Summer Recipes: Party food for NYE

Tortilla crisps with prawn and avocado salsa. Photo / Sarah Brown.

Sure, all you want to do is drink champagne and welcome in the New Year but it's best to do so on a full stomach. Whether you have guests or just because it's more fun than cooking dinner, create a menu of easy finger foods to snack on through the night. Think carrier, topping and garnish to keep people coming back for more.

CARRIER FOODS

The trick with finger food is to think outside the square with the 'carrier'. Rather than using predictable crackers or chips, stock up with breads. Day-old baguettes can be thinly sliced, brushed with olive oil and grilled to make bruschetta bases; really grainy dark breads like pumpernickel can be cut into squares, and old-fashioned white or brown sandwich loaf can be buttered and baked in patty pans to hold sauces. And you cannot go past old-fashioned (tiny) sandwiches or asparagus rolls. Bagel chips can be treated like mini-bagels, tiny pikelets make Russian-style blini, while little fritters are morish with no more than a dipping sauce.

If you don't want to add kilojoules, sliced cucumber is a terrific base for seafood or Asian toppings or pick up dozens of Chinese spoons - they're cheaper than disposables and make drippier foods easy to handle. Toothpicks have been doing service since our grans stuck cheese squares and pickled onions in a half grapefruit and called it a centrepiece, but now come in elegant eco-friendly twists of bamboo.

TOPPINGS

Classic combinations work best and people never tire of them. Think tomato, mozarella and basil or avocado salsa; cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers; mashed tinned tuna and creme fraiche with a dash of lemon or tomato sauce; roasted or pickled red peppers and crumbled feta; crab meat or tinned shrimps, mayonnaise and lots of parsley.

Or try sliced prosciutto with fresh peaches or melon and blue cheese; olives, garlic, anchovies mashed into a tapenade; slivers of thinly sliced beef with Thai chilli sauce, beansprouts and crushed peanuts or with a dab of horseradish and microgreens; goats cheese, walnuts and sliced figs; poached chicken stirred through peanut butter with a dash of sesame oil.

People love bite-sized potato or zucchini or corn fritters, or mini fish cakes. Make them in advance and either reheat or serve at room temperature with a dab of sour cream or a salsa. Tiny sandwiches with classic fillings also disappear fast - chicken and mayo, egg and chive salad, smoked salmon or cucumber and cream cheese. If you avoid tomatoes, you can make them well in advance and keep them cool with a damp teatowel.

SWEET FINISH

A cheeseboard with crusty bread, damson paste and sliced fruit is no trouble to throw together, while strawberries and a chocolate dipping sauce will disappear in minutes. Nibble on bowls of chocolates or little amaretti biscuits to have with the last of the champagne while you watch the fireworks and welcome in 2011.