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Curating a menu for an elegant and sophisticated New Year’s Eve party? You cannot go wrong with festive-themed grazing boards that ooze a chic vibe as they are circulated among guests. Easy accompaniments with signature cocktails and mocktails, grazing boards or nibble platters can be put together ahead of time, using ingredients that fit the celebratory motifs. Grazing boards are also great time savers. With chic wooden platters revolving around the party space, the host can actually mingle with guests instead of spending too much time prepping and cooking in the kitchen, when the party is already under way.
Winter Mezze Grazing Board
Brimming with things seasonal, wintry and festive, this mezze grazing board has all the makings of becoming the highlight of your year-end gala. The board can be put together as a global cuisine-inspired, warm and cosy platter containing a couple of bowls of hummus – including original and flavoured versions like pesto, beetroot or garlic – along with baba ganoush, warm pita bread, falafel, green olives and roasted nuts. The dips can be warmed up slightly before service starts for more depth. Arrange roasted carrots and beetroots on the grazing board for finishing off the wintry effect.
Black And Gold Cheese Board
Sophisticated, yet undercut by a little ounce of drama, this cheese board is an aesthetic, photo-ready platter filled with small nibbles packing a lot of flavour. Thematised to suit the vibe of the party, the grazing board can contain aged cheddar, bites of brie and gouda that are coupled with black grapes and black berries. Some fig jam and honey can be the sweet, fruity and floral accompaniments with the small bites. Sesame and charcoal crackers can be stacked alongside the cheeses for a classic textural crisp. For a more luxurious effect, place the jams and relishes in gold-plated bowls and use edible gold leaves as adornments.
Countdown Dessert Board
If the name of the culinary game at your New Year’s Eve bash is finger foods, carry this theme forward into the dessert course too. As the evening glides into the countdown that heralds the new year, grazing boards featuring chocolate truffles, mini brownies, chocolate-coated strawberries and macaroons can start to make an appearance. Also go for some elegant options like gold-wrapped chocolates or iced mini cupcakes that are delicious bite-sized treats, perfect to munch on as you count the seconds down to an exciting year that lies ahead.
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Festive Veggie Luxe Board
This is a grazing board for the vegetarians in the crowd, which caters to their specific dietary preferences. Bright, colourful, hearty and deeply satisfying, such a premium veggie board can comprise roasted pumpkins, carrots and some steamed broccoli along with pomegranate seeds and spiced nuts. Craft a feta cheese and basil pesto dip as a delicious, vibrant accompaniment and throw in some herbed cream cheese too, for added nuance.
Sparkling Seafood Grazing Board
All things glitz, glamour and sparkle, this blingy seafood grazing board can be fashioned into an aesthetic and charming small bites platter that befits the chic and sophisticated brief of the party. Think chilled prawns, smoked salmon, some oysters and lemon wedges all resting on a bed of ice. Couple this utterly exquisite (and expensive!) grazing board with a stunning homemade cocktail sauce and some dill mayonnaise that complements the seafood flavours. Place some crispy breadsticks, seasoned with herbs and sesame, in the platter for a textural crunch between bites of fish and the crustaceans. A garlic-herb butter dip can also be another addition that brings a certain creaminess into the grazing board.
