Appetizer Recipes

Smoky, briny oysters folded into whipped cream cheese with horseradish kick, topped with butter-toasted almonds, and baked until bubbling. The hot dip that turns any party into an event.

Penne pasta salad with kalamata olives, dried currants, toasted pine nuts, and red onion in a curry-cumin parsley vinaigrette. A Mediterranean-meets-Indian make-ahead side.

Salmon nachos topped with flaked canned salmon, fresh tomatoes, green chiles, yogurt, and melted cheddar. A quick seafood twist on classic nachos baked until bubbly.

Classic French country pate with veal, pork, chicken livers, and duck breast marinated in white wine and baked in a terrine. A two-day charcuterie project worth the wait.

A savory tomato pie layering ripe red and tart green tomatoes in a flaky crust under a golden mayonnaise-Parmesan-garlic topping. A Southern summer classic that uses up late green tomatoes.

Escargots de Montpellier served over garlic croutons with pancetta, walnuts, anchovy, parsley, and a splash of Armagnac. A rustic French snail appetizer.

French-style escargots baked on mushroom caps with a white wine, garlic, parsley, and butter sauce. A classic bistro appetizer served with crusty bread for sopping up the pan juices.

These small but scrumptious pastries are made with salmon and diced cucumbers.

Andouille was a great favorite in nineteenth-century New Orleans. This thick Cajun sausage is made with lean pork and pork fat and lots of garlic. Sliced about 1/2 inch thick and greilled, it makes a delightful appetizer. It is also used in a superb oyster and andouille gumbo poplular in Laplace, a Cajun town about 30 miles fromNew Orleans that calls itself the Andouille Capital of the World.

Great way to use up your leftover ham, it is easy to make, and turns out delicious!

Create a new flavorful dish for dinner with this delicious recipe that calls for grated coconut, cayenne pepper, and....beer!

Buttery almond cookies with crumbly texture bake up in 20 minutes. No chilling required for this simplified version with a whole almond pressed into each round.

Tender squid braised in red wine, vinegar, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, Cyprus style. A Mediterranean appetizer that's equally stunning served warm or at room temperature.

Tom yum goong, Thailand's hot and sour shrimp soup, built on a fragrant broth of lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime, with Thai chili paste, fish sauce, and lime. Bright, spicy, and deeply aromatic.

Soft and creamy mozzarella balls wrapped in a thin slice of zucchini then marinated in a savory mix of olive oil, lemon zest, coriander and mint. Party poppers that are healthy and tasty.

I make triangles and leave out the mizithra or cottage cheese (too wet for these). Great appetizers if you make them small.