Category Archives: Appetizers

Tenderloin Crostini

Posted on December 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here’s a recipe sure to please the beef lovers in your circle of friends.

One of the most popular appetizers I serve is my Steak Bites with Salsa Verde. This holiday season, I was trying to figure out a way to modify it to make it more wintry.

While I was running with one of my buddies, Polly, she and I were discussing the food she had recently had at a holiday party she attended. She was raving about steak served with blue cheese. And, if you were to ask my coworker Laura, she would tell you that I like to miniaturize everything.

So between Polly’s story and my natural inclination, I came up with individual bites of beef tenderloin served on a mini crostini topped with a horseradish mayonnaise and garnished with creamy blue cheese. Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers, Meat, Recipes

Tagged Beef

Prosciutto-Sweet Potato Bites

Posted on December 17, 2013 | 1 comment

Are you entertaining this holiday season—or would you like to take a dish with you to any holiday parties? Here’s an appetizer to serve that combines the salty-savory taste of prosciutto with creamy sweet potatoes. Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers, Meat, Recipes

Tagged Pork, Snacks, Starters

Pulled Pork Bites

Posted on May 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’m constantly trying to find fun, new, one- to two-bite appetizers that are easy to eat as finger food. The photo above was taken at an event I did this past winter. It is pulled pork on plantain chips, topped with tomatillo salsa and diced avocado.

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Posted in Appetizers, Meat, Recipes

Salumi Crisps

Posted on April 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

Last fall, one of my clients got the new Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Barefoot Contessa Foolproof), and in looking through it we both were intrigued by Ina Garten’s recipe for carmelized bacon.

I borrowed the cookbook for the weekend, and because I had all of the ingredients at home, I tried the recipe—but I played with it a bit, of course.

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Posted in Appetizers, Meat, Recipes

Tagged Baking, Pork, Snacks

Empanadas

Posted on March 10, 2013 | 2 comments

Here’s an adaptation of a recipe I first made while studying at the Western
Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. I recently made them for a school
fundraiser that I catered. Other items on the menu included charcuterie and
crudite platters and a selection of cheeses. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes

Tagged Vegetarian

Plantain Chips

Posted on March 9, 2013 | 4 comments

Here’s an easy (and healthy) alternative to fried tortilla chips that I like to serve as an appetizer. I had been buying plantain chips at Trader Joe’s until my recent Whole30 challenge, when I tried to make as much of the food I consumed as possible.

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4 Comments

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes

Tagged Fruit, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

A Seasonal Tart

Posted on June 8, 2012 | 3 comments

As I was preparing dinner for friends recently, I was undecided about what to serve for appetizers, so I looked in my refrigerator and freezer to see what I had to work with.

I found the following: Home made frozen pie dough; Arugula Pesto (that I made back in March); and Swiss chard from my Full Circle delivery. Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers, Recipes

Tagged Baking

Caprese Bites

Posted on May 25, 2012 | 2 comments

The combination of tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto (or basil) is a popular appetizer that can be served in many different forms. I have served it as the traditional caprese salad, layering slices of tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil. And I have used a fresh basil sprig as a skewer and threaded it through small tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls.

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Posted in Appetizers, Recipes

Tagged Starters, Vegetarian

Nibbles for Meat Lovers

Posted on May 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I had some pre-sliced salami remaining from an event that I wanted to use, but I wasn’t sure how. We were going to a wine tasting at a friend’s house, where we would be tasting Italian wine—Dolcetto from the Piedmont region, to be precise—and that seemed like a perfect time to serve the salami, but how did I want to present it? Continue reading →

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Posted in Appetizers, Meat, Recipes

Tagged Baking, Starters