Looking for "Fancy" Appetizer Ideas

[Bearvet]

I am helping a close friend plan an engagement party. She want to do a cocktail party and only serve appetizers (it will state this on the invitation). We expect 30-40 people (family, close friends and wedding party).

So we're looking for "fancier" type appetizers and would love some ideas - like bacon-wrapped scallops, not kielbasi in a crockpot (as good as that is!). Thanks!

 

[canadianjovigirl]

Our idea of fancy may be way different than yours, but some of our favorites that always go over well when served are bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos, hot crab dip served on crackers and french baquette bread sliced and then spread with garden vegetable cream cheese and a thin slice of cucumber folded standing up on top............looks great and tastes great!!

Another hit was bacon wrapped sirloin bites...........yep we are big bacon fans here

Have also done a bit of cocktail sauce in a mini plastic champagne glass with a few large shrimp on top...........

Google fancy appetizers for lots of inspirations, i get a bunch of ideas from there and can alter them to suit the occasion.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Potstickers. Skewers of cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

chicken satay skewers with peanut dipping sauce also go down a treat here

 

[PAcpl]

The DW made these a few weeks ago. Nice and easy and they were fantastic!

Boar's Head Everroast Chicken Empanadas


Good luck!

 

[Magic Mom]

I made thisfor a party not to long ago.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-reci...ied-tomatoes-recipe-00000000024624/index.html

and my aunt has made these before....they are sooo good. (she used cream cheese instead of ricotta)

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/appetizers-snacks/ricotta-gorgonzola-and-honey-spread/

 

[JimmyPicker]

Crab balls, shrimp cocktail, sliced salmon served on a cucumber round topped with creme fraiche (with a touch of lemon squeezed into the creme fraiche), foie gras served on toasty slices of a baguette, raw oysters (depending on what time of the year the party is), mini-BLT's served on little toast rounds.

You can even turn simple things like egg salad into something fancy, by adding a little curry powder to it, putting a dallop on a toast round and topping it off with a small bit of mango chutney. It turns something ordinary into something really gooooood.

There are lots of things you could look into that routinely get used for appetizers. For example, mini phyllo shells. You can put lots of nice things in them, and the box even gives you more ideas. I'm positive you could go to their website and get a load of ideas for fancy things you could put into them.

Endives are popular now also. Seems like you can put anything into them. I've personally seen them with carmellized onions in them, topped with a bit of bleu cheese and a drizzle of fig jam.

Also, you can't go wrong having a nice wedge of Brie and some Wheat Thins, lol.

 

[akclayton]

Sam's Club has miniature quiches that my mom and aunt use at their Christmas brunches. There are different types and they are delicious..

 

[Disney Doll]

Cubed sweet potatoes in endive.

Cube sweet potatoes up pretty small (no bigger than 1/2" and even smaller would be OK). Sautee them with onions & bacon bits. Then just spoon the mixture (sweets, onions, bacon) into the endive leaf and serve with sour cream nearby with a spoon in it so folks can put a dollop of sour cream on if they so desire. Delish!

Another good one is Pears & Prosciutto. Buy good blue cheese and some nice, good sized pears. Slice the pear in half and scoop out all the seeds. Then slice each half into 4 slices.

Lay a slice of prosciutto down, center the pear on top of the prosciutto, take a pinch of blue cheese and place it in the divot left from where the seeds were, lay an arugula leaf over it and then carefully wrap the prosciutto around the pear so that it is sort of holding in the blue cheese and then stick a toothpick in it to "tack" the prosciutto in place. Another good one that is easy and people rave about it.

 

[scubamouse]

Check out pinterest. I've gotten tons of ideas there.

These are super easy baked brie bites

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/09/ile-de-france-cheese-baked-brie-bites.html

Super easy and delicious asparagus wrapped in proscuitto and mozerella

http://www.ireallylikefood.com/6973...rella-wrapped-asparagus-a-recipe-in-pictures/

Endive bites. I swap cilantro with Basil.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Endive-Spoons-with-Lemon-Herb-Goat-Cheese-108221

 

[nmmom95]

Boeuf en croute

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boeuf-en-croute/

I leave out the mushrooms, but it is really easy and delicious.

 

[nancycg56]

Goat Cheese and Mushroom Tart

http://nancysrecipes.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/goat-cheese-and-mushroom-tart/

Tortellini with Pesto Dip

http://nancysrecipes.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/tortellini-with-pesto-dip/

 

[kirstenb1]

The DW made these a few weeks ago. Nice and easy and they were fantastic!

Boar's Head Everroast Chicken Empanadas


Good luck!

These would be gone in no time at our house!!! Thanks for the recipe!!

 

[pixiewings71]

So are you trying to avoid dip types? I have an excellent recipe for a white cheddar cheese dip that is served with bread but you do have to dip so if you don't want that then my recipe won't work. Let me know if you'd like it.

 

[Aetheline]

Crustless (and co-incidentally gluten free) mini quiches

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

This one is easy and fancy- Gorgonzola Pear Toast. We have made it a couple of times. Everyone loves it!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/gorgonzola-pear-toasts-recipe/index.html

 

[McKelly]

Little mini cream puff shells filled with chicken salad. I think a raw veggie or fruit plate can be made up to look fancy. I have also put cucumber slices and Hidden Valley Ranch dip on a piece of cocktail rye, sprinkled with dill. Looks fancy enough I guess..

 

[shoney]

We love to make pinwheel sandwiches with flour tortilla wraps....2 that are very popular:

1. turkey:

spread a layer of cream cheese, then sliced turkey, shredded cheddar, fresh spinach leaves

2. lox

spread cream cheese, then lox, thin sliced red onions and a few capers

roll, add toothpicks about every inch, slice...they look pretty on a platter....

(you can come up with any combo you like....)


Also, wrapped aspargus spears....

blanch asparagus.
spread goat cheese on the first 2 inches of the stem
wrap prosciutto around the cheese


I find having some cold apps makes it a little easier. You can make them the day before and not have to worry about oven space the night of the party.


Hot apps that people seem to like:
stuffed mushrooms
baked clams

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Pitted Dates topped with a Slice of Parmesan Reggiano Cheese (all served room temperature)

 

[lizabu]

There are so many options. Canapes are some of the easiest things to do. They are basically tiny open faced sandwiches. With that thought in mind be inspired by the kinds of sandwiches you like and go from there. Start with your bread. Get a different kind for each kind of canape you will do. Cut the bread into diamonds or squares no bigger than about 2". You can also get all kinds of neat shaped cookie cutters to cut the bread. Toast in the oven. This can even be done ahead of time. Say for example you like cucumber sandwiches. If you want to do a fancy canape version use a peeler to peel stripe designs down the length of the cucumber then slice the cucumber thin. Meanwhile put some cream cheese in the mixer and add an herb such as dill. Put the cucumber on the toast slice. Use a piping bag and a star tip and pipe a swirl on top of the cucumber slice and top with a small piece of dill. Simple but looks fancy. Or say you like egg salad. Take a little butter and butter your toast. You can add an herb to the butter if you want. Use quail eggs instead of regular eggs and boil them and peel them. Take the yolks out and do them up like deviled eggs. Put one deviled quail egg on top of each toast and garnish with a little caviar or any herb you like. One easy one is just to slice cucumber diagonally so you have a larger oval disc and just pipe some herbed cream cheese on top and top with a little dill. There are literally hundred or options. I think the key is when using a filling pipe it on with a star tip and always garnish everything.

More combinations...pesto, mozza and cherry tomatoes halves
cream cheese, smoked salmon, caviar (or roe)
chicken salad, pear slices and walnuts
guacamole, shrimp and cilantro