How to Prepare Finger Foods

A party featuring finger foods is easy on both guests and host. Guests are free to walk around with their plates, while the host is freed from gathering enough silverware, preparing a complete menu and providing a place setting at the table for each guest. Preparing finger foods is especially easy if you select two main types and create several varieties of each.

Things You'll Need

• Assorted breads
• Assorted sandwich fillings
• Garnishes for trays
• Sandwich spreads
• Pizza dough
• Pizza sauce
• Assorted pizza toppings
• Corn meal

Instructions

Mini Sandwiches

1. Assemble all of the ingredients for your mini sandwiches in one spot. Choose a variety of breads such as loaves of party rye, miniature croissants, small dinner rolls and tiny bagels. For fillings, set out bowls and plates with such items as tuna or chicken salad, thinly sliced ham and turkey, cream cheese mixed with black olives and chopped pecans, pulled pork and assorted cheeses cut into small squares. Also set out sandwich spreads such as mayonnaise and mustard.

2. Create sandwiches a couple of hours before the guests arrive. Using a mix and match method, simply make a large variety of sandwiches by, for example, making chicken salad sandwiches on each type of bread, ham and cheese sandwiches on each type of bread and so on. Store sandwiches in the refrigerator on cookie sheets, covering them with slightly dampened tea towels. Do not stack the sandwiches or the trays.

3. Line party trays or platters with leaf or romaine lettuce just before serving. Arrange the sandwiches on the party trays so that each tray features a variety of bread types. Leave a small space between each sandwich so that you can garnish the tray with such items as green and black olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber wedges or other vegetables.

Mini Pizzas

1. Gather together all of the ingredients for your mini pizzas in one spot. You might make your own pizza dough from scratch, but you can also buy pizza dough from a local restaurant or store. You will also need pizza sauce, shredded cheese and a variety of pizza toppings such as pepperoni, crumbled sausage, olives, chopped onions and mushrooms.

2. Roll out the pizza dough and cut into four-inch rounds using a jar lid for a cutter. Brush the tops of the pizza dough with olive oil to prevent soggy crusts. Spread the pizzas with sauce, sprinkle on the cheese and add different toppings to each pizza. Since these are small, one topping will be sufficient, and the pizzas will be readily identifiable.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle corn meal on a baking sheet and place the mini-pizzas on top of the corn meal. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is the bottom is golden and the edges are evenly browned.

Tips & Warnings

• Rather than baking pizzas ahead of time, bake them periodically throughout the party.

References

• Small Bites; Jennifer Joyce; 2005
• Cocktail Food: 50 Finger Foods with Attitude; Sara Corpening Whiteford; 1999

Resources

• Homemade pizza dough recipe
• Finger food ideas