November 12, 2009 at 8:43 am
· Filed under The Nibble
Hors d’oeuvres from GoodWives.com.
Entertaining? Plan 4 to 6 cocktail hors d’oeuvres per person if you’re following drinks with dinner; 8 to 10 pieces if it’s just a cocktail party.
Some brands of frozen hors d’oeuvres available to consumers are the same brands caterers use. They’ll cook up hot and crispy in your oven in just 7 or 8 minutes. Just try the products in advance of the event so there are no surprises. Not only do you want to be sure that the food tastes as good as it looks; different ovens produce different results, and you don’t want to experiment while guests are waiting to be fed!
Find reviews of our favorite hors d’oeuvres, plus recipes, in our Hors d’Oeuvres & Cocktail Snacks Section.
Thank goodness the growing demand for sophisticated cookie platters gave birth to Cookie Panache, because the cookies are simply wonderful. In a world where the cost of labor and ingredients to bake one’s own butter cookies is almost as much as buying the finest, Cookie Panache is a real find. Crafting twists on favorites that add layers of flavor, these cookies and their biscotti siblings have most definitely earned their panache.
Cookie Panache answers the ever-hanging question of what to give for personal and corporate holiday gifts, hostess gifts and thank-you gifts for loving relatives who treat you to Thanksgiving, and Christmas and Chanukah memories.*
*Anyone who celebrates anything else: Add it here!
So, what are you waiting for? You know you want to dig in and find out more about the Dulce de Leche Cookie (a super sandwich), Triple Chocolate Bites (worth every calorie), Mojito Lime (a cocktail in a glass), Dutch Granny (we’ve adopted her) and the rest of the melodious cookie chorus, including impeccable biscotti.
Read the full review of Cookie Panache—but read it on a full stomach.
Biscotti with panache. Photo by Evan Dempsey | THE NIBBLE.
See more of our favorite cookies, plus recipes, in our Gourmet Cookies Section.
Serve your sundae in a cookie cup. Photo
by Marcin Bania | IST.
November 11th is National Sundae Day, so why not make something special?
We’re starting with a S’mores Sundae—chocolate ice cream, marshmallow creme, crumbled graham crackers and chocolate sauce. To celebrate the season, we’re following with a Gingerbread Sundae—cinnamon, ginger and vanilla ice creams with cubes of fresh-baked gingerbread, topped with whipped cream, candied ginger and chunks of Chocolove’s crystallized ginger and dark chocolate bar. (The truly indulgent can add caramel sauce). Whatever your favorite flavors, combine them, indulge and enjoy!
See some of our favorite ice cream brands, including cinnamon and ginger flavors.
See all the different types of ice cream and frozen desserts in our Ice Cream Glossary.
We’re always testing food at THE NIBBLE; and with the warm weather we were having yesterday, a member of our team picked up both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffees. At Dunkin’ Donuts, she was tempted by the fall donut display and picked up a sampling:
Fall Munchkins Donut Hole Treats. Decorated with autumn-colored non-pareils, these cuties were the winner by a mile. Suggested retail price $4.49 for a 25-count box.
Pumpkin Donut. Our second favorite was the glazed cake donut, which was said to be pumpkin-flavored. We didn’t taste the pumpkin, but the dough is—surprise!—a fun pumpkin color. And it’s a good glazed donut. Suggested retail price $.89.
Fall Harvest Donut. We didn’t get to try this yeast ring donut topped with orange icing and a festive sprinkle mix. But we love yeast donuts; maybe tomorrow? Suggested retail price $.89.
Pumpkin Muffin. This large muffin—share it with someone—is topped with white icing and streusel crumbs. It’s too crumbly for us, and the pumpkin flavor could be more pronounced. Suggested retail price $1.39.
What about a lowfat muffin? Now there’s the:
Our fall favorites at Dunkin’ Donuts: The glazed
Pumpkin Donut at left, with pumpkin-colored
dough inside and the colorful Fall Munchkins.
At top, Pumpkin Muffin. At right, Low Fat
Caramel Apple Muffin. Photo by Evan Dempsey
| THE NIBBLE.
Low Fat Apple Caramel Muffin. This is Dunkin’ Donuts’ first low-fat muffin, with only three grams of fat. It’s part of the DDSMART menu of better-for-you items that meet at least one of the following criteria: 25% fewer calories; 25% less sugar, fat, saturated fat or sodium than comparable fare, and/or contain ingredients that are nutritionally beneficial. This muffin may have 25% less fat, but it’s a big muffin with plenty of calories and carbs. Might we suggest that “better for you” would be a mini two-ounce muffin, and not six ounces or more? We’re just saying! Suggested retail price $1.39.
In terms of the iced coffee: Starbucks won ($3.05 compared to $2.82, representing NYC prices with tax).