# Chic fresh appetizers



## xoemily (Jun 25, 2007)

I'm planning an outdoor cocktail party for my mother and her friends.  They are all very chic modern women in their 50s or so, and I'd like the food to reflect their tastes.  For drinks, I'm thinking of serving mojitos, cinnamon-apricot martinis, and apple-cranberry punch.  What are some easy appetizer ideas that I can whip together for the party that will compliment the drinks and be yummy?


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## kadesma (Jun 25, 2007)

_Women, love drinks and snacks, and one some of my friends enjoy is peanuts dry roasted in a skillet with five spice powder, then salt added at the end. They also like twisted pastry sticks plain,made with puff pastry, add some chopped ham and herbs,or crushed peppercorns, or small bites of coconut honey pork. One I myself love if to take a pack of puff pastry cut pieces big enough for a precooked kielbasa or your favorite sausage,wrap the sausage in the pastry, brush with egg wash, bake til hot and pasty is golden then slice and serve with several mustards for dipping._
_Hope this helps a little._

_kadesma _


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## GB (Jun 25, 2007)

kadesma said:
			
		

> _ One I myself love if to take a pack of puff pastry cut pieces big enough for a precooked kielbasa or your favorite sausage,wrap the sausage in the pastry, brush with egg wash, bake til hot and pasty is golden then slice and serve with several mustards for dipping._
> 
> 
> _kadesma _


This is one of my favorites too!


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## *amy* (Jun 25, 2007)

xoemily said:
			
		

> I'm planning an outdoor cocktail party for my mother and her friends. *They are all very chic modern women in their 50s or so, and I'd like the food to reflect their tastes*. For drinks, I'm thinking of serving mojitos, cinnamon-apricot martinis, and apple-cranberry punch. What are some easy appetizer ideas that I can whip together for the party that will compliment the drinks and be yummy?


 
Don't know what your budget is, but here are some ideas...

One of the best, foodwise, outdoor/indoor parties, I've attended - Outdoors - fresh crab, shrimp, lobster, oysters on ice - lined up on long tables with white linen - crab and/or cold shrimp salad, all on ice - caviar and champagne.

I would keep it simple:

Melon wrapped in proscuitto

Oysters/Clams/crab - on ice

Shrimp on ice

Pate

Stuffed mushrooms

Smoked salmon

Something sweet - like truffles

Crab or shrimp Puffs

Champagne and/or Cosmopolitans


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## kitchenelf (Jun 25, 2007)

Take VERY thin-sliced prosciutto and slather with some softened goat cheese.  Cut prosciutto in half taking one half and wrap around 3 blanched (still crispy) pieces of asparagus (with ends removed).  Place on a tray in a circular pattern and top with a vinaigrette made with red vinegar, Dijon mustard, chives, and a bit of oil.  If you need exact measurements I can send them to you tonight after I get home.

This is wonderful, seems to fit the bill, is probably something different and not too heavy.  I have to take this to many functions as this is what everyone wants (especially our "girl" get-togethers).

You could also do a version of tomato pie but use a mini muffin tin.  Use either cherry tomatoes or roma tomatoes, whichever fits better in your pie tin.  If you need a recipe for this there are some here on the site already - or I can send you tonight.


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## Yakuta (Jun 25, 2007)

Cheese Straws - Follow Ina Garten's recipe on Food Network.  I used that as a starting point and used Asiago and Parmesean cheese with readymade puff pastry.  They were exotic, yummy and easy to make.

Tea Sandwiches -  Cream Cheese, Dill and Cucumber or Chicken Salad sandwich with pineapples and walnuts

Crab Cakes - Buy readymade ones if you don't have time.  I love the mini ones that Trader Joe's sells. 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with gourmet crackers (again most grocery stores and or speciality stores have some really nice cracker choices)

Assorted cookies - I love biscotti's so I always gravitate to that

Mixed berries - Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries arrange on raised a cake platter


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## kitchenelf (Jun 25, 2007)

Yakuta - cream cheese/dill/cucumber tea sandwiches ALWAYS hit the spot.  If they are cut in triangles you can moisten the long end of the triangle and dip in chopped (pick an herb) flat-leaf parsley, chopped chives, or I imagine even chopped cilantro for a change!  Mix in a little lime juice with the cream cheese and once again, I have managed to add my two favorite ingredients to something?


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## Michelemarie (Jun 25, 2007)

Wow! These are all good ideas - I like asparagus wrapped with proscuitto (I think I got this from Kadesma ) - I roast it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes - good room temp or warm.  Also proscuitto with melon is good. Brie and a wedge of pear or some grapes is nice. Have fun.


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## kadesma (Jun 25, 2007)

_I do the melon and poscuitto and love it, but when I'm dressed up, anything but jeans  I don't like big slices..So I cut the melon into bite sized pieces and then wrap with a small half slice of proscuitto, and put in a cocktail food pick..Makes ya feel all lady like and like you are NOT blowing your diet  _
_One other thing I really like is to halve a fig,, use a melon baller and make an indentation, put in some mascarpone then drizzle with honey You can also do this with apricots..I tried one of Giada's yummies several weeks ago and even theDH who hates blue,gorgonzola loved it..I just sliced baguettes,got some dolce or soft and creamy gorgonzola,brushed the baguette slices with evoo, toasted both sides a little, then put on a piece of the gorgonzola, popped it under the broiler til the cheese started to soften, then pulled them out and drizzeled with wild lavender honey..They were wonderful._

_kadesma_


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## jpmcgrew (Jun 25, 2007)

A small cheese platter with fruit might be nice with some good crackers.Olives?I love the tea sandwich idea you can make several kinds.Petit Fours would be a nice dessert or some really good little cookies and some chocolate truffles.I think champagne or champagne cocktails (mimosas?)or other refreshing champagne cocktail would go with just about everything.
Also a really good iced tea should be available if some dont want alcohol or want something else after cocktails.
I would to make love these kind of parties for a living.


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## jpmcgrew (Jun 25, 2007)

By the way how many women are you expecting?The more you have the more fun things you can make.


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 25, 2007)

Tiny little new potatoes, cooked, cooled, & halved, set on a greens-decorated platter & topped with dollops of sour cream & black & red caviar to make a nice "checkerboard" effect.


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## kitchenelf (Jun 25, 2007)

Cherry tomatoes, scooped out, stuffed with lobster salad (homemade tarragon aioli is the best for this).


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 25, 2007)

Cheese Straws with enough cayenne pepper to make them grin!


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## velochic (Jun 26, 2007)

My first suggestion is to not nail down your drinks - pair your food to drinks, but don't set anything in stone.  You might find an hors d'oeuvre that you really want to use that won't go with the drinks you've decided on.  Be flexible.

Are these going to be passed hors d’œuvre or will it be sit-down appetizers?

For hors d’œuvre, remember that these need to be eaten in two bites.  An appetizer, (sitting down), can be bigger and involve utensils.

For hors d’œuvre, I really like canapés.  You can let your imagination run wild adding toppings such as these to various crackers and toast points:

- tomato pesto, smoked turkey, and a dollop of double cream
- classic smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion and caper
- thin slice of sauteed portobella mushroom, swiss cheese, and cherry tomato slice
- piece of arugula, dollop of caviar, topped with sour cream

I love serving these because they are one or two bites and easy to handle standing up.

I'd add sparkling water and a light, summery sauvingon blanc just in case any of the guests do not want hard liquor.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out and any hits or misses.  I love entertaining and always love to learn what works and what doesn't.


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## Constance (Jun 26, 2007)

You can make a good sandwich spread by beating braunsweiger and cream cheese, then mixing in sliced green olives. Spread it on party rye, or use regular rye bread and cut into tiny tea sandwiches. For my daughter's wedding, I used a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped sandwiches. 

You can also spread chicken salad on baby croissants and top with a pretty little bit of leaf lettuce.

I like to make little assorted skewers of chunked ham, cheese, pineapple, green & black olives, and chunks of sweet pickle. You can stick them into a pretty head of cauliflower or red cabbage for serving.


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## velochic (Jun 26, 2007)

Constance said:
			
		

> You can also spread chicken salad on baby croissants and top with a pretty little bit of leaf lettuce.



Yuuuummmmm!!!


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## *amy* (Jun 26, 2007)

Constance said:
			
		

> ...You can also spread chicken salad on *baby croissants* and top with a pretty little bit of leaf lettuce.


 
I luv croissant. Never heard of a baby. Where can I find it? TIA

For a brunch I like croissant with shrimp, chicken or crab salad. You could slice the croissant in half horizontally, & place a toothpick through the center of each half. Little sweet Hawaiian rolls is another suggestion for any filling of choice.

Another croissant I make, that everyone gobbles up, is filled with mushrooms and sour cream. Let me know if you would like the recipe.

This is on the sweet side - I think wrapping the cherries in puff pastry is another way to go:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/453908-post2.html

You can wrap just about anything in puff pastry, asparagus etc, and have a quick appy.

Or - an asparagus tart - prepare as you would a pizza, but use puff pastry as the crust. Let me know if you would like the exact recipe. Have a great party/time.


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