French Appetizers A Book Of Treats

Appetizers are usually the best part of a party or a meal. They're fun bites full of flavor. Even better are French ones, ripe with sophisticated flavors and ingredients. Now there's a new cookbook chock full of amuse bouches that will make any gathering a special event.

French Appetizers (Gibbs Smith Publishing 2019) was written by Marie Asselin, a famous food writer from Quebec who created the multi award winning  blogger Food Nouveau and author of Simply Citrus. In this latest book, she devotes all the recipes to apero,  a kind of gathering where bites and aperitifs are served.It's a French and French  Canadian gathering that translates into cocktails here in the States.It is an amazing book, with beautiful photographs by award winning food photographer Catherine Cote.It is divided into seven sections  such as Basics and Condiments , Breads, Sandwiches and Toasts and ends with Drinks. The book starts out with menu ideas.Ms. Asselin  has them listed from quick and easy which is a mix of homemade and store bought to the luxurious which can be made for birthdays, anniversaries and New Year's Eve. There's also a vegetarian version and dairy free one.There's even one for a park or beach apero as well as one for a large crowd. There is also good advice for planning a stress free apero with ideas as making recipes before hand and then freezing them, along with asking guests to help and always keeping staples on hand. The most important is planning and prepping ahead to allow for the most minimum work in the kitchen. After all, an apero is all about not just enjoying the food but also time spent with guests.

The recipes are amazing. Readers , especially Francophiles, will feel like kids in a candy store with this book. I love it. There's about two dozen recipes I am longing to try. There is a recipe for three kinds of tapenade, one with za'atar and green olives, along with black olive and lemon and sun dried tomato and basil. This is an easy recipe that anyone can make and serve on rounds of toasted French bread.The chicken and olive meatballs are another must try, as they would make excellent bites.She also takes traditionally sweet recipes and turns them into savory ones. Sweet buttery madeleines turn into a cheesy treat when Parmesan cheese and Tapenade replaces sugar. Another cookie  turned into a cracker is palmieres, those puffy puff pastry treats. Herbs, cheese and classic pistou, a tomato-y pesto.
Ms. Asselin's recipes aren't all French. There are also hummus and falafel recipes too,perfect with her savory shortbread sable cookies. A well rounded apero also has vegetables too and there are some mouth watering ones.Radish lovers will adore the veggie sauteed in bourbon and butter while vegans will go wild for eggplant caviar. There are also soup recipe such as the velvety cauliflower and apple veloute - a nice break from the nibbles. All aperos have a sweet ending and there are recipes for clafoutis bars and salted butter caramels. The drink recipes are for simple syrup and a kir cocktail.

French Appetizers is the must have book for hosts wanting to have this kind of get together. The recipes are delicious and varied. Perfect for the perfect apero.