Twelve upscale appetizers, the way a private chef serves them

What are the best upscale appetizers for a dinner party?

Twelve dishes that have earned a permanent place on Chef Robert's dinner party menus, in the order he would build a course from them — seafood and warm bites first, cold and cheese items following.

1. Seared Sea Scallops with Brown Butter and Cauliflower Purée

   One dry-packed U-10 scallop per guest, a spoonful of silk-smooth purée, a few drops of nutty brown butter.

   The scallop is patted dry, seasoned only with fine salt and white pepper, and seared in a ripping-hot pan until the crust turns the color of a caramel. The purée is cauliflower simmered in cream and passed through a fine sieve; it does the work of a sauce without the weight of one. A single fresh chive tip and a flake of sea salt finish the plate.

   Pairs with

   Chablis, or a dry Champagne if the evening opens with it.

   Make-ahead

   Purée and brown butter the day before; scallops seared to order, two minutes per side.

2. Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Lemon Beurre Blanc

   Nearly all crab, barely any binder, and a butter sauce that tastes of lemon rather than acid.

   Chef Robert's crab cakes are held together with a whisper of mayonnaise, a touch of Dijon, and just enough panko to keep their shape. They are formed small — two bites — and pan-seared in clarified butter until golden. The beurre blanc is mounted at the last minute with cold butter and a squeeze of lemon; it is never boiled and never held on heat.

   Pairs with

   Sancerre or an unoaked Chardonnay.

   Make-ahead

   Cakes shaped and chilled in the morning; seared and sauced at service.

3. Gruyère Gougères

   The French cheese puff — crisp outside, hollow and steamy within, gone in one bite.

   Choux paste enriched with aged Gruyère, a pinch of nutmeg, and white pepper, piped into small rounds and baked until deeply golden and light as air. They are the first thing passed at nearly every dinner party Chef Robert cooks, because they arrive warm, they are entirely shellfish- and nut-free, and no one has ever refused a second.

   Pairs with

   Champagne, Crémant, or a chilled Beaujolais.

   Make-ahead

   Piped and frozen up to two weeks ahead; baked from frozen and served within ten minutes.

4. Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Horseradish Cream

   A thin slice of rosy tenderloin on toasted baguette, a swipe of horseradish cream, a curl of chive.

   The tenderloin is roasted whole to a true medium-rare, rested, and sliced paper-thin so it drapes rather than stacks. The cream is crème fraîche folded with freshly grated horseradish and a pinch of salt — bright, not hot. Baguette slices are brushed with butter and toasted just before assembly so they stay crisp under the meat.

   Pairs with

   A red Burgundy or a soft Napa Cabernet.

   Make-ahead

   Beef roasted and sliced the morning of; toasts and assembly in the final twenty minutes.

5. Smoked Salmon Rillettes on Toasted Brioche

   A spoonable spread of cold-smoked and gently poached salmon, folded with butter, crème fraîche, lemon, and dill.

   Rillettes give the richness of smoked salmon without the slippery formality of a lox platter. Two textures of fish — silky cold-smoked and flaky poached — are folded together with softened butter and chopped dill, then seasoned with lemon zest and white pepper. Served on small rounds of toasted brioche with a few fronds of dill.

   Pairs with

   Blanc de Blancs Champagne or a dry Riesling.

   Make-ahead

   Rillettes improve overnight; brioche toasted at service.

6. Wild Mushroom Duxelles Tartlets with Thyme

   Finely minced mushrooms cooked down with shallot, thyme, and cream in a buttery pastry shell.

   Duxelles is old-school French technique and one of the most satisfying vegetarian bites on any menu. Cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms are chopped fine, cooked slowly until their moisture is gone, then finished with a splash of dry sherry, cream, and fresh thyme. Baked into two-inch pâte brisée shells and topped with shaved Parmesan.

   Pairs with

   Pinot Noir or a white Burgundy.

   Make-ahead

   Duxelles and blind-baked shells the day before; filled and warmed for eight minutes at service.

7. Lobster Bisque Demitasse

   Two ounces of velvet in an espresso cup, a few drops of sherry, a thread of chive cream.

   A proper bisque is built on a stock of roasted lobster shells, sweetened with shallot and tomato, enriched with cream, and strained until it is completely smooth. Served in demitasse cups it becomes a passed appetizer that guests can hold in one hand — a warm, elegant beginning to an autumn or winter dinner.

   Pairs with

   Amontillado sherry or an oaked Chardonnay.

   Make-ahead

   Bisque made a day ahead and reheated gently; never boiled once the cream is in.

8. Burrata with Roasted Grapes, Thyme, and Aged Balsamic

   A cool, cream-filled burrata against warm, blistered grapes and a few drops of syrupy balsamic.

   Red seedless grapes are roasted on the vine with olive oil, thyme, and a pinch of salt until they slump and their juices caramelize. They are spooned warm around a room-temperature burrata, finished with aged balsamic, flaky salt, and cracked white pepper, and served with grilled country bread. It is the vegetarian centerpiece of the course.

   Pairs with

   Prosecco Superiore or a light Italian red such as Valpolicella.

   Make-ahead

   Grapes roasted the morning of and rewarmed; burrata plated in the final five minutes.

9. Chilled Poached Shrimp with Horseradish Crème Fraîche

   The shrimp cocktail, refined — court-bouillon poached, ice-bath chilled, sauced with cream rather than ketchup.

   Large shrimp are poached in a bay-leaf and lemon court-bouillon just until they curl into a loose C, then shocked in ice water so they stay snappy. The sauce is crème fraîche with fresh horseradish, lemon, and chive — a gentler, more elegant counterpoint than classic cocktail sauce. Presented on crushed ice with lemon cheeks.

   Pairs with

   Muscadet, Albariño, or a dry rosé.

   Make-ahead

   Shrimp poached and sauce made the morning of; held below 40°F and plated cold.

10. Chicken Liver Mousse with Sauternes Gelée

    Silky, pale pink mousse under a thin glass of sweet-wine jelly, with toasted brioche and cornichons.

    Livers are gently cooked with shallot and thyme, deglazed with brandy, blended with butter and cream, and pressed through a fine sieve. Set in small ramekins and capped with a clear Sauternes gelée, the mousse becomes one of the most quietly luxurious bites on the table. Served with warm brioche points and a few cornichons for contrast.

    Pairs with

    Sauternes, of course — or a rich Champagne.

    Make-ahead

    Two days ahead is ideal; the flavor deepens under the gelée.

11. Parmesan Tuiles with Whipped Goat Cheese and Fig

    A lace-thin baked Parmesan crisp, a cloud of whipped goat cheese, a sliver of fresh fig and honey.

    Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano is baked in small rounds until it melts into a golden, shattering crisp. Fresh goat cheese is whipped with a little cream until it pipes like frosting, then topped with a quarter of a black mission fig, a drop of honey, and a thyme leaf. The whole thing is salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy at once.

    Pairs with

    Vouvray or a late-harvest Riesling.

    Make-ahead

    Tuiles baked the day before and kept airtight; assembled within thirty minutes of service so they stay crisp.

12. Oysters on the Half Shell with Champagne Mignonette

    Cold, briny Long Island Sound oysters, shucked to order, with a shallot-and-Champagne-vinegar mignonette.

    Fairfield County sits on some of the best oyster water in the Northeast, and nothing says a dinner party has begun like a platter of freshly shucked oysters on crushed ice. Chef Robert sources from Superior Seafood in Westport, shucks tableside or in the kitchen minutes before service, and serves them with a mignonette of minced shallot, Champagne vinegar, and cracked white pepper.

    Pairs with

    Brut Champagne or Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine.

    Make-ahead

    Mignonette the day before; oysters shucked within fifteen minutes of serving.