1,300 party recipes

Empanadas, Latin American hand pies filled with seasoned ground beef, hard-boiled egg, raisins, and green olives, wrapped in flaky pastry. Fried or baked, perfect for parties and lunchboxes.

This is such a fun recipe. I made an entree Vol Au Vent for a recent garden party with this chicken filling, filled the small puff pastry baskets with it. Not only it looked nice and elegant, it also tasted amazingly delicious. A great pick!

Sparkling pineapple punch with cinnamon-infused simple syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, and sparkling white wine. A fizzy, crowd-sized party punch served from a punch bowl.

Classic baked flan with a deep amber caramel top and silky vanilla-orange custard underneath. Spanish-style cream caramel made the proper water-bath way for a dinner-party showstopper.

Flourless chestnut and pecan torte with a bourbon-coffee-chocolate filling, bittersweet chocolate ganache icing, and bourbon chantilly cream. Rich, nutty, and deeply warming. The kind of torte that ends a dinner party with a standing ovation.

Seafood pasta salad with rotini, shrimp, bay scallops, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and olives in an anchovy-Parmesan vinaigrette. Crowd-feeding cold salad for parties and picnics.

Peanut butter cookie pops made with a buttery peanut butter dough, rolled thin and cut into shapes, then sandwiched with candy melts on lollipop sticks. Great for kids' parties and bake sales.

Layered Mexican dip: refried beans and bean dip topped with fresh guacamole, a seasoned sour cream and cheese layer, and black olives. A no-fuss party appetizer that disappears in minutes.

Galia melon in port wine with honey and pomegranate seeds is an elegant, no-cook fruit dessert. Just four ingredients for a light, boozy finish to a dinner party that looks as stunning as it tastes.

Kipper pate slices layer creamy smoked fish on golden puff pastry, finished with a cool cucumber-mint dressing. A British appetizer that handles a dinner party with quiet confidence.

Flank steak burritos layer juicy poached-then-julienned steak with red onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, and olives, rolled in flour tortillas and served with avocado dip. A party-ready Mexican classic.

Blueberries in black pepper Syrah syrup soaks fresh berries in a reduced red-wine syrup laced with vanilla and freshly cracked black pepper. A sophisticated make-ahead dessert for dinner parties.

Popcorn cake binds popped popcorn, mixed nuts, and rainbow gumdrops with melted marshmallows and butter, then molds it all into a tube pan. A no-bake retro showstopper for parties and bake sales.

Beef tenderloin slit lengthwise, packed with a savory mushroom and ham bread stuffing, then broiled and served with a brandied tomato gravy. The retro dinner-party showpiece that turns one tenderloin into a memorable plated entree.

Avocado and scallop ceviche cures finely chopped scallops in lime juice and green peppercorns, then folds in mashed avocado and chives. Stuffed into raw mushroom caps brushed with garlic-lemon oil for a striking party appetizer.

Gift cake: a birthday sheet cake decorated to look like a wrapped present, with coconut "paper," strawberry preserves filling, and a gumdrop bow. Perfect kid's party centerpiece.