Have the following thoughts ever crossed your mind? 1) It’s 8 p.m., seems like a good time for a double espresso;  and 2) “The holidays are coming: Woo-Hoo! Let’s Have a Party!”  Uh oh, yikes, bad news:  you are clearly a lunatic. As Boris Johnson recently said to Emmanuel Macron, Tenez un grip.

A much more sensible holiday thought is that it might be fun to have a few people over to toast the passing of the shortest days of the year — summer is on the way! — and to wish each other blessings in the new year.

Without letting yourself in for the soul-crushing hard labor and expense a big party requires, it’s possible to put together a few things that will stave off starvation and make a good, if modest, stab at the sort of festive moments that make life worth living.  

How to do it? First, put out some easy things in bowls: potato chips, olives, and nuts, a time-honored trio. I like to use Simone Beck’s formula for the nuts:  buy mixed nuts, or mix your own — I use 1/2 cashews, 1/4 peanuts (both salted), 1/4 slivered almonds — and mix this with an equal amount of fresh raisins or sultanas. This combination of flavors is surprisingly delicious.

This won’t usually be enough, though, especially if the occasion is drinks only, so I often add the following two pâtés. They last about five days and can therefore be made a bit ahead. Both are really good, and you won’t drive everyone and yourself crazy running back and forth with a parade of tidbits. Have a seat, stay a while, talk it over.

Smoked Salmon Pâté

(If you make both recipes, you can process enough of the onion for the two. In that case, use a large onion.)

1 medium onion, processed. Use 2 TB. in this recipe.
I pound smoked salmon, roughly chopped. I use Ducktrap River, from Guido’s. Smoked salmon is a luxury, but this recipe stretches it.
I pound (2 8 oz. bars) Philadelphia regular cream cheese, softened and sliced into chunks. Don’t use that low fat rubbish.
Juice from 1 or 2 lemons, depending on how juicy. Keep an eye on the mix, you want it to be lemony, but don’t add so much juice that the solids start to separate and break down. You want a nice, smooth mix. If in doubt, use a lesser amount.
Tabasco sauce, about four medium shakes. If your Tabasco sauce is old or has lost its fire, shake in a little cayenne. But remember, the main taste here should be lemony smoked salmon.
A few grinds of pepper

Process the onion until it is just about liquified. Remove to a bowl and keep what you don’t use in this recipe for the next one.

Put the cream cheese and everything else into your food processor, EXCEPT put in only half the smoked salmon at this point. Process until well blended, scraping down the bowl. Then add the rest of the smoked salmon and process until it’s just fairly roughly chopped. You want to see and taste bits of the salmon in the final product.  

This can be served on crackers; I like La Panzanella original flavor ones, they don’t compete. Widely available. But I also like to buy endive, separate the leaves, and put a dab of the pate onto the narrow, leafy ends. A bit of salmon caviar, or sprinkled chives, or both, are colorful and good additions.

Chicken Liver Pâté

I pound of chicken livers. I used to save and freeze them from whole chickens, but they don’t seem to be included these days. Guido’s, and possibly others, sell them by the pound. Tell them you want livers that are whole and firm, not broken and mushy.  (I usually buy a bit more than a pound, as I’ll lose some with the trimming.). Rinse, and then trim any greenish areas, tendons, veins etc. Put into a saucepan, barely cover with water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Don’t let them cook so long that they’re rubbery, you want tender. Strain and cool to lukewarm, they shouldn’t be hot when you proceed. Remember they’ll still cook some after straining.

4 TB. very finely chopped onion, see above
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 tsp.  dry mustard
1 tsp. kosher salt
I/4 tsp. ground cloves
A pinch of nutmeg
A good, healthy pinch of cayenne

Put everything except the onion into a food processor and blend until very smooth. Add the onion and blend it in. Or put the onion in with everything else, up to you.

Pack into a crock and chill, keeps about a week. Serve with crackers, La Panzanella or, also good, Keebler Club Crackers.

For people who are having a really good time and just won’t go home, I often put out a pot of chili. You probably have your favorite recipe, with meat or vegetarian. It can be prepared well ahead (and will be better if it is) and just reheated on the day. Serve grated cheddar, sour cream, chopped spring onions, and hot pepper flakes on the side; these can be put into bowls and stand ready to be served. A simple bowl of red is always welcome when it’s cold out, and it’s a relief from all the rich and elaborate dishes often served at this time of year.

Cookies after, that’ll do. No espresso. I mean it. Come on.  

Happy New Year!

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Written by
Pamela Osborne