"Hors d'oeuvre: A Ham Sandwich Cut into 40 Pieces."-Jack Benny

  Shrimp Satay Skewer Shooters with Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce

 Recipe HERE

 

So today is the official start of my Art of Entertaining series. The table is set and our manners are in place. Now, it’s time for the party. No matter what type of party you are having… Cocktail, brunch, baby shower, bridal shower, holiday, wedding, dinner, luncheon, or funeral :-), you have to have appetizers. It would be gauche and rude not to and everyone will hate you. Appetizers/hors d’oeuvres are the fun part of the party. It’s where you can get a little bit creative. Some new trends have been emerging in the world of appetizers. Today, let’s talk about this new fad of appetizers called “shooters.”

 I am all about these shooters, even though the name is super white trash. Gone are the days of messy appetizers on napkins. Shooters are the new black. It seems like it is a “classic with a twist” phenomenon. Grilled cheese sandwich/tomato soup shooters, French toast shooters, french fry shooters… Comfort food “movin’ on up” like the Jeffersons. I think it’s rather genius and you know what, I would assume that all the men at the party would love this because it’s familiar, flavorful and easy. Women, I would assume, would like it as well because it’s not going to spill all over their new Lanvin cocktail dress. Let’s take a look…

Caesar Salad Shooters

Panko Crusted Shrimp with Chive Aioli

Recipe HERE

Veggie Shooters

Recipe HERE

Chicken Skewers Shooters

 

 

Banana Cream Pie Shooters

Recipe HERE

Tomato Soup Shooters With Mini Grilled Cheese

 

 Cucumber Lime Gazpacho Shooters with Seared Ahi Tuna on Crisp Tortilla

Spring Rolls with Soy Sauce Shooters

 

Clam Cakes with New England Clam Chowder Shooters

Recipe HERE

 

Powdered Doughnuts with Milk Shooters

Chocolate Chip Cookie with Milk Shooters

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho Shooters with Basil Crab Salad Crostinis

 

French Toast with Syrup Shooters

Recipe HERE

 

French Fries with Sauce Shooters

Recipe HERE

Aren’t those fabulous! But here’s the thing… You’ve got to be careful with these shooters. Here are a few rules…
 

       Serve them fast and fresh.

Be cognizant of texture. These little shooters can get mushy fast. You don’t want that.

Always offer a spoon. It’s not a tequila shot for God sake.

Mix shooters with other appetizers. It would be too contrived to have all shooters. Remember, it’s all about the juxtaposition.

Take a classic and embellish it a bit. For example, take the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup and take it up a notch. Maybe use Gruyere cheese and a yellow heirloom tomato soup with basil.

So that’s it for today. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on The Art of Entertaining. Hint: “Mini.”

A toute!

*Since we are on the subject of “shooters” today, it is anyone as appalled as I am regarding the little girl who was allowed to shoot a machine gun at a rifle range and accidentally shot the instructor? WTF! I’m pretty sure the little girl’s parents should have their ill-gotten “parenting license” revoked. By the way, do to you know it’s legal for an eight-year-old to shoot a gun? Yep, good old America. Unbelievable. My prayers go out to the instructor’s family and to the little girl’s retarded parents. Do you know what the name of the rifle range is? Bullets and Burgers. Enough said.