412 tarter recipes

Basic miso soup with wakame, onion, carrot, and a swirl of miso paste stirred in off-heat for an authentic Japanese starter ready in 20 minutes.

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.

A silky no-cook chilled soup blending canned apricots and pears with yogurt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Light, refreshing, and ready in minutes. The perfect summer starter.

Salt-rising bread made with a potato water starter fermented overnight. A heritage Appalachian yeast bread with a distinctive tangy flavor and dense crumb.

Traditional Amish Friendship Bread starter that lives on your counter for 10 days, then splits into four batches to share. The foundation for sweet, tangy quick breads.

Creamy curried carrot soup with apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a yogurt swirl. Vegetarian, low-fat, and served chilled for a sweet-savory starter.

Rustic Mediterranean olive bread with dried mint, chopped onion, and black olives baked into a round loaf. Made with a sponge starter for deep, complex flavor.

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.

Chilled avocado soup blends ripe avocados with a lime-and-serrano-spiked stock into a silky, no-cream base, topped with cilantro cream and crisp julienned radishes. A cool, elegant Mexican-inspired starter.

Chilled fruit soup with spiked melon: champagne-sweetened fruit broth ladled over vodka-and-tequila-marinated melon, grapes, and plums. A grown-up summer starter built for heat waves.

Citrus soup frappe: a chilled, lightly jellied dessert soup of orange, raspberry, and lemon juices laced with red wine, Sauterne, and kirsch. A vintage Continental starter or palate-cleansing finale.

Jerusalem artichoke soup: simple light soup made with boiled sunchokes, chicken broth, scallions, and fresh dill. Five-ingredient farm-to-table starter.

Broiled eggplant topped with a creamy Mediterranean walnut sauce spiked with crushed fennel seed and garlic. A rustic vegetarian starter or side dish that makes produce-section eggplant taste like a proper restaurant plate.

Casareccio is a rustic Italian wholewheat bread made with biga starter, yielding 3 crusty loaves with a chewy crumb. Fold in walnuts, pistachios, or black olives for your own twist.

Velvety artichoke soup with roasted hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, and a splash of sherry. Naturally thickened with rice flour, making it a gluten-free elegant starter.

These sweet and tasty treats are a great conversation starter which are perfect for the first dinner party you attend.