Hamptons Epicure: 'Martha Stewart's Appetizers' Delight

Martha Stewart’s latest book—her 85th!—titled Martha Stewart’s Appetizers, 200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors d’Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails contains, as you might expect, a host of “good things.” Released by Clarkson Potter last month, Appetizers delivers scads of ideas for “fuss-free party foods.”

The book is divided into Snacks, Starters, Small Plates, Stylish Bites and Sips—in recognition of the fact that today Americans entertain and serve food in a wide variety of ways.

What jumped out at me were the hip takes on popular items including Fried Stuffed Olives and Shishito Peppers with Bonito Flakes as “Snacks;” as well as Pull-Apart Lobster Rolls, Mini Empanadas and Wild Mushroom Pizzas as “Small Plates.”

You will also find Pigs in Blankets and many of the old standards including: Spiced Nuts, Green Goddess Dip, Cheese Straws, Shrimp Cocktail, Meatballs and Deviled Eggs. As Stewart writes, “Avoid trying too many new dishes; instead, include some old favorites in the mix…”

You’re imagining eating some of these items right now, aren’t you? The book’s 100 colorful photographs are sure to whet your appetite further. The food is depicted beautifully but a word of caution: the stems left on the tiny tomatoes are a gorgeous touch but do remove them before serving guests.  They’re only mildly toxic but unpleasant in the mouth and no fun for guests to try to dispose of. (At Dan’s Papers we recently had two sophisticated Hamptonites consume some husk cherries from a serving tray—husks and all!)

Summer’s fresh vegetables are behind us now but you might look to Stewart’s recipes for Latkes with Cranberry Chutney, Cider Sangria and Eggplant Caponata to offer some of fall’s best local produce at your holiday gatherings.

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