Our Best Thanksgiving Appetizers

Upside-Down Cambozola Tarts with Hot Honey

These savory upside-down tarts, with a hot honey flourish, are so much better than cheese and crackers.

By Milk StreetNovember 27, 2023

Garlic Toasts with Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

Mellow, spreadable cloves of garlic confit top these little toasts. Tangy goat cheese, lemon zest, and a simple salad of mint and parsley balance the richness.

By Hisham Ali HassanApril 5, 2024

Feta and Pistachio Dip

Our answer to the cheeseball: a tangy, nutty take on Turkish girit ezmesi, inspired by our friends at Honey & Co. in London.

By Rose HattabaughDecember 22, 2025

Bruschette with Wilted Greens and Pecorino (Bruschetta con Verdure Saltate e Pecorino)

At Silene Piccolo Ristorante in Italy’s Umbria region, chef Nicoletta Franceschini prepared a unique take on bruschetta. She dipped the bread slices in beaten egg, allowing the crumb to moisten, then fried them in olive oil. To finish, she topped the

By Rose HattabaughMarch 3, 2025

Oeufs Mayonnaise

Oeuf mayonnaise is a beloved French bistro classic of halved hard-cooked eggs that are garnished with mayonnaise. At Le Saint Sebastien in Paris’ 11th arrondissement, we had a lesson in how to prepare the hors d’oeuvre from chef Chris Edwards, vice-ch

By Courtney Hill & Kevin ClarkApril 4, 2023

Pissaladière

French Provençal pissaladière is a flatbread-like savory tart featuring a thin crust topped generously with onions that are slow-cooked until jammy and sweet, plus briny black olives and umami-rich anchovies. Diminutive Niçoise olives are the traditio

By Rose HattabaughSeptember 11, 2024

Two-Cheese Gougères

Gougères are cheese puffs made from pâte à choux (also known as choux paste), the same light, airy pastry that is the basis of so many classic French desserts, including éclairs and profiteroles. Edward Delling-Williams of The Presbytere restaurant in

By Hisham Ali HassanFebruary 12, 2025

Phyllo-Wrapped Feta with Honey (Feta me Meli)

A perfect marriage of salty, sweet and crisp, phyllo-wrapped feta with honey, or feta me meli, is a popular Greek meze. The wrapped cheese sometimes is fried, but we bake it for ease. Slice the feta when it’s cold and firm, then make sure to pat the p

By Rose HattabaughMarch 26, 2025

Colombian Cheese Buns (Almojábanas)

Savory but lightly sweetened and with a moist, chewy crumb, almojábanas are cheesy, bun-shaped breads that we first tasted in Ubaté—Colombia’s center of dairy production. The region boasts an abundance of locally made cheeses, such as cuajada and camp

By Diane UngerNovember 8, 2022

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

Tasty Brazilian cheese puffs, pão de queijo, are an easy, chewy, puffy snack for all occasions.

By Julie RackowOctober 16, 2017

Olive Oil Tortas (Tortas de Aceite)

These thin, crisp, cracker-like Spanish breads, called tortas de aceite, are subtly sweet from a sprinkle of sugar that forms a frosty coating. But the star is extra-virgin olive oil. The fruity, peppery flavor of olive oil is complemented by fragrant

By Hisham Ali HassanSeptember 12, 2024

Spiced Fried Chickpeas

Crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, these pan-fried chickpeas are a satisfying crunchy topping or standalone snack

By Milk StreetNovember 1, 2022

Seeded Crackers with Smoked Paprika and Olive Oil

Packed with pops of texture and flavor, these crackers are easy to make and customize. Semolina adds crispness and crunch, but we also love the earthy notes and tenderness lent by rye flour. The combination of olive oil and neutral oil gives the crack

By Courtney HillOctober 7, 2024

Baked Ricotta with Sautéed Leek, Walnuts and Dill

This dip gets rich complexity from a trio of cheeses—ricotta paired with mozzarella for gooeyness and Parmesan for sharp, nutty notes. The cooking starts on the stovetop, finishes in the oven and the dish is brought to the table in the same skillet. I

By Kevin ClarkSeptember 19, 2024

Beer Cheese

Beer cheese, also known as pub cheese, comes in different forms—it might be spreadable like whipped cream cheese or a warm, creamy dip like Swiss fondue. We use sodium citrate, a salt that’s a key ingredient in the production of processed cheese, to k

By Milk StreetFebruary 1, 2024

Muhammara

Muhammara is a spicy-tart dip for flatbread made from walnuts and roasted red peppers. The name comes from the Arabic word for reddened, and the dish originated in Syria, where it often is served alongside hummus and baba ganoush. Aleppo pepper is mad

Whipped Feta Dip

Processing the feta and cream cheese before adding the remaining ingredients was the key to a light, whipped texture. We liked garnishing with mint, olive oil and pepper flakes. The feta can be refrigerated for up to a week. Use as a dip for crudite,

By Elizabeth GermainOctober 16, 2017

Spicy Feta Dip (Tirokafteri)

Tangy yet briny, spicy yet vegetal, creamy and savory, this dip has it all.

By Courtney HillJune 4, 2018

Bagna Cauda with Steamed Broccoli

Bagna cauda, a Piedmontese sauce-like dip, is a heady mixture of butter, olive oil, lightly toasted garlic and umami-rich anchovies. (Bagna cauda translates to warm bath.) We gave ours a layer of herbal flavor with the addition of bay and rosemary and

By Courtney HillFebruary 26, 2025

Georgian Eggplant with Walnut Sauce (Badrijani Nigvzit)

Georgian badrijani nigvzit consists of thin eggplant slices that are fried, then rolled around a filling of walnuts, garlic, herbs and spices. During a visit, we learned different interpretations of the dish from home cook Barbare Chabashvili, chef Me

By Courtney HillAugust 22, 2025

Sweet and Salty Sichuan Peanuts

Sichuan peanuts, aka mala peanuts, are seasoned with salt, chilies and tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns. They typically are made by deep-frying raw nuts, but our simplified version starts with roasted peanuts and toasts them in the oven until bronz

By Courtney HillMarch 26, 2025

Romanian Caramelized Onion “Hummus”

We’re pretty dubious of chocolate hummus. But paprika-caramelized onion hummus? Now we’re talking. This dish was inspired by fasole bătută, a Romanian white bean puree topped with tomato- and paprika-enriched caramelized onions. It’s often eaten with

By Courtney Hill & Felisia TanFebruary 12, 2025

Sunflower Hummus

We thought we’d had enough hummus bastardizations. Then we went to Georgia and had sunflower hummus! At Craft Wine Restaurant in Tbilisi, chef Giorgi Andghuladze makes hummus with sunflower seeds in place of tahini. Look for sunflower butter in the su

By Rose HattabaughFebruary 11, 2025

Puff Pastry Khachapuri (Penovani Khachapuri)

Penovani khachapuri is one of more than 50 regional variations of kachapuri, the Georgian cheese-stuffed savory bread or pastry. Winery owner Ani Lomidze taught us this easy version during a visit to Georgia’s Alazani Valley. Store-bought puff pastry

By Rose HattabaughDecember 17, 2024

Indonesian-Style Corn Cakes or Fritters

In Indonesia, we learned to make light, airy corn fritters from plump kernels of fresh corn, shallots and chilies, all held together with only eggs and flour. A food processor makes quick work of prepping the batter. As for cooking, you have a couple

By Courtney HillJuly 30, 2024