With Relish

Now that charcuterie, cupcakes and punch have been sufficiently revived, let us set our sites on...the relish tray!  A recent estate sale visit reminded me of how ubiquitous the relish tray once was in American culture.  While you might think that crudités is the same thing as a relish tray, these cousins are not exactly interchangeable--in my mind anyway.

Crudites are raw or par-cooked vegetables I usually serve with a sauce for dipping.  They are what is best and most fresh from the market or grocer.  A relish tray, is similar in that it may contain some raw or fresh vegetables, but it will also probably have some stuffed olives, home pickled vegetable and several other things from a jar.  You might have some celery that has been stuffed with pimento cheese or some other kind of spread.  Perhaps some cucumbers and vinegar?

I think we just about always had a relish tray when Mildred was serving dinner.  It was never anything fancy, but I know she always had a small bowl of the cucumbers with onion, some raw spring onions I only remember her eating and...I can't remember quite what else.  My dad usually puts together a relish platter when we're dining there and my brother mocks my sister-in-law, saying her families' relish tray is just black olives.  My new relish dishes inspired me to put together two relish trays, perfect for cocktails or a glass of wine, but created for a make-your-own-sandwich buffet we had at work.

When assembling, I think the main purpose of the relish tray should be something refreshing--bright, astringent flavors that wake up the taste buds before dinner.  Variety.  If you need inspiration, pick up any 1950s cookbook and just flip through the photos in the appetizers section.  For mine, I used:

• Sun-dried tomato stuffed olives
• Carrot sticks (not baby-cut carrots!)
• Pickled asparagus
• Garlic gherkins
• Celery sticks stuffed with horseradish cream cheese
• Dill pickle spears
• Pickled okra
• Black olives

Quick to Start

One of my favorite starters is a mushroom pâté; it's hearty, savory and delicious spread on crackers or toast points. I like to serve it with the traditional cornichon or other pickly things. It's best made the night before and chilled in the refrigerator where the flavors can mingle, but I made a batch yesterday afternoon to take to a friend's home and enjoy with an evening meal. The basic recipe is here, but I guess every time I make it there are some subtle differences. This time, I didn't have any dried mushroom, so I didn't use them. Instead, I added a little tamari (1 1/2 tablespoons) to give a depth of flavor to the mushrooms. Then, for a little brightness I included 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar. For the nut, I used a mixture of pecans, walnuts and pine nuts. I toasted all of them in a dry skillet before pureeing all of it in the food processor. I thought it turned out quite good, event without the overnight rest.

So, if you're wondering what to make to begin your Thanksgiving dinner or maybe you just need a new appetizer for you holiday cocktail party, mushroom pâté is easy to prepare, can be made in advance and is delicious to eat!