Snacks & Salads

These are the bits and bites I gravitate to when I want something to eat, but am not quite hungry enough for a meal, dishes I put out when I’m having friends over for drinks or a casual meal. Fancy doesn’t figure in much at those gatherings, but flavor is always at the front of my mind.

I do love a good cocktail party with an ample offering of finger foods. There’s much to admire in a chef who can create a balance of flavors in a single, small mouthful. Here you’ll find my own versions of cocktail food, like my baked chicken wings and crisp fried okra, known to convert the most ardent okra-phobes. You’ll see, too, that I like to tinker with European classics, like gougères, Burgundian cheese puffs, that I’ve spiked with andouille, one of my favorite Cajun sausages.