The festive season is here. Bring out the Christmas tree, hang up the stockings and invite those happy guests over. Make your ingredients list and check it twice to ensure that only the finest foods surround you and your loved ones. Verve advises you to put away Mom's old cookbook and create a storm in the kitchen with one of these party favourites. Remember your guests deserve the best.

Celebrity chef, food consultant and entrepreneur Karen Anand says, Party snacks are a challenging proposition. They have to be finger foods, relatively substantial, good to look at and cosmopolitan. And from any cook's point of view, the ingredients have to be reasonably easy to get your hands on. The most difficult is to find snacks which are equally delicious, hot or at room temperature, just in case they have done the rounds before they get to you. These recipes fit the bill perfectly and they are great examples of international dishes which are highly achievable in any Indian city."

CROSTINI PLATTER: CREAMED MUSHROOMS CAPONATA ROASTED PEPPERS
CREAMED MUSHROOMS:
Ingredients: Whole-wheat or white bread, 6 slices; Button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, 1 pkt; Pepper cheese spread, 4 tbsp; Butter, 1 tbsp; Olive oil, 1 tbsp; Cream, 1/2 cup; Garlic cloves, crushed, 4 units; Green chilli, 1 unit; Fresh parsley, chopped, 1/2 cup; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method: Heat the butter and oil together in a frying pan. Fry garlic till golden. Add mushrooms and fry on high heat. If the mushrooms give off any water, continue to fry until it evaporates. Add the cream and lower the flame. When the cream starts to bubble and thicken, turn off the gas. Add the cheese spread and mix thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, parsley and chilli. The mushrooms, cheese and cream should be a thick mass. Top with the mushroom mixture on toasted bread. Serve at once.

CAPONATA:
Ingredients: Large onion, chopped, 1 unit; Celery, chopped, 3 to 4 stalks; Olive oil, 3 tbsp; Aubergine cut into 1 inch chunks, 1 kg; Green olives, chopped, 10 units; Sugar, 1 tbsp; White wine vinegar, 1 tbsp; KA Pasta sauce, 1 jar; Salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Fry the onion and celery in a little olive oil. Deep fry the aubergine chunks until golden. Remove and drain. Add the aubergine to the onion, celery and all the remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly, cover and leave to cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the lid of the pan towards the end of cooking. If the sauce require extra moisture, add a tablespoon or two of water during cooking. Add salt, pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

ROASTED VEGETABLES:
Ingredients: Courgette cut into rounds, 1 unit; Red and yellow pepper, sliced, 1 unit each; Garlic cloves, crushed, 3 units; Olive oil, 1/4 cup; Balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp; Mixed herbs, 1 tsp; Sliced crusty bread; Salt and pepper.

SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO:
Ingredients: Sun dried tomatoes, 8 units; Large garlic cloves, 2 units; Fresh basil or dried basil, 4 to 5 leaves or 1/2 tsp respectively; Olive water, 4 tbsp; Olive oil, 2 tbsp.

Method: Mix the vegetables with all the ingredients except the bread and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool. Put all the pesto ingredients in the small grinder jar of a mixer. Grind till completely smooth. This can be stored in the fridge for upto two weeks. Spread pesto onto slices of crusty bread. Pile on the roasted vegetables and serve. Can be garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary.

MAKAI REVIVAL
Ingredients: Corn kernels, 1 kg; Refined flour, 30 gms; Capsicum, chopped, 30gms; Milk, 40 ml; Garlic chilly sauce, 40 gms; White pepper powder, 5 gms; Oil.
Method: Mix all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside for some time. Meanwhile heat the oil in a shallow kadai. Spoon out the above mixture in the hot oil as per the required size and fry till golden brown. Strain from the kadai and dry out the makai revivals with the help of absorbent paper.
Best when served with garlic mayonnaise.

SPINACH AND CREAM CHEESE PILLOWS
RED MULLET:
Ingredients: Spinach, stalks removed, approximately. 150 gms; Onion, chopped, 1 unit; Garlic, chopped, 1 tbsp; Boiled and grated potato, 1 unit; Green chillies chopped, 2 units; Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp; Wonton skins, 3 x 3; Cream cheese, 100 gms; Aamchur powder, a pinch; Jeera powder, 1/2 tsp; Oil, 2 tbsp; Salt and crushed black pepper to taste.
Method: Fry the onions and garlic in a little oil until golden. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute only. Drain thoroughly and chop fine. Add the potato to the onions and garlic, chillies, nutmeg, aamchur powder and jeera. Mix well. Add the cream cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. Wrap the stuffing in the wonton skins. Avoid overstuffing and seal with cornflour paste. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer at 180C and fry the pillows. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with salsa sauce.