Who has a *fancy* appetizer recipe that is NOT

[Hoggirl]

cheese or shrimp? Can be hot or cold, but I prefer something that is a "pick-up" appetizer or a fork appetizer. Something fancy. I'm trying to come up with a menu for wine pairings, and I already have in mind the other courses:

 

salad (probably bitter greens with fruit/nuts vinaigrette)

pasta course (seafood stuffed shells)

beef tenderloin

cheese course

dessert

 

But, we have six couples so I need six courses, so I really need an appetizer.

 

Any ideas from the foodies?

TIA!

[Carol in Cal.]

Buy some white bread. Yes, seriously. Maybe two loaves.

 

Using a ruffled, round cookie cutter, cut rounds that include no crust. With my biscuit cutter I get two-three rounds per slice.

 

Arrange close together on a cookie sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds--just enough to dry out the top and maybe make it beige instead of white. Not toasted, though.

 

Flip the bread over.

 

Spread with this mixture: 1 large white onion, chopped very finely, mixed with about 1 cup of Best Foods/Hellman's mayo--this is no time to use the fat free or reduced fat. Go for full fat...

 

Then broil until the onion turns just a bit brown and the edges of the bread toast. Serve warm You will not believe how good this is. It sounds gross, but it is positively addicting.

 

For variety you can sprinkle just a tad of parmasan cheese and/or dried parsley on the top right when they come out of the oven. But that's really gilding the lily.

[BikeBookBread]

How about bruschetta?

 

Get a high quality loaf of italian or french baguette-shaped bread

Slice on an angle

Rub each side with a smashed piece of garlic

Brush with olive oil, and then toast in a pan until crispy

 

Combine:

Finely chopped fresh tomato or oil-packed sun-dried tomato

Finely diced red onion

Chopped fresh basil (or make ribbons/chiffonade and place on top afterwards)

A bit of fresh garlic if desired (but it is already on the bread, so might want to hold off)

A bit of good extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

fresh cracked pepper

 

Top each toast slice with a bit of topping and sprinkle with a pinch of crunchy sea salt.

 

Depending upon the type of tomato topping and heaviness of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this could pair with either white or red.

[elizabeth]

 

http://www.puffpastry.com/recipes.aspx I love this website and the recipes work well. Shhh - it is just our little secret cheat for fantastic appetizers, desserts and the lovely little beef wellington entree that always brings high praise from guests.

[melissel]

Well, I don't know about the appetizer, but what should I wear? Sounds like my little black dress would be in order... :D

 

That sounds heavenly. I was thinking bruschetta too, with good bread and good tomatoes. Maybe something with a roasted red pepper spread or a good olive tapenade?

[Julie in CA]

The restaurant I work for has really good stuffed mushroom appetizers. When I make them for parties, they're always gone in a flash. They can be prepared ahead of time (like days ahead...) and then they take about 5 minutes to warm beforehand. They do have some cream cheese in them, so if you're truly avoiding *all* cheese for the appetizers, this isn't the recipe for you.

But...they're *so good*!

Let me know if you'd like the recipe. :drool5:

[6packofun]

I WANT IT!! lol Yes, ma'am, you may post it right here. :tongue_smilie:

[Stacy in NJ]

Bacon wrapped scallops. Yummy!

[Hoggirl]

The restaurant I work for has really good stuffed mushroom appetizers. When I make them for parties, they're always gone in a flash. They can be prepared ahead of time (like days ahead...) and then they take about 5 minutes to warm beforehand. They do have some cream cheese in them, so if you're truly avoiding *all* cheese for the appetizers, this isn't the recipe for you.

But...they're *so good*!

Let me know if you'd like the recipe. :drool5:

 

My dh also suggested stuffed mushrooms. I think these just might be the ticket.

 

I love the bacon-wrapped scallop idea, but I already have some shellfish stuff in the pasta shells.

 

Onion-y bread thingies sound good, too!

 

Could I do the bruschetta ahead?

 

Keep those ideas coming, ladies! I am leaning toward the mushrooms; I think a vegetable would be good!

[ladydusk]

Instead of scallops, bacon wrapped water chestnuts are a favorite here.

[Janet in Toronto]

Prosciutto e melone. Wrap some quality prosciutto around honeydew melon (I like the melon in balls, but it's not necessary) and secure with a toothpick. Chill (somewhat). Sweet and salty! Yum.

[Hoggirl]

:D

[Alessandra]

Martha Stewart has an excellent appetizer book, lots of ideas.

I've done baby potatoes with creme fraiche & caviar

cherry tomatoes (hollowed out with a "tomato shark") filled with smoked trout

snow peas with a thin zigzig of piped wasabi cram cheese

not original, but good, thinly sliced smoked salmon on pumpernickel bread with dill butter and a spring of dill on top

 

IMO, using a pastry bag and piping decoration makes most food look fancier.

 

My mother used to do an elaborate thing with deviled eggs -- she cut the white part so that a basket handle remained on top, Then she put some yolk mixture in,, topped with black caviar on one side and red caviar the other side. But this may be too over the top for nowadays.

 

Some Parisian friends used to serve tea sandwiches with champagne before dinner (no cocktails to ruin taste buds), If you get a thingy that slices regular bread so that it is only half as thin, you can (after cutting the crusts off) spread the bread with softened butter or mayo, top with watercress and roll up the sandwich. It is a wonderful foil for champagne.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Alessandra

[Julie in CA]

I forgot to check back. Here's the recipe, though it's really flexible, and you can substitute pretty freely and still have them turn out great:

 

1 lb. cream cheese

1/3 cup bacon bits

1 small bunch green onions-thinly sliced

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs or crushed croutons

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Mix all of this in a bowl. You can taste a tiny bit to make sure it tastes good to you. At this point you can store the filling in the refrigerator for a really long time. At least a week. Alternatively, you can clean your mushrooms, pop out the stems, fill the mushrooms and *then* store in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days.

 

I wish I could tell you how many mushrooms this will make, but since we just make the filling up ahead and use as needed, I don't really know. I use my small-sized ice cream scoop to fill the mushrooms since it makes the filling into a nice little ball that pops right into the mushroom cap. I also sometimes clean, trim, and chop the mushroom stems and stir them into the filling if I need to stretch the recipe or make them a teeny-tiny bit healthier.

 

When you're ready to serve these, they only take about 5 minutes to prepare. Just take the filled mushrooms out of the fridge and put them in the microwave for about 4 minutes, until the mushrooms start to soften. Sprinkle the top with a bit of shredded mozarella or parmesan, and pop under the broiler for a minute or two until the cheese on top is bubbly. These are good hot, but they're also pretty good at room temp.

 

ETA: They're also good with a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh parsley.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Julie in CA

[Hoggirl]

Can I bake them in the oven and then broil them? We will be having twelve people, and I don't think I could fit enough in my microwave (it has a rotating table which limits my size of dish) to feed them all at once. Do you think I could bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes and then broil them?

 

Glad you posted these. They sound yummy!

[Julie in CA]

Can I bake them in the oven and then broil them? We will be having twelve people, and I don't think I could fit enough in my microwave (it has a rotating table which limits my size of dish) to feed them all at once. Do you think I could bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes and then broil them?

 

Glad you posted these. They sound yummy!

Oh, you could certainly do them in the oven. Cover them with foil for the beginning, and then uncover, top with cheese, and let them bake uncovered until soft. You can skip the broiling if you do it that way. It might take longer than 15 minutes though. If I were doing these in your situation, I'd take them out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time, so they would be at room temp when you put them in the oven.

 

BTW, when is your party?

[Hoggirl]

It will be sometime in June. We are members of a Wine Club. We get together about every six weeks or so. Very fun! It's a great group of folks. We are not in the habit of trying to outdo each other which makes it nice and relaxing, but we do like to try and come up with something "different." Last year we dined and wined al fresco and played croquet halfway through our tastings. Usually we eat first then do tastings, but dh and I did a wine tasting menu in Las Vegas and thought it would be fun to try and replicate that. It may, however, prove to be too logistical difficult for lack of enough dishes! Even so, I will need a dinner menu, and I love the idea of the stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer.

 

Thanks!

[Tammy]

This sounds great EXCEPT....I HATE mushrooms....What else do you think this would be good with besides mushrooms?

[Julie in CA]

This sounds great EXCEPT....I HATE mushrooms....What else do you think this would be good with besides mushrooms?

 

Lol! Ok Tammy, so you want a stuffed mushroom recipe *without* mushrooms, huh?

 

You could probably use the same filling to stuff med-sized cherry tomatoes.

or....

You could use some small red potatoes, bake them a bit, hollow them out, and then use the same filling. Those would be good!

 

I've also considered using this filling with hollowed out small zucchini. That sounds good to me, but I haven't tried it. Let us know if you do try it with something else. I'd love to know how it goes! :001_smile:

[Kerrie in VA]

Jalapeno pepper jelly spooned over cream cheese to spread over Triskets--mmm!

[Tammy]

Ok...those are great ideas.....I have a party to attend on May 2nd.....and I will try it!