Appetizer Ideas

We went to a dinner at Poulet en Crote’s last night. Poulet prepared the main course while guests brought side dishes. Ditalini was responsible for bringing appetizers, and here they are:

There are hundreds of ways to make deviled eggs, and veggies with ranch dressing dip are so standard now you can buy prepared platters at any grocery store, but I wanted to go into a little detail on the three appetizers to the right.

Stuffed cherry tomatoes

Ditalini hollowed out the tomatoes with a small melon baller, then filled them with a mixture of cream cheese, ranch dressing, and chopped bacon.

Seasoned boiled shrimp

Boiled in water with a little vinegar and a tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, then peeled, served with lemon and cocktail sauce.

Asperagus with prosciutto

Ditalini steamed the asparagus until tender, then marinated the spears in Italian dressing overnight in the fridge. Just before the party she wrapped a thin slice of prosciutto around each spear.

Speaking of dinner, here’s the rest:

Poulet made the corn pudding and roasted the prime rib; Moules Frites prepared the green beans; Ditalini made the garlic mashed potatoes; Bock Wurst brought the cheese muffins (and the sopressata as an addition to the appetizers).

This dinner, by the way, is an annual event. Poulet always hosts. Food preparation, as it was last night, is divvied up amongst the guests. The occasion is a confluence of late October and early November birthdays, namely mine, Pommes Frites’, and Osso Bucco’s.

Dinner with friends. What could be better than that?