Salty and savoury: New Year's Eve hors d'oeuvres to impress guests

If New Year's Eve party planning has you stressed out, take some tips from Chef Ross Munro to get the ball rolling before the ball drops.

"My focus is always ingredients and techniques," Munro said. "So, when you take great ingredients, treat them properly, you get great food. It's pretty simple."

Munro shared these "show-stopping" dishes and more on CBC's Mainstreet P.E.I.

Beef, Bacon and Blue

Munro said this dish is one he likes to incorporate local beef, locally smoked and cured bacon, and close-to-home grown blue cheese into, and it's "something you can prepare ahead and bake while guests are there."

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef tenderloin trim.
• 2 lbs thinly-sliced bacon.
• 1 lb Glasgow Glen Farm "Bluda" cheese.
• 1 package of paddle head of knotted bamboo skewers.

Maple Balsamic Gastrique:

• 500 ml regular balsamic vinegar.
• 250 ml pure maple syrup.

To finish:

• Cracked black pepper.
• Coarse sea salt.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Thinly slice beef tenderloin and lightly pound between sheets of cling film until you have about a three-inch by three-inch piece of meat.

Cube the "Bluda" cheese into approximately inch cubes.

Lay half-cut bacon slices on a cutting board. Place one piece of beef on top of the bacon. Place the cheese on the beef.

Wrap the beef around the cheese and then roll the beef pocket into the bacon. Skewer to secure.

Place skewered bundles on a parchment-lined baking sheet in rows.

Bake for approximately nine to 12 minutes, "depending on how well done you want your beef to be cooked and how crispy you like your bacon."

For the balsamic drizzle:

Place vinegar and maple syrup in a sauce pot. Reduce by 2/3 and cool.

This can be done ahead of time and kept at room temperature," advised Munro. "If it is too thick, just rewarm a bit and add in some more balsamic vinegar to make it less viscose."

Drizzle with a spoon on the cooked Beef, Bacon and Blues.

Finish with some freshly-cracked black pepper and coarse sea salt.

Pork Barbacoa

This dish is "one of those ancient cooking methods," and Munro said it's over 1000-years-old.

Ingredients:

• 1 pork shoulder.
• 3 cups brown sugar.
• cup sea salt.
• 2 tbsp ground cumin.
• 2 tbsp ground coriander.
• 1 tbsp dried red chilli pepper flakes.
• 1 tbsp chipotle pepper powder.
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper.
• 1 tsp ground white pepper.
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees F.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl until well-blended. Place rub on pork shoulder, fat side up, for up to 48 hours, covered and refrigerated.

When ready to cook, place pork shoulder in a roasting pan with five cups of chilled water or pork stock.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over the pork, then cover the pork and the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Cook for about eight to nine hours. Let entire pan rest, still covered, on a cooling rack for about one hour.

Remove covering and drain off half of the liquid.

Keeping the pork in the pan, gently pull apart with two forks.

Fold the reduced liquid back in and it is ready to serve on butter-toasted buns.

Munro recommends serving this with Chimichurri sauce:

• 1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley.
• cup olive oil.
• cup red wine vinegar.
• cup packed cilantro.
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano.
• 1 finger hot or fresh red chilli pepper.
• tsp ground cumin.
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper.
• Sea salt to taste.

Puree all ingredients in a food processor just until smooth and well-incorporated. Do not over puree, as it will turn brown and"not taste very good!"

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