Appetizer recipes come in all shapes and sizes, from finger foods to soups, and often serve as the prelude to the main entrée of a meal. An appetizer, or starter, refers to a small portion of food served before a meal, but it can also refer to the first course of a meal.
Starters function as an appetite stimulant; because they are the first foods to be tasted, their flavor is often appropriately matched to the flavors of the main dish. These tasty little morsels of food can be as simple as a slice of mild cheese with a cracker to a hearty soup of onions and French bread.
Planning Your Appetizer Recipes
Think of starters as the gateway to the rest of your meal; they should make those at the table want to taste what comes next. Whether your recipes are cooked or simply assembled, it is important to keep in mind the overall scheme of the entire meal. Follow these tips to make the right starters for your meals:
- Your starter or first course should both set the stage for what is to follow, without overwhelming the taster with too much of one thing.
- Keep your menu fluent; if you are stir-frying the main dish, start with a light soup with similar background to the dish. Likewise, if you are serving a main dish heavy on pasta a starter made of a salad topped with salmon and a balsamic dressing would make a great complimentary first course.
- In addition to flavor, texture is a factor in your selection as well. If a stew is being served for the main course, an appetizer with a little more crunch will accompany it much better than a soup.
Prepare ahead of time to include a starter course with your meal. The two courses need to complement one another, and you'll need plenty of time to pull both together in a way that gets them both to the table at the right times and the right temperature.
Start adding appetizers to your next dinner party or family dinner and have fun exploring the various taste combinations that multiple courses can offer.