Appetizer/Hors D'Oeuvre/Starter Ideas

[annachan]

No fridge, that's really a challenge.....Here's what I can think of for now:

Some sort of cake....pound cake, angel food cake, sponge cake....either plain or icing made with powder sugar and a little liquid (lemon juice, orange liquor, etc.)

Cheesy breadsticks or parmesan cheese crisps

[Sackville]

Cheesy breadsticks or parmesan cheese crisps

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That's a good idea. Do you have a favourite recipe?

[Chufi]

if fridge space is limited, you could make some things (spreads, dips) that are very flavourful and highly seasoned, so you don't need much of it.

For instance, pesto will keep for a couple of days, if you have a thin layer of oliveoil on top. Use it on cherry tomatoes with mozzarella or goatscheese..

Or make tapenade to spread on rounds of baguette.

Boil eggs in advance (i'm not sure if, hardboiled, these should be kept in the fridge? ) and top with some pesto or tapenade.

Cream some gorgonzola with thin cream, pepper, nutmeg and a touch of brandy. Just before the party, use this to sandwich two walnuthalves together. Looks very pretty, and is salty and rich so again, you don't need piles of them.

Oh one more thing.. be sure to have at least some items that are 'fresh'. If everything you serve is prepared ahead, the food can look (and taste) a little dull.

I've done a lot of 'prepare ahead' parties, also in high summer, so I'm going to look through my archives to see if I can find anything that does not need refridgeration at all..

Edited August 13, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

You can prepare the crostini for bruscetta ahead of time, they keep for quite a while in airtight containers. I was also thinking of interesting homemade crackers.

[Jenikaye]

How about cheese straws...

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp.

1 1/2 C. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/3 C. parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 C. flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients, except flour, in food processor until blended. Add flour, pulse on/off until blended.

Put dough in cookie press. Press dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 14-16 min. until golden.

If you don't have a cookie press you can spoon flat rounds onto cookie sheet.

I sometimes don't use these ingredients exactly as written. I usually make it to my taste....They're pretty good.

Makes about 5 dozen.

[Chowhound]

How about Bagel crackers spread garlic and oil on thinly sliced bagels and bake until crisp.

[Lori in PA]

You could spend the time baking some kind of shells to be filled just before the party with yummies. One idea: use mini muffin tins and nestle in wonton squares and bake til crisp -- very easy -- and store in an airtight container at room temp. Day of party or the day before, saute cubed chicken breast until just cooked and stir into jarred salsa. Just before serving, heat up salsa mixture, plop into wonton cups and top each with a fresh cilantro leaf. These are gobbled up fast.

[DTBarton]

Maybe go to a good cheese shop and ask for some good stuff that doesn't need refrigeration in the short term.

[annachan]

Cheesy breadsticks or parmesan cheese crisps

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That's a good idea. Do you have a favourite recipe?

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Don't have one for breadstick....but here's one for parmesan crisps (from Food Network).

Parmesan Crisps:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2-inch apart.

Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool.

Yield: 8 to 10 crisps

[Anonymouze]

I rarely cook (it's mostly take out, delivery or one of us picks something up or orders it by phone...) HOWEVER... may I suggest the following:

Buy skewers and put on them fresh fruit blueberries, raspberries, halved strawberries, quartered sliced, pineapple, seedless grapes and (sliced melon slices or anything you like that is in season, I'd avoid citrus and fruits that change colors in the heat - so most are ok too!) and alternate them for a pretty appearance.

You don't need much prep time and you can make this one to two days before depending on where you store them and how many you want to make! It's quick, easy and very tasty I hear.

(I only eat banana's, watermelon, and macintosh apples heh!)

I hope this helps your little dilemma a bit! Have a great weekend.

[KatieLoeb]

Make ahead dips like hummus or baba ghanoush. All that needs to be done on party day is to warm and cut up some pita bread.

Make ahead phyllo wrapped appetizers like mini spanikopita. Freeze them and then pop into the oven that day.

[avocado]

I'm hosting a very casual (think one step up from a kegger) party this weekend for about 40 people. I wouldn't dream of having people in without offering them food, so what can I serve?

Here are the criteria:

It can't be too fancy. All my friends are recent college grads from the Midwest and their palates are fairly unrefined. Plus, I don't want to look like I tried desperately hard.

It can't be too expensive to make. I'm already providing beer and liquor for 40!

It has to be able to sit at room temperature or in a crock-pot. People will be in and out and I don't want anyone to "miss" the hot food.

Don't rule out sweet things- I'd like to mix in a little of that too.

To get you thinking along the right lines- I often make something like spinach dip in a bread bowl for this crowd and people go nuts for it. They think it's fancy-schmancy. But I'm tired of making it, and plus, it's kind of hackneyed. I do have some culinary integrity here.

I know you all love a challenge, so have at it! Thanks in advance...

[tryska]

*lol* i was jsut gonna mention the spinach bread bowl thing. that disappeared in 5 minutes flat at the last party i took it too.

how about pimiento cheese dip and wheat thins?

[vestadunning]

Would maki be too upscale or "weird" to them? I grew up in the midwest and while most people would be disturbed by "them raw fish things," making regular california rolls or using the prepackaged unagi and making eel/cucumber rolls (it's cooked, it's fish, and you don't have to tell them what kind of fish -- my standard reply for this is "it's a teriyaki fish" and my midwestern family doesn't know the difference) might not be outside their range of what's "normal." Doing a roll with smoked salmon and cream cheese is also fun. Smoked salmon doesn't have to be too expensive and neither does the unagi. And of course fake crab is crazy-cheap!

I've also had success with hummus and warm pita triangles -- more success with midwesterners if I fry the pita triangles for a few seconds first!

Of course, I'm in a land of incredibly cheap shrimp and scallops, so I'd do bacon-wrapped scallops or marinated shrimp skewers, but you're probably not so lucky.

[redglass]

I'll throw out a few ideas:

endive "boats" with fillings- just get some belgian endives, separate the leaves, and fill- Jaleo here in Wash. DC does it with goat cheese, almonds and apricots. I also love them filled with a gorgonzola dip (sorry for not being specific, but recipes should be out there)

how about a meat/cheese plate? you know, little toothpicks of good sausage with some good cheeses to go with it.

A simple bruschetta, or bread with a selection of dips- gourmet had some great ones in their August (?) issue, on the back page (the issue with the blueberry dessert on the front). I can personally vouch for the Sardine tonnato spread and the pesto/sundried tomato spread.

[little ms foodie]

I make this at parties and people love it

Black Bean & Mango salsa

gougeres are also super easy, cheap and tasty!

skewers of pork or chicken are good

build your own taco bar- you grill fish and carnitas

[Jean Blanchard]

How about quesadillas? Any number of easy fillings could be made ahead and you can bake them off in the oven. Guacamole, salsa and chips?

jb

[Basilgirl]

Bonnie's Buffalo Chicken Dip. Google it. People go nuts for it. Plus you could keep it warm in a Crockpot. Basically, it's shredded chicken, cream cheese, jack cheese, bottled ranch dressing and a lot of hot sauce. Sounds terrible, doesn't it??

It's not.

[CanadianBakin']

I think the quesadillas is a great idea. Here's a link that might give you some ideas.

I make a chickpea dip (like hummus but with a bit of mayo and sourcream) that is delicious and I don't know about your part of the world but here a can of chickpeas is about $0.78. Here's a great presentation.

Some variation on a 7-layer dip (tex-mex dip) is always a hit too and pretty cheap to make.

For both of these you can just use bags of tortillas if you're short on time. Pretzels also go great with the chickpea dip.

Squares are always popular and easy to make. Like brownies, coconut bars, etc. Cut in small pieces, 1-1/2 - 2", they go a long way. You could dress brownies up with a swirl of caramel over top before baking and a coconut bar looks great with white and dark chocolate drizzled over before cutting. Meringues would be another easy and cheap sweet that keep really well. For a recent party I tinted some a pale green, added a bit of mint flavour and sandwiched them with a thin layer of chocolate ganache. They were gone very fast.

Edited August 17, 2005 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[avocado]

That buffalo chicken dip sounds PERFECT for this crowd. I like the hummus idea too- I was thinking about variations, like maybe a white bean dip instead?

Anyone else have any ideas? Keep 'em coming!

[phaelon56]

Baked scallops wrapped with bacon are always tasty and go over well with most crowds but can be pricey unless you can snag a bargain on some decent sized frozen scallops. My local chain grocer bags up the big ones that didn't sell on that week's special, freezes them and periodically puts the 2 lb bags on sale cheap (e.g. $5 - $6 per pound). Just be sure to do some precooking of the bacon so a fair amount of the fat is cooked off and it gets a trifle crispy while the scallops bake/broil (before they overcook).

Even better... the magical peppadew (aka pepperdew)

Peppadew pepper

Preserved sweet and spicy mild red peppers. Peppadew peppers originate from South Africa and are sold in 375g jars in Waitrose.

Uses: Peppadew peppers can be added to a variety of savoury dishes including salads, omelettes and stir fries. The preserving juice can also be used in marinades or salad dressings.

To store: Keep in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening and consume within 8 weeks. Eat by the best before date.

To prepare: Drain the peppers, reserving the preserving juice if required, and either leave whole or chop.

Waitrose and Gourmetfoodmall.com

both sell them pickled and pre-packed in jars but my local Wegman's grocery has them in bulk on the specialty salad bar.

There are recipes for making a seasoned cream cheese filling to insert but even easier (and IMHO better) is to get the tiny football shaped pieces of fresh mozzarella (the water packed stuff) or just tear off small bits from a larger piece. Stuff the cheese into the open peppadews and you'll have a whole plate full in no time.

The contrast between the slightly spicy, tangy and fruity peppadew taste and crunchy mouthfeel is balanced beautifully by the creaminess and subtlety of the mozzarella.

Every time I serve these people rave and most have never tried peppadews much less ever heard of them.

[TongoRad]

That buffalo chicken dip sounds PERFECT for this crowd. I like the hummus idea too- I was thinking about variations, like maybe a white bean dip instead?

Anyone else have any ideas? Keep 'em coming!

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I always have a bean salad (usually a takeoff on Turkish Piyaz) and Babaghanous on hand, and they're always popular no matter the crowd. For the bean salad I have used cannelini, navy, pink, kidney beans, etc.- whatever I have on hand-along with onion, lots of parsley, seasonings (salt, cumin and sometimes sumac) and a lemon and olive oil dressing. It's simple, but it really does the trick. You can also add some crumbled feta or goat cheese on top if you think your crowd will go for it. I prefer using dried beans myself, but if I were cooking for this large of a crowd I would go with canned and save myself some work. In something like this I find canned beans to be quite acceptable.

[Cleo]

I make this at parties and people love it

Black Bean & Mango salsa

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I also recommend Mango Salsa. This one is so easy, and people love it.

[annachan]

Few ideas:

Roasted potato wedges: cut potatoes into wedges, coat w/ a little oil, sprinkled w/ salt and pepper (garlic powder optional) and roast in 400 oven until golden. Serve w/ several dipping sauces, like, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, dressed-up mayo. This can be served room temp.

Dips and things: Provide several dips and a variety of food as dippers. People have already suggested spinach, 7-layer, hummus. A few other ideas are cheese, artichoke, olive (tapenade), and seafood. For dippers - chips, pretzels, vegetables (carrots, celery, peppers, etc.), sliced baguette, pita bread, crackers, etc.

Sweet fondue: since you have a crock pot, maybe use it for a caramel fondue. Also get a variety of dippers such as fruits, assorted cookies and sliced pound cake.

Meatballs/mini sausages in bbq sauce: this can be kept in a crockpot as well.

Wraps: Get some lavash bread (or tortilla if you can't find lavash), spread some mayo and mustard on it, put some sliced tomato, lettuce, coldcuts and anything else you like. Roll it up and cut into pinwheels.

[Lone Star]

Throw some Little Smokies in a crockpot. Mix up a jar of grape chili and a bottle of Heinz cocktail sauce and dump in. People love this stuff. It is a Halloween staple at our house.