Party starters: What to serve when your guests arrive

Simple recipes for small savories

Bonjour! Bonjour!

I’m in Paris, where the city’s lights are sparkling and Joyeux Noël signs are everywhere. Bûches de Noël and colorful sweets in every pastry shop, too. But I’m saving those for another edition of xoxoDorie. This week, I’m thinking about having friends in for drinks and nibbles, or drinks and nibbles and dinner, or any combination that will bring the people I love together after being apart for so long.

I’m also thinking about how to make everyone feel comfortable and happy. And how not to make myself crazy in the process. Guests can never be comfy if the host is in the kitchen cursing the canapés. I know – I’ve been on both sides of the dilemma. And I keep promising myself that I’ll follow my own advice and keep everything as simple as possible. And that I’ll remember the two golden rules for parties:

Start strong: Give your friends something tasty early on and good cheer will prevail.

Finish strong: Dessert is the last memory of the evening, so make it fun.

We’ll never s…