Entertaining season is upon us. It’s time to light a candle or two, bring out those festive platters, and have fun making (and eating) hors d’oeuvres. Whether you’re hosting your own get-together or joining a potluck, the following no-fuss, inventive snacks are wonderful additions to your holiday menu. No utensils required!

Charcuterie Nachos

Say goodbye to chopping veggies, melting cheese and cooking up beef or beans. Charcuterie nachos are a simpler, more elegant twist on the traditional snack. Just lay out your favourite chips on a platter, layer as you like, and tear on some prosciutto. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan and a touch of lemon zest for a bright kick. Sea-salted kettle chips work best for this appetizer, but feel free to get creative. There are so many chip flavours out there! For locally sourced cured meats, check out Farmhouse Artisan Cheese in Oakville.

Smoked Salmon Waffle Sticks

Waffles aren’t just for breakfast — they make the perfect base for a variety of flavours. Their little divots are ideal vessels for tasty toppings. Cut your waffle into even strips, about 3 to 5 squares wide depending on size. Rectangular waffle makers work best, but traditional round ones are fine too — just trim the edges. You can find great waffle makers at Nicetys or Think Kitchen. Fill each square with smoked salmon, herb cream cheese and capers for a rich, crowd-pleasing finger food.

Mortadella, Burrata and Pistachio Crostini

This winning trio of ingredients is showing up on menus around the world, and for good reason. Together on a baguette, they are a fun twist on bruschetta. Start by drizzling baguette slices with a quality olive oil from The Splendid Olive, The Urban Vine, The Olive Oil Dispensary, or Olives en folie. Toast the drizzled slices in the oven, watching closely — they can go from golden to burnt quickly! Let the toast cool, then top with fresh burrata, mortadella and crushed salted pistachios. A drizzle of honey is optional but adds a lovely sweetness.

Shrimp & Avocado Rice Paper Cups

Did you know that rice paper bubbles and crisps beautifully when shallow-fried? To make cups, cut sheets into even squares and fry in vegetable oil one at a time, gently pressing the centre with tongs or a spoon so the sides curl up. Mix cooked, cooled shrimp with cubed avocado, a dash of soy sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil. Spoon the mixture into the crisped cups and top with toasted sesame seeds. For quality produce and pantry staples, check out Village Boutique Foods or Picone’s Fine Foods.

Whipped Feta Dip

Start with a good quality feta (the kind that comes in brine, not pre-crumbled). In a blender or food processor, blend with cream cheese or Greek yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice or zest. Use this as a base and get creative. Minced garlic and oregano make it Mediterranean. Dill makes it dilly. For a salty-sweet punch, add crispy prosciutto or bacon and drizzle with warmed honey. And if you want this popular dip to scream Christmas, add maple syrup and top with dried cranberries and crushed pistachios.

Salted Butter Dates 

The secret to this addictive hors d’oeuvre is high-quality salted butter — try Cow’s, available at Denninger’s. Slice dates lengthwise (without cutting all the way through) and remove the pits. Stuff each one generously with butter, and top with a bit of flaky salt. Trust me on this. Chill on a baking sheet, then remove about five minutes before serving. The cold, salty butter against the sticky-sweet date is an unexpected yet unforgettable pairing.

Not making your own appetizers this holiday season? Opt for catering from these great local businesses!

The Platter Company
175 Plains Road East Unit 1, Burlington
theplattercompany.ca

Indulgables
185 Main Street North, Waterdown
indulgables.ca

Gouda Thyme
550 Speers Road, Oakville
goudathyme.com

Boffo’s Fine Foods
334 Kerr Street, Oakville
boffos.net

The Block Co
395 John Street, Burlington
theblockco.ca 

By Lauren Medeiros

Canadians love their hot, cozy, winter drinks, and we grown-ups tend to like them spiked. Why do alcohol and heat pair so beautifully? 

“When spirits are warmed, their aromatic compounds become more volatile, intensifying body and aroma while softening sharp alcohol notes,” says Sam Nasiry at Maverick Distillery in Oakville. “That’s why drinks like mulled wine or hot buttered rum feel so comforting. Heating gently accentuates flavour complexity and natural sweetness without evaporation.”’

Sweet, Silky Sipping

Every bit as tasty and calorie-rich as it sounds, hot buttered rum dates back to colonial USA, when New Englanders were trying to improve the taste of the harsh-tasting rum they were distilling from Caribbean molasses in the 1600s. Essentially, this old favourite consists of a “batter” (made of softened butter, brown sugar, and warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) mixed with dark or spiced rum and hot water. Some variations call for vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, or even vanilla ice cream for added silkiness.

It goes without saying that hot chocolate is a winter essential, served at ice skating rinks all over North America. Grown-ups and gourmets can augment the appeal of this classic in myriad ways. There’s mint hot chocolate, hot chocolate eggnog, white hot chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate (with cayenne and cinnamon), mocha hot chocolate, peanut butter hot chocolate, and more. Make an even cheerier batch by adding spirits like peppermint schnapps, coffee liqueur, Irish cream, whiskey, or rum.

“Mulling” means to let something stew (in a good way) for a while, just as we “mull over” a brilliant idea. Many hot drinks, including wine, cider, chai, and hot chocolate, grow more delicious when mulled with aromatics such as cinnamon sticks and orange peels.By Michelle Morra

Coffee With Swagger

We won’t tell anyone if you slip a shot of liqueur into your coffee at Christmas brunch. The flavour lends itself magically to a little chocolate liqueur, Irish cream, anise liqueur, orange liqueur, or whiskey. Not just for mornings, spiked coffee is the crown jewel of liquid desserts after a feast. Mix up your favourite recipe for Spanish, Irish, or Monte Cristo coffee topped with whipped cream.

Bear in mind that there’s a right and a wrong way to build a hot cocktail. “The biggest mistake is boiling the alcohol itself,” Nasiry says. “Always add spirits last, after the liquid base has cooled slightly below boiling (around 160–175°F).”

Fruit and Spice

Mix red wine with spices, heat it up, and savour a cup of mulled wine. You’ve just time-travelled to the drink’s heyday in Medieval England, where wine was likely safer to drink than the water. If wine was of inferior quality, the English made it taste better just as the ancient Greeks and Romans did — by drinking it warm with a mixture of fragrant spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Honey, citrus slices, or citrus peels are common additions. The Germans call their mulled wine “Glühwein” — buy a bottle at Denningers or Ikea, and just heat and serve. Note: Though red wine is the traditional base for this festive drink, white and rosé also do the trick.

Recipes abound for hot holiday cocktails, but it can be fun to fuse booze with your favourite flavours and concoct your own special hot Christmas punch, tea, java, cider, or nog. The key, Nasiry says, is to “balance rich sugars (like maple or honey) with acidity (from lemon or citrus) for structure, and use aromatics like cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove sparingly. They should complement, not overpower, the spirit.”

The holidays are about embracing small indulgences. So, when the weather outside is frightful, warm your insides with a steaming cup of cheer.  See page 128 for three hot toddy recipes, courtesy of Maverick Distillery Ltd.

By Michelle Morra