olives in a small mixing bowl, and fold in the anchovies, capers, garlic, and lemon zest. Add the oil until desired consistency is reached.

In a preheated oven (450 degrees), toast sliced baguette. In a heavy bottom sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil and sear seasoned sushi grade tuna for 30 seconds each side or until tuna reaches desired doneness. Smear white bean puree on the toasted bread, place one piece of sliced seared Ahi on the puree and garnish with a dollop of tapenade. Platter up and enjoy.

SPICED PEAR CHAMPAGNE FIZZ
2 very ripe pears
Dash of cinnamon
Pear liqueur
Prosecco
1 slightly ripe pear to garnish

DIRECTIONS: In a blender, puree the pears until smooth. Add cinnamon to combine. In a Champagne glass, pour ½ ounce pear mixture, 1 ounce pear liqueur and top with Champagne to fill glass. Serve with a slice of pear.

SPEC WRAPPED FIGS STUFFED WITH BLUE CHEESE
Thinly sliced spec (smoked prosciutto)
Figs, cut in half and hollowed out for stuffing
¼ pound St. Agur blue cheese
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Good quality balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS: Lay out the spec on a counter. With a spoon, stuff the figs with a little dollop of cheese, wrap the fig with the laid out spec and put on a skewer. Repeat this two more times on each skewer (three per skewer). Grill the skewers for 3 minutes on each side. Place onto a platter and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and enjoy.

---

For the full story pick up the latest copy of 425 magazine. Subscriptions are available by phone at 425.646.1380 or you may order your subscription online.