European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Keeping it simple sprucing up appetizers by Sherrie Clinton Baltimore evening Sun Are your parties suffering from the blahs can guests reel off your menu by heart do they know without peeking that you will be serving swedish meatballs cheese puffs Frozen min egg Rolls onion dip and potato chips crackers with cheese in a can or horrors of horrors pigs in a Blanket food mavens say the solution to sos or same old stuff foods is to choose foods that can be made. Even one or two new recipes will add a bit of Pizazz to your party. One of the first pieces of advice that Peter Halstad a Baltimore caterer proffers Home Cooks is to keep it simple. Keep it simple for yourself by preparing Only one or two hot appetizers that need to be fussed with during the party. And keep it simple for your guests by offering Only five or six appetizers and by putting Only one appetizer on a tray particularly if you Are going to pass the foods. Chef Guy Reinbold of the Stouffer Harbo place hotel in Baltimore said he leans toward serving Only cold appetizers. Quot it is difficult to maintain the Quality of warm hours d oeuvres. In Many cases they done to hold up they get soggy and  one simple Way to Spruce up an appetizer like the ubiquitous cheese or crab puff is to insert the skewer first into a slice of scallion and then into the food. The scallion which covers most of the skewer looks like the Stem of a Flower Reinbold says. But there is no reason to stick with the puffs when there Are so Many other appetizers available. For example Reinbold suggests skewering foods like thinly sliced Steak or chunks of Chicken and frying them in a wok for 30 seconds. He also recommends taking sem soft cheese mixing it with Dill or other fresh herbs and then rolling it out Between two pieces of waxed paper. Chill until firm then Cut out rounds from it with a cookie Cutter and put them on a wafer. Next pipe some Cream cheese on top using a pastry bag and add a grape. One of Reinboldt a favorite appetizers is made by pouring a 1-Inch layer of in Flavoured Gelatin tinted with a bit of yellow food colouring into a shallow aluminium pan. Once set slice it into squares and then pipe some Cream cheese on it and top with a Strawberry. Quot serve this at a party and everyone thinks its very fancy and upscale but it is very very easy Quot he says. Presentation is everything agrees Halstad. Quot one thing i can recommend is to use things that Are attractive the prettier the food the better it seems to taste. I approach things visually first is in s. Table"9 How he ��l0rs we uld l00k ,09elhei John Hadamuscin author of special Oca Harmony books 1988 says he tries to the the platters or bowls will look not Only when. Are full but also when they Are empty you might consider putting food on Small y they will have to be refilled More frequent they will look better longer. Q Quot by a bed of greens such As Parsley looks attractive even when the Greas Iest of foods gone he said. Paper dollies while pretty sh0 grease. One of his suggestions is to make every thir As far ahead of time As possible and prepare trays usually throw away aluminium pans tha can be taken right from the Freezer or refer Boer to the oven. Y this strategy works particularly Well if keeping hot foods hot is a problem. Radamus suggests serving hot appetizers at different times. That Way hot foods Are served hot and done to sit around getting soggy. One hot appetizer Hadamuscin recommend tiny spicy crab cakes. They can be made at ahead of time stored on an aluminium Cookin Sheet in the refrigerator and then baked Durer the party. Cookbook author Martha Stewart in her he do oeuvres Book Clarkson n. Potter inc. 198 recommends skewering two warm Tortellini a serving them with a dipping sauce. The torte can be bought at most grocery stores. Hadamuscin always offers guests fresh vegetables and perhaps fruit two Low calorie snacks that have become mandatory at Almo any party. At one of his recent parties he served raw crispy sugar peas and asparagus. Quot these foods Are not Only Good for people diets but they act As a kind of a Cleanser Beta different foods Quot he said. Hadamuscin even makes his own crackers which he agrees is probably too much trouble most people. But he insists his Are easy and the so Good they Are Worth the extra Effort. Here Are some suggestions from these exp for your next party continued from Page 13 says. Quot you have to assume that the people you know have the Opportunity to go out to a restaurant. The nicest thing you can do for them is include them in your Home. I never heard anyone complain about a Good simple  the authors All expressed a preference for this simple fare for during the week entertaining a from stews and simple pasta dishes to make your own pizzas. Susan Wyler says that she loves asking people Over at the last minute for pizza. And you done to have to make your own dough. Some people Are making pizza these Days with Frozen bread dough from the supermarket a or they Stop off at their favorite italian Deli on the Way Home from work to get some authentic dough. Instead of a round pizza pan she uses an Oblong baking Sheet. She pushes the dough out on the Sheet with her fingers and oils it heavily with extra Virgin Olive Oil to add flavor and crispness. Another option is to get smaller pizza pans provide a variety of toppings from chichi to classic and allow your guests to build their own pies. Rule 3 be aware of special diets. Ever since America fell in love with fitness and the surgeon general warned us to Cut the fat and increase the fiber in our diets entertaining has become a balancing act of the people who do eat everything and the people who Don t. Kafka says that it is necessary to ask dinner guests if there is anything they wont or can t eat. People who avoid certain foods can Range from vegetarians and recovering alcoholics to those allergic to shellfish or berries. And even dieters Don t have to be left off a guest list. Kafka s new microwave Book includes full course menus for dieters a ranging from a 400-calorie cocktail party including Herb stuffed mussels and spinach roulade with cheese filling to a 738-calorie Celebration for two with fat free risotto steamed fish and an armagnac prune souffle. Quot the whole Point of healthful eating is to make it pleasurable Quot Kafka says. Quot thre is something terribly wrong with deprivation. You cannot live with it unless you Are truly a masochist. The real secret is to enjoy a dinner with healthful food and still get some  Rule 4 set a simple table. Tablecloths Are an element of the past in this casual entertaining. Many of the Cookbook authors say they merely polish the Wood on the dining room table or opt for place Mats. One uses oversize dinner plates to protect the table from the food on the plates. Cert pieces Are no longer major productions. Simple options Range from a still life of vegetables to votive candles interspersed with ribbons. A southwestern theme dinner can feature tiny Cactus at each plate a mexican Serape in the Middle of the table and a Cluster of tiny mexican Folk Art animals As a Centrepiece. Freiman says that she advises people to buy a variety of dinner plates rather than sets of dishes. Most food is plated in the Kitchen so you won t need All the serving bowls and each party can look different. Sleek Black plates Are great for chinese food while Lavender fiesta Are blends Well with southwestern colors. Sometimes you Don t have to set the table at All. Wyler loves to do a shrimp or crab boil party. She clears off the dining room table covers it with plastic garbage bags for Protection and then spreads several layers of newspapers on top. She gets the water boiling in a pot before the guests come then she Cooks Corn and the shellfish at the last minute. This kind of eating is Messy so she provides Kitchen towels for everyone plus plenty of paper napkins. You done to even need to use plates she says just dump the shellfish and Corn on the newspapers. Accompaniments include a Creole butter seafood sauce cold Beer and a salad. Rule 5 if your recipe is a disaster Call for takeout. Brown who often asks friends Over to Sample the recipes she is testing and developing says she has been known to take a bite and realize her recipe concept worked better in her head than on the palate. Quot i have no qualms saying that i would t feed this to the cat and i Call for chinese takeout Quot she says. Quot we All have another Glass of wine and wait for the food to be delivered. Quot cooking and serving food is not brain surgery and there Are times that even the most accomplished experienced Cook Isnit watching and the wild Rice gets too dry. It s part of being an accomplished Cook to know How to fix a disaster but sometimes you have to admit that even Picasso had an off Day once in a while. It in t a matter of life or death if the souffle is 3 or 6 inches out of the pan. The main thing is having people around whom you  spicy shrimp 1 Pound Large shrimp peeled and de veined v/2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil can use vegetable Oil 1 Teaspoon minced garlic 1 Teaspoon grated fresh Ginger 3 Teaspoons Tomato paste 3/4 Teaspoon Chili powder i Teaspoon sugar 1 Teaspoon sesame Oil 2 Tablespoons finely chopped scallions stir Fry shrimp in Peanut Oil with garlic and Ginger for about 45 seconds. Make sauce by combining Tomato paste Chili powder sugar and sesame Oil. Add sauce to shrimp and continue to stir Fry Over High heat until shrimp Are done about 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in scallions just enough to Wilt them. This looks Beautiful if passed on a try covered with a bed of blanched Julienne Snow peas. A Courtesy Peter Halstad. Cherry tomatoes filled with Mozzarella and Olive Oil 40 red firm Cherry tomatoes Viz Pound fresh Mozzarella cheese Cut into a Inch cubes 2 Tablespoons chopped Sun dried tomatoes 1/4 cup Olive Oil freshly gound Black Pepper to taste 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Basil leaves Wash and dry the Cherry tomatoes. With a Sharp serrated knife Cut off the round Bottom of each Tomato. Remove the seeds and pulp with a Small Melon Ball scoop and put the tomatoes Cut Side Down on a rack or on paper towels to Drain. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cutting off the Bottom of the tomatoes and standing them on the Stem end makes them less Apt to Roll marinate the cheese and Sun dried tomatoes in Olive Oil and Pepper for several hours before stuffing into tomatoes. Sprinkle with Basil. Makes 40. A from hours d oeuvres by Martha Stewart Chicken sat a 1 Pound skinned boned Chicken breasts it Teaspoon Samba Toelek indonesian hot Pepper paste readily available in Europe at specially food counters 1 Teaspoon grated fresh Ginger Root 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice 3 Tablespoons dark soy sauce 2 Tablespoons Honey 1 Tablespoon Peanut butter Viz cup water Cut Chicken into 1 Inch chunks and thread chunks equally on 15 Bamboo skewers. Set aside. In a Large Saucepan or Skillet or wok Combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly then reduce heat and add As Many Chicken skewers As will fit without crowding. Simmer 10 minutes Basting. Remove from pan and Transfer to a rimmed Platter. Repeat with remaining Chicken skewers. Simmer sauce remaining in pan until reduced to about cup. Pour Over Chicken. Cover and refrigerate until cold then serve. Variation instead of threading Chicken on skewers simmer in chunks. When done alternate Chicken chunks with blanched vegetables on the skewer. We used blanched Snow peas and tiny Cherry tomatoes. A adapted from the Book of appetizers by june Budgen he books. Spicy crab cakes 1 cup 2 Sticks butter 1 i cups finely diced celery 2 medium onions finely chopped 12 thin slices White bread trimmed and cubed 3 pounds Lump crab meat flaked 2 cups milk 6 Large eggs lightly beaten % cup chopped Parsley 1 Teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper 1 Teaspoon dry Mustard 4 cups Fine dry bread crumbs melt the butter in a Small Skillet Over medium heat. Add the celery and onions and saute until Crisp tender about 10 minutes. Transfer to a Large mixing bowl. Place the bread in a shallow bowl or pan with milk to cover. Soak 5 minutes and then remove the bread squeezing out the milk Reserve the milk add the bread and All remaining ingredients except milk and dry bread crumbs to the mixing bowl and toss to mix Well. The mixture should have the consistency of raw meat loaf add some of the reserved milk if necessary. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Place dry bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Shape the crab mixture into 1 Inch diameter balls and flatten them slightly Between your Palms. Roll each cake in the dry bread crumbs to lightly coat and place them on the baking sheets about 1 Inch apart. May be prepared up to a Day ahead at this Point covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Bake for 10 minutes or until Golden Brown. Arrange the cakes on a Platter lined with watercress. Makes 4 dozen 1-Inch cakes. A from special occasions by John Hadamuscin Harmony books Jalapeno Salsa 2vi pounds Ripe tomatoes 2 Large garlic cloves 1 medium sized onion 8 medium Jal Aperio peppers halved stemmed and seeded 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves i Teaspoon Salt or to taste Peel and Core the tomatoes. Peel the garlic and onion. Chop the vegetables finely by hand or in food processor. The sauce should have some texture with Small bits of vegetables. Stir in the chopped coriander and Salt to taste. Serve As a relish or a dipping sauce with shrimp or crab claws. Makes about 6 cups. A Courtesy chef Guy Reinbold Stouffer Harbo place hotel 1990 Woi. To. In the stars and stripes a a a Page