Appetizers
I often think just as hard about what to serve guests as they arrive as I do about the main course. The appetizer is the prelude to the meal and sets the tone. Casual weeknight meal, dinner party, Sunday supper, or chili night with friends all need a fun way to engage the group, get the event started.
I was recently at a very nice restaurant in south Florida and one of the appetizers that came to the table for our crowd was a large bowl of popcorn scented with truffle oil and finely grated Parmesan. It was a fun and elegant setting and the tone that that appetizer set was lively and engaging as the bowl was passed around the table. I loved the creativity of the simple snack being elevated to elegant.
And that is a great way to think of starters or appetizers for your meals— easy ingredients that can be quickly elevated with some unique additions.
It all depends on the event, but unless I have a more formal occasion, I tend to keep appetizers close to the action in the kitchen.
We all know that the kitchen is where everyone wants to be so even if I am serving lunch outside, or dinner in another part of my home apart from the kitchen, I like to have everyone where the action is to start things off. While pots are bubbling in the background I will set out on the counter or table close to the kitchen snacks that all can enjoy before the meal.
I am a little selfish and want to entertain while entertaining and not be apart from it all. And I think your guests or your family— whoever is over for dinner— want to see what is going on around the stove and that that in its own way is part of the party.
Our notion of entertaining is vastly different today than it was in the 1960s and ’70s when I was growing up. Even architecturally, kitchens are now open and an integral part of living and dining areas are no longer hidden away. Look at restaurants today where you can pay extra to sit in the kitchen with the chefs, at the Chef’s Table and watch all of the action. Engagement in the activity and action of cooking (sights, sounds, and smells) is in my mind part of the appetizer— the whetting of the appetite for all the goodness yet to come.
Cheese is the easiest and perhaps most elegant appetizer. Simply taking it out of the fridge, warming to room temperature, and arranging on a platter with simple garnishes is a delicious way to start an evening event or an effortless snack for when a few close friends drop in.
Try to include a mix of fresh, aged, soft, and hard cheeses, arranged in the order in which they should be tasted: from the lightest and freshest to the ripest and most intense.
Serves 6–8
4–6 ounces goat cheese or fromage blanc
4–6 ounces aged cheese, such as Manchego
4–6 ounces ripened cheese, such as Brie or Camembert
4–6 ounces washed rind cheese, for a bold taste (I like Red Hawk by Cowgirl Creamery.)
Add an assortment of garnishes such as olives, honey or honeycomb, nuts (almonds, spiced pecans, etc.), and of course some yummy bread and crackers.
Arrange on a slate board or a wonderful, old and distinguished cutting board for an elegant display.
Spiced pecans are another Southern party snack. They typically find themselves on the bar for you to enjoy while eagerly awaiting your cocktail. I like to have them on hand for a quick snack, too, when friends pop in.
Serves 20
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cumin, ground
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds pecan halves
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix the salt, cumin, and cayenne together in a small bowl and set aside.
Place the pecans in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4–5 minutes until they just start to brown and smell toasted. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine. Once combined, add both sugars and water, stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the pecans, approximately 2–3 minutes.
Transfer the nuts to the prepared sheet pan, and separate them with a fork. Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Can be stored up to 3 weeks.
Pimiento Chèvre with Saltines and Celery
Did you hear that Joel Stein of Time magazine declared 2011 the year of pimiento cheese? Every dog has his day, I suppose. But what Joel perhaps didn’t know is that in some geographies and communities in the South, pimiento cheese has had more than its day; it is a long standing staple.
Since I am a goat cheesemaker and a Southerner, I thought I would try my hand at a modern version. We liked it so much at the creamery that we began to market it. This version is doing quite well out there in the world.
If you cannot find it on your own grocery store shelves then here is the recipe to whip it up at home.
Serves 4–6
8 ounces fromage blanc
3 whole pimientos (hand-crushed to leave some large chunks)
1 clove garlic, smashed
¼ cup onion, minced
Salt (to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve on a sandwich, with crackers, or with chopped fresh vegetables.
A simple but beautifully delicious way to serve your goat cheese— in ten seconds flat!
Serves 8–10
1 (11-ounce) log goat cheese
2½ teaspoons black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
1/3 cup honey (I love Savannah Bee’s Tupelo honey best)
Place goat cheese on platter. Stir pepper and honey in a measuring cup and pour over cheese.
Serve with crackers or crusty French bread.
Wine and Beer Pairings for Goat Cheese
A great goat cheese can only get better when enjoyed with the perfect glass of wine or beer. Here are some suggestions; use them as guidelines and try to be flexible. Goats can be stubborn. Humans shouldn’t be.
Wine and Goat Cheese
Fresh goat cheese tends to be good with
Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Sauvignon
Blanc also compliments fromage blanc
well. For aged cheeses you might consider
a Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon.
We also recommend Laura Werlin’s The All American Cheese and Wine Book for additional cheese and wine pairings.
Beer and Goat Cheese
Selecting the right beer is a relaxed process. In general, when you find a brew you
enjoy pairing with our cheese, you should
stick with it. However, we’ve found that
goat cheese plays best with wheat beer.
No kidding. Weihenstephan Hefeweizen,
Schneider Hefeweizen, and UFO Hefeweizen are all suitable complements to
our chèvres.
Grilled Greek Kiss (Goat Cheese-Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Serves 12
12 packages Belle Chèvre Greek Kiss
Grilled bread (optional for serving)
2 jars grape leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon dried lavender, minced
1 (12-ounce) log goat cheese, chilled
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Grill the packages over moderately high heat for 2 minutes per side until the leaves are crisp on the outside and the cheese is slightly melted. Serve with grilled bread.
If you cannot readily find Greek Kiss, try making your own— it is simple:
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the grape leaves and boil for 30 seconds; drain. Blanch the leaves a second time in fresh boiling water. Drain again, pat dry and cut off the stems. Spread the leaves out on a work surface, vein sides up.
Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a shallow dish, combine the thyme, rosemary, and lavender. Cut the goat cheese into 12 equal rounds. Lightly roll the edge of each round in the herbs. Set a round in the center of each grape leaf and season lightly with salt. Drizzle each round with ½ teaspoon of oil and wrap it in a leaf. Lightly brush with olive oil.
Grill the wrapped cheese over moderately high heat for 2 minutes per side until the leaves are crisp on the outside and the cheese is slightly melted.
Pickled shrimp is a classic appetizer and has been showing up on Southern party buffets for years. And no matter how many times I have indulged, I never ever tire of it.
Serves 8–10
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (26–30 count)
1 cup onions, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup capers, drained
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
In a stockpot over high heat, bring abundantly salted water to a rolling boil. Boil shrimp in water for 30 seconds, or until just pink. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine onions, bay leaves, capers, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, celery seeds, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Transfer shrimp to marinade. Cover tightly and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving bowl.
Green Apples with Chèvre and Smoked Trout
Champagne is the perfect accompaniment for this delicate appetizer.
Serves 4–6
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
6 ounces skinless Applewood smoked trout fillets
3 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 small bunch watercress, thick stems trimmed
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Combine apple slices and lemon juice in medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Cut trout fillets lengthwise in half, then cut each half into apple-slice-size pieces. Drain apple slices; place on platter. Spread goat cheese on each apple slice, and top with 1 watercress sprig and 1 trout piece. Sprinkle with pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Serve.
This fun Southern twist on traditional hummus is inexpensive and tasty. Serve it as an appetizer with fresh vegetables and pita chips.
Serves 6
1 cup dried green split peas
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cumin, ground
Sort and wash peas. Bring garlic and 3 cups water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add peas; return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Combine peas, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse 5–7 times or until smooth, stopping to scrape sides as needed. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup onions, minced
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
¼ to ½ cup heavy cream
½ cup tomato, chopped
2–3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Homemade or store bought tortilla chips, for serving
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, cheese, and cream. Cook for 3–5 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle tomato and cilantro over top and serve with tortilla chips.
Chive-Goat Cheese Dip with Crudités
This is an elegant appetizer that couldn’t be more simple. It’s best served with spring vegetables that are still tiny and tender. For kids or adults, it’s a crowd pleaser.
Serves 6
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1 bunch baby carrots
1 zucchini, cut into thin strips (or baby zucchini, halved, if you can find them)
1 pint yellow grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Stir the goat cheese, cream, chives, salt, and pepper in a bowl until a creamy texture is reached. Season to taste if necessary. Sometimes I add a squirt of lemon juice.
Arrange the vegetables on a tray next to the goat cheese dip. Sit back and relax.
This was one of my first favorite appetizers, which I will never, ever make without thinking about my friend Anne Cain. She loved it so much, I ended up sending her a case of our Confetti so she could make this anytime her little heart desired.
Serves 6
10 ounces Belle Chèvre Confetti
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
2 dozen Niçoise olives, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cups spicy tomato sauce, Arrabiata or Arabica
Preheat broiler. Scatter goat cheese on bottom of gratin dish. Sprinkle with half of the herbs. Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining herbs and olives over top. Broil until cheese is melted and fragrant and tomato sauce is sizzling, about 8–10 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette slices.
Tapenade-Walnut Tart with Goat Cheese
This is great for parties. It’s always a hit and comes together in just a couple of minutes of hands-on time. I’ve even had self-proclaimed olive haters gobble it up and then ask me what was on it!
Serves 6
6 ounces goat cheese
1 roll store-bought puff pastry
4 tablespoons olive tapenade, prepared
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup walnuts, crushed and toasted
Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches. Roll up the sides slightly and prick the bottom with a fork. Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees on a nonstick baking sheet. Remove from oven and cool.
Spread the tapenade on the cooked pastry. Sprinkle with thyme and walnuts, and cover evenly with goat cheese.
Bake for 15–20 minutes at 400 degrees until the cheese has melted and started to brown on top.
Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart
To make these tarts, two 13½ x 4 x 1-inch tart pans with removable rims are ideal; however, you could also use one 11 x 1-inch round tart pan with a removable rim.
Alternatively, you can make these free-form, laying out the crust and folding over the edges for a rustic look and feel.
Serves 8
2¼ sticks (18 tablespoons) butter, unsalted, cold
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2–4 tablespoons ice water
3 onions (about 1½ pounds total), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pie weights or raw rice for weighting shells
10 ounces mild goat cheese (about 1 heaping cup), softened
¾ cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
To make the dough, cut 1¼ sticks butter into bits (reserve remaining butter and let soften), and use a food processor or a bowl with a pastry blender to blend or pulse together with flour and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork or pulse until incorporated. Add enough remaining ice water to form a dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork or pulsing to incorporate. On a work surface, smear dough with heel of hand in 3 or 4 forward motions to make dough easier to work with. Divide dough in half and pat each half into a rectangle, about 6 x 3 inches. Chill rectangles, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 dough rectangle into a 16 x 6-inch rectangle and fit it into a 13½ x 4 x 1-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Roll a rolling pin over pastry to trim it flush with top of rim, and prick bottom of shell in several places with a fork. Make 1 more tart shell in another tart pan in same manner.
Line shells with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shells in middle of oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice, and bake shells until pale golden, about 5 minutes.
While shells are baking, whisk together goat cheese, reserved butter, and sour cream until smooth, and whisk in eggs until combined well. Season custard with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions. Sauté until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; sauté onions until tender and deep golden, about 15 minutes. Cool.
Spread onions evenly in shells, and pour custard over onions. Sprinkle thyme over custard and bake tarts in middle of oven for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool tarts in pans on racks (filling will deflate). Tarts may be made 2 days ahead, cooled completely and chilled, covered, in pans. Reheat tarts in pans, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes to crisp crusts. Remove rims from pans.
Cut tarts crosswise into ¾-inch-wide slices to make about 32 hors d’oeuvres; if desired, halve slices crosswise again to make about 64 hors d’oeuvres. Serve tarts warm or at room temperature.
Oven-Roasted Red Peppers with Goat Cheese
These heavenly soft roasted peppers with creamy fillings work both as a side dish and as a main course with a salad and crusty bread. Also try with tomatoes.
Serves 12
12 medium red peppers
1 2/3 pounds goat cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice off the top half-inch of each pepper and reserve the tops. Scoop out the cores and seeds. Cut a very thin sliver off the bottom of each pepper to help them stand up straight. Arrange the peppers in a 9 x 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
In a bowl, combine the goat cheese with the egg, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spoon the goat cheese mixture into the peppers, mounding the filling ½ inch above the top. Cover with the pepper tops and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Bake the peppers for 35 minutes until tender and browned in spots and the cheese is hot. Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Dates with Goat Cheese Wrapped in Prosciutto
Serves 8
1/3 cup goat cheese
1 tablespoon oregano
Pinch salt and pepper
16 Medjool dates, pitted
16 large basil leaves
4-inch-wide, thin slices prosciutto di Parma, each cut into 4 long strips
16 toothpicks, soaked in water 10 minutes
Set oven to broil.
Mix goat cheese with oregano, salt, and pepper. Spoon 1 teaspoon cheese into each date; wrap with a basil leaf and then a prosciutto strip. Secure with a toothpick. Broil until cheese bubbles, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.
I don’t keep pre-made snacks around— even for the children— so this is a fun and easy one and it also dresses up well if you like for the evening. Just toss the popcorn in some truffle oil or truffle salt for a grown up flavor.
Serves 6
1 bag natural popcorn, such as Black Jewell, microwaved according to directions
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Empty popped popcorn from the bag into a large serving bowl. Drizzle with melted butter. Combine spices in a small dish and sprinkle the blend over hot corn. Serve.
This is always a big hit at parties!
Serves 25
10 ounces goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup pesto, or to taste
½ cup fine oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped up (including 1–2 teaspoons of the marinade)
Mix goat cheese and cream cheese; add garlic. If you want, add salt and black pepper to taste.
Line a small glass bowl (about 2–3 cups) with plastic wrap. Put about 1/3 of the goat cheese mix into the bowl. Top this with the pesto (at least ½ cup), another ¼ of the goat cheese mix, and then the sun-dried tomatoes. Top with the rest of the cheese. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to four days.
To serve, invert bowl on a serving dish. Carefully remove the plastic wrap.
Decorate with fresh herbs, such as branches of thyme, oregano, rosemary, and parsley. Serve with baguette slices.
Serves 6
4 ounces mild goat cheese, room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup pesto (see recipe on page 46)
Stir together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth.