Starters recipes

Welcome to Goody’s starters section!

Once the appetizers have set you in the mood, it’s time to think about great starters recipe to proceed with your meal.

In a French gourmet meal, the starter usually comes before the main course it can be preceded by an appetizer. There are 2 types of starters: cold starters and hot starters.

Discover the starters recipe ideas posted by our Goodistas: you will find an array of recipes ideas of different difficulty levels for your vegetarian, salty, cold, hot or even sweet starters as well as party starters recipes. There is something in store for all tastes, all cooking levels and every budget.

The gourmet etiquette guide for perfect hosting…

To allow your guests to enjoy the rest of your meal, a starter must not be too rich or too frugal, it should highlight the cook’s expertise and his presentation skills. Remember that starters will set the mood of your guests and should tantalize them, it is the introduction, the foretaste of what the rest of the meal lays in store for your guests, it must be dazzling and top-notch.

In French and European countries’ restaurants as well as South America, the starter is an essential part of the menu. We distinguish the cold starters and hot starters.

A little history for the curious:

Presently, it is common to confuse starters and hors d’oeuvre. In fact, an hors d’oeuvre is the second dish served at a meal, preceded by soup in a classic Western traditional meal.

On the other hand, did you know that in the nineteenth century, starters were only served in 5th position after the appetizers, soup, hors d’oeuvre and readings and before main course, the savories and the dessert?

Some inspiration for the adventurous

• Cold starters or hot starters: choose a recipe that will tantalize the taste buds of your guests…
• For your salads: do not settle for the traditional green salad sold in all supermarkets, there are numerous salad varieties with more singular tastes and textures such as: arugula, lamb’s lettuce, batavia, escarole, romaine lettuce (very crunchy), dandelion greens, spinach sprouts, purslane, watercress, oak leaf…
• For an original starter: let yourself be tempted by exotic culinary flavors: spring rolls, tofu, hummus, guacamole, salted wraps and exotic salad.
• In summer: for a light and refreshing starter opt for fresh seasonal products and legumes: quinoa, bulgur, lentils, raw vegetables (beets, tomatoes, radish and carrot toasts, asparagus).
• Hot starters: Let’s not write off the soups and the recipes of yesteryears – gazpacho,creamy carrot soup, pumpkin soup, stuffed tomatoes, creamy peas soup, cauliflowers gratins.
• For your festive starters: seafood is the perfect choice to honor your guests: smoked salmon, prawn cocktails, shrimp salad, shrimps, tuna tartar, salmon blinis…