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Summary: For those of us who can't even boil water!
Review: I can't cook at all. But, I went to a cooking class taught by the author, Eric. Wonderful, FAST and Simple hors d'oeuvres. Things you can actually do at home and it still looks like the picture and people think you are a pro. Beautiful pictures of every recipe. EASY to follow recipes and advice for what you can do and how far ahead of time you can do it. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are planning on throwing a party and don't want to spend the whole time in the kitchen!
Rating: 
Summary: beautiful
Review: I love this book as a proffesional caterer and home cook I often use it for its inspiration and charming presentation ideas.Simply lovely!
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Summary: Small bites, big flavour.
Review: I love to eat small bites of different things, huge servings intimidate me, I feel full even before having a bite! That's why I like to serve appetizers and a main course when I entertain at home.
I noticed this book on Amazon and managed to have a "look inside" so I thought it was worth it and bought it: I'm so happy I did!
I have used it a number of times now and I can assure you that the recipes are wonderful and quite easy, but the results look so professional! I was really proud of myself.
The first time ever was for a (very) small birthday party for my mother. Since it was an impromptu party I chose only the most simple and easy recipes, but the flavours were so rich and complex that we were completely satisfied.
I used it at Easter to make an "appetizer only" and everybody was surprised and delighted (me too).
I tried the Caramelised Onion Pancakes, the Potato Focaccine, several marinades for meat and seafood, the Oriental Chicken Tartlets (that were a real success), just to name a few.The book is divided into several chapters: The Ingredients
The Equipment
The Recipes
The Techniques
The Party The Recipe section is divided into 5 sub-sections: Nibbles, Dips and Dippers - Tops and Bottoms - Sticks And Skewers - Wraps And Rolls - Stacks And Cases. Each is devoted to a single type of appetizer making it easy to find what you are looking for.
The recipes are clearly written and each is accompanied by a gorgeous picture of the finished product and some also by step-by-step shots of the most complicated techniques, even if I find that none is really difficult.
Most of the recipes contain ingredients that you can easily find at the supermarket, so that you don't have to get mad searching the exotic markets, even if they all draw inspiration from different kinds of cuisines. What I liked most and found very helpful is the Think Ahead section at the end of each recipe. It contains everything you need to know to make things ahead and assemble them at the last minute, so that you can enjoy yourself together with your guests: how far head you can assemble your creation, how to freeze it, how long you can marinate it, how long it will keep in the fridge and how to reheat it and so on. I really love this book. It is great for entertaining, even if you must have the time to prepare the most complicated recipes. None of them is really difficult, but some are time consuming.
Anyway, this is a must for the appetizer crazy!
Rating: 
Summary: Way Too Complicated
Review: I usually cook everything from scratch and don't mind spending a few hours making several appetizers. BUT, to make just one recipe in this book, you'd need to spend a couple of hours. The majority of the recipes are too fussy and complicated and just not worth the trouble. I made a couple of the crepe appetizers with different fillings. They were the least time-consuming but the result still wasn't worth the effort - no one took seconds.
Rating:
Summary: Way Too Complicated
Review: I usually cook everything from scratch and don't mind spending a few hours making several appetizers. BUT, to make just one recipe in this book, you'd need to spend a couple of hours. The majority of the recipes are too fussy and complicated and just not worth the trouble. I made a couple of the crepe appetizers with different fillings. They were the least time-consuming but the result still wasn't worth the effort - no one took seconds.
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Summary: Everything for the novice or expert
Review: I was looking for a book that would give me some new ideas for my cocktail party. This book came through with flying colors -- lots of unique recipes ranging from simple (spiced pecans and roasted red pepper feta dip) to difficult (homemade tarts). This book has some great menu recommendations that suggest items based on criteria like "make ahead" or "informal" or "impressive". This book has been well worth the money spent on it.
Rating:
Summary: Everything for the novice or expert
Review: I was looking for a book that would give me some new ideas for my cocktail party. This book came through with flying colors -- lots of unique recipes ranging from simple (spiced pecans and roasted red pepper feta dip) to difficult (homemade tarts). This book has some great menu recommendations that suggest items based on criteria like "make ahead" or "informal" or "impressive". This book has been well worth the money spent on it.
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Summary: Party Dreams
Review: If you are looking for a book that will literally make your heart beat faster as you contemplate the perfect party, this has to be one of the most intriguing books from a visual perspective. Mini chocolate truffle cakes swirled with chocolate glaze sit across from a full page spread of mini sticky orange and almond cakes. This book is all about those tasty treats you can't wait to put in your mouth and most of these treats can be consumed greedily in a few bites. We are talking about crunchy sweet and spicy pecans, Swiss cheese allumettes, chocolate biscottini, curry puffs, honey mustard chicken drumettes, cocktail corn cakes with spicy mango salsa, dill pancakes with salmon caviar all ready to give your mouth a burst of flavor. Some of the recipes I was most impressed with were the Broiled Beef Fillet with Salsa Verde on Croutes, the Asparagus Croutes with Lemon Hollandaise and the Tiny Heart Strawberry Shortcakes. Not to mention, the Mini Apple Tatins, Baby Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Caviar and Ginger Chicken Cakes with Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise. For summer, you will love making the sticks and skewers. Lemon Chili Shrimp Sticks, Salmon Teriyaki with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce and Cumin Scented Kofte Brochettes with Minted Yogurt Dip take this book to a whole new level. Are you interested in trying to make your own sushi? Well, here are some classic recipes.
Then, they also present soups in cups, sandwiches to die for and mini hamburgers with a recipe for making the mini hamburger buns. So, what about desert? Chocolate Cups with Mango and Mascarpone Cream
Citrus Ginger Cream Tarlets Finger sandwiches? Rare Roast Beef and Horseradish Mayonnaise
Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream Finger Sandwiches The Techniques section shows how a little extra time and effort makes for a spectacular presentation. Here you will find recipes for Choux Puffs, Vanilla Meringue Kisses and Vanilla Pastry Cream. A special "planning for the party" section gives tips on menu selections, strategy and quantities. The Menu Suggestions section only falls short in that it doesn't include the page numbers by the selections although it is easy enough to write them in yourself. One notes about this book: BUTTER in this cookbook means unsalted butter. Anyone could miss this if they don't read the notes from the cooks on the Ingredients. Everything is SO CUTE in this cookbook!
A must have for parties.
Rating:
Summary: Very good recipes, but somewhat unreliable
Review: My friend and I bought this book as we host many cocktail parties and a great many of our friends are vegetarian. You would believe how many standard cookbooks offer only things like crab dip in their appetizer sections. We needed to broaden our range. And we were not at all disappointed. Many many veggie options, excellent presentation tips and helpful pictures make this a good book, even for a beginner. It is fantastic to have something other than spinach and artichoke dip and cheeses to offer.
Rating:
Summary: great range of possibilities
Review: My friend and I bought this book as we host many cocktail parties and a great many of our friends are vegetarian. You would believe how many standard cookbooks offer only things like crab dip in their appetizer sections. We needed to broaden our range. And we were not at all disappointed. Many many veggie options, excellent presentation tips and helpful pictures make this a good book, even for a beginner. It is fantastic to have something other than spinach and artichoke dip and cheeses to offer.
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