Three tasty ways to spice up your New Year’s Eve party

If you want to throw a New Year’s Eve party that sizzles, make sure the food does.

In some instances, that’s a figurative thought: lovely cheeses, delicate-tasting savory pastries made from filo, and warm-but-mild meatballs, for example. But in the case of the following recipes, the resulting appetizers will indeed, most literally, sizzle on the palate.

If you think your guests are up to handling the extra fire power, go for it.

And be assured, the recipes are quite cook-friendly. After all, these days, one of the most important goals of party planning is making sure that throwing a party doesn’t interfere with enjoying it. So I want you to orchestrate your event to be frazzle-free.

If you choose sizzling appetizers, plan to have plenty of ice-cold beverages on hand, with plenty of alcohol-free options. And don’t forget a gorgeous platter of fresh vegetables and a tame dip so folks can douse the fire.

For a dramatic veggie platter, consider keeping the vegetables to one or two colors, such as a green and white assortment composed of cauliflower and broccoli florets, strips of green pepper, sugar snap peas and small, lightly blanched green beans, slices of peeled turnip or daikon or white radishes, scallions, endive leaves, asparagus and the whitish inner stalks of celery.

Or you can produce a dramatic assortment made with whole, peeled, small carrots or carrot strips, red, yellow and orange pepper strips or squares, cherry tomatoes in reds and yellows, and even small leaves of radicchio.

The advantage of the color limitation is that your arrangement looks attractive, even if it’s totally random.

You can prep the vegetables hours ahead and crisp them in iced water.

Right before arranging them on your platter, drain off the water, throw a little crushed ice over them and drape with a damp kitchen towel until your guests arrive so the veggies don’t look dried out.

For last-minute offerings, don’t forget your local Chinese, Thai and Indian restaurants that provide take-out. These are usually excellent sources for egg rolls, dumplings, shrimp toast and fresh-tasting fritters. Perhaps they’ll even make smaller-than-usual dumplings and egg rolls if you ask. If they don’t make smaller egg rolls, simply cut them crosswise into three pieces and serve on toothpicks.

Wasabi, that spicy Japanese green horseradish we enjoy with sushi, provides a noticeable kick, so proceed with caution when using it.

SKEWERED SHRIMP WITH BOK CHOY AND WASABI

2 bunches bok choy

2 tablespoon butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

36 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on, if possible)

12 4-inch-long toothpicks or bamboo skewers

2/3 cup rice vinegar

2/3 cup mirin (sweet rice wine; if unavailable, substitute dry sherry)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sesame oil

3 tablespoons (yes, 3 tablespoons!) coarsely cracked pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup wasabi powder

1/2 cup additional rice vinegar

Cut the leaves from the bok choy and set aside for another use (such as a stir-fry or chicken broth). Cut stems into 3/4-inch-long pieces. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the bok choy stems and saute gently until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, set aside and cool completely.

Alternate 3 shrimp and 3 pieces of the cooled bok choy on each skewer.

Mix the 2/3 cup rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, cracked pepper and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Add skewers to the marinade, turning to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, turning skewers once.

Blend wasabi and the 1/2 cup rice vinegar in a small bowl. Preheat broiler. Arrange skewers on broiler rack and cook 11/2 minutes on the first side. Turn skewers over. Brush with the wasabi mixture and cook until shrimp are just opaque, about 11/2 minutes more. Lightly brush other side of the shrimp with wasabi, return briefly to the broiler to heat through, then remove to a serving platter.

Makes 12 servings

Just in time for crab season, here’s a wonderful little “Sidewalk Crab Cocktail” with a zippy character.

SPICY CRAB AND AVOCADO COCKTAIL

2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup salsa (commercial brand of your choice)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 medium avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 pound cooked Dungeness crab meat (very fresh!)

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

8 cilantro sprigs for garnish

In a blender or a food processor, combine the tomatoes, lime juice, salsa, ketchup, sugar and hot pepper sauce. Blend to a coarse puree. Adjust seasoning, adding salt, pepper and perhaps more sugar to taste.

(This can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to use).

In a bowl, gently toss together the avocados, crab meat and red onion, then divide between 8 cocktail glasses. Spoon some of the tomato puree over the top of each, garnish each with a cilantro sprig and serve.

Makes 8 appetizer servings.

There are many variations on the popular bacon-water chestnut appetizer.

This one, a spin on how my friend Debbie makes them, is my all-time favorite. The pepper bacon and sprinkling of pepper is my take on the whole thing.

PEPPERY BACON-WRAPPED WATER CHESTNUTS

2 cans water chestnuts, whole

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 pound thick-cut pepper bacon

About 1 cup additional brown sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chestnuts and place in a recloseable plastic bag. Add the soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and marinate the mixture for 2 to 6 hours.

When ready to assemble, cut the bacon strips into thirds. Place the 1 cup of brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll each marinated water chestnut in the brown sugar, then wrap it in a slice of the bacon pieces, roll in the brown sugar again and fasten with a toothpick.

Arrange the bacon-wrapped water chestnuts on a baking sheet (they can be placed close together). Sprinkle them with freshly ground black pepper, then bake in a 350-degree oven until the bacon is golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes about 40 appetizers.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.