How to cater for unexpected guests at your NYE 2023 party

Here’s seven handy ideas for ensuring your unexpected New Year’s Eve guests have great food when they drop by.

If friends and family pop in unexpectedly this NYE, welcome them in style with these quick last-minute ideas.

Puff pastry

Frozen puff pastry is a kitchen hero – it’s quick to defrost and fast to bake. Top sheets with sliced fruit and a dusting of icing sugar for a delicious dessert, clear out your leftovers to make a savoury tart or simply tear off scraps and sprinkle with cheese for speedy finger food.

Frozen puff pastry is quick to defrost and fast to bake.

Save the day pancakes

Whip up speedy pancakes using self-raising flour, milk, egg and whatever is in the fridge. Think pikelets with leftover ham; or turkey and chives with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Or follow the Korean craze and throw some chopped kimchi and green onion into the batter. Breakfast visitors can be welcomed with pancakes topped with fruit and drizzled with any leftover custard.

Breakfast visitors can be welcomed with pancakes topped with fruit and drizzled with any leftover custard.

2-minute star popcorn

Popping corn, a little oil and your imagination… there’s popcorn for every occasion. Buy it unpopped and it keeps for some time in your pantry. Add a spoonful of caramel sauce and a pinch of salt to make salted caramel popcorn perfect for the kids or for serving with coffee. Add melted butter combined with a little wasabi paste for a spicy snack to serve with welcome drinks. Wrap small portions of popcorn in GLAD Baking Paper to give to kids so they don’t fight over the bowl.

Wrap small portions of popcorn in baking paper.

Speedy dip

Canned beans, chickpeas, beetroot, broad beans or artichokes all make perfect bases for dips. Just add a bit of acid (eg. lemon juice), a bit of cream (eg. Greek yoghurt), a bit of oil and a bit of freshness (eg. mint). No fresh herbs? Look for that half empty jar of pesto. Anchovies, toasted spices, garlic or a pinch of chilli can also be great additions. Once you’ve made your selection, pop all the ingredients in the processor. And voilà!

Canned beans, chickpeas, beetroot, broad beans or artichokes all make perfect bases for dips.

Everyone loves pasta

If there’s one thing everyone seems to have in their pantry, it’s pasta! Cook up some spaghetti and toss through some extra tasty breadcrumbs by processing day old bread and pan-frying in quality extra-virgin olive oil until golden and crunchy. Add garlic, dried herbs, chilli, olives or anchovies to the mix. And most importantly, present your dish as your special recipe, not as a save-the-day pantry put-together.

Present your dish as your special recipe, not as a save-the-day pantry put-together.

Jazz up a cheese toastie

What better way to use up your beautiful leftover ham than to make everybody’s favourite – cheese toasties. Make it extra special by adding your secret pantry ingredients: caramelised onions (made by just adding sugar as you fry them), pesto, a strong cheese, sliced artichoke hearts… You can cut it into bite size pieces for an aperitif or make a giant super cool one for a centrepiece.

You can cut it into bite size pieces for an aperitif or make a giant super cool one for a centrepiece.

Dessert in a glass

If you store your leftovers wisely using GLAD Cling Wrap, you’ll be able to use them again! That wedge of Christmas pudding makes the perfect ice cream mix-in, the messy bit of pavlova left on the plate is transformed into a chic Eton mess. Genius!

The messy bit of pavlova left on the plate is transformed into a chic Eton mess.

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as How to cater for unexpected guests at your NYE 2023 party