Party Appetizers

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. minced chives
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 pkg. frozen blini (miniature pancakes)
6 oz. thinly-sliced smoked salmon
fresh baby dill

Preparation:

Mix sour cream, chives and lemon juice. Top each pancake with a spoonful of the sour-cream mixture. Add a couple of slices of salmon and garnish with the baby dill.

Assemble blini and salmon pancakes up to two hours before a party.

Ingredients:

50 snow peas
3 cups water
ice water
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
50 precooked shrimp
1 large head of red cabbage
50 toothpicks

Preparation:

Blanch snow peas ahead of time. Bring three cups of water to a boil, drop in snow peas and cook for two minutes. Remove peas from boiling water and drop in the ice-water bath to stop cooking process.

Combine all ingredients except the cabbage and mix well. Cut off about 1/4 of the cabbage head and shred. Use shredded cabbage to decorate the serving platter and set the remaining cabbage head cut-side down in the center of the platter.

Fold a snow pea around the outside of a shrimp and attach by inserting a toothpick through the shrimp. The finished item should resemble a cent symbol.

Repeat with all the shrimp and peas. Insert the finished appetizers into the cabbage head to make an attractive display.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. wonton wrappers
3/4 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 Tbs. minced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fried wonton wrappers
2 Tbs. orange juice
1 Tbs. sesame oil
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. plum sauce
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Reserve trimmed portions of wonton wrappers, bake until crispy and use as part of the filling. Fill wonton cups with about a tablespoon of the chicken salad mixture and serve.

Tips

• Make extra wonton cups and fill them before the party. Cover with plastic wrap, and the baked wonton shells can be stored at room temperature for up to three days.

• Another way to save time is to skip preparing homemade chicken salad and just pick up some salad filling at a deli. Use chicken salad or marinated vegetable salad for vegetarian guests.

• Another vegetarian option is to substitute tofu for chicken.