Peter Callahan's Party Food

by Peter Callahan

  SERVE

  Top each bun with another dot of hoisin sauce, a slice of crispy skin, and a scallion ring. Serve warm.

  CAVIAR RINGS

  Darcy Miller has been editor at large and an integral part of Martha Stewart Weddings from its beginning and is the author of Celebrate Everything! She is one of the greatest talents in the business. She and I have been collaborating on parties for more than fifteen years. This hors d’oeuvre is the result of a brainstorming session we had for Dylan Lauren’s engagement party. Dylan, the daughter of Ralph Lauren, is the owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar, and Darcy’s theme for the engagement party she hosted was jeweled candy.

  I’ve done a lot of parties for Dylan over the years so I really wanted to come up with something new and special. It was Darcy who suggested a ring—and now it’s one of the most popular hors d’oeuvres we do for weddings and engagement parties.

  We created a tray similar to a jeweler’s tray to hold the rings. Our version is made from a slab of acrylic that’s drilled with a laser cutter to create a little slit that holds the ring. We torture our chefs with this one. The “ring” has to be the exact right size to fit the notch in the tray. We designed and made the trays in two days in order to have everything ready for Dylan’s engagement party. The reaction from the guests made it worth all the effort.

  The ring is a combination of two crackers: the round ring and the small square cracker that serves as the “setting” for the caviar jewels. The two crackers are glued together with a dot of cream cheese. Our chefs developed the perfect dough for the cracker: it’s just strong enough that it won’t break, but still light in texture and taste.

  We sometimes pair these with mini glasses of Champagne and pass them right before the cake cutting at a wedding reception.

  Makes 50

  1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

  ¾ teaspoon coarse salt

  3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ⅛-inch dice

  ¼ cup finely grated Gruyère cheese

  ⅓ cup milk

  1 tablespoon whipped cream cheese

  3 ounces caviar (see tip box, this page)

  Combine the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese and pulse until combined. Add the milk and pulse just until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

  Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  Lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Roll the dough 1/16 inch thick. Using a 1¼-inch round cookie cutter, cut 50 circles. Use a ½-inch cutter to remove the center of each circle, making a ring. Gather up and reroll the scraps. Using a ¾-inch square cutter, make 50 tops. (If you have extra dough, refrigerate it for another use or cut the scraps into crackers to bake as a snack.)

  Place the ring circles on a lined baking sheet; place the square tops on the second lined baking sheet. Cover the tops (but not the circles) with parchment and another baking sheet. Bake together on racks placed near the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back, uncover the ring tops, and bake for 15 to 30 minutes more, until the crackers are crisp and lightly colored. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

  To assemble the rings, use the cream cheese as “glue” to fasten the square top to the ring. Place the assembled rings in the display, and then top each square with a generous dot of caviar to represent the gem.

  CAVIAR IS FUN, NOT FANCY I don’t use caviar to be hoity-toity—that’s not my style. I like flavors that have universal appeal, and for this group of hors d’oeuvres, the taste of the caviar pairs very well with the cracker. Plus the caviar looks great! We use American caviar, which is very reasonably priced (it’s paddle fish roe). It’s meant to be fun, not fancy.

  VARIATIONS ON A CRACKER

  The cracker recipe used for the Caviar Rings (this page) is a favorite—it tastes good and is sturdy enough to be adapted to a number of different shapes. A skull and crossbones drink and hors d’oeuvre pairing (this page) is a must for Halloween (although the skull motif has become so popular that we serve it year-round). When I saw miniature skull-shaped bottles, I knew we had to do something with them. These bottles look so cool, they could have been designed by the artist Damien Hirst. Naturally, we filled the bottle with a blood-red Pomegranate and Blackberry Martini (this page) to be sipped through a matching black straw. To accompany it, we went back to our favorite cracker recipe, this time cut into bone shapes that were crossed and then topped with a bit of caviar. Skull and crossbones!

  Make the cracker dough as directed for Caviar Rings. Use a 1½-inch bone-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 50 bones. Gather up and reroll the scraps as needed. (If you have extra dough, refrigerate it for another use or cut the scraps into crackers to bake as a snack.) Bake as directed and let cool completely (about 15 minutes). Use a dot of whipped cream cheese to attach two bones together in a cross. Place a generous dollop of caviar on top, where the bones join together. (You’ll need 1½ ounces of caviar for the 25 crossed-bone crackers.)

  The caviar musical notes (following) were developed for a party celebrating the acquisition of a stylish headphone company by a computer giant. We were asked to provide food that was hip and on point with a musical theme, and these hit the perfect note. The event was on a yacht hosting a music superstar’s birthday party.

  Make the cracker dough as directed in the recipe for Caviar Rings. Use a 2-inch musical note–shaped cookie cutter for the crackers. Gather up and reroll the scraps as needed. You should have 50 notes. Bake as directed and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Place a dollop of caviar on the round end of the cracker to simulate a musical note. (You’ll need 3 ounces of caviar for the 50 crackers.)

  A TRIO OF MINI PIZZAS

  Mini pizzas have been on catering menus for years, but they were never on mine because I found them too ordinary. But when I thought of making mini pizza boxes, mini pizzas went on my menu, too. Now they entertain guests and the boxes are often personalized to the party.

  We customize the box lids: for a wedding it’s printed with the couple’s names and the date; for a kid’s party, with the child’s name and birthday. The boxes are glued to the trays and guests simply lift the pizza from the box.

  We serve our pizzas with three different toppings: mozzarella with the classic basil and tomato; pepperoni; and a more sophisticated fig, leek, and shallot combination. We originally did round mini pizzas, but now we do mini pizza wedges that give the effect of a delivery pizza. Mini pizzas went on my menu and then the mini boxes went viral.

  Makes 30

  ½ teaspoon sugar

  1½ teaspoons active dry yeast

  ⅓ cup warm (110°F) water

  1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling

  ¾ teaspoon coarse salt

  1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl

  In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and yeast. Stir in the water and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes, until it starts to foam.

  Lightly flour a work surface. Stir the flour, salt, and oil into the yeast mixture; then turn the dough out and knead, adding a little more flour as needed, until a soft, smooth dough forms. Place in an oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.

  Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it ⅛ inch thick. Prick the surface all over with a fork. With a 1¾-inch cutter, cut the dough into circles. (Alternatively, use a 4-inch round cutter, and then cut each circle into 6 wedges after baking.) Gather up and reroll the scraps, letting the dough rest for a few minutes before rolling and cutting if it’s very stretchy.

  Lay the dough circles on the prepared baking sheet, cover with a piece of parchment and a second baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes. Flip
the crusts over and bake, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes more, until they just begin to color. Let cool completely. (If you baked larger circles, cut each into 6 wedges.) The pizza crusts can be frozen at this point for future use; let them thaw completely before topping.

  MINI PIZZAS WITH BASIL, TOMATO, AND MOZZARELLA

  Makes 10

  10 baked mini pizza crusts (see this page)

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  8 ciliegine mozzarella balls (about 1 inch in diameter), thinly sliced

  6 red grape tomatoes, thinly sliced

  6 yellow grape tomatoes, thinly sliced

  10 mini basil leaves, for garnish

  Sea salt

  Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  Place the crusts on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with the olive oil. Add the cheese and tomato slices, alternating them. The toppings should cover the crust surface and overlap slightly. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is just softened and the pizzas are heated through.

  Garnish each pizza with a basil leaf and sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve immediately.

  MINI FIG, LEEK, AND ONION PIZZAS

  Makes 10

  10 baked mini pizza crusts (see this page)

  For the Caramelized Shallots:

  10 pearl shallots

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

  For the Leek Circles:

  1 large leek (1½ to 2 inches in diameter), light green part only, sliced into ¼-inch rings

  1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

  ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  ¼ cup fig jam

  ¼ cup goat cheese

  ¼ cup grated Sottocenere cheese with truffles

  10 very small thyme sprigs

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Make the caramelized shallots: Toss the shallots with the olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small baking dish and bake, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.

  Make the leek circles: You’ll need 10 leek circles. Place the leeks in a separate baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until tender but not colored, about 5 minutes.

  Increase the oven to 400°F. Arrange the pizza crusts on a baking sheet and top each with 1 teaspoon of the fig jam. Divide the cheeses evenly among the crusts and top each with 1 shallot and 1 leek circle. Bake until the cheese begins to melt and the pizzas are hot. Top each with a small thyme sprig.

  MINI PEPPERONI PIZZAS

  Makes 10

  10 baked mini pizza crusts (see this page)

  ¼ cup Marinara Sauce (see recipe, this page)

  1 thin slice from a small ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into mini circles (see Note)

  5 very thin slices of pepperoni, cut into mini circles (see Note)

  Dried red pepper flakes (optional)

  Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  Arrange the pizza crusts on a baking sheet and spread with about 1 teaspoon of the marinara sauce. Top each pizza with 3 or 4 pieces of cheese and pepperoni.

  Bake until the cheese is melted and the pizza is hot. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you like, and serve immediately.

  NOTE

  We use round cake-decorating tips to cut the mozzarella and pepperoni into rounds (a #805, which has a 7/16-inch opening, is perfect).

  Marinara Sauce

  This recipe makes more sauce than is needed for the pizzas. Store the leftover sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

  Makes about 2 quarts

  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  ½ onion, finely diced

  3 tablespoons minced garlic

  3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

  1 teaspoon dried oregano

  ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  ½ teaspoon onion powder

  Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

  Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon, until the sauce has reduced by one-quarter, about 1 hour.

  Add the oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the flavors combine.

  PIZZA STATION

  This buffet rose out of our mini pizzas, which are set in mini boxes and passed around on trays. We thought, Let’s supersize and decorate a pizza box half open The pizza looks stylish and original, but is still highly recognizable.

  Sometimes we create a pizza station by itself, sometimes it shares space with other foods on the buffet. This display repurposes an everyday item in a new way—and it’s very easy to re-create at home. You could go to your local pizzeria and get some boxes and customize them with a paper covering with your kid’s name on it. Buy the pizza, too, if you want. The display will have the same impact. We decorate the boxes in all different ways, from sequin- to graffiti-covered, depending on the vibe of the occasion.

  GRILLED NECTARINES WITH DUCK PROSCIUTTO, PARMESAN, AND BASIL

  Although I’m well known for doing miniature comfort foods and whimsical small bites, we do a lot of parties where people just want classic hors d’oeuvres. This is one of those classics. It looks very pretty on the tray and packs a lot of flavor by pairing the sweetness of the nectarine and basil with the saltiness of the duck prosciutto and Parmesan.

  Serves 8

  1 or 2 thin slices of duck prosciutto

  1 medium nectarine, cut into 8 wedges

  8 small, thin slices of Parmesan cheese

  8½-inch-long basil leaves

  Cut the prosciutto into 8 pieces 1½ inches long.

  Trim a thin slice from the round bottom of each nectarine wedge so the slice will stand up on the platter.

  Heat a grill or a grill pan over high heat until smoking and grill the nectarine wedges on one side only for about 1 minute (the fruit should have grill marks, but not be cooked).

  To assemble, cut a ½-inch-deep slit in the top of each wedge at a 45-degree angle. Layer a piece of prosciutto, a Parmesan shard, and a basil leaf together and slide them into each slit.

  MINI CHICKEN WINGS

  The press always asks me, “Is there any one thing that you haven’t been able to shrink?” In the past, my mind always went to chicken wings. I’m always shrinking some common, everyday, casual American food that everyone loves. Chicken wings are one of those things. And of course wings wouldn’t normally be served at a fancy party, which made the problem even more attractive to me—how could I make them so they’d work for any occasion? Along the way we tried to use a quail drumstick, but it was just too boney and too expensive. It dogged me for a long time, but a few years ago, I came up with the answer.

  When you order chicken wings, you get half winglets and half drumettes. I realized we had to work with the drumettes because you can’t re-create the winglets. (We tried.) We could form the drumette shape from ground chicken, but you have to have the bone. We literally tried everything to figure out a good-looking faux bone, and then we discovered 3D printing (see the sidebar on this page).

  For the meat, we mixed ground chicken (we prefer to use thigh meat for the best flavor) with onions, cheese, and a dose of hot sauce, and then molded it into the shape of the drumette. It’s very important not to add the “bone” until the drumettes are out of the oven and cooled down, so that the plastic stays intact. If you’re making these at home, I recommend using decorative toothpicks—the wings will taste just as good.

  Makes about 45

  1 pound ground chicken thighs

  ½ cup minced onion

  1¼ cups panko

  1 tablespoon garlic powder

  ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese

  ⅓ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

  1½ cups ho
t pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

  1 tablespoon coarse salt

  1 large egg

  Vegetable oil, for frying

  8 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  In a large bowl, combine the chicken, onion, panko, garlic powder, Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses, ½ cup of the hot sauce, the salt, and egg. Mix thoroughly.

  Form the meat mixture into small drumstick shapes approximately 2 inches long, placing them on the prepared baking sheet as you go. Place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is firm enough to handle.

  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. In a deep 10- or 12-inch sauté pan, heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F. (If you don’t have a deep-frying thermometer, drop in a few panko crumbs. If they sizzle, the oil is hot enough.)

  Remove the drumsticks from the freezer and round out the bottom side that’s become flattened from sitting on the tray. Carefully drop each piece into the oil and fry a few at a time until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Take care not to crowd the pan and to keep the oil temperature consistent.

  Transfer the fried chicken back to the baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup hot sauce with the melted butter. Working in batches, gently toss the chicken in the mixture to coat. Skewer the narrow end with a frilly toothpick to serve.

  Creating the Perfect Faux Bone

  After years of trying to develop a mini chicken wing, I finally realized that when we have a deadline, we get things done. So I added it to an event menu and challenged my team to make it work. Then, with the advent of 3D printing technology, I learned that we could make our own bones, which could be inserted into the shaped ground-chicken drumettes after they had baked and cooled.