170 starter recipes

Vegan squash soup blends sweet buttercup squash with apple, onion, and fresh ginger into a silky, dairy-free bowl. No cream needed; the squash and apple do all the work. A cozy, healthy fall starter.

Sri Lankan clay pot curd, traditional set yogurt made from just milk and a spoonful of starter, cultured overnight in a clay pot for a thick, creamy curd. Drizzle with treacle for a classic dessert.

Make creamy homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker, just milk, a spoonful of live yogurt as a starter, and your oven with the light on as a cozy incubator. Lightly sweetened with vanilla, set in hours.

Friendship brandied fruit is a perpetual fermented fruit compote built over months by adding peaches, pineapple, cherries, sugar, and brandy to a starter. Spoon over ice cream, pound cake, or yogurt for an instant dessert.

Silky cold plum soup with red wine, brandy, sour cream, and warm cinnamon, chilled until velvety smooth. A refreshing Eastern European fruit soup that works as an elegant starter or a light summer dessert.

This is a delicious starter from my book named 'The Curry Crunch' where mildly spiced king prawns are coated with bread crumbs and fried. The king prawns used in this recipe weigh approximately 50g each.

Homemade yogurt made with whole milk, cream, and a cooler for incubation. No yogurt maker needed, just a picnic tote and 8 to 10 hours of patience.

Sourdough muffins made from an overnight sponge starter mixed with flour, sugar, and melted shortening. A simple way to use sourdough starter in muffin form.

Christopsomo: a traditional Greek Christmas bread with semolina, citrus zest from oranges and tangerines, currants, golden raisins, and a warming blend of cinnamon, anise, coriander, and cloves.

Chilled strawberry and white wine soup blended from fresh berries, lemon zest, and dry white wine. Elegant five-minute summer starter served cold in chilled bowls.

Chinese spring rolls with ground pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots in crisp fried egg roll wrappers. A classic takeout starter you can pull off at home.

This quick and tantalizing chicken stock is the perfect starter for soups and gravy.

These savory snacks are made with phyllo pastry sheets are great appetizers and conversation starters.

Elegant snow pea and pear salad on radicchio leaves with toasted walnuts and a light pineapple-yogurt dressing. A fresh, low-calorie starter ready in 20 minutes.

Chilled raspberry and red wine soup with cranberry juice, cinnamon, and a sour cream swirl. Refreshing summer dessert soup or unexpected starter, served cold.

Herb crepes with goat's cheese stuffing: thin, chive-and-dill-flecked crepes wrapped around a tangy whipped goat cheese filling, then baked in butter. An elegant savory brunch or starter.