- Finger foods can be convenient and great-tasting.Appetizer Closeup image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
When one thinks of finger foods, images of grubby-fingered strangers rummaging through an old bowl of pretzels or salted nuts may come to mind. Reinvent this notion for guests with tasty little snacks that complement good drinks and great conversation. Slight tweaks to old favorites promise to make over the tried and true for snacks that charm as much as please the palate. - Try homemade potato chips, oven-baked treats made of sliced Yukon Gold potatoes that are tossed with olive oil and baked at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes on one side and 15 on the other. For a salt-and-vinegar variation, add a little salt after the olive oil and vinegar when done. Try onion powder, a dash of cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic salt and/or chili powder with, or instead of, the salt.
For a new take on an old bowl of pretzels, try a sweet and salty bowl of store-bought ones, tossed with almonds, dark-brown sugar and butter. Alternatively, omit the pretzels and try mixing cashews, peanuts and pecans with butter and brown sugar, or roast them in maple syrup. Toss pumpkin seeds with paprika and cayenne pepper, or roast them with butter and salt for a quick and tasty finger food. - Give your guests a taste of your worldly savoir faire with an array of foods that reflect diversity. Pot stickers--or wontons stuffed with cabbage, scallions and ground pork and served on polished white rectangular dishes--bring a bit of Asian flavor to any gathering. Depending on your preference, the ground pork can be replaced with chicken, beef or shrimp. Consider adding scallion pancakes with soy dipping sauce and pork, chicken and shrimp egg rolls to the menu, or keep the tapas coming. Croquettes with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese, grilled seafood salad or steamed clams in garlic saffron broth are sure crowd pleasers. If clams aren't to your liking, try replacing the steamed clams with mussels, shrimp, oysters or scallops; all of which work well with a bit of crusty bread.
- Cheese lends itself as a key ingredient to a variety of party foods. Mushrooms can be stuffed with goat cheese and garlic, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, onion powder and ground cayenne pepper, or crab meat and Monterrey Jack cheese for a delightful spread. Likewise, hot spinach or artichoke and cheese dip (Mozzarella, parmesan and cream cheese are a great combination), make for a delicious party-pleaser. Ready-made puff pastry dough found at your local grocer can be baked and brushed with butter, before sprinkling it with a bit of salt and parmesan cheese and serving it up alongside marinara sauce.
