Small plates are big; Chef Bibby Gignilliat shares her tasty tips
By Re Noel
Wrapped in bacon or stuffed with cheese, easy appetizer recipes have moved from starters to the main attractions. With so many delectable options, some hosts are forgoing dinner for a sampling of five to six different tastes.
Bibby Gignilliat—author of Sumptuous Small Plates: 30 Recipes for Deliciously Fun Entertaining and founder of Parties that Cook—says the popularity of appetizers as meals started several years ago at restaurants and quickly moved to home entertaining. “At parties, people don’t want to just be at a dinner table,” she says. An event with lots of options “allows people to move around, meet more people, and try more things.”
There are appetizers to match any mood or cuisine, from Asian spring rolls to Italian crostini. Hosts aren’t limited by options that are passed on a plate. Consider shot glasses of soup or tiny tastes of salad. Gignilliat recently used a scooped-out avocado shell to showcase her creations.
Appetizer serving ideas
Tempted to try small plates? Here are Gignilliat’s tips:
- Plan to make about 8 pieces per person (10 for hearty eaters).
- Consider a few protein-based options, as well as some starches.
- Want to keep things simple? Add just a few items and create an elaborate cheese platter.
While starters are more popular than ever, some appetizers are past their prime. Gignilliat suggests skipping cheese balls, seven-layer dip, and spinach artichoke dip. So what’s hot? If bacon is involved, it’s a sure-fire hit, she says. “Everything is about bacon right now, even chocolate,” Gignilliat adds.
Bacon-Wrapped Dried Plums with Blue Cheese and Balsamic-Honey Glaze
Looking for a seasonal twist? Bibby Gignilliat suggests substituting fresh peaches for plums during the summer.
For the plums:
9 ounces of thinly sliced bacon, cut in half
2 ounces soft blue cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of kosher salt
24 pitted dried plums (prunes)
For the Balsamic Glaze:
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1½ tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lay the cut bacon on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and partially cook the bacon (only 5 minutes). Mix blue cheese and cream cheese together; add thyme and salt. Chill in freezer for 5 minutes. Using a pastry bag fitted with ¼-inch tip, stuff each plum with 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Wrap with a piece of partially cooked bacon and fasten with a toothpick.
Broil on one side until the bacon starts to brown (about two to three minutes). Turn and finish cooking until the bacon is crisp (another two to three minutes). If left too long under the broiler, the cheese will melt and ooze out. Transfer to a platter and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme.
Balsamic Glaze
Combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a sauté pan and simmer/reduce for two minutes. Drizzle or brush over plated plums.
Makes 24.
Recipe created by Parties That Cook®; recipe courtesy of Bibby Gignilliat.
An Easy Appetizer Recipe and Ideas for Your Next Party
Small plates are big; Chef Bibby Gignilliat shares her tasty tips
By Re Noel
Wrapped in bacon or stuffed with cheese, easy appetizer recipes have moved from starters to the main attractions. With so many delectable options, some hosts are forgoing dinner for a sampling of five to six different tastes.
Bibby Gignilliat—author of Sumptuous Small Plates: 30 Recipes for Deliciously Fun Entertaining and founder of Parties that Cook—says the popularity of appetizers as meals started several years ago at restaurants and quickly moved to home entertaining. “At parties, people don’t want to just be at a dinner table,” she says. An event with lots of options “allows people to move around, meet more people, and try more things.”
There are appetizers to match any mood or cuisine, from Asian spring rolls to Italian crostini. Hosts aren’t limited by options that are passed on a plate. Consider shot glasses of soup or tiny tastes of salad. Gignilliat recently used a scooped-out avocado shell to showcase her creations.
Appetizer serving ideas
Tempted to try small plates? Here are Gignilliat’s tips:
While starters are more popular than ever, some appetizers are past their prime. Gignilliat suggests skipping cheese balls, seven-layer dip, and spinach artichoke dip. So what’s hot? If bacon is involved, it’s a sure-fire hit, she says. “Everything is about bacon right now, even chocolate,” Gignilliat adds.
Bacon-Wrapped Dried Plums with Blue Cheese and Balsamic-Honey Glaze
Looking for a seasonal twist? Bibby Gignilliat suggests substituting fresh peaches for plums during the summer.
For the plums:
9 ounces of thinly sliced bacon, cut in half
2 ounces soft blue cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of kosher salt
24 pitted dried plums (prunes)
For the Balsamic Glaze:
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1½ tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lay the cut bacon on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and partially cook the bacon (only 5 minutes). Mix blue cheese and cream cheese together; add thyme and salt. Chill in freezer for 5 minutes. Using a pastry bag fitted with ¼-inch tip, stuff each plum with 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Wrap with a piece of partially cooked bacon and fasten with a toothpick.
Broil on one side until the bacon starts to brown (about two to three minutes). Turn and finish cooking until the bacon is crisp (another two to three minutes). If left too long under the broiler, the cheese will melt and ooze out. Transfer to a platter and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme.
Balsamic Glaze
Combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a sauté pan and simmer/reduce for two minutes. Drizzle or brush over plated plums.
Makes 24.
Recipe created by Parties That Cook®; recipe courtesy of Bibby Gignilliat.