How to Cheat with Fancy Appetizers
Create Delicious Starters with no Work or Skill Necessary
You don't have to be a whiz in the kitchen to design a start course that will please guests of all ages. Creativity and ten minutes is all it takes to impress.
Appetizers can be an intimidating concept, but with a little creativity even the unexperienced can delight their guests with a first course. An appetizer should be simple, small and tempting. In less formal gatherings, soup and salad can pass for this part of the meal, but why serve the mundane when you can add flair to the dinner table?
Start with Miniature Food
Pick up a couple of soup options from a local deli. Bisque are always a home run, and you can't go wrong with a tomato basil or seafood selection. Warm the soup up and serve them in shot glasses. Yes, the ones you're used to drinking out of. Two shot glasses, with two different soups served on a bread plate and garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley, is an elegant way to jog the palette of your dinner guests. Presentation is key for this dish to be successful, so select plain 2 ounce shot glasses, and serve on a bold solid color bread plate. This dish serves not only as a first course, but is unique and conversation inspiring.
An Old Staple: Bread and Butter
The key to serving an old classic is to add a new spin. At your local bakery select four or five different bread products. Think outside the norm and select something with a sweet overture like cinnamon raison bread. The second selection should have a grainy texture like cornbread or a heavy all grain. Add a crusty but flavorful bread like sourdough or yeast rolls, and make the final selection something colorful like pumpernickel. Cut the breads into small cubes, and warm them on a cookie pan in the oven. In a bowl mix cinnamon and sugar with butter and put the concoction in a condiment dish. Add a dash of garlic and black pepper to cream cheese for a second spread, and serve a good hearty pure butter for a third. Serve the bread mixed in small baskets, similar to what you'd expect from a gourmet bistro. Provide guests with dainty spreading knives, and cloth napkins in rich colors.
Salad with a Twist
Boil a pound of shell or bow tie pasta until soft, but still firm. Dice half a purple onion, a red bell pepper, and one banana pepper. Add a few black olives, and grape tomatoes cute in halves and add grated parmesan cheese. Squeeze a lemon, lime and orange over the mixture for a fresh citrus zest. If you prefer a "wetter" salad, toss in a tablespoon of Italian dressing. To serve, scoop the pulp out of the lemons and limes and pack the pasta salad inside. Not only does this serve to seal in the flavor, but it provides a cute serving dish with no cleanup.
Appetizers can sound scary, but a cute spin on classic choices can kick your dinner party off to a great start. For additional help, be sure to check out How to Cheat at Fabulous Desserts and How to Fake a Fantastic Cocktail.
