9 Super-Simple Cocktail Party Bites

In a medium bowl, beat 2/3 cup lemon curd, 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until stiff, at least 4 hours. Prepare 24 frozen mini puff pastry cups as label directs. Spoon filling into cooled cups. Garnish with julienned strips of candied ginger. Makes 24.

Helpful hint: Don't know where to find candied ginger? If you've already checked your supermarket's baking aisle, candy aisle, and spice aisle, try kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table.

In a medium bowl, stir together 8 ounces of cooked lump crabmeat, picked over for shells; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 2 small stalks celery, very finely chopped; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of crab mixture onto 36 rice crackers. Top each with a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce and snipped chives. Makes about 36.

Helpful hint: Sometimes cooked crab can be a little, how do we put this…stinky, despite being good product. To counteract that fishy aroma and flavor, soak the crab in milk for 20 minutes, then drain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing gently to get the excess milk out without totally pulverizing the crab.

Trim crusts off 8 slices of white bread; cut each slice diagonally to form 4 triangles and toast until golden brown on both sides. On each toast, spread 2 teaspoons almond butter and 1/2 teaspoon fig jam. Sprinkle toasts with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled. Makes 32.

Helpful hint: Can't find fig jam? Apricot also works beautifully.

Thinly slice 1 large baguette. Arrange on a large cookie sheet; bake at 400°F for 8 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter on medium. Add 12 ounces of mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced; 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons of lemon juice; and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon mushroom mixture onto baguette slices. Garnish with finely chopped parsley. Makes about 20.

Helpful hint: To make this ahead, keep the baguette slices in an airtight container at room temperature and refrigerate the mushroom mixture for up to 24 hours. Microwave or sauté mushrooms just until warm before spooning onto the baguette.

Stir together 4 tablespoons of melted butter; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed with press; and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Roll and stretch 1 pound pizza dough into a 12-by-10 inch rectangle. Brush with half of the garlic butter. Line top with a thin layer of prosciutto slices (about 1/4 pound). With a pizza cutter, cut rectangle into 4 equal-size pieces (to form 4 10-inch columns), then cut perpendicularly to form 1/2-inch-thick strips. Tie each strip into a knot; place on a large parchment-lined cookie sheet. Brush knots with remaining garlic butter. Bake in 400°F oven for 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Makes 96.

Helpful hint: No prosciutto? You can substitute paper-thin slices of high-quality ham or leave the pork out altogether and sprinkle with a thin layer of finely chopped herbs and finely grated Parmesan cheese instead.

In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup of guacamole, 1/4 cup of sour cream, and 2 teaspoons of lime juice. Dollop or pipe onto 24 thick-cut tortilla chips. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate seeds. Makes 24.

Helpful hint: For a shortcut, buy the already picked pomegranate seeds (aka "arils"), available in most fresh produce sections nowadays.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper until well combined. Transfer to a sandwich-sized resealable plastic bag. Push filling into 1 corner; snip off corner to form very small hole. Slowly pipe filling into very large pitted green olives. Makes about 42.

Helpful hint: Make sure you don't use the resealable plastic bags with "flat-bottoms." They won't work for piping.