Lots of time to party

No bartenders. No fussy little passed hors d’oeuvres. No panicked hostess. Could we possibly be talking about a holiday party?

Yes, you can whip up an elegant, memorable, delicious soiree all by yourself, put everything out before the first guest walks in the door, then spend the entire party having fun.

The key is to throw out conventional wisdom about holiday hosting do’s and don’ts, and take a modern, streamlined approach to gracious entertaining instead. Here, adapted from my book “Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom” (Morrow Cookbooks), is a five-step plan for low-stress, high-style holiday parties:

• Forget about a full bar. Instead, make one great cocktail that feels just right for the season, and have some bottled water on hand for designated drivers. Spiced pear Bellinis are an easy favorite, combining the aromatic flavors of cinnamon and cardamom with the classic combination of pear and sparkling wine.

• Don’t hire help. There’s nothing more impressive than a party that feels personal. Skip the bartender, and let your friends help themselves to drinks instead. (Or ask a bachelor friend to do the pouring. He’ll thank you for it later.) Have your significant other hang up the coats as guests walk in. Skip the live music and load up your CD changer with loungey holiday tunes.

• Keep the menu simple. Instead of a wide assortment of complicated hors d’oeuvres, stick with one theme and do a series of variations. Serve miniature steamed potatoes with everything from guacamole to caviar. Make a variety of different sushi hand rolls. (It’s easier than you think.) Or assemble some elegant open-faced sandwiches like pear, blue cheese and walnut; truffled egg salad, and English cucumber (recipes follow).

• Leave the food in one place. Instead of sending waiters out with food-laden trays, arrange hors d’oeuvres elegantly right on your dining room table. No need for doilies, cornucopias or multitiered displays here. Just pull the chairs away, make sure the table is immaculately clean, then set down the hors d’oeuvres in a simple, geometric pattern that mimics the shape of the table. Allow each hors d’oeuvre at least 3 inches of space all around.

• Be a model to your guests. If you’re having a good time, they will too. Have a couple of bellinis, say hello to everybody and feel free to dance if the mood strikes. Swinging from the chandelier: optional.

The following recipes also are from “Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom.”

Spiced pear Bellinis

This variation on the cocktail made famous at Harry’s Bar in Venice is a cinch to make. The pear mixture can be prepared up to a week ahead. In fact, it needs to be made in advance so that it has time to chill.

5 cinnamon sticks

2 33.8-ounce bottles pear nectar (about 9½ cups)

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/3 cup sugar

6 bottles Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled

Place cinnamon on a cutting board and with the flat side of a large knife, press down to break the sticks. Put broken sticks in a pot and add nectar, cardamom and sugar. Place over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.

Turn off heat and cover. Let it sit for at least an hour, then pour it into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled. Remove cinnamon stick pieces with a slotted spoon. For each serving, pour spiced nectar into a champagne flute about two fingers high and fill ’er up with Prosecco. Makes 30 servings.

Open-faced truffled egg salad sandwiches

The lettuce cups on these sandwiches give them a really fresh, sculptural look, and the truffle oil makes them taste positively decadent.

6 eggs

Water

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons truffle oil

1/4teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

6 rolls, sliced in half

12 small leaves of butter lettuce (from about 2 heads)

½ small bunch chives, thinly sliced

Place eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 6 minutes. Run cooked eggs under cold water, then peel.

Cut eggs into 1/4-inch chunks and place in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, truffle oil and salt, and stir well to combine. Butter each half-roll and place a leaf of butter lettuce on top to form a cup. (The butter will keep it in place.) Divide egg salad evenly between lettuce cups (about 2 tablespoons each) and sprinkle each with some chives. Makes 12 sandwiches.

Open-faced cucumber sandwiches

This open-faced version of the classic London hotel tea sandwich has a hint of dill.

1 cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed, then cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Kosher salt

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

6 rolls, sliced in half

3 sprigs dill, stems removed, finely chopped

In a bowl, combine cucumber and 1 teaspoon salt. (Yes, 1 teaspoon.) Generously butter each roll half and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Divide cucumber mixture evenly between roll halves and sprinkle dill on top. Makes 12 sandwiches.

Open-faced pear, blue cheese and walnut sandwiches

These sandwiches have a balance of flavors: sweetness and a tangy creaminess and a warm, earthy note from the walnuts.

2 tablespoons butter, plus 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 medium pears (cored but not peeled), cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

2 tablespoons honey

Pinch of salt

6 rolls, sliced in half

1½ cups crumbled blue cheese (9 ounces)

1 cup walnut halves (4 ounces)

Place a heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter. After it has melted and the foam subsides, add pears and stir to coat.

Spread them out as much as possible and cook — not stirring — for 3 minutes, until pears have softened but not lost their shape. Add honey and salt and let cook for 4 more minutes without touching, then turn off heat and let pears cool.

Divide 6 tablespoons softened butter evenly between roll halves and spread thinly. Place 4 to 5 slices of cooked pear on each roll half, then sprinkle with cheese. Top with walnut halves. Makes 12 sandwiches.