The Soda Fountain

Pork

May 17, 2016

200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors d'Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails

by Martha Stewart

Snacks, Starters, Small Plates, Stylish Bites, and Sips

Hors d’oeuvres made modern: Today’s style of entertaining calls for fuss-free party foods that are easy to make and just as delicious as ever. With more than 200 recipes for tasty pre-dinner bites, substantial small plates, special-occasion finger foods, and quick snacks to enjoy with drinks, Martha Stewart’s Appetizers is the new go-to guide for any type of get-together.

TSG Review

We all know single people throw the best parties just not always the best food spreads for them. With this book you will be well on your way to entertaining like a pro. These recipes on average are very simple, can easily be doubled or halved, and quite a few have multiple variations to make all tastes happy. Not to mention, most of the recipes also have make ahead tip that will help keep you out of the kitchen while you are entertaining. Nice! I didn’t cover the drinks because they were pretty standard ones like margaritas and sidecars, and I recently finished an entire punch book that is still giving me a hangover. Still, if you need any drink recipes there are some good ones in here.

I followed all the recipes exactly as written.

Frico

Makes 8

Parmigiano cheese chips. One ingredient. Very cool very easy and very tasty. Went wonderful with wine. The recipe says it makes eight but this is one of those you can make one at a time if you prefer.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Dip

Serves 8

Meh. As you can tell from the amount of dip recipes on my site, I love something to dip my chips in, but the caramelized onions make this dip way too sweet for my taste. Even the salt in the bacon can’t counter act the sweetness. I did enjoy frying the shallots, those were real tasty, like homemade French’s onions. This recipe is not bad, it’s just something I’m not a fan of.

Ricotta Crostini

Makes about 24

Full Recipe

Toasted baguette slices topped with ricotta and other ingredients. This recipe has five variations you can make. I tried three of them, lemon and pepper, tomato and basil, and pear and pecans with a drizzle of honey. All the variation were great. loads of flavor packed into a tiny bite. I made this at a party and forgot to bring the ricotta so I had to make do with onion flavored Philly cream cheese and it was still amazing. I have also tried substituting the pear and pecans with Golden Delicious apple slices and crushed walnuts. I think you can top these with anything and be happy. As the baguettes themselves go I have tired both sour dough and a french baguette and both were good. I liked the flavor of the sour dough the best but those can have pretty large holes that the toppings can fall thorough. The French bread doesn’t have any structural issues. Try the Tomato and Basil Ricotta Crostini recipe.

Croque-Monsieur Bites

Makes 40

Toasted crustinies with an easy to make morney sauce topped with ham slices and Gruyere cheese. This party appetizer will blow your guests minds with minimal work. You can even do some of the prep in advance.

Seasoned Popcorn

Serves 6

Another recipe with many variations is the seasoned popcorn. It has six versions you can make. I made the Chili-Lime seasoned popcorn. The lime zest with the chili and cumin was a great paring. Reminded me of those hint of lime corn chips. Yum!

Summary

I have done away with my arbitrary scoring system and decided to go with a more sensible one. Thumbs up or down. I think it makes more sense to say either the book is worth getting or not. In this case it’s a no brainier, get it! It’s a great book to get as your first appetizer book. It has all of the standards and more. Many of the standard appetizers have multiple variations so you can surprise your guests with something different than they are used to. If you are having a party or just making snacks for yourself most of the recipes are easy to make to order. Some easy examples are the Ricotta Crostini and the Frico which both can be made one at a time if you like. There are recipes in here for beginners to the average cook. Nothing to complicated. There is also a good selection of appetizers for those wanting a healthier option like Watermelon Wedge with Feta and Mint, Steamed Artichokes, and Cucumber and Endive Salad Bites. In my opinion, this book is worth it!

Martha Stewart’s Appetizers