Savoury as starters
- Thread starter Akos
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1. savory mini handpies. They can be made in advance and frozen. Then pop them on a tray and straight into the oven the day of the event. Any filling will work. I usually make up a filling on the fly. Toss together some roasted vegetables and cheese. Or cook up ground meat, spinach, cheese, spices, herbs.
2. Savory cookies. I just bought a cookbook with a number of savory cookie recipes. I’m to give some of these a try in place of crackers. Unlike crackers these can be served alone as they are bigger like a cookie. Or like a good cracker, a savory cookie can be piped with a rosette of herb infused cream cheese, add a paper thin slice of cucumber and a sprig of parsley or chive.
3. Savory filled pate a choux. These are a classic and always a crowd pleaser. Make the dough up to two days ahead of time. Place it in a Ziploc bag, squeeze out all the excess air and seal it up and refrigerate. Day of the event pipe and bake. Filling can be made ahead of time as well, You can also bake the paths, cool and then freeze them. Then the day of the event crisp them up in the oven for about 10 minutes
4. Bruschetta, just a fancy name for toast. You can use a good quality bread from a bakery; make a topping ahead of time.
2. Savory cookies. I just bought a cookbook with a number of savory cookie recipes. I’m to give some of these a try in place of crackers. Unlike crackers these can be served alone as they are bigger like a cookie. Or like a good cracker, a savory cookie can be piped with a rosette of herb infused cream cheese, add a paper thin slice of cucumber and a sprig of parsley or chive.
3. Savory filled pate a choux. These are a classic and always a crowd pleaser. Make the dough up to two days ahead of time. Place it in a Ziploc bag, squeeze out all the excess air and seal it up and refrigerate. Day of the event pipe and bake. Filling can be made ahead of time as well, You can also bake the paths, cool and then freeze them. Then the day of the event crisp them up in the oven for about 10 minutes
4. Bruschetta, just a fancy name for toast. You can use a good quality bread from a bakery; make a topping ahead of time.
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The possibilities for savory pastries is only limited by your imagination.
Breaking it down by type of dough gives inspiration.
Tarts and pie doughs:
- Savory pastry dough tartlets
- Savory puff pastry tartlets
- Pinwheels
- Mini galette
- Mini quiche
- Empanadas
Phyllo and strudel pastry
- Savory baklava
- Triopita
- Spanakopita
- Savory strudel
Bread doughs
- Focaccia
- Sliders*
- Stuffed buns
- Stuffed pretzels
- Savory bread pudding
- Pizza bites
Shortened and enriched doughs
- Savory scones
- Savory biscuits
- Savory brioche
- Savory rugalach
Savory cookie doughs
- Savory thumbprint cookies
- Savory benne wafers
- Savory shortbread
- Savory sables
- Savory Madeleines
- Savory spritz cookie
In deciding on an appetizer you need to take the type of service into consideration. If it’s seated service with utensils it’s best if it’s not finger food. And you don’t necessarily have to make individual miniature appetizers.
For cocktail service, appetizers are best as finger foods and no more than two bites in size. Since guests are standing and holding cocktail glasses in one hand, the offerings should not have a soft or runny filling.
For buffet style where plates are available you can have an array of full size and bite-size offerings. Appetizers requiring a fork are fine, but offerings should not require cutting with a knife to be eaten.
*sliders can be anything from a traditional hamburger to something more sophisticated like a crab cake or lobster cake. They can be made vegetarian or vegan burger as well.
Wow wow wow wow. You're just too much. You've given me a lot more than I expected. I'm going to try them. I'm looking forward to your recipe book. Thanks a lot @Norcalbaker59 and thanks Baking Forum
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Hello @Norcalbaker59
Was thinking. Can I make mini Cornish pasties, mini plain croissant and mini homemade biscuits (no savory filling) like the Pillsbury's type to be used as starters. Will that be presentable? Can you please help me with a biscuit recipe? Thanks in advance.
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It depends. When selecting appetizers keep a couple of things in mind.
- Will there be a full meal served after the appetizers?
- If so, time between appetizer and meal?
If it is a standing cocktail hour, followed by a full meal, then a selection of three to four types of appetizers is good.
Because it is going to be followed by a full meal, it’s best to offer a combination of heavier and lighter appetizers. You don’t want all heavier appetizers because you don’t want guests to be too full to eat the meal.
The cornish pasty is a lovely idea. This is an example of a heavy appetizer, so make them small, about the size of a large ravioli.
In fact when I make a large batch for appetizers I assemble them using the same technique I use for making ravioli.
Croissants do not hold up well, so probably not the best choice. However, since the process for croissant dough is almost identical to puff pastry, I would recommend you go with puff pastry. You could even use commercially made frozen puff pastry to save time. The other nice thing about puff pastry appetizers is they are light even if you use a whipped cream cheese and spinach topping or filling. So puff pastry is always a good choice for a lighter appetizer.
I would not recommend a biscuit given it’s very heavy, and you already have a heavy appetizer with the pasty. I would go with something lighter like a bruschetta or cracker with a vegetarian topping.
It’s thoughtful to offer something vegetarian/vegan and dairy free. It doesn’t take much effort, and is always appreciated by those with dietary restrictions.
If The guest count is up to 75, then a selection of three appetizers is good. If there are more then 75, then you may want to consider four types of appetizers: two heavy, two light.
Do not make the mistake of making one appetizer per person of each type of appetizer.
Caterers calculate the amount of appetizers needed based on bites and length of event. The longer the event the more people will eat.
Cocktail hour with a full meal to follow:
- 3 - 4 bites per person every hour.
100 guests
1 hour cocktails
3 bites per person per hour
100 guests x 1 hr x 3 bites = 300 total bites
Another example, cocktail hour is 1 1/2 hours.
100 guests x 1.5 hr x 3 bites = 450 total bites
If you were going to offer three types of appetizers make 150 of each type for a total of 450.
If it is a cocktail party, no meal, increase to 5 - 7 bites per person per hour.
The math is the same.
100 guests x 1 hr x 6 bites = 600 total bites
100 guests x 2 hrs x 6 bites = 1200 bites.
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For a cocktail party only (no meal) during the hours people normally eat dinner, then increase to 8 - 10 bites per person.
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Another way to calculate the number of bites is by how long the event will be.
3 - 4 bites per person for 1 hr, with meal to follow
5 - 6 bites for 2 hr events, with meal to follow
8 - 10 bites, 3 - 4 hr event. For a long event you want to serve heavier appetizers.
Not all appetizers are calculated by bites, some are best calculated by weight.
Charcuterie, cheese, and crudités
- 30g per person, meal following
- 60g person, no meal
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Oh, forgot to mention, yes I can send you a biscuit recipe. I’m away right now, but when I get back next week I’ll send it to you.