It is embarrassing to admit, but whenever others complain about the onslaught of holiday parties or quick last-minute gatherings, I hold back. I rarely confess my love of such events and the reason that I love them. Of course, I enjoy seeing people and toasting the season, but my true passion for these gatherings is more about the fact that I cannot resist anything I am allowed to eat with my fingers that is served on a silver platter.

I obsessively count my fruit and vegetable intake each day, so before such events I usually fortify myself by eating a hearty green salad before leaving the house. Then I can feast on cheese, crabcakes, and anything else that is passed my way. But I am most impressed when the offerings go beyond the traditional Swedish meatballs, bits of tenderloin with horseradish on toasted slices of baguette, and cheese trays (all of which I love), and help balance my seasonal diet. This is preferable to the diet I will need to implement in the months ahead if I only eat the more traditional holiday offerings.

Recently, a friend effortlessly popped some homemade frozen gougères into the oven to serve with a glass of wine; pan-toasted pecans with a prepared spice mix to set in a dish on the coffee table; and filled a ramekin with some fava bean hummus along with wedges of fennel, carrot batons and blanched green beans, ensuring that we all ate our vegetables that evening. Dinner was complete.

With this in mind, and the fact that it is nice to have a few recipes in hand that can replace a dinner in this hectic season of shopping, cookie baking, and gift-wrapping, I have put together a few recipes that make the holidays festive. They can be thrown together easily for a last-minute gathering by the fireplace or simply eaten on the run.

This season I hope to have on hand mushroom bisque for sipping from a demitasse (this can easily be frozen); the makings of a simple apple, Gruyère, thyme, and fig jam pizza (with the use of a frozen pizza crust from Baba Louie’s or Berkshire Mountain Bakery, assembling this takes minutes); and some endive leaves to hold a spoonful of roasted beets, pistachio, and citrus (which can be put together in minutes if you have roasted beets on hand). If endive leaves and beets can count as a salad, we have managed a three-course dinner without needing to wash a single piece of cutlery or even a plate. This approach might even carry forward into the spring, and the silverware drawer can settle in for a long winter’s nap.

Apple, Fig, Thyme, Shallot, and Gruyère Pizza

This pizza was inspired by one made by the curator of landscapes at Olana in Hudson. The crust was topped with thinly sliced local apples, onion, Manchego cheese, and salt and pepper. A store-bought crust can be on hand in the freezer, or one can be made from scratch. Playing with the ingredients to suit one’s own taste is easy; I have combined everything from pears, chili flakes, and Brie to broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, and Gorgonzola. Cheeses that melt well are the best options here.

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Endive Leaves with Roasted Beets, Citrus, and Pistachio

Individual Belgian endive leaves are the perfect vessel to carry a variety of toppings. The sweet and acid combination of this filling is loosely based on a salad from Lupa in New York City. It serves as a perfect counter to the crisp, slightly bitter endive.

Like its relative radicchio, Belgian endive has incredible staying power in the refrigerator if protected from light. For the topping, one can easily substitute purchased roasted beets for those made at home or replace pistachio butter with a soft creamy cheese such as a burrata.

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Creamy Mushroom Bisque

Nothing beats a demitasse of soup on a cold winter’s night, and this bisque is easy to make. It can easily be frozen, although I would then reserve the cream to be added when the soup is thawed and reheated. I also make it on the thinner side to make it easy to sip (no spoon needed) and not overly filling.

The porcini powder is optional but adds a lot of flavor. I was first taught about this ingredient by Lidia Bastianich. It’s the result of pulverizing dried porcini in a food processor or coffee grinder (if not sufficiently crisp, toast porcini in a 200° oven on a parchment-lined cookie sheet until dry and crisp). I almost always have this on hand; a small jar of it makes a wonderful present for friends who love to cook, as it stores well and adds an umami richness to everything from soups to risotto.

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