If you're hosting a New Year's Eve party you should plan on it being a late night. Your guests will at least be staying until midnight, but it can easily go much later when everyone is in such a festive mood. So how do you keep everyone happy and fed throughout a long night? To find out the best tips, Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Karen Akunowicz , a James Beard Award-winning chef , restaurateur, and television personality.
Akunowicz recommends setting up a grazing table that you can update throughout the night. The chef says, "Start with lighter fare like cheeses, charcuterie, shrimp cocktail, and oysters, then transition to hot hors d'oeuvres or sliders around 9 p.m.
" The hot hors d'oeuvres may include dishes like baked ham and cheese sliders or even truffled French fries . Then, Akunowicz suggests setting out the desserts just before midnight — she recommends sweets such as cookies, chocolate truffles , or mini cannoli. To finish off the night, she says, "Consider a late-night savory snack like arancini or Sicilian slices of pizza to sustain guests into the early hours.
" Easy finger foods to prepare for the grazing table The evolving grazing table is a great way to keep up a variety of foods throughout the night to keep guests happy and interested, but it does mean that you'll need to prepare multiple dishes. With that in mind, it's best to stick to simple dishes that won't take up too much time and energy. Karen Akunowicz says, "Crowd-pleasers like crostini with seas.
