5 appetizer recipes for your New Year's party

For years, our family's New Year's Eve tradition included movies, sparkling grape juice and a spread of appetizers that provided the fuel we needed to last until the Times Square Ball dropped at midnight.

Sometimes the menu included familiar favorites saved for special occasions, like nachos, pigs in a blanket or pizza rolls. Other times we'd be inspired to try something new — homemade soft pretzels were a favorite — that would become a treasured part of our tradition. Some foods, like "Minnesota sushi," were nonnegotiable inclusions.

As kids and taste buds matured, so did our holiday spreads. The evening became a participatory event, with everyone playing a role in choosing recipes and helping prepare their favorites. We've stuffed mushrooms and phyllo cups, sampled new cheeses and dips, played with puff pastry, rolled flautas and tried our hands at wontons. The list goes on.

Now the kids are adults, establishing New Year's traditions of their own. Our celebrations are quieter, sometimes just the two of us, and no longer include kiddie cocktails. But they still include appetizers, and this year's bounty of cookbooks has provided plenty of recipes with potential to be new favorites. Here are a few we'll be trying. Whether it'll propel us to midnight is another story.

Serves 8 to 10.

Note: This plant-based dip is great for crudités or as a spread for crackers. Just put the paté in a bowl in the middle of all the accompaniments you want to offer and let guests dig in. If you're eating dairy, plain yogurt can be used in place of the vegan yogurt. From "A Very Vegan Christmas," by Sam Dixon (Hamlyn, 2023).

• 7 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained

• 1/2 (15.5-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1/4 c. vegan yogurt (see Note)

• 1/3 to 1/2 c. (2 oz.) toasted pine nuts, divided

• Salt and pepper

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, blend together artichokes, beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, yogurt and toasted pine nuts, reserving 1/8 cup, until the mixture is the desired texture, smooth or coarse, depending on your preference. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving bowl, then drizzle with olive oil, top with a little more salt and pepper and sprinkle with the remaining toasted pine nuts before serving.

Serves: 6 to 8.

What's a party without a splurge offering? From "A Very Chinese Cookbook," with Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang (America's Test Kitchen, 2023), who write: "There's Cantonese food, and then there's Hong Kong food. For a century and a half, until 1997, Hong Kong was under British colonial rule. The result, gastronomically, was Chinese and British ingredients mishmashed and coalesced into a fascinating fusion. Shrimp toast is one such example. ... That's why we entrusted British-born test cook Joe Gitter with developing this recipe, and he says this version (he calls them "sesame prawn toast") tastes exactly like the shrimp toast he grew up eating in London. The funny thing? We can say the very same growing up in Hong Kong."

• 1 lb. shrimp (any size), peeled, deveined, and tails removed, divided

• 1 large egg white

• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 tsp. table salt

• Pinch white pepper

• 6 slices hearty white sandwich bread

• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds

• 8 c. peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 scallions, sliced thin

• Miracle Whip, Worcestershire sauce and/or plum sauce, for serving

Directions

Finely chop half of shrimp. Cut remaining shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces. Using a wooden spoon or 4 bundled chopsticks, vigorously stir all of the shrimp, egg white, ginger, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in bowl until mixture tightens and becomes very sticky, about 3 minutes.

Remove crusts from bread and trim slices to measure roughly 3 1/2 inches square. Spread shrimp mixture evenly over 1 side of each bread slice, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing gently to adhere. (Coated bread can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of the rack with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to 14‑inch flat-bottomed wok or large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully lower 3 slices of bread, shrimp side down, to hot oil and cook until edges of bread are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees. Using tongs, flip toasts and continue to cook until bread is uniformly golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds.

Using spider skimmer, transfer toasts (shrimp side up) to paper towel-lined side of rack. Let drain for 1 minute, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining toasts. (Line rack with fresh paper towels between batches.) Let toasts cool for 5 minutes. Halve toasts diagonally and transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Makes 32 dates, serving 6 to 8.

In "ScheckEats: Cooking Smarter" (Harvest, 2023), author Jeremy Scheck writes: "My mom used to make traditional bacon-wrapped dates with a little almond inside, and they're delicious that way, but I had the idea to fuse these with a jalapeño popper to create this beautiful monster. Don't use the super-fancy large dates here or the proportion of bacon to dates will be off." Note: You can substitute an almond for the cream cheese, or use blue cheese instead. Scheck also recommends using convection if you have it.

• 32 small dates, pitted

• 4 oz. cream cheese (see Note)

• 16 slices uncured bacon

• 2 to 3 jalapeños, sliced in very thin rounds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (375 degrees if using convection). Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil. Cut each date open (remove the pit, if needed). Fill each date with roughly 1/4 teaspoon cream cheese. Cut the bacon pieces in half crosswise. Wrap each cream cheese-filled date with a half-piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Arrange on the prepared pan, seam side down. Bake for 15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy, then flip each date over and cook for another 5 minutes, until the bacon fat has mostly rendered. Slide a jalapeño slice over each toothpick and serve.

Makes 12.

"These are a kind of turbocharged deviled egg of 1970s fame and excellent as a dinner party canapé, or even as a starter with some leaves to make more of an egg salad," writes Joe Woodhouse in "More Daily Veg" (Kyle, 2023). "Chop through the eggs and mix with the filling to make a fantastic sandwich filler. There is a reason why deviled eggs were so popular. This version is so good I have started using it instead of mayonnaise."

• 6 eggs, at room temperature

• 5 tbsp. (2 1/2 oz.) mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp. (1/4 oz.) capers, roughly chopped

• 1/2 to 1 small shallot, finely diced

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 heaped teaspoon hot paprika, plus extra for dusting

• 2 cornichons, finely diced

• 1 tbsp. (1/4 oz.) chives, finely chopped

• Sea salt flakes and black pepper

• 1 chile, thinly sliced, to garnish

Directions

Place the eggs in a medium saucepan filled with cold water, with a lid on. Heat over a medium heat until at a gentle simmer. As they are heating, very gently swirl eggs in the water, moving them in a circular motion around the base of the pan, 2 to 3 times. This helps center the yolks, making it a lot easier and neater when filling them. Once at a good bubble, turn off the heat and leave the eggs to sit in the water for 4 to 5 minutes with the lid on.

Drain the eggs and return to the pan, shaking to break the shells. Run under cold water to fill the pan around the eggs, empty the water and refill with cold water. Let sit for a couple of minutes until you can handle the eggs for peeling. Remove the shells and slice each in half across their equators. Cut a thin sliver off each top and bottom so each half will stand up without rolling over. These trimmings can be chopped and added to the filling mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, add the egg yolks, mayonnaise, capers, shallot, lemon juice, paprika, cornichons, chives and salt and pepper. Taste and add shallot, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

With a teaspoon (or a piping bag with a wide nozzle), carefully divide the yolk mixture between the egg whites. Top with a slice of chile and a dusting of paprika, for old times' sake.

Serves 8.

This lighter take on ground beef tacos uses lettuce leaves to hold a satisfying filling. The crisp cucumber is the perfect cooling counterpoint to the rich beef and spicy sauce. To punch up the filling, we take inspiration from the sweet and savory flavor of Korean barbecue. We toss browned ground beef with a quickly made umami-filled barbecue sauce of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and toasted sesame oil. Quickly pickled cucumber adds a refreshing crunchy topping, and a superquick Sriracha mayonnaise adds a touch of heat. From "The Complete Small Plates Cookbook," by America's Test Kitchen (2023).

• 1 English cucumber, halved and sliced thin

• 1/4 c. seasoned rice vinegar

• 1/4 c. mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp. Sriracha

• 3 tbsp. soy sauce

• 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

• 1 1/2 lb. 85% lean ground beef

• 1 head Bibb, green leaf or red leaf lettuce (8 oz.), leaves separated

Directions

Combine cucumber and vinegar in bowl; set aside. Combine mayonnaise and Sriracha in second bowl; set aside. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and oil in third bowl.

Cook beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until any juices have evaporated and beef begins to fry in its own fat, 8 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to skillet and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. To serve, fill lettuce leaves with beef mixture and top with pickled cucumbers and Sriracha mayonnaise.