Whether you're hosting a brunch, bridal shower, or cocktail party, elegant yet super-simple to prepare gravlax-topped toasts are sure to shine. Delicate and decadent cured salmon (whether home-cured or store-sourced) finds its ideal match when paired with nutty crackers, tangy crème fraiche, briny capers, and a sprig of dill to freshen it all up.
Even better, though this bite looks mighty sophisticated, it requires little more than assembling a few ingredients, and can be easily scaled up or down. It's equally at home as the starter for an intimate four-person dinner party as it is at a blowout bash for 50, just shop for ingredients accordingly.
Every year, we throw a cozy Feuerzangebowle at our home. My husband's family is from Germany, and this German holiday party is centered around a bowl of mulled wine. A Feuerzangenbowle (pronounced "Foy-err-song-en-bowl-eh," German for "tongs of fire punch") is a traditional fruity and mulled wine finished with flaming rum. 
