Finger foods – quick, convenient, theoretically unmessy – were all the rage in the 1960s, an era celebrated by the award-winning TV show “Mad Men.”

The series ends Sunday.

Look for modern twists on retro party foods and cocktails in the Spokane7 section Friday.

Meantime, here are a couple of contemporary appetizers to whet your appetite.

Endive Leaves with Roquefort, Grapes and Radishes Dressed Pistachio Vinaigrette

From "La Tartine Gourmande" by Beatrice Peltre 

“When used as finger food, Belgian endive leaves make eye-catching bite-size edible spoons,” Peltre writes in the introduction to this recipe in her 2014 gluten-free cookbook with a French twist.

For the vinaigrette

Sea salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons pistachio oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

For the finger food

2 Belgian endives

2 tablespoons shelled, unsalted green pistachios, coarsely chopped, plus more for sprinkling

¾ cup red grapes, cut into ¼-inch pieces

6 pink radishes, cut into ¼-inch pieces

3 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Fresh dill, to decorate

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients in the order listed. Whisk to emulsify. Set aside.

Make the finger food: Separate the endive leaves, choose the best-looking ones (they shouldn’t be too big), and wash them. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel and place them on a large serving plate.

Combine the pistachios, grapes and radishes in a bowl. Add the cheese crumbles and toss gently. Season with the vinaigrette.

Place a heaping teaspoon of this mixture inside each endive leaf and top with a sprinkle of pistachios and a piece of dill. It’s a good idea to have extra endive handy, should you prefer the shape of the leaves or if you need more.

Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles

From smittenkitchen.com

8 larger or 10 smaller firm, fresh Kirby (pickling) cucumbers

3 teaspoons kosher, coarse or pickling salt (if using a featherweight brand such as Diamond, use a little more)

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

½ cup white vinegar

Slice your cucumbers very thin. Place them in a 1-liter or equivalent lidded jar. Add 3 teaspoons salt and dill, then pour in white vinegar. Close the jar and give it a few shakes to begin distributing the ingredients.

You’re going to find the liquid level in the jar worrisomely low as it is well below the pickle pile line, but don’t fret. Within an hour or two, the salt will draw the moisture from the cucumbers and wilt them, while the liquid becomes a perfectly balanced pickle brine.

Place jar in the refrigerator near the front, which should remind you to shake it once or twice more over the new few hours. (Or whenever you’re back at the fridge.) You can eat them as little as 1 to 2 hours later, but they become ideal at 6 to 8 hours. They’ll keep in the fridge, submerged in their brine, for 3 weeks.

Note: It's  fine to use white vinegar, but for even better flavor, try white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar.

Sriracha-and-Wasabi Deviled Eggs

From Food & Wine

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger

½ cup sake

¼ cup snipped chives

1 dozen large eggs

1 tablespoon Sriracha

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

10 star anise pods

Pinch of Chinese five-spice powder

½ cup chopped scallions

2 cups soy sauce

2 ¼ teaspoons wasabi paste

In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Cover the saucepan, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce with the sake, star anise, chopped scallions, sugar and grated ginger. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and let cool completely.

Drain the water from the large saucepan and shake the pan gently to crack the eggs. Cool the eggs slightly under cold running water, then peel them under running water. Add the eggs to the soy mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the eggs for at least 4 hours.

Drain the eggs and rinse lightly to remove any bits of scallion or ginger; pat dry. Using a slightly moistened thin, sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Gently pry the egg yolks into a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Stir the mayonnaise, Sriracha, wasabi and 3 tablespoons of the snipped chives into the mashed yolks. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a star or plain tip. Set the egg whites on a serving platter and pipe in the filling. Sprinkle the deviled eggs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chives and the Chinese five-spice powder and serve.

Make ahead: The deviled eggs can be refrigerated overnight. Garnish with the chives and Chinese five-spice powder just before serving.

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