332. When preparing for a party, keep appetizers simple – and spend your energy on the presentation.
333. Use only the freshest vegetables for crudités. Buy them as close to your party as possible.
334. Water Chestnuts soaked in tamari sauce and minced garlic; then wrapped in bacon, secured with a tooth-pick and broiled in the oven make a fantastic canapé or hors d’oeuvres dish.
335. Remember that color is as important in snack or hors d’oeuvres presentation as taste and freshness. Use contrasting colors for impact. Avoid a bland palette: Pair naturally bland-colored items like potato chips with colorful dips and garnishes.
336. To make a simple dip feel more special, hollow out a loaf of sourdough or pumpernickel bread, and fill with dip. Serve with crudités.
337. To properly prepare mushrooms – either to be sliced and served raw or for stuffing – clean the outside surface of the mushroom with a damp paper towel and chop off the end of each stalk.
338. Stuffed mushrooms make delectable, savory hors d’oeuvres or canapés – but they can also flop dismally.
To prevent your mushroom snack being messy or bland, use specialty mushrooms like cremini. Never use ordinary white mushrooms, which are most likely to taste watery and fall apart when you try to stuff them –
though you can use the large stuffing ones. In fact, always make sure you use large mushrooms, not small ones.
339. Button mushrooms are finicky to stuff, so if you are determined to serve an appetizer that calls for this size and type, be sure to practice making your recipe ahead of important dinner parties.
340. Use a melon baller to hollow out your mushroom further. Simply removing the stem is not satisfactory and leads to mess.
341. Use dry fillings in your mushrooms, if you are planning to use them as finger-foods (canapés). A little cream cheese can bind fillings together, and bread crumbs added to your filling will help absorb moisture, since mushrooms are naturally moist.
342. Since mushrooms are bland, make sure your fillings are piquant or spicy.
343. Make your favorite appetizers into your main course – or invite people around for drinks and canapés only.
344. If you are planning a dinner party or holiday feast and people ask “what to bring” – ask them to bring their favorite appetizer. You’ll get a wonderful selection of dishes – and you didn’t have to prepare a thing!
345. Make appetizers that freeze well. That way, you can prepare them in advance and simply thaw them (or thaw and bake) the day of your party.
346. Never thaw appetizers at room temperature. Thaw them (still in their packages) in the refrigerator, on a container or dish.
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
347. Practice making, freezing, thawing and heating (if required) your appetizers ahead of time, if you have never made them before. If you aren’t able to do this, allot time to make them, fresh, the day of the party – or assign it to a family member or guest.
348. Mini-quiches freeze extremely well.
349. Appetizers containing fish can be frozen up to 3 months; meats, up to 6 months.
350. Ask right on your invitations that people notify you of serious allergies. (Include the word “serious”, or –
guaranteed – you’ll get long lists of likes and dislikes.) If any of your guests does have a serious allergy, however, it’s important to know that there must be absolutely no risk of cross-contamination (e.g. pinwheel sandwiches prepared on a board where almonds have been chopped – even if that board was washed). Better not to serve anything containing the offending ingredient, and warn other guests bringing food about this, too.
351. Consider making cheese balls for your party or holiday feast. They can be made ahead of time and you can dress them up in a variety of ways to add “Wow” factor. (Try layering rows of toasted almond slices, slanting upward, to create a “Christmas pine cone” effect. Or rolling your soft cheese ball in fresh, finely-diced herbs…
or nuts… or peppercorns.)