A light dish at the beginning of a meal usually lunch or dinner or an appetiser which is served before the meal to whet the appetite. – Here are my favourite recipes judged by the fact that of course they are tasty but also easy to prepare. I am not looking at soups for now we will do that separately.
The camembert is removed from it’s wrapping, cooked on foil and with a knife score the top of the cheese. Put in the cuts sprigs of rosemary and garlic and then pour over a little white wine before baking. Best served with warm ciabatta or brushetta.
This is easy to make in advance and can use cod or salmon fillets. The fish is mixed with red Thai paste and green beans and lightly fried and then served with a dipping sauce
I love this as a starter as it is great before a rich or meaty dinner. The only issue is you need to serve it fresh so one for a kitchen supper I think!
This is another of my favourites but this is really for a dinner party – refined, lovely and quite sophisticated but the downside is you need to make it and then serve it! If you have one of those kitchens where you eat and cook this will work very well, otherwise you will be in the kitchen whilst your guests are enjoying themselves somewhere else!
My good friend brought round this as an hor d’oeuvre – freshly made falafel. Simi actually makes this for parties and caters and it is a wonderful middle eastern starter and best served with warm pitta, humus, tahina and salad. In fact when she came to our house she brought her own fryer as well as the prepared falafel mix. Take a look at falafel feast
This is fabulous because it is impressive yet soooo easy and can be prepared in advance and then served warm!. All it is is a ramekin dish with smoked salmon on the base, then crack in an egg and pour cream around the yolk. A little salt, pepper and some herbs and you bake for 20 minutes- voila!
This is rich so you really only need small portions for a starter, but best served with shaved parmesan cheese.
Roasted asparagus
I LOVE asparagus but it really feels right in England from May to September. This dish uses egg and parmesan to complement the asparagus!
Another great starter for summer dinners or barbeques. It is the magical combination of the pear, walnut and gorgonzola that makes this so special- together with the drizzled dressing
This is a lovely strater and made more special because you can prepare this way in advance – just blend the ingredients together put into a serving dish and store in the fridge ready to serve your guests. Served with melba toast or brushetta.
