Five easy pieces make holiday entertaining a breeze

In a pinch, you can buy the poke instead of preparing it yourself, but Barsman said making your own is simple. You just cut the tuna into cubes and toss it in a soy-sauce-based dressing or in tamari if you want to make it gluten-free.

“You want to make sure you get the sushi-grade tuna,” Barsman said. “The thing I look for is that you don’t want those sinewy white bands in the tuna.”

Once everything is prepped, the menu comes together quickly. The turkey wraps, made the day before and tightly wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, just need to be sliced and the prosciutto cups filled. The soup can warm gently on the stove while you do that.

Pacing is important

Once things are assembled and plated, Barsman recommends not stressing about setting everything out before guests arrive.

“When people arrive, usually they’re not running over and shoving food in their face,” she pointed out. “I always like to put out a charcuterie board or some dips or even some nuts for the first few minutes. After the group has mostly arrived, then I like to start putting out the rest.”

Barsman said staggering the servings like this keeps food from sitting too long and builds anticipation for what’s coming next.

Her final appetizer, bread stuffed with Brie and cranberries, is a sight to behold and worth saving to wow guests. It also leads to one other pro tip: source quality ingredients, then take them over the top.

“I like to find really great products, for example, local bakeries with great breads,” Barsman said.

On a recent day, she went down the street for a loaf of Della Fattoria’s lemon rosemary bread, which she scored in a checkerboard pattern, doused with melted butter, filled with slices of Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese and dried cranberries and baked. Even her kitchen staff couldn’t resist tearing off a piece of warm bread emerging from the oven oozing with molten cheese.

Party, don’t panic

Despite the most careful planning and prepping, things can go awry, even for experienced professionals like Barsman.

“At one party, the oven actually broke. The oven door came off. That kind of thing happens a lot more than you’d think,” she said.

Her advice when you inevitably burn the crostini or shatter a serving plate is to move on.

“Nobody knows except for you what it was supposed to be, so don’t be upset about it,” Barsman said. “Your guests are going to feed off your energy, so as long as you’re positive and happy, they’re going to feel that vibe.”

It also helps to remember that two years ago, we’d have given anything to be nibbling burned crostini at a holiday gathering as long as we were surrounded by our favorite people.

Butternut Squash Soup with Cheddar Cheese Tuile (Cheese Crisps)

Makes approximately 20 small cups of soup and crisps

1 medium butternut squash (about 1 ½ pounds)

½ sweet onion

4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon red curry paste

2 tablespoons vegetable base or bouillon

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Crème fraîche and pomegranate seeds, to garnish

For the cheese tuile

4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

⅓ cup flour

4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (see Note)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and halve the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds and strings. Cut into 1-inch squares, place on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy-bottom stock pot, add roasted squash, carrots, onions, 4 cups water, the vegetable base, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer so the soup bubbles lightly. Cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. Working in batches, add vegetables and water to a blender and blend until smooth. If the mixture is still hot, remove the knob on the top of the blender or cover with a towel to allow heat to escape, so the contents don’t explode.

Return puree to the pot, add whipping cream, turn heat to medium-low and warm gently. (If you will freeze the soup for later, skip this step until you are ready to reheat the soup.)

To serve, pour into shot glasses or small tumblers and garnish with crème fraîche or sour cream and pomegranate seeds if you like.

For the cheese tuile, add butter and flour to a bowl. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, combine the flour and butter into coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and combine well.

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Using a strainer, shake off excess flour from the cheese mixture. Drop 1 tablespoon at a time into the hot pan, flattening the mound of cheese a bit.

Allow to cook until set and well-browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a spatula, gently flip over the tuiles and cook on the other side for 3 more minutes or until deep golden brown.

Remove from heat to a platter and let cool. Repeat with remaining cheese.

Note: For best results, grate cheese yourself rather than buying pre-grated cheese. Pre-grated cheese has added anti-caking agents, which will affect the texture of the tuiles.

Cranberry Brie Round

Makes 12 servings

1 sourdough round

1 cup butter

6 garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper

2 packages of Mt. Tam triple cream cheese (or other creamy soft rind cheese)

½ cup dried cranberries

1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice a checkerboard pattern into the round of sourdough bread, being careful not to cut all the way through the bottom of the bread. Do not separate the pieces of bread. Place bread on a parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet.

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add whole garlic cloves and rosemary, plus salt and pepper to taste. Lightly crush garlic as the mixture melts.

While butter melts, slice Brie into 1-inch wedges and set aside.

Once butter is melted, remove the garlic and rosemary and pour about half the mixture into the crevices of the sourdough round. Reserve remaining butter.

Tuck Brie wedges and about half the cranberries in between the slices of bread. Brush top of bread with some of the reserved butter and place in oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is melting.

Remove from oven and place on a serving platter (a wood cutting board works well for this).

Garnish with remaining cranberries and some rosemary leaves. Zest lemon over the loaf and serve warm.

When making poke, look for sushi-grade ahi tuna. It should be the kind without any sinew in it for ease of preparation. Local seafood purveyors and stores with well-stocked seafood counters should carry it. They also usually carry tobiko or can order it for you. Wasabi tobiko adds a nice pop of flavor, but if you can’t find it, orange tobiko will work.

Poke Cucumber Bites

Makes approximately 20 bites

2 English cucumbers

1 pound sushi-grade tuna (ahi)

1 cup soy sauce (or tamari, if making recipe gluten-free)

¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons Maggi sauce (or Bragg’s liquid aminos, if gluten-free)

¼ cup finely diced sweet onion

1 tablespoon green onion, green part only, chopped

1 tablespoon jalapeño, diced and seeded

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)

1 2-ounce package of wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe)

Black sesame seeds and lemon zest, for garnish (optional)

Wash cucumber. With a vegetable peeler, peel off strips of cucumber skin about ½ inch thick, skipping a strip every half inch to give a striped effect. Using a knife, cut cucumber into ¾-inch thick rounds. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out some of the middle to create a small “bowl” to put the poke in.

Cut ahi into bite-size cubes, about ½ inch or slightly smaller. Discard any sinewy bits.

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and Maggi sauce. Stir in onions, jalapeño, ginger and cilantro. Add diced ahi and toss. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. (Mixture can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerated before proceeding.)

Fill cucumbers with a generous spoonful of the ahi mixture and top with ¼ teaspoon of tobiko. Garnish with black sesame seeds and a grating of lemon zest, if desired. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

This is a nice way to use leftover turkey. If you don’t have any, diced chicken will work. You can find lavash in the bread aisle, usually near the pita.

Harvest Turkey Salad Roll-Ups

Makes approximately 40 bite-sized rolls

5 cups diced turkey or chicken

1 cup sweet onion, diced

1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

2 cups mayonnaise

½ cup sweet and spicy mustard

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 package lavash bread (4-5 pieces)

3 cups arugula (reserve some for garnish)

In a large bowl, stir together turkey, onion, almonds and cranberries.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, stir together mayonnaise, both mustards, honey and salt and pepper to taste.

Add mayonnaise mixture a half cup at a time to the turkey mixture and combine until it’s dressed to your liking. You may not use all of the mayonnaise mixture.

Spread 1 to 1 ½ cups of turkey salad over one lavash. Scatter a handful of arugula over the salad. Starting at one long side of the lavash, roll tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining lavash. Chill, wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, slice each lavash into 10 pieces. To serve, put remaining arugula on a serving platter and arrange sliced turkey roll-ups over it.

Prosciutto Cups with Goat Cheese and Figs

Makes 24 cups

1 6-ounce package prosciutto (12 slices)

1 10-ounce package soft goat cheese (chevre)

½ cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons honey

6 dried figs, quartered

For the pinot reduction

2 cups pinot noir

¼ cup of honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice each piece of prosciutto in half. Arrange each strip in a mini muffin tin to make a cup. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Prosciutto cups can be removed from the muffin tins and stored in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

While prosciutto bakes, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of honey and salt and pepper to taste. Mix vigorously by hand or with an electric beater until mixture is well-combined and somewhat lightened. Place mixture into a pastry bag if you have one, or place in a zip-close bag and refrigerate.

In a small saucepan, combine the wine and honey and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the wine is reduced by about half and the mixture heavily coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool. Put mixture in a squeeze bottle and store until ready to serve.

To serve, remove prosciutto cups and goat cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Cut a corner tip off the zip bag and pipe about 2 teaspoons of the goat cheese mixture into each prosciutto cup. Place a quartered fig on top of each cup. Squeeze a drizzle of the red wine reduction over the top of each cup and put on a platter. Drizzle more reduction on the platter as decoration, if desired, and serve.

You can reach staff writer Jennifer Graue at jennifer.graue@pressdemocrat.com.