Appetizer recipe collection

Garlic toast brushed with slow-infused garlic olive oil and baked until pale gold. A three-ingredient Italian appetizer base ready for grilled red peppers or any topping.

Guacamole with serrano heat, white onion, and a surprise hit of pureed zucchini for body. Mexican-style avocado dip finished with tomato, green onion, and cilantro garnish.

Authentic guajillo chile salsa with roasted garlic, toasted pepitas, Roma tomatoes, and Mexican oregano. A rich, brick-red table sauce with deep, earthy heat.

Gujarati-style roasted potato salad with toasted mustard seeds, cumin, lemon juice, and pistachio garnish. An Indian-spiced twist on potato salad that's warm, vibrant, and completely mayo-free.

Hamaguri Sakami are sake-seasoned clams served at room temperature in their shells with lemon. A minimalist Japanese appetizer that highlights the clean, briny sweetness of littleneck clams.

Quick herbed white bean dip with cannellini beans, garlic, lemon, olive oil, cumin, and oregano. The 10-minute Mediterranean appetizer that's lighter than hummus and just as versatile.

Baked Brie with a homemade cranberry-pear compote, honey, currants, and pumpkin pie spice. A warm, bubbly holiday appetizer served with melba rounds or sliced fruit.

Oven-baked potato chips made with just two ingredients: a russet potato and low-fat Italian dressing. Thin slices baked at high heat until crispy and golden, with a fraction of the fat of fried chips.

Classic hummus made the simple Levantine way: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic blended smooth, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of parsley.

A honey mustard sauce for dipping homemade chicken fingers or chicken nuggets.

Microwave honey roasted nuts with cinnamon, orange zest, and a sticky honey glaze. Five ingredients, 15 minutes, and no oven needed for a crunchy homemade snack or gift.

Hoppel Poppel tart with breakfast sausage, potatoes, onion, and fresh dill in a blind-baked butter pastry shell. A German-American brunch classic turned elegant.

Hot crab meat canapes on crackers with lemon-cayenne mayo, warmed in the microwave until bubbly. A quick, elegant appetizer ready in 15 minutes.

Roquefort canapes with cream cheese, walnuts, and a hit of Worcestershire, melted on crackers in the microwave. Ready in 10 minutes flat for easy entertaining.

Hot rough tomato soup simmered with fresh tomatoes, ghee, dried red chiles, whole cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaves. An Indian-spiced, chunky vegetarian soup with real heat.

Howard Karten's salsa is a Mediterranean-leaning chunky tomato dip: peeled tomatoes, red onion, black olives, cumin, garlic, oregano, and red wine vinegar. No chiles, no cilantro, all flavor.