PARTY LINE : Welcome to the Jungle

The Los Angeles social crowd is used to outlandish parties. Caterers hire clowns and fortune tellers; they turn parking lots into pirate ships. One even served veal loins sculpted into, uh, manly shapes.

But when the Discovery Channel hired Prime Time Productions to cater its premiere party for the show “Spirits of the Rainforest” last month, Prime Time owner Gary Budnick played it straight. The documentary, set in the remote Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peru, focused on the area’s wildlife and the Machiguenga Indian tribe living there. “You can’t get too cutesy,” says Budnick. “This is a serious subject.” Once a client innocently suggested that Budnick prepare a barbecue after the showing of a documentary about the fires of Kuwait. “I had to explain that it was in bad taste,” Budnick says. He also kept seafood off the menu at a premiere party for a film about whales. “You can’t watch a movie like that and then eat seafood,” he says. “It’s important to be politically correct.”

For “Spirits of the Rainforest,” tropical palms and ferns were hauled in to the Directors Guild on Sunset Boulevard to give the place a jungle feel. Giant umbrellas, orchids and other flowers hung from the ceiling. There was also a four-piece Peruvian band.

The menu was geared toward the tropics too: lots of vegetarian dishes, poached shrimp with green chile mayonnaise, chicken skewers with kumquats. And there were spicy beef empanadas. “We took a chance with those,” says Budnick. “There is this thing about cows destroying rainforests, but well, you have to go one step too far to think about it.”

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This recipe is quick and easy to make, partly because Prime Time chef Sally Anne Smith opted for frozen puff pastry sheets rather than using a traditional empanada pastry. The filling may be made a day in advance and refrigerated. The pastry circles may also be heated and filled the day before the party and heated through right before serving.

SPICY BEEF EMPANADAS

1/4 cup dry Sherry

1/4 pound golden raisins

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 large onion, chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes, lightly drained, diced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup capers, drained

1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs

3 (17 1/4-ounce) boxes Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheets

Sour cream, optional

Chopped cilantro, optional

Heat Sherry, add raisins and soak about 1 hour.

Heat butter in medium skillet and saute onion and garlic until transparent. Add ground beef and cook over medium heat until meat loses pink color. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer meat to large heavy-bottomed pot. Add raisin-Sherry mixture, parsley, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, tomatoes, tomato paste, capers and bread crumbs. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool to workable temperature. Thaw puff pastry, then lay sheets on cutting board. Cut into circles using 2-inch cookie cutter. Place on baking sheets. Back at 350 degrees until golden and puffy, about 12 minutes. Spoon 1 teaspoon filling on each circle and return to oven until filling is heated, 5 to 12 minutes.

Top with bit of sour cream and chopped cilantro. Makes 100 appetizers.

Each serving contains about:

44 calories; 59 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.05 gram fiber.