Food Recipes Appetizers 24 Fast French Appetizers for Your Next Party Whip up these iconic French appetizers and snacks to make your next party easy and elegant. By Andee Gosnell Andee Gosnell Andee Gosnell is a San Francisco born, Birmingham-based food photographer, writer, and recipe developer with five years experience who loves cooking and sharing her love of food through photographs. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 8, 2024 Close Photo: Eva Kolenko When we want to entertain with both ease and style, we look to France. These French appetizer recipes are an exercise in effortless snacking, Paris-style, from shareable classics like light and airy gougères topped with caviar and prosciutto to cozy French onion baked Brie. Best of all, they don’t tie you down to the kitchen, so you can enjoy the fun at your own part. Read on for more elegant appetizer and snack recipes that you and your guests will love. 01 of 24 Chicken Liver Pâté Diana Chistruga Jacques Pépin's recipe for chicken liver pâté is classic and elegant. Best of all, it comes together in just minutes. The chicken livers are briefly simmered in water with aromatics before they're strained and blended with butter in a food processor. Smooth, inexpensive, and simple to make — it's perfect with a cocktail or glass of wine before a meal. Get the recipe 02 of 24 Roasted Tomato Pissaladière Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver What’s not to love about pissaladière? This popular Provençal pastry is commonly topped with caramelized onions, olives, and anchovies. To top her version, Martha Holmberg roasts canned whole peeled tomatoes until slightly dehydrated, giving them a pleasantly chewy texture and concentrated flavor. Get the recipe 03 of 24 Caviar-Topped Deviled Eggs Caitlin Bensel For these deviled eggs, chef Evan Babb channels his mother's and grandmother's classic recipes for the filling, which gets a briny kick from a splash of olive juice. Get the recipe 04 of 24 Croque Monsieur Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling Debbie Wee The deliciousness of the Croque Monsieur knows no bounds — there's really no wrong time of day to indulge. The national sandwich of France typically features ham, Gruyère, and a rich Mornay sauce. It's enjoyed for lunch or as a bar snack, but it also makes a fine brunch option. You'll need a knife and fork for this decadent hot bistro sandwich. Get the recipe 05 of 24 Zucchini-and-Pepper Gratin with Herbs and Cheese © James Merrell Daniel Humm uses pleasantly salty Sbrinz cheese to top a gratin made with a ratatouille-like mix of sautéed zucchini strips, bell peppers and tomato. Parmigiano-Reggiano, another hard, aged, cow's milk cheese, is a fine substitute. Get the recipe 06 of 24 Baked Brie with Spiced Pears and Cherries Photo by Sarah Crowder / Food Styling by Bridget Hallinan For this rich appetizer, creamy Brie is topped with a spiced fruit-and-nut mixture and encased in a buttery, crisp robe of golden brown puff pastry. You can use a double-cream Brie for extra-gooey results, and swap in other fruit and nuts as desired — apples, persimmons, plums, or pawpaws would also be delicious here. Get the recipe 07 of 24 Pan Bagnat (Niçoise Salad Sandwich) Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Pan bagnat is sold at nearly every outdoor market in Nice, France, as well as at bakeries and restaurants. For this version, tuna is pureed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, anchovies, and garlic to form a unique sandwich spread inspired by tonnato sauce. Get the recipe 08 of 24 Fromage Fort Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis Jacques Pépin makes his fromage fort from leftover cheese pieces mixed with white wine, garlic, and herbs. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature as a spread with crackers or vegetables, or smear it on slices of bread and bake or broil it. Feel free to experiment by using different cheese combinations and adding herbs, spices, and other aromatics. Get the recipe 09 of 24 Oysters on the Half Shell with Rosé Mignonette © Michael Turek Great oysters are delicious "naked," as Island Creek founder Skip Bennett says, but sometimes chef Jeremy Sewall dresses them up with a mignonette (vinegar sauce) like this one, made with sparkling rosé. Get the recipe 10 of 24 Socca with Zucchini and Olives Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Socca, also called farinata in Liguria, is a tender pancake made from chickpea flour popular in the South of France. Unlike the versions in Nice, which are cooked in copper pans, this one is baked in a cast-iron skillet before it is topped with a summery marinated squash salad. Get the recipe 11 of 24 French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Annie Prost / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans If your favorite part of French onion soup is the gooey, cheesy crouton on top, this decadent grilled cheese is made for you. Inspired by the classic soup, former F&W food editor Grace Parisi makes this sandwich with sweet caramelized onions and nutty, savory Gruyère cheese. Get the recipe 12 of 24 Gougères with Smoked Salmon, Caviar and Prosciutto Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman These gougères are made with grated Gruyère cheese and thyme leaves, but you can swap in another grated hard cheese, or use spices and other herbs. We topped these with slivers of prosciutto and smoked salmon and dollops of caviar and crème fraîche, but any toppings will do. Or, simply eat them plain — they shine on their own. Get the recipe 13 of 24 Mushroom Toasts with Délice de Bourgogne Eva Kolenko Kristen Kish uses triple créme cheese, an ultra-rich version of Brie, on these toasts with pan-roasted mushrooms and herbs for this elevated appetizer. Get the recipe 14 of 24 Steak Tartare with Smoked Oyster Aïoli Greg DuPree Steak tartare is a beloved dish at French bistros in every major city, where countless yolk-anointed mounds of beef and finely diced pickles are churned out every day. This no-cook recipe from 2018 F&W Best New Chef Kate Williams is totally doable at home (and worth the effort!). Get the recipe 15 of 24 Four-Layer Caviar Dip Justin Walker Layers of creamy egg salad, crisp red onion, herbed cream cheese, and salty, briney caviar come together in a beautiful molded dip that serves up an entire caviar platter in one dish. Get the recipe 16 of 24 French Onion Baked Brie Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe If that first spoonful of French onion soup — with toasted bread, melted cheese, and savory caramelized onions — is your favorite, then you’ll love this appetizer, which is a decadent mash-up of French onion soup and baked Brie. Smear the cheesy snack on slices of toasted baguette. Get the recipe 17 of 24 Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese © Johnny Valiant In traditional ratatouille, vegetables simmer together until they're falling-apart tender. Here, Melissa Clark cooks them quickly in batches, so they retain their flavor and texture. Get the recipe 18 of 24 Herb-Roasted Olives © Edward Pond If you need an easy nosh for a party, Sally Sampson's herb-roasted olives are an elegant, simple hors d'oeuvre that everyone will appreciate for snacking. Get the recipe 19 of 24 Brandade de Morue au Gratin (Whipped Salt Cod Gratin) © Con Poulos The Provençal dish known as brandade de morue is a great example of how to elevate modest ingredients like salt cod and potatoes—in this case, by whipping them with milk, olive oil, and garlic until luxuriously silky. Jacques Pépin's extra step of serving the dish au gratin (browned, with cheese on top) makes it even more delicious. Get the recipe 20 of 24 Alain Ducasse's Gougères Diana Chistruga Gougères are made from the classic French pastry pâte à choux. On the sweet front, choux pastry is used to make éclairs and profiteroles, aka cream puffs; for chef Alain Ducasse's savory gougères, the dough is enriched with Gruyère and pepper. Preparing these cheesy little morsels will make you feel like a culinary magician. Upon baking, the silky, dense dough transforms into something else entirely — light, ethereal puffs with crisp exteriors that are heavenly to munch on while sipping wine. Get the recipe 21 of 24 Camembert Baked in the Box © Con Poulos It doesn't get any easier than an appetizer that bakes in the box it comes in. Eric Ripert offers this simple, easy appetizer with crackers and apple slices. Pro tip: Be sure to buy Camembert in a box that’s stapled, not glued, so it holds up in the oven. Get the recipe 22 of 24 Black Olive Tapenade with Figs and Mint © David Malosh What makes this tapenade special is Jacques Pépin's clever trick of using oil- and brine-cured olives, along with the surprise of sweet, fresh and tangy notes from the dried figs, mint and capers. Get the recipe 23 of 24 Salmon Rillettes © Eric Wolfinger While training at the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, Anna Zepaltas learned that French cooking doesn’t have to be intimidating or fussy. For her rillettes, inspired by a similar dish at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in the Napa town of Yountville, Zepaltas blends fresh salmon and butter with hot-smoked salmon to give the rich spread extra flavor. Get the recipe 24 of 24 Warm Camembert with Wild Mushroom Fricassee © Frances Janisch Daniel Boulud makes this oozy appetizer with Vacherin Mont-d'Or, a creamy cheese sold at top cheese shops. A Camembert is as rich and runny as Vacherin Mont-d'Or, but much easier to find. Get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit