90 starter recipes

Broiled grapefruit halves with butter, brown sugar, mixed spice and glace cherry garnish. Classic Australian retro breakfast or starter ready in 10 minutes.

Creamed scallops in wine sauce, a retro microwave-friendly coquilles St. Jacques with mushrooms, white wine, and cream. Broiled golden in shells or ramekins for an elegant starter.

French Belgian endive salad (Salade d'Endives) with a Dijon mustard and walnut oil vinaigrette, garnished with walnuts and fresh tomatoes. A crisp, bitter, elegant starter.

Steamed fish rolls: salmon and sole wrapped in napa cabbage leaves, bamboo-steamed and served over a silky roasted red pepper sauce. An elegant, low-fat dinner party starter.

Fish in horseradish sauce: poached white fish chilled and napped with a creamy roux-based horseradish sauce, finished with sour cream and sieved hard-boiled eggs. A traditional cold Eastern European starter.

Refined Verona-style antipasto with paper-thin prosciutto, crunchy celery root matchsticks, and Parmesan wedges on bitter radicchio for an elegant Italian starter.

Watercress goat cheese salad with pecan halves is a three-ingredient starter that takes 15 minutes. Peppery greens, creamy chevre, and crunchy nuts.

Greens with orange dressing pairs Belgian endive and watercress with a minimalist balsamic-orange vinaigrette and hazelnut oil. A light, elegant starter salad.

Pear and blue cheese pizza, a five-ingredient bistro-style flatbread with ripe pears, double-cream blue cheese, honey, and thyme. Ready in 30 minutes for an elegant starter or light dinner.

Grilled baby artichokes piled onto meaty sauteed portobello caps and finished with a drizzle of vinaigrette. A simple, smoky, vegetarian starter that lets a few good ingredients shine.

Crispy Chinese-American shrimp toast: golden-fried bread triangles topped with seasoned shrimp paste, fresh ginger, water chestnuts, and toasted sesame seeds. A classic dim sum starter.

Pumpkin and avocado oil soup blends pumpkin, fennel and potato into a silky pureed soup, with buttery avocado oil standing in for butter. A light, velvety vegan starter finished with a drizzle of oil.

Chilled raspberry soup simmered with Burgundy wine and cinnamon sticks, strained smooth, and served cold with a swirl of cream. An elegant summer starter.

Chilled strawberry soup with buttermilk, orange juice, lemon, and mint, pureed smooth and served cold with a swirl of yogurt. A refreshing summer starter.

Vegetable miso soup brightened with sweet green peas, scallion, jalapeño, garlic, and dulse seaweed. A fresh, 30-minute twist on the classic Japanese starter.

Mushroom croustades: hollowed crusty rolls filled with garlic-rosemary butter and a creamy mushroom saute. A French-leaning vegetarian starter with dinner-party drama.