When waiting for the New Year, it has become customary to pay more attention to the dining table and not just to festive clothes or home decor. The article contains some tips on how to combine different foods for snacks.

According to Ramunė Puzinienė, Head of New Product Development at Mantinga, the first step to preparing snacks for the festive table is to choose the right bread.

“One-bite sandwiches, rolls or baskets, bread or puff pastry baskets are the basis of these snacks, the quality of which will determine their overall taste. It’s not uncommon for people to skimp on the good ingredients they use for snacks – caviar, salted salmon, cheese, vegetables, etc.  But  when all of this is combined with plain bread, we won’t achieve the desired effect,” she says.

“During the festive evening, you don’t want to overeat, yet at the same time, you don’t want to stay hungry, so you can prepare more filling snacks with French baguette or French buns. Lightly toasted slices of French baguette or Italian bread ciabatta can be flavored with goat cheese cream as an alternative to butter, and sandwiches can be made with salmon or caviar, as well as with boiled beef, spicy chorizo sausage or Serrano ham. It is important not to spare condiments – greens such as arugula or basil leaves, capers, chopped olives, sun-dried or fresh cherry tomatoes,” says R. Puzinienė.

According to R. Puzinienė, the cheeses that are very popular at the snack table can also be combined with bread products, which not only complement the selection, but also help to reveal the delicate taste of the cheese.

“Natural sourdough bread goes well with marinated feta or French hard Comte cheese, and focaccia pairs well with sheep’s milk cheese.” Darker wheat bread can be safely combined with blue cheese, and French baguette combines nicely with soft cheeses such as brie and camembert,” she says.   

In order for the prepared snacks to stay delicious right up to midnight, R. Puzinienė suggests toasting the slices of bread or French baguette used for sandwiches in the oven or in a pan – crispy pieces of bread will absorb less moisture from the other ingredients.