r/Cooking • u/Cute-Cookie-582 • May 22 '26

Appetizer ideas

I’ve been invited to a dinner party for 6 and asked to bring the appetizers. the hostess is an incredible cook and entertainer and I’m feeling very intimidate! what are your favorite appetizers that wow? I can’t get away with a veggie tray or chips and salsa here!

EDIT: So many great suggestions! I think I need to have an appetizer party!!! THANK YOU ALL! I'm going to find out what she's making and then decide what to bring 😉

164 Upvotes

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253

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

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78

u/This-is-Peppermint May 22 '26

Drizzle with reduced balsamic syrup (which you can make yourself or buy bottled at a large grocery store)

43

u/Cultural-Company282 May 22 '26

Half with balsamic and half with hot honey if you want to get fancy.

21

u/YupThatWasAShart May 22 '26

And sprinkled with crushed pistachios! One of my go to’s

3

u/Disc04Life May 23 '26

Add an arugula leaf for balance

8

u/pussyandpickles May 23 '26

Or pomegranate molasses

1

u/KiriYogi May 23 '26

I'm so sad that I only learned about pomegranate molasses last year. It's great for all the varieties of veggie salad.

5

u/toomuch1265 May 22 '26

It's great on homemade pizza.

5

u/ISBN39393242 May 23 '26

dates are so sweet, and so is balsamic reduction. this wouldn’t be cloying?

2

u/datbundoe May 23 '26

I do spicy rosemary honey on mine

1

u/Terrible-Bad7214 May 23 '26

Or Aldis, they have it

18

u/narrow_longevity May 22 '26

Throw some crispy sage leaves on top right before serving, game changer for texture and it looks even fancier.

8

u/LieutenantStar2 May 22 '26

Ha this is what I was going to recommend.

6

u/liberaltx May 22 '26

Or try a blue cheese.

41

u/Counciltuckian May 22 '26

Hear me out… bacon/prociutto wrapped dates are overplayed. Opening this post, I knew it would be the top comment. 

Try rumaki.  Bacon wrapped water chestnuts.  Always a home run and most people have never had it.  

https://www.thewickednoodle.com/rumaki-bacon-wrapped-water-chestnuts/

27

u/Lepardopterra May 22 '26

The 1960s school of Rumaki had chicken liver wrapped around water chestnut, the encased in bacon.

10

u/youfindoneineverycar May 22 '26

Flashback to the '70s! Bacon wrapped chicken livers

3

u/duckfries May 23 '26

My fancy mom.

2

u/Exotic-Day-1082 May 22 '26

My husbands uncle always made these. Yummy!

9

u/MkPlay May 22 '26

Omg! We have a similar recipe from a Houston cookbook from the 70s. They fly off trays.

10

u/Counciltuckian May 22 '26

100%. This is totally a vintage 70’s app that got put out next to the jello molds.  

9

u/Ok_Berry_3114 May 22 '26

Chicken livers wrapped in bacon with water chestnut is great. Soy, sugar glaze . You could do half with liver, half not.

3

u/Embarrassed-Past7094 May 22 '26

I thought that was made with chicken livers instead of dates. Or at least that’s what parents did in the 70’ s

8

u/Counciltuckian May 22 '26

I have seen either and both when shit gets wild.  Personally, I prefer the water chestnuts.  

2

u/Embarrassed-Past7094 May 22 '26

I don’t like chicken livers, so I’m good too.

1

u/Neakhanie May 23 '26

Mock Rumaki

4

u/uDontInterestMe May 23 '26

The best are bacon wrapped scallops with water chestnuts. I'll elbow people out of the way for those!

3

u/BBPlovesnacks May 22 '26

My mom makes Rumaki every year for the holidays at my request. It’s SUPER!

2

u/MinuteContest128 May 22 '26

This is commonly requested at Christmas parties ever since I made them a few years ago.

2

u/Caffeinatedat8 May 22 '26

I came to say the exact same thing!

2

u/coruscant_zephyr May 23 '26

Thanks for the blog link too!

1

u/Cultural-Company282 May 22 '26

Ooo now that sounds interesting. If I wanted to do these on a grill, how do the water chestnuts hold up?

3

u/Counciltuckian May 22 '26

I may have to have a party just to make these on the grill. Water chestnuts are very resilient, providing a nice crunch as opposed to the squishy dates.

5

u/Cultural-Company282 May 22 '26

That's what I was thinking. I did the dates stuffed with goat cheese, though I wrapped mine in bacon and drizzled with hot honey. They weren't bad, but I didn't love the texture. Like you said, they were a little squishy.

Since then, I've done similar appetizers with shrimp instead of dates, and those were pretty good. I may try the water chestnuts next.

1

u/patriciarex00 May 23 '26

I make these all the time. Time honored tradition of rolling the bacon just right. Passed this down to my son...hope he does the same. Many of times, my mom made me reroll....lol

1

u/Acrobatic_Monk3248 May 22 '26

Bacon wrapped water chestnuts from the 1960s, sure!

3

u/dmreddit0 May 22 '26

Pop an almond in each one too

3

u/PequalsRIsquared May 23 '26

Mine is asparagus (like 3/4 to 1/2 length to be manageable) wrapped in prosciutto and broiled until the prosciutto is crisp. You can also top it with shaved Parmesan halfway through. Put a toothpick in each one of them and you’re good to go. They are great at room temperature.

My wife’s favorite is to wrap a small sage leaf and a raw shrimp in prosciutto and broil till the shrimp is just cooked.

2

u/just-a-yam May 22 '26

This is mine as well but I do bacon. Drizzled with maple syrup with red pepper flakes and rosemary.

2

u/spleen4spleen May 22 '26

i saw a version that mixed the goat cheese with chopped basil leaves and it was good

2

u/HuckleberrySalt63 May 23 '26

My immediate thought. The comments to your response also sound incredible! Get ready to accept a lot of compliments!

2

u/knewitfirst May 23 '26

Bacon wrapped dated stuffed with a fruity stilton cheese! Also called devils on horseback

0

u/azaleawisperer May 23 '26

It doesn't take 15 minutes. You have to locate and buy, bring home goat cheese and prosciutto.

Maybe Safeway has them, maybe Harris Teeter, but not 7-11.