The guest list may change, but chances are your holiday party features the same old -- albeit delicious -- appetizers and desserts. (Hot crab dip, anyone?) Here are some fresh ideas that you can watch me make. There you'll also find additional recipes.

-- Gretchen McKay

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup polenta
• 1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Lightly oil an 8-inch-square baking dish. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until golden. Stir in chicken stock, bring to a boil. Whisking constantly, gradually add polenta in a fine stream. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the polenta thickens and easily comes away from the sides of the pot.

Stir in tomatoes, parsley and thyme and salt and pepper. Pour into prepared dish, smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Set aside to cool completely.

To serve, cut the polenta into 1-inch squares, each topped with a small piece of goat cheese.

Makes 2 dozen appetizers.

-- "50 Great Appetizers" by Pamela Sheldon Johns
(Andrews McMeel, $14.95)

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• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 16-ounce bag frozen peas
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 3 ounces finely diced prosciutto
• 1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic

Warm the broth and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the broth boils. Add peas and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain peas in a mesh sieve.

Place the peas in a food processor with the mint, salt and pepper. Puree the pea mixture. Place the pea puree in a medium bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the baguette slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven until toasted and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. While the crostini are still warm, drizzle the tops with extra-virgin olive oil. Using a whole clove of garlic in your fingertips, rub the top of the crostini a few times to give a hint of garlic.

To finish, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the pea puree. Top each of the crostini with about 1 tablespoon of pea puree. Sprinkle with a bit of the diced prosciutto. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- "Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurentis (Clarkson Potter, 2005)

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A touch of butter gives these chocolatey treats a creamy, smooth texture.

• 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate (at least 64 percent cacao), very finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cinnamon stick, about 1 1/2 inches long
• 2 whole cloves
• Pinch of kosher or sea salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, honey, vanilla, cinnamon stick, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the cream through a fine-mesh sieve held over the chocolate, discarding the contents of the sieve, and let stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate mixture in a circular motion until it has completely melted. Add butter and stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to set chocolate. If chocolate is still too soft to scoop balls, refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Using a melon baller, a tiny ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop out 1-inch balls of chocolate and place them 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Then roll each ball between your palms into an irregularly shaped truffle. Return truffles to refrigerator and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Place cocoa in a small, shallow bowl. One at a time, roll truffles in cocoa, coating them evenly. The truffles can be made up to 2 weeks ahead. Layer them between sheets of waxed paper in a flat, airtight container and store in refrigerator.

Makes about 30 truffles.

-- "The Christmas Table" by Diane Morgan (Chronicle, $19.95)

These savory biscuits are a nice alternative to traditional cheese straws.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less, to taste
• Salt
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Using a mixer or food processor fitted with a steel blade, cream butter and cheese until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, cayenne and a small pinch of salt. Work flour into creamed butter and cheese until smooth, then work in ice water a tablespoon at a time until it is just holding together (you may not need all of it). Gather it into a flat disk, wrap well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Position a rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin and roll out dough to thickness of a standard pie crust (about 1/8-inch).

Using a small biscuit cutter (1 1/2-inch) or decorative cookie cutters, cut it into rounds or fanciful shapes. The scraps can be carefully reworked; gather them into a smooth ball, wrap well, and refrigerate for 20 minutes before re-rolling and cutting. Transfer rounds to an ungreased baking sheet using a thin flexible spatula, spacing about 1/2 inch apart, and bake until pale gold, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Makes about 4 dozen.

-- "The Savannah Cookbook" by Damon Lee Fowler
(Gibbs Smith, $29.95)

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• 20 wonton wrappers (from one 14-ounce package), each cut into 3-inch squares
• 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
• 8 ounces fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over for shells and well drained
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon sambal ulek (Indonesian hot chili paste) or more to taste
• 20 little fresh cilantro leaves

To make wonton cups: Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready two 12-cup miniature muffin pans. Working with one wonton wrapper at a time, brush the top side of each wrapper with sesame oil and press, oiled side down, into a muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Brush the bottom of each wonton cup with a little sesame oil. Bake until the wontons are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely in the tins, then remove carefully. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature until ready to fill. Cups can be made up to 2 days ahead.

To make crab filling: Place the crabmeat in a medium bowl and use your fingers to flake the crabmeat. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the mayonnaise, minced cilantro, chives, lemon zest and sambal ulek. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a bit more sambal ulek if desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fill the wonton cups. Filling can be made up to 1 day ahead.

To assemble and serve: Place the wonton cups on a serving platter. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the crab filling into each cup and garnish with a cilantro leaf.

Makes 20.

-- "The Christmas Table" by Diane Morgan (Chronicle, $19.95)

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• 1 4-inch-long piece center-cut beef tenderloin
• 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning paste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons cocktail onions, rinsed
• 1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 24 store-bought plantain chips

Quarter beef lengthwise and pat dry. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and rub jerk paste all over beef.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add beef and sear, turning, 4 to 5 minutes total. Let rest on a cutting board 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Finely chop onions and cilantro together. Top plantain chips with beef, then with onion salsa.

Makes 24 hors d'oeuvres.

-- Gourmet

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• 1 cup pecans (1/4 pound)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 11-ounce log soft goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed with side of a large knife, then chopped
• About 50 to 60 large flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in upper third.

Toss pecans with butter, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then toast in a 4-sided sheet pan until fragrant and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool completely.

Pulse pecans in a food processor just until finely chopped; transfer to a wide shallow bowl.

Stir together goat cheese, rosemary, coriander and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until combined well. Form teaspoons of cheese mixture into marbles between your palms. Roll in pecans to coat and roll between your palms again briefly. Transfer to a plate.

Put a parsley leaf under each cheese marble and spear together with a wooden pick.

Note: Cheese marbles can be made and coated with pecans 1 day ahead and chilled. Cheese marbles can be speared with parsley 1 hour ahead and chilled.

Makes about 50 to 60 hors d'oeuvres.

-- Epicurious.com

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When picking a cracker to serve as the base for this piquant canape, choose something that won't snap easily and is not heavily flavored.

• 1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 30 sturdy round crackers
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the Gorgonzola and walnuts. When tossing, be gentle, as you don't want to end up with big clumps.

Top each cracker with a small mound of cheese mixture, pressing mixture lightly onto each cracker to keep it from slipping off. Top each cracker with 3 or 4 cranberries and sprinkle a touch of minced parsley on top of each. If desired, canapes can be warmed slightly by placing them on a baking sheet and baking them for 7 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

-- "Party Snacks!" by A. J. Rathbun (Harvard Common, $12.95)

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These slender Japanese eggplants are stuffed with herbed ricotta.

• 4 Japanese eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing, plus 3 tablespoons
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, plus 1 tablespoon finely shredded basil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat a grill or broiler. Brush the eggplant lightly with olive oil. Grill or broil the eggplant on both sides until lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Combine the ricotta, garlic and minced basil in a bowl. Stir to blend and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on each slice of eggplant. Roll each slice lengthwise into a tight roll and secure with a toothpick. Place, seam side down, onto a tray. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or as long as overnight. Garnish with the shredded basil and serve.

Serves 8 to 12.

-- "50 Great Appetizers" by Pamela Sheldon Johns (Andrews McMeel, $14.95)

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• 1/2 cup dried black Mission figs, stemmed, halved
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, halved through core, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
• Coarse kosher salt
• 8 1-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread (about 4 1/2 by 2 inches)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Place figs in small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over; let soak 45 minutes.

Drain figs; place in small saucepan. Add wine and next 3 ingredients; bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until figs are tender and liquid is syrupy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar; cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat; cool.

Melt butter with oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until beginning to soften and brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add vinegar and sugar, then sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Stir until vinegar has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Cool. Figs and onion mixture can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Whisk ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil and cream in medium bowl until fluffy. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Drizzle ciabatta with some olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Broil bread on both sides until toasted. Transfer to serving plate.

Spread 2 tablespoons ricotta mixture on each bread slice. Spoon glazed figs with some of syrup over; top with onion mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan and oregano. Drizzle with oil and serve immediately.

Makes 8 large appetizers, or 16 small.

-- Bon Appetit