Living room hors d'oeuvres without cheese

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Since we almost always serve a separate cheese course, I avoid serving cheese as a pre-dinner drinks accompaniment. I also avoid anything that involves more than a toothpick or cocktail fork, i.e., anything messy, drippy, crumbly, nothing that can fall in someone's lap or on the carpet and cause embarrassment.

What's in your whiz bag that fits this bill?

[weinoo]

Plenty. I make all sorts of things on toothpicks (banderillas)...recently I did baby artichokes with roasted red pepper and pickled onion. Anchovies, high-quality tuna, olives, etc. all go well together on picks.

I'm a big fan of mushrooms cooked with sherry and pimenton.

Tiny 1 bite crostini topped with all sorts of things.

[FrogPrincesse]

A charcuterie platter, pork or salmon rillettes, tapenade, smoked salmon or gravlax, gougeres (cheese puffs), soup shooters...

Lots of options!

[lesliec]

There's an ElBulli recipe (keep reading; it's simple!) from about 2009 I make a lot.

Skin cherry tomatoes (slit the bottom, 10 seconds in boiling water then plunge into ice water) - two per person is about right. Cut balls of watermelon about the same size as the tomatoes. Assemble one tomato and one melon ball on a toothpick, separated by a small leaf of fresh basil. Drizzle basil oil over the top and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. If your melon baller is like mine you'll have a flat side on the melon balls, so they stand up nicely on a plate.

Let the guests guess what they are, and encourage them to try and get the whole thing in their mouths rather than pulling the individual bits off.

[Katie Meadow]

When you serve a cheese course do you have crackers with it? If so you might not want apps in which crackers or bread play a role. For a no-spreading or no dipping (and no dripping) cocktail go-with I like edamame in the shell, marcona almonds, olives, fried chick peas or just a plate of exotic crudite--veggies that aren't all that common, like kohlrabi cut paper thin with sea salt, interesting looking radishes, some of those odd-colored little purple or orange carrots, whatever. For a light and not messy toothpick food, pickled shrimp always seem to go fast. I'm in favor or any pre-dinner snacks that don't require utensils or plates, just a stack of napkins. My mother always used to serve celery root remoulade, but that involved utensils, plates AND napkins.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Then there are the patés (salmon, tuna, chicken liver, liverwurst, foie gras where permitted), which can be piped onto slices of vegetables and put out. For example, I'm very fond of tuna paté on slices of cucumber, and liverwurst on radish rounds.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Wow! There are some sensational tidbits above.

Many, however, still involve something moist on top of a base, which is what I am trying to avoid. I am looking for something fumble-proof. No, my guests aren't clutzes, but I try to fail-safe anything I serve away from table. Also, dinners are very substantial so I avoid anything more than a blotter to keep guests from getting too tipsy beforehand.

Katie, the cheese course is a plateau of cheeses with some kind of fruit accompaniment (cherry or fig compote, nectarine slices, fresh grapes or figs) and crusty bread.

Since including the cheese course, I have just served nuts or olive oil crackers or some other (boring) simple "grab a handful" bite. Returning guests know not of overload beforehand.

[lstrelau]

I like making small risotto cakes (you can make one without cheese in it) and without large chunky ingredients. I use a falafel maker/former but a portioning scoop works fine to or a spoon. I make the cakes about an inch or inch and 1/4 diameter and less than half inch thick. Usually I coat them in panko and then freeze on a cookie sheet. Bake from frozen until browned and getting crispy. Are nice with a small dollop of chutney or something on top too.

Other nibble I like is a bit more last minute prep but tasty. Take medium size fresh sage leaves and put a piece of oil-preserved anchovy on half of the leaves (fit the anchovy to the leaf size and i usually mash it down a bit with a fork). Then put another leaf on top of the anchovy (a sandwich). Then dip in beaten egg and then in (preferably) self-rising or 'instant' flour. Then fry them in a little bit of olive oil, til crispy (turn over once). Serve warm - great with Sherry in particular but would be good with Champagne or other sparker too.

[HungryC]

Are spiced nuts too messy? Roast pecans, walnuts, or almonds w/butter and a blend of spices that will complement your dinner, setting the tone for the flavors to come.

[Chris Hennes]

Many, however, still involve something moist on top of a base, which is what I am trying to avoid. I am looking for something fumble-proof.

The list of foods that aren't crumbly and aren't messy when dropped is a short one indeed. Cubes of bread, maybe?

[janeer]

Where do I begin? As a huge fan of finger food, I could go on and on. But I will simply say my secret words for starting a memorable dinner: something deep-fried.