The appetiser recipe
for your table
Take the goat cheese out of the refrigerator half an hour before serving and loosen it with a fork. Cold goat cheese stays grainy and releases little aroma; at room temperature, it is easy to spoon into a glass and it sits neatly against the sides.
Dry-roast the walnuts for two to three minutes in a frying pan over medium heat, until you can smell them. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool and break them into coarse pieces; leaving them in the hot pan will make them bitter.
Divide the cheese among the glasses, filling them to about one-third of their height. Lightly press it down with the back of a teaspoon, so no air bubbles remain against the glass and the layer looks neat from the outside.
Drizzle the honey over them just before serving, place the walnut on top and finish with thyme or a twist of pepper. Do this right at the end, because honey seeps through the cheese within half an hour, and then none of the layers will be visible.
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Send the recipe for these appetisers to your own email, so you’ll have it at hand when you’re ready to make them. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code when you spend €50 or more, for the glasses to serve them in.
The story
In the Netherlands, appetisers served with drinks were long much the same: a bowl of bitterballen, cheese cubes with mustard and a bowl of nuts. That still works, but leaves little room for something that also looks beautiful. Putting appetisers in glasses changes that in one go, because a glass encourages you to serve one-bite portions and shows the layers. It is practical too: you fill the glasses at the counter, put them on a board and carry everything inside at once. No one has to stir a spoon around in a shared bowl, and serving is no longer necessary either.
The right glass
For appetisers in glasses, there are roughly two sizes. An amuse glass of around twenty centilitres is spacious enough for a layered bite and, through its clear sides, shows what is inside; according to the description, the Elysia below is intended for a layered amuse or a creamy dessert. There is also the low, footed coupelle, broad and shallow, which holds a spoonful of mousse or a handful of olives and stands slightly apart from the tabletop thanks to its foot. A genuinely small five-centilitre glass for exactly one bite is also available, but it is a little too cramped for the appetisers on this page. You can find more small glassware for drinks and snacks in the drinks glasses collection.
Pasabahce Elysia amuse glass 23.5 cl (set of 4)
La Rochere Coupelle 18 cl Alice (set of 6)
Both sets together € 42,90.
The right tools
For appetisers in glasses, use cocktail picks alongside the glass for the olives, cheese cubes and pieces of fruit, and a bar spoon to reach the bottom of a narrow glass. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 58,85.
What will you pour with it?
When the table is filled with small bites, pour something that does not demand too much attention. Prosecco and cava work well, white wine goes with anything involving cheese or fish, and those who prefer something bitter can start with Aperol. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
A glass with goat cheese works with many variations: replace the honey with fig jam, the walnut with a roasted hazelnut or the thyme with a basil leaf. If you want a cold and a warm selection side by side, prepare the cold one in a glass and the warm one in the oven, so you are not working in two places at once. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Place the filled glasses on a board instead of separately on the table, so you can carry everything inside at once and nothing is tilted. Fill two rounds and keep the second in the refrigerator, so something new appears halfway through the evening without you having to do any more cutting. Place a small spoon next to each glass.
Good to know
How many bites should you allow per person?
For drinks lasting about two hours, allow six to eight bites per person. If the bites replace the meal, increase that to twelve to fifteen and add bread. This is a rule of thumb, not a law: a group that remains seated eats more than a group that is standing. It is better to allow a little extra, because you can eat the leftovers the next day.
How do you divide cold, warm and vegetarian?
A practical division is about half cold, a quarter warm and a quarter vegetarian, with the last group easily overlapping with the first two. Cold bites can be prepared in advance, while warm bites require oven time and attention. Stick to two warm varieties; more than that means you will spend the whole evening by the oven and no one will talk to you anymore.
A selection of bites to choose from
A glass of goat cheese with honey and walnut is ready in ten minutes and is the bite featured on this page. Cucumber with a creamy salmon filling works when you want something fresh that is still filling. A spoonful of gazpacho in a small glass does the same and can be made a day in advance. Smoked salmon with a dollop of crème fraîche and dill needs only three ingredients. A shrimp cocktail in a glass is the classic everyone recognizes. Tomato with mozzarella and basil, dressed with olive oil, is the vegetarian option that disappears fastest. Grilled vegetables with hummus round out the selection. Bitterballen and cheese cubes belong too, in our view, as long as they are not the only options.
What do you prepare in advance and what at the last moment?
Almost everything can be prepared in advance: a mousse, salsa, cold soup, roasted nuts and cut vegetables can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. At the last moment, you only add the finishing touches: the honey, herbs, crunchy topping and anything that absorbs moisture. Preferably fill the glasses no more than an hour in advance; otherwise the layers will collapse.
How do you stay out of the kitchen?
Choose no more than two warm appetizers and have the rest ready cold. Fill the glasses in two batches, arrange them on a board and place that board in two spots rather than in the middle of the table, so no one has to reach. Clear the empty glasses in one container as you go, so you don't have to walk through the entire kitchen at the end of the evening.
Frequently asked questions
How many appetizers should you allow per person?
Six to eight per person for drinks lasting about two hours, and twelve to fifteen when the appetizers replace the meal. Roughly divide them into half cold, a quarter warm and a quarter vegetarian, and serve bread with the meal-sized version.
Which appetizers can you prepare in advance?
Mousses, dips, cold soups, roasted nuts and cut vegetables can be prepared a day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Fill the glasses no more than an hour beforehand, and add the honey, herbs or something crunchy at the last moment.
What are easy appetizers to serve in a glass?
Goat cheese with honey and walnut, cucumber with a creamy filling, smoked salmon with crème fraîche and dill, tomato with mozzarella and basil, or a spoonful of cold soup. All with three to four ingredients, and all ready to serve in a glass of five to twenty centilitres.
How many different appetizers should you serve?
Four to six varieties are enough for a group of up to twelve people. More varieties mean more work and less of each, and in practice no one tries everything. Four varieties with enough for everyone are better than eight that are all gone after half an hour.
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