Planning a party means working out everything from the table settings to the main menu.  Somewhere in there, you have to decide on your appetizers. When I was growing up, our dinner parties never included appetizers, only bowls of mixed nuts. Nowadays, the appetizers are given as much thought as the entree.  Are you going to go all the way and serve hors d’oeuvres, which are eaten with a knife and fork? How about canapes, that the guests can enjoy with their fingers? Easier still are crudités, which are usually raw fruits and veggies for dipping.

With all the variables, one thing we do know is that hors d’oeuvres must be on the menu. There are so many options that it should be easy to find a few seasonal dishes. Given the variety of diets, make sure you include a meat option, a vegetable option and if you need to, a gluten-free option. For fall or winter events, warm options like baked brie or pigs-in blankets are good choices. Make them easy to pass around, or if you are serving buffet-style, try artisan cheese platters or vegetable crudites.

For food that requires toothpicks, make sure you have a few receptacles around for disposal– nobody likes stepping on a used toothpick.  You also want to put lots of napkins out so guests can keep their hands clean. More enterprising guests will certainly try to hold everything at once.  To avoid spills, encourage those folks to place the napkin (or two, for larger apps) or plate on top of their glasses; they’ll find it much easier that way.

The best advice I have is that you should make your hors d’ouerves simple. You don’t want to slave away in the kitchen and not be able to enjoy your own gathering. Pick ones that you can make ahead of time and heat up just before your guests arrive so that you’re able to enjoy the party with them. 

This recipe should do the trick. The author made these pretzel bites with enriched challah dough so the inside would be more flavorful. While you could shape them into mini pretzels, they work better for a party as bite sized pieces. This appetizer is truly special. The outside is beautifully browned and the inside is soft and fluffy. Pop each one into your mouth for a bite of pure joy and delight, on its own or with a dip.

This recipe is courtesy of Food 52 and will make a whole lot of pretzel bites that will delight even the pickiest guest.

Ingredients for Pretzel Bites:

3/4 cups warm water (around 105F)
3/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting surfaces, etc.)
8 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg white, for egg wash
fleur de sol

In a large bowl stir together the warm water and honey.

Sprinkle with yeast and let stand until the yeast is foamy (about 5 minutes).

Stir in the butter, salt, and eggs.

Stir in the flour until it is entirely incorporated and it comes together in a shaggy ball.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for several minutes, until smooth.

Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until it rises and collapses (90 minutes – 2 hours)

Punch the dough down, and on a floured surface roll it out into 8 ropes, each about 3/4 of an inch wide.

Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces, separate them from each other placing them on a tray or baking sheet and cover with a towel.

Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F. Bring a large pot filled with 8 cups of water to a boil.

Once it is boiling, stir in 2 Tbs. sugar and 1/4 cup baking soda.

It will bubble up like crazy! But then it will subside.

Turn the heat down to a high simmer and add your little dough pieces, about ten at a time, making sure they’re not crowding each other.

Let them simmer for about a minute, giving them a couple little stirs during the process to make sure both sides cook.

Remove from water with a slotted spoon and put onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Repeat until all the little dough bites have been cooked in the water and have been placed onto baking sheets.

You can squeeze on quite a few per sheet, as long as they have a space between each of them.

Brush the bites with egg white and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until they are a deep chestnut brown, make sure you don’t take them out when they’re too pale.

Remove onto cooling racks immediately to cool.

These pretzel bites are best eaten the day they are baked (very best fresh-baked, of course), so I guess you’ll have to do it the morning or afternoon of the party!

Serve with a little bowl of mustard, blue cheese dip (1 cup crumbled blue cheese whisked with 1/2 cup mascarpone), or chocolate fondue.

It’s that simple!