Thanksgiving menu, will it include appetizers?
Since many SE are not serving salad, appetizers might be a good time to sneak in those raw vegetables or bites of fresh fruit. Spiced nuts or brie en croute make tasty holiday appetizers, too. Fancy---how about shrimp? How do you plan to hold off hungry guests until the big feast?
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13 Comments:
Well, two years ago I did big crudite platter and a cheese plate for appetizers served about 2 hours before dinner. It was way too much food. No one was really hungry come dinner time, and by the time dinner was done, there was no way anyone was eating pie. Last year I changed it up and made a gorgonzola-walnut cheese ball and served it with red pears and crackers. That was the perfect little munchie before dinner.
By only offering one option, everyone had a few nibbles to ward off starvation, but didn't feel obligated to try one of everything. I still haven't decided on this year's apps, but I will be keeping it very simple.
ErikaWaz at 8:07PM on 11/10/07
I put out my antipasto platter 2 hours before dinner is served.
It includes olives, cheese, cold meats, a caprese rendition, roasted peppers and sliced thin italian bread and cold asparagus that I blanch and dress lightly.
People nibble on this while they wait. The key to it is to make just enough and not too much.
People also know when coming to my home to come hungry.
JerzeeTomato at 8:25PM on 11/10/07
I make cheese straws, and set out olives as well.
And I actually do serve a salad of sorts as a first course: molasses cured salmon (a Jacques Pépin recipe), sliced thin and draped atop Boston lettuce dressed with a little oil and vinegar.
Cathy at 8:29PM on 11/10/07
I have several friends coming over for wine and appetizers before they head off to dinner elsewhere. I'll make some spiced nuts, do a cheese board, make some kind of crab salad served on endive leaves, and I saw some parmesan shortbreads in Bon Appetit that look good. Maybe an onion quiche -- I'm still pondering.
ride&cook at 6:16AM on 11/11/07
My family has no self-discipline whatsoever, so to prevent the sort of scenario descibed by ErikaWaz, I put out a large bowl of assorted nuts in their shells and a couple of nut crackers. Interestingly, I get lots of offers to help in the kitchen as a result-- after all, it is where the food is.
Ann Fisher at 6:45AM on 11/11/07
Thanks for sharing thoughts & ideas on appetizers that work for your families! Nuts in their shells would help the conversation in my family :)
JEP at 8:08AM on 11/11/07
salad, veggies, brie and bread. those are always good matchups. although I could probably just snack on the brie all day and then end up not eating the bird!
aboyce18 at 12:51PM on 11/11/07
If eating after 1 p.m., we traditionally do a relish tray (pickles, olives, etc.) and a crudite, but we keep the quantities very small. Usually just a couple kinds of olives, sweet gherkins or bread and butter pickles, sour cornichons and maybe some other pickle, like green beans, asparagus, etc. The crudite is usually very dull -- carrots, celery and one other, maybe cauliflower, jicama, or some such -- with hummus or a light dip.
If eating around 1:00 (my dad's preference, so he can have sandwiches for supper), we just graze lightly on breakfast throughout the morning. I usually put out a big bowl of cut fruit, a toaster, a loaf of good whole-grain bread, and some preserves. Maybe some hard-cooked eggs.
LoCo at 1:06PM on 11/11/07
JEP, I guess it depends on the kind of conversation you expect nuts in their shells to produce... in my family it produces comments ranging from "My! Sure smells good in here! When did you say dinner would be ready?" to "Nuts suck!". So far nobody has actually accused me of deliberately keeping them hungry. :-)
Ann Fisher at 2:17PM on 11/11/07
Oh Ann, I meant that our extended family that gathers only occasionally consists of folks with "unsual" personalities or lifestyles--ha! (that could be a good "talk" topic!). I am saying this & laughing about some of the uneasy moments when we all get together :) Cracking nuts in their shells may easy some of this tension... Thanks for asking!
JEP at 2:47PM on 11/11/07
We're having a potluck Turkey dinner this week here at work that will include a variety of dishes, including the turkey. We'll have several relish trays for everyone to munch on before dinner.
Lavendergirl at 5:08PM on 11/12/07
ErikaWaz I would love to have your gorgonzola-walnut cheese ball recipe. Would you mind sharing it with me. Thanks!
Lynx4 at 4:44PM on 11/14/07
Our "appetizer" was sweet and sour meatballs! Not a vegetable-sneaker if I've seen one :)
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 7:47PM on 11/15/07