A bourbon-balsamic-black pepper glaze is drizzled over room-temperature brie and served on baguette slices with fresh herbs and raspberries. (Matthew Mead/The Associated Press)
It’s easy to have romantic visions of the holidays — cozy fires, perfectly wrapped gifts, your house decorated like a magazine spread, all your friends gathered to celebrate, marveling at your culinary prowess.
But let’s be honest, parties take work. But if you do it right, the cooking can be the least of your worries. In fact, you can sometimes get away with no cooking at all. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal effort you really can throw an elegant affair that meets the culinary mark.
So we’ve assembled dozens of easy-to-execute party bites from cookbook authors and chefs to get you off to a good start.