Dessert hors d'oeuvres

[beckymex]

I'm working on a fundraiser right now in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for our local animal shelter. Because of budget considerations, our board members will probably be doing the desserts...all to be bite-sized and passed. It's an elegant party, so I need appropriate items. Any suggestions?

[laliz]

medjool date ~~ cut a slit and remove pit ~~ insert shard of the best parmesan you can afford.

[morwen]

or stuff with a mild goat cheese or yogurt cheese and an almond.

[normalheightsfoodie]

Slice baget thin, and quickly fry/crisp in olive oil, when cool, scrape a piece of garlic on the bread, spread a thin layer of goat cheese, or other soft cheese, top with a piece of pear.

You could also drizzle with a little honey or fig spread.

[Emme]

could do mini bites of melon wrapped in prosciutto also to cut into the sweet

tiny petit four type sandwiches made from brie and preserves

prolly too intensive but mini french toast squares w/ cheese and pears - batter with egg and fry challah in butter - melt some gruyere on half of the breads; cook pear slices in a simple white wine syrup til soft then top cheese and top with other fried bread slices

apple slices drizzled with chocolate and/or caramel and/or nuts or graham cracker pieces

of course choc dipped strawberries are classic

[Candy]

i was looking at a recipe recently for fried won tons filled with mango that had been sauteed in butter, flamed with a bit of cognac and had crystallized ginger added before filling the skins and deep frying. Dust with powdered sugar as they come out of the pot.

I also was intrigued with chunks of paremsan cheese drizzled with truffled honey. i may have to get into that one soon.

[lizzy]

Chocolate truffles

[Cookiefiend]

Athen's makes little bite sized phyllo dough cups that you can fill with sweet or savory goodies.

I like to fill them with sweetened cream cheese topped with: strawberry jam, apricot jam, etc...
Or melted chocolate topped with pecans, strawberries, raspberries, etc...
Or sweetened peanut butter topped with marshmellow cream or chocolate fudge sauce...

These are easy to make and easy to serve.

[dolores]

Wowwww, what a great idea, never saw those before.

Mini banana puddings, mini chocolate cream pies, et cetera.

I imagine they can be used for savory fillings too.

One just needs imagination and the stamina. Thanks, cookiefiend.

[Cookiefiend]

They're in the freezer section of the grocery store - when I saw them I thought "Eureeka!"

I've always got a couple of packages in my freezer... just in case.

:-)

[chowser]

The best thing I learned from the Hearty Boys (Is that the name? They were the first winners of the Food Network Stars) is how to cut a round pan of brownies into pieces that look like little triangles. I do it for any round dessert now. You cut it into 8 wedges. Across each wedge, cut the tip off near the middle of the wedge. That's one triangle. With the outside remaining edge, you can get three equal piece by cutting from what was the outside edge to the center and repeating on the other side. It's hard to explain but easy to do. I've done it with tarts, brownies, bars.

[dolores]

Tea tassies (mini pecan pies) are always a hit, as are mini cheesecakes on vanilla wafers. You need a mini cupcake pan for both.

Kudos to you for helping your animal shelter.

[everydayfoodie]

At the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival I had an amazing crostini with some good quality dark chocolate spread on it and sprinkled with sea salt. I'm sure the crostini had been coated with olive oil prior to toasting and the unexpected combination of the flavors was fantastic. It was paired with a red wine from Spain (can't remember which one off the top of my head) but I think it would do very well with champagne as well.

Following up on the cheese suggestion, you might try a blue cheese and chocolate pair - I like to top oval pieces of Vahlrona dark chocolate with pieces of a creamy, mild blue - as well as manchego with membrillo.

[maplesugar]

Btw expect the mods to move this thread to the Home Cooking Board (www.chowhound.com/boards/31

)

Mini cupcakes seem to be popular with kids 2-92...and could be dressed up for the occasion.
Chocolate mousse in chocolate dessert cups/mini plastic glasses...
Chocolate dipped strawberries or shortbread
Mini lemon tarts/whatever filling you'd like. Pretty, easy to make a variety of flavors at one time, inexpensive and deeelicious :)

[Ruth Lafler]

Mini lemon tarts are perfect -- a little more elegant than cookies or cupcakes, especially if you put a little doodad on top (I was at a party where they put candied violets on the lemon tarts). You can make mini raspberry tarts and mini chocolate tarts, too.

[manraysky]

Little shortbread cookies are nice, and you can place them in paper cups (like mini muffin papers) to make them easier to pass.

[roxlet]

I first made cupcakes for the children at our annual barbecue and then it turned out that all the adults were eating them, so the next year I made more. Since I had to make over 100, I did something that I would never usually do -- I used a mix, but the ones from King Arthur Flour, which are great in a pinch and almost as good as homemade (I said almost.). Mini cupcakes would work really well and are a huge crowd pleaser -- elegant or not. I would also suggest pecan tassies, brownies and any other type of small cookie.

[normalheightsfoodie]

I like the idea of desserts and Champagne. You can also combine some cheeses with chocolate. champers and elegance to eveything. People can make a variety of tarts. I would suggest that some one coordinates the items, you do not want to end up with 10 people bringing the same thing.

[Catskillgirl]

Small macaroons? They're delicious and not messy to eat. Mini cannoli? Very yummy also and not hard to pass. (Well, hard to pass them on to the next person, lol!)

[kasiav]

a nice blue cheese on a cracker drizzled with honey would be a great way to cut the rest of the sweets you're planning on serving

[beckymex]

Thanks...that's a great one!