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3 secrets to a successful appetizer-only dinner party
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Example: A beautifully presented cheeseboard with fruit and jellies.
Let’s face it, times are tough and food is expensive. We’ve already stopped going out to restaurants and throwing dinner parties at home is beginning to bust the bank. Yet, appetizer-only dinner parties are risky because they require you to operate in the gray area between offering snacks and serving a full meal.
If your recipes are too ambitious, you could end up spending more time and money than you would on a full meal. However, if your offerings are too modest, your guests might end up ordering in a pizza around 9:30.
Without further ado, below are my tips for throwing a successful appetizer-only dinner party:
1. Drop a hint that you won’t be serving a full meal.
In your email or Facebook invitation, be sure to include verbiage that implies, but does not specifically indicate, that you will only be serving appetizers. Solid, euphemistic phraseology could include:
“Light refreshments”
“Tapas”
“Small plates”
Or, if applicable, you could simply refer to the type of hors d'œuvre:
“Fondue”
“Charcuterie and cheese plate”
“Build your own fajita bar”
2. Prepare rich food.
Since an appetizer-only party risks your guests going hungry, it is advisable to select recipes that err on the hearty side. If your aps are rich enough, your guests will likely feel full after eating small quantities. So, don’t shy away from cheese, cream, meat or butter.
Rich food does not need to be complicated either. One of my favorite fall appetizers is a dried date stuffed with a small chunk of pecorino cheese and a maple pecan wrapped in a slice of proscuitto. This ap has 4 ingredients, requires no cooking and takes all of 2 minutes to assemble. However, it is sweet, salty, creamy, meaty, chewy and crunchy all in one satisfying bite.
3. Offer 3-4 different choices.
Often, people will feel more satisfied after a small meal with a variety of flavors than a large one with one ubiquitous flavor. For example: after you polish off a plate of chicken fried steak sided with fried okra and French-fries, you’ll certainly be full. Yet, you may still be tempted to order a dessert simply because your taste buds are fatigued. The goal of an appetizer-only dinner party is to satisfy your guests, not fill them up. So, offer 3-4 choices and make sure that all of them taste very different from one another.
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