Finger Foods for 30

[SushiCat]

Please help, I'm reading through the various threads in search of ideas for a spring party - it will be a bridal shower and the bride does not eat any fish or seafood, nor does she eat eggs. So can we still serve these things? AND ideas of easy to prepare or purchase, not too costly but fun finger foods are most welcome.

thanks in advance - S

[Rebecca263]

I can think of many many food items that are NOT those aforementioned no-no's. How about this: what DOES the bride eat? Let's go from there. Find out her favorite food ethnicities or her top five foods, and fashion them into bite sized tidbits. I honestly think that you should accomodate her tastes, she is, ostensibly, the guest of honor, after all.

[newguy]

spring pea soup with mint and prosciutto.

vegetable spring rolls and any type of asian sauce

thin sliced marinated skirt steak on crouton with goat cheese

smoked salmon with cucumber, red onion and sour cream/creme fraiche

mini mushroom tarts

fresh mozzerella with pesto

just a few ideas. if the guest of honor eats a specific way, then i don't like to single that person's beliefs, allergies, likes or dislikes out. instead, make nice things that don't contain that stuff and everyone won't notice.

[SushiCat]

I can think of many many food items that are NOT those aforementioned no-no's. How about this: what DOES the bride eat? Let's go from there. Find out her favorite food ethnicities or her top five foods, and fashion them into bite sized tidbits. I honestly think that you should accomodate her tastes, she is, ostensibly, the guest of honor, after all.

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Good idea Rebecca, my plan is to make everything 100% finger food so no utensils needed. I don't actually know the brides top five foods (I don't even think I know my own top five foods!), and I don't want to bug her with little details. So, I'll keep researching. Ideally I'm looking for interesting and make ahead items, things that use a food for a container are good, like the use of cucumber cups for little bites of gazpacho etc..

[JAZ]

Ideally I'm looking for interesting and make ahead items, things that use a food for a container are good, like the use of cucumber cups for little bites of gazpacho etc..

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Small phyllo dough triangles with various fillings are good make-ahead finger foods -- they can be frozen and baked off as you need them. You can also make phyllo dough cups in mini-muffin tins (wonton cups and toast cups, too) as edible containers. I've made a Thai-style chicken salad in wonton cups that works well -- you can't assemble it too far ahead of time, but you can make the cups and salad and then just assemble right before serving.

[Rebecca263]

Yes, it's only 30 people so almost anything is doable without a major headache. Cucumber cups and celery boats and small tomatoes scooped and filled are excellent, easy to handle, too. and toast triangles, or some little puffs, as well. Beans, beans, beans! You can do ANYTHING with a base of pureed beans. Chick peas can go Middle Eastern, Italian or Indian, Black beans can go Mexican or Cuban, kidney beans can become a chili dip.... really the possibilities are limitless. I always make some kind of bean pate or some such for groups. Then there is this easy thing. You make a very thick, almost paste, 'porridge', with lentils and either brown rice or barley. You spice it any way you like, but make sure to include finely chopped parsley, and perhaps some finely chopped onion. You roll the cooked 'porridge' into bouncy ball sized bits, then roll those in spiced flour (last week I used garbanzo bean flour and a Greek theme in the seasoning, with cumin). Then, you fry them, until they're crisp, in a lightly oiled pan. They keep forever and you just serve them with anything! I'm just a home cook, but I do a lot of entertaining and I make appetizers every single night. My daughter and her friends adore them. Last week I served with some hummous that I'd thinnned out with lemon juice and yogurt. I make a variation on this often, and my kiddle calls them eatballs.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Go to a local bookstore and flip through Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvre cookbook -- I kid you not. Hundreds of brilliant ideas in the pictures alone.

[Megan Blocker]

Filet with horseradish whipped cream or creme fraiche on crostini. Really good, especially garnished with a little chopped parsley between the beef and the cream.

[bavila]

I second the Martha recommendation.

Also, just because the guest of honor doesn't eat certain items, I don't think that precludes you from using those ingredients completely (unless she's violently allergic and will asphixiate if they're in the same room). Just make it blatant that's what they are (say, shrimp cocktail versus crab camouflaged in a dip) and she doesn't have to eat them. I would imagine she wouldn't expect the 29 other people there to be tied to her food restrictions.

[DTBarton]

sheets of puff pastry cut in bite sized pieces and dressed up are easy and elegant. Brush with olive oil and add some different cheeses, herbs, sesame seeds, etc.

[gini]

Filet with horseradish whipped cream or creme fraiche on crostini.  Really good, especially garnished with a little chopped parsley between the beef and the cream.

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I just suggested this appetizer in another thread! An old stand by for me.

[Rebecca263]

I second the Martha recommendation.

Also, just because the guest of honor doesn't eat certain items, I don't think that precludes you from using those ingredients completely... she doesn't have to eat them.  I would imagine she wouldn't expect the 29 other people there to be tied to her food restrictions.

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I don't see how one gathering of only ceertain foods will starve ANYONE, so why ever make foods that the guest of honor can't eat? Let it be a time when there was nothing out of her reach. It's certainly not difficult to avoid a few foods, or even many if that was the case. I've made all kinds of meals with different peoples' preferences and requirements in mind, no one has ever died of starvation at any gathering I've hosted. I always think that when someone makes things that the guest of honor can't or won't eat, it signals a kind of unaccommodating feeling that colors every other part of the host's personality. I have even had vegan wedding cake, and it was pretty good! Luscious, in fact, and some of the guests had no idea. Just about any diet preferences can be accepted for one gathering. If you don't like it yourself, as the host, you can eat later!

[snowangel]

There are a few appetizer topics on cooking. Here, and here, for example.

And yet more! here and here.

You could also search in RecipeGullet by course.

[SushiCat]

thanks all - many great ideas, and I will look at the Martha book too.

snowangel, I did look for other pages - I guess I didn't look cleverly - thanks for the links!

[appreciator]

heh there....

I've had positive response from the following:

Empanaditas (from Martha Stewart's website) Can be made ahead... just freeze the emanaditas in a single layer on a single cookie sheet then transfer to a Ziploc once frozen. When ready to serve just bring out of the freezer and coat them with egg wash... pop them in the oven for the requisite amount of time (1 - 15 mins) and bob's yer uncle.

And

Smashed Cannellini Bean Crostini with Feta Salsa Verde

Good luck and do report back on final selections

[lcdm]

Better Homes and Gardens has "Two Spring & Summer Appetizer Party Menus" listed on their site.

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid...atref=cat560087

[scordelia]

How about good, old-fashioned tea sandwiches? Watercress and mayo, or cucumber, cream cheese and dill, or radish, mayo and mint? Use Pepperidge Farm Thin Sliced Bread (white or wheat, it is the perfect texture and thickness), trim the crusts and fill as you desire.

I make these for cocktail parties and people love them. They are inexpensive, but elegant and original. You can make them ahead, but place damp, clean towels over the sandwiches and then wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

[ruthcooks]

Here's an interesting list of finger foods and such I just read on a link suggested on another thread:

Appetizers from "Picnic" in New Jersey

Might give you some ideas.

[Kouign Aman]

How about good, old-fashioned tea sandwiches?

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Another filling idea (also works in pastry shells) is curried chicken salad:

chopped chicken, chopped apple, dried cherries, nuts or water chestnuts, other dried fruits to taste. I usually mix this with mayonnaise and (gasp)curry powder. (5 T mayo to 1/2 t curry powder).

For sandwiches, chop everything finely. For shells, not so.

[Live It Up]

I can't vouch for martha stewart's version of empanaditas, but I make a version from the too hot tamales cookbook that were recently devoured at a small dinner party. As per the previous poster's suggestion they are great to make ahead because you can freeze them. I've been working on finger foods lately because I'm going to be catering a wedding for 60 in september (I'm not a pro), and I'm trying to come up with the perfect filling for parmesan wafer cups. So far the winner is sauteed mushrooms pureed with creme fraiche, chives, lemon juice and a bit of truffle oil.

One that I did get from martha stewart that I love is to blanch snow peas split them along the seam and pipe in some soft cheese (I like goat cheese with pink peppercorns).

Hmm...anything in an endive leaf is good...

Also, to supplement labor intensive items, it's great to have some items you can buy like a nice platter of cured meats and olives.

[SushiCat]

Thanks everyone, lots of great idea!

I'm starting to short list the following items:

phyllo triangles with different fillings mushroom and spinach/feta;

puff pastry pinwheels -mediterrean fillings (e.g. Spanish) but can't decide exactly what;

savory scones with tomato jam/chutney;

tea sandwiches - one version with cucumbers, one with avocado and ? and a third ...;

curried chicken salad in 'edible cups';

bruschetta;

a cheese thing - either a small cheese plate or possibly a goat cheese and sundried tomato molded item - something fun;

veggie crudite and dip - just in case people actually want something healthy;

fruit skewers;

chocolate dipped strawberries

biscotti and maybe thin ginger cookie sandwiches filled with lemon cream

possibly one more dessert

Am I crazy? Most of this is make ahead except for a few things that need to be done day of etc.

[Rebecca263]

That sounds like GREAT stuff! I'm really charmed by the curried chicken in a 'cup', you rarely see that kind of tid bit anymore, and it's so gorgeous and nice to eat, besides! I'm going to make a version of it for my next shindig.

edited by me, for extra wordage!

Edited April 17, 2006 by Rebecca263 (log)

[Daniel Rogov]

I'm tempted to wonder why anyone would want to marry a woman who does not like fish, seafood or eggs. I'll refrain from that however and go along with the tea-sandwich concept. Here are a few fish, seafood and egg-free suggestions.

White meat of chicken or turkey with mayonnaise or butter.

White meat of chicken with chutney butter.

Chopped chicken with chopped almonds

Chopped chicken with sweet pickles.

Baked ham with chutney on pumpernickel.

Chopped ham with English mustard, fresh horseradish and sweet cream.

Chopped ham with chopped black olives and grated cheese.

Thinly sliced tongue with French mustard and chopped chives.

Thin slices of roast beef with English mustard or horse- radish and sweet cream.

Thin slices of roast lamb with garlic butter.

Thin slices of roast veal with anchovy butter.

Sliced salami with herbed mayonnaise.

Thinly sliced onion and cucumber.

Chopped green olives and mayonnaise.

Chopped green olives and nuts mixed with cream cheese.

Chopped green olives and chopped eggs with mayonnaise.

Thinly sliced avocado with garlic butter.

Cream cheese and chives with cucumber.

Watercress with butter or butter and mayonnaise.

High quality Roquefort, Bleu Cheese or Gruyere with butter

Thinly sliced cheddar cheese and cucumber.

Thinly sliced cucumbers and mushrooms with butter

Thinly sliced hard boiled smoked turkey eggs with butter or mayonnaise

Thinly sliced avocado with mustard flavored mayonnaise.

Roquefort cheese that has been blended with butter and cream cheese.

Chopped green olives and nuts blended with cream cheese.

Finely chopped green pepper bound with mayonnaise

Cream cheese* blended with fresh horse-radish

Cream cheese* and chives with cucumber

Cream cheese* that has been blended with chopped chives, French mustard and black pepper

Cream cheese* that has been blended with Indian chutney and butter

Cream cheese* blended with chopped chives, French mustard, salt and pistachio nuts.

* Note: Cream cheese used in tea sandwiches should have a minimum fat content of 16%.

[SushiCat]

Daniel - Thanks so much, I appreciate those finger sandwich ideas!

All, I'm wondering how to 'glue' the puff pastry without egg. Is water the best idea or a little butter?

[cathrynapple]

* Note: Cream cheese used in tea sandwiches should have a minimum fat content of 16%.

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is this just for taste and texture, or is there another reason? (curious as i've never heard about this rule before)