well, went and stuck my foot where my mouth is. I'd mentioned how I'd love

M

marilynfl

Moderator
to just sit around and nosh on appetizers rather than cook a formal meal and my neighbor called me out on it. So, next week, 5 ladies are showing up at my place, each of us providing a shareable appetizer and whatever they prefer to drink (that's a "thing" here...when folks show up for dinner, they arrive carrying their own drink. First time I had them to dinner I had beer, red wine, white wine, sweet tea, unsweetened tea and water since I had no clue what they would want. Well, that was totally unnecessary...and surprisingly freeing from having to cover that aspect of the meal.)

I did look at the T&T list of appetizers, but am trying to narrow it down to something that would be...something that....hell, I don't know what I'm trying to get at. I usually conceive and prepare whole dinners! This is throwing me....yet it should be simpler, right??

Honestly, my favorite "just sit and nosh" is to cut off the crusts from a boule and toast them in a pan with butter until crunchy. Then slivers of cheese (something sharp and salty, like Asiago or Manchego...not Brie-ish), grapes, almonds and a very chilled glass of Riesling. (An oenophilia would probably slap me and say it's TOO COLD, but hey, my wine, my taste buds.)

I just don't feel THAT is sufficient to offer to guests.

Would love to hear suggestions of what YOU would like to "just sit and nosh" on.

 
I'm a protein freak so I vote for some nice cocktail meatballs. I've never had or made Buffalo

dip but it always gets mentions and raves on sites. I know what you mean about people in NC bringing their own drinks. I've never seen anyone bring tea but always wine. I had friends visiting from RI a while back and we were invited to a friends for "a drink" before proceeding out to dinner. I told my friends we had better stop by the local ABC store and get some of their preferred Canadian Club to take along and they were mystified. I told them we would be offered white wine and there would be a few appetizers. I still have a fully stocked bar (most of which I brought down from RI years ago) but that is rare here.

 
Here are a few of my go-tos, Marilyn

This one is my all-time go-to. It is delicious and lovely to look at. Serve with crackers or toasted baguette rounds:

LAYERED CHEESE AND PESTO TORTE
Fills 4-cup mold
1 cup fresh pesto
Cheese: 1- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
6-8 oz Brie or Camembert, rinds removed
1/2 cup whipping cream.

Beat cheeses together with mixer until nearly smooth. In a second bowl, beat whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into cheese.

Prepare mold (I use a deep bowl but could use a 2 qt pan) by lining with plastic wrap. Spread 1/4 cheese mix in mold (sometimes I sprinkle toasted pine nuts in first depending on the mold I am using) then 1/3 of the pesto and so on- Refrigerate to set up and unmold. Leftovers are unreal tossed with hot pasta.

Or if you are into knocking their socks off:

ENDIVE CUPS WITH BEET, PERSIMMON AND MARINATED FETA
1 cup crumbled marinated feta or goat cheese (see Cooks' Note)
2 medium golden or red beets
3 ripe Fuyu persimmons (papaya)
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (or 1 1/2 tablespoons regular lemon juice)
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest (or regular lemon zest)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch sugar, optional
8 heads Belgian endive
Torn fresh mint, for garnish

Let cheese sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.In a small saucepan, boil beets in salted water until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes, cool, and then slip off the skins with your fingers. Cut into cubes and place in a medium bowl. Cut fruit into cubes and add to the bowl with the beets. Add lemon juice, zest, oil, salt and pepper; toss to combine. Let beet mixture stand 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Adjust the seasoning. Add a pinch of sugar if necessary. Cut the bottom ends off endive and separate leaves. Cut a tiny bit off the curved underside of each leaf so that the endive cup lies flat. To serve, place a heaping teaspoon of cheese in each leaf, then spoon a bit of beet-persimmon salad over it. Garnish with torn mint and serve. Cooks' Note: If you can't find marinated feta or goat cheese at the store, you can make it yourself. In a medium bowl, mix a few tablespoons of olive oil, a strip of lemon zest, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the crumbled cheese and toss gently to coat. Let marinate at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight).

Or if you are into making fabulous breadsticks:

PAUL HOLLYWOOD OLIVE BREADSTICKS

4-1/2 c bread flour
5 tsp salt
5 tsp instant yeast
1-1/2 pts tepid water
4 T olive oil plus extra for oiling
2lb, 2 oz green olives, drained
Fine semolina for dusting

Oil 2-3 qt square plastic containers. Put the flour into mixer bowl. Add salt to one side, the yeast to the other. Add ¾ of the water and mix on slow speed. As the dough comes together gradually add the remaining water. Mix 5-8 min at med. Speed. Dough will be wet and stretch easily when pulled. Add oilive oil and mix for a further 2 min. Add the olives and mix until well distributed. Put dough into oiled containers and let them triple in size, an hour. Line baking trays with parchment and preheat oven to 425. Dust work surface with flour and semolina. Carefully tip dough onto the surface. Handle it gently so as much air is left in the dough as possible. Dust the top of the dough with flour and stretch it out gently to a rough rectangle. Cut into 36 strips. Stretch each until 8-10” long. And space apart on sheet. Bake 10-15 min. Cool on wire rack.

A true favorite of mine is to just make a big Salade Nicoise and put it in the center of the table and let everyone pick what they want.

I have photos of all of them but the Finer K tool doesn't seem to work and I tried Photobucket with no luck. Sorry.

 
I love a good appetizer party!

Looks like cheese makes the day...

Not sure how Richard's dip missed being in T&T

Richard's Hot Bacon & Swiss dip with Breton wheat crackers
https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=161982

Ang AK
Smoked Salmon Rollups (I use the Boursin recipe below for filling)
I love these with arugula inside
https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum2/37_Smoked_Salmon_And_Cream_Cheese_Spirals

HOMEMADE BOURSIN
1 1/2 cups cream cheese---12ozs.
1/4 cup butter
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. chopped basil
1 T. chopped chervil
1 T. chopped parsley
salt and white pepper
(I use 1 tablespoon of Penzey's Mural of flavor and it tastes exactly like boursin)

Combine all in food processor and
blend till smooth. Refrigerate for 1-2 hrs., to
allow the flavors to blend.
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

These are excellent-Sylvia's
https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum2/48_Savoury_Cheddar_Thumbprint_Cookies

Tomato and Whipped Feta Crostini (Traca)
https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=227153

I use Ina’s recipe for oven roasted plum tomatoes and chop those for crostini topping. Be sure to use parchment or foil when roasting
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/roasted-tomato-caprese-salad

 
Me, too!

We inhaled the 7 layer dip and tortilla chips on Wednesday using black bean refried beans topped with a layer of guacamole, one of taco seasoned and one of plain sour cream, strained medium salsa, and cheddar cheese. I like to top with sliced black olives and chopped scallions but the rest of the family doesn't. On the layered theme, you can do the similar 7 layer Greek dip or a "not-an-appetizer" large layered salad with chopped head lettuce, sugar/salt/pepper, peas, sliced eggs, sliced scallions, more chopped head lettuce, bacon, shredded Swiss cheese and I seal the top of the bowl with a thin layer of mayo blended with parmesan.
I love quiche in those little filo shells - can be served at room temp.
We've been customizing grilled 5"x7" pizzas using the 2 ingredient pizza dough - yogurt and self rising flour. Practice with this dough because it can be gooey - needs to sit a moment before kneading in flour, or during the knead.
How about chili or a pot of meatball minestrone? Colleen

 
How 'bout some REC: Fromage Fort--if you have bits and pieces of cheese floating around. . .

Personally my favorite nosh of all time was a pint jar of home-canned smoked salmon my sister-in-law brought down from visiting friends and relatives in Alaska. Me, my sister and SIL polished that puppy off like BAM. Of course you have to have some of this around, so I cannot help you there. I wish I had some of it around NOW! .

Any way, this recipe sounds good and easy and I give you two variations and some suggestions on how to use the stuff, hot or cold. See below.

Fromage Fort Cheese spread
A classic way to use up all the leftover ends and mismatched scraps of cheese in your fridge.

1 small clove garlic
1⁄2 lb. assorted pieces of cheese, soft cheeses cut into small pieces, hard cheeses coarsely grated
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tbsp. dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt (optional)
Toasted bread or crackers, for serving

In a food processor, add the garlic and process until finely chopped. Add the cheese, butter, and wine, and process until almost smooth. Season with pepper and add salt to taste (if desired). Serve with toasted bread or crackers, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week (bring to room temperature before serving).

Can use as a spread or dip or spread on slices of good bread and broil till melted. Or stuff into potato skins or baked potatoes,


Fromage Fort
1 lb various pieces of cheese, ideally a mix of hard and soft, brie, blue, goat cheese, asiago, gruyere, manchego are all great choices
1 to 1 1/2 cups white wine, I prefer a dry wine
2 cloves minced garlic
ground black pepper
minced herbs, optional
butter or cream cheese, as needed if you are using all hard cheese

Grate hard cheeses
Add all cheese, 1 cup of wine, garlic, pepper into food processor and blend until smooth
Add more wine as needed to create a smooth and spreadable mixture
Once fully processed, gently mix in the herbs (if using)

How to Use Fromage Fort:
Of course you will want to smear it on your crackersFromage Fort on cracker
Dip your veggies in it.
It is outstanding when broiled on a piece of bread. We will be having it for dinner tonight alongside a bowl of soup.
Use it in lieu of garlic and butter on your garlic bread…under the broiler.
I have had great success freezing it. As such, it makes a perfect last-minute appetizer when unexpected guest arrive.
Package it in a lovely Weck jar and take it as a hostess gift. This will ensure you get invited back often!

 
I'm still a sucker for the stuff we ate in the 50's and 60;s. Old fashioned clam dip,

spinach and artichoke dip in a round bread loaf, top cut off, hollow out the bread, and put dip into the bowel.. use bread chunks you took out to dip.
Clam dip is great with plain Lay's Potato chips.

 
I have made this and it is very good. Use very small amount if you add blue cheese

It tends to overpower the other cheese flavors.

 
An OLD sausage meatball recipe I have is always a winner--

Make small meatballs from mild or hot breakfast sausage. Bake them at 350^ until browned and done. Make a sauce of chutney and sour cream and serve the meatballs in the sauce with toothpicks. Just adding that as I recall, this is a Charleston Receipts recipe from the first edition.

We LOVE shishito peppers (Trader Joe's has them all the time) blistered and served with a srichacha mayo for dipping.
The old Knorr vegetable soup/sour cream/spinach/mayo dip!!
DS makes appy pizzas using small flour tortillas. When figs are in season it's figs, blue cheese, walnuts, then drizzled with honey and topped with a little arugula. Out of season you could use without the figs maybe--or sub a canned apricot?
Salmon tartare served with wasabi mayo with wonton chips.

 
We love this - warmed!

I put the finished recipe into small ceramic flan/tart/pie plates and warm in the oven before serving with crackers or sesame breadsticks. Made extra last time and used a small cookie scoop to portion for freezer. Colleen

 
I always love my old Caviar Pie. Or how about for dipping vegs, a bagna cauda or Calabrese Lollipops

Calabrese Lollipops – Antipasto on a stick!


Using those skinny Italian bread sticks as "lolli-pop" sticks...
VERY thinly sliced salami (Calabrese is spicier, apparently, but you can really use whatever you like)
Spread with a thin smear of spreadable cheese, like cream cheese or Teleme or Boursin)
Arrange two small leaves of arugula at end so when you roll it up the top tips stick out the ends
Lay the bread stick on one edge of the salami so it's near the top but when rolled up the stick doesn't show & simply roll up tightly, the cheese acting as a glue.
That's it! Guests can hold the bread stick and not get their fingers gooey and they don't have any toothpick to dispose of!

 
Or eggplant caviar

Eggplant Caviar

(Serves smileys/bigeyes.gif

1 large eggplant
2 medium-size fresh tomatoes1/4 cup salad oil
2 medium-size onions, very small dice
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 green pepper, very small dice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill

Place eggplant in shallow pan in oven preheated to 450 F. Bake 45 minutes, turning once to bake evenly. Remove from pan and cut in half lengthwise. With sharp paring knife or grapefruit knife, remove pulp from eggplant shell; avoid tearing shell. Cut pulp into very small dice and set aside. Set the eggplant shells aside. Lower tomatoes into a pot of rapidly boiling water for 20-30 seconds; then hold them under cold running water for a few seconds, peel off the skin and remove stem ends. Press tomatoes to squeeze out excess liquid; then cut them into very small dice. In a shallow saucepan, heat oil. Add onions garlic, green pepper, eggplant and tomatoes. Saute slowly, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Add lemon juice, dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon cooked mixture into eggplant shells. Chill in refrigerator until ice-cold, Serve with sesame crackers.

Important to serve very cold. Playboy Host & Barbook (Serves smileys/bigeyes.gif

 
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