Swoon! Valentine’s Party Food with Annie Campbell | Meri Meri

3 Valentines Party Food Ideas By Celebrity Caterer - Annie Campbell

Annie Campbell makes beautiful food for beautiful parties. The LA-based caterer is the go-to for Hollywood’s celebrity crowd and she’s also a contributor to home magazines like Domino and Martha Stewart Living. We asked her to share some kid-friendly recipes for a Valentine’s tea and her stylish suggestions did not disappoint...

The Drink: Cupid's Punch (Serves 4)

Ingredients

16 ounces of fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
48 ounces of fresh lemonade
Whole strawberries or cotton candy to garnish, optional

How to Make

Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Combine the strawberry puree and fresh lemonade. Pour into a glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry or cotton candy. Enjoy!

The Savoury Snack: Heart Crudites with Beet Dip (Makes 2 Cups)

Ingredients

For the crudités:

Pink and red fruits and vegetables, cut into varying shapes: slices, strips and rounds
Cherry tomatoes
Radishes
Red peppers
Watermelon
Red apples

For the beet dip:

Beets
Salt & pepper
Lemon juice
Crème fraiche
Herbs
Olive oil

How to Make

1. Drizzle beets with olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper and wrap in packets of tin foil. Place packets on a foil-lined cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, until fork tender. Let cool.

2. Combine beets, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and puree. Add crème fraiche and blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Fold in the herbs; do not blend the herbs or the color of the dip will change.

3. To serve, arrange the crudités and fruit in the shape of a heart and serve alongside the beet dip.

4. Dip can be made 2-3 days in advance and refrigerated, covered. Beets can be roasted and cooled a day in advance.

The Sweet Treat: Valentine's Sugar Cookies (Makes four dozen)

For the Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
8 ounces of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons of whole milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

How to Make:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl cream together butter, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla. Blend in the dry ingredients. Chill the dough for at least one hour. When ready to make the cookies, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Also sprinkle a rolling pin with flour so it doesn’t stick. Cut dough into desired shapes. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and make cookies at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes, until very lightly golden. Let cool.

For the Frosting

1 pound of confectioners' sugar
1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract
¼ cup of whole milk

Mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth. Frost cookies and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!

All recipes from the kitchen of Annie Campbell
annie-campbell.com