Appetizers are a type of food that have an appeal that's all their own. It's nice to have a repertoire of tasty hors d'oeuvre or canapés to serve before the latkes and sufganiyot are ready. Since everyone knows that there is a direct line from the eyes to the stomach it's important that the appetizers look as good as they taste. All it takes is a little touch of imagination, a few helpful tips and some great recipes to become the hostess (or host) with the table everyone wants to be seated at.

Use Unique Containers and Servers

Some of the best and most beautiful containers come from the produce and bakery sections of your grocery. Hollowed out cabbages and squash make perfect bowls for dips and spreads or use them to hold vegetable crudités. A melon or pineapple is the consummate container for a creamy sweet dip. Lemon and orange cups also make attractive small containers for sweet or savory dips and spreads. Whole bread loaves in different sizes and shapes that have been hollowed out can be filled with warm dips that you bake in the oven or cold dips and spreads for chips and crackers. You can also use the hollowed out bread loaves as containers for breadsticks or slices of bread.

Other great containers included baskets, decorative trays and platters, fancy cutting boards, unique bowls in different shapes, sizes and colors. Variety in serving pieces and platters is good so mixing and matching patterns and bowls makes for an interesting table If you have foods that will need toothpicks or some sort of skewer, try using sprigs of rosemary, sugar cane spears or bamboo picks.

Garnish is Great

Garnishes can make or break the platter. Profuse garnishes that swallow up the food they're meant to enhance are a big no-no! The flavor of a garnish needs to complement the food that it is decorating. In other words, don't garnish a sweet fruit dip with tomato roses or put strawberries on the platter with the egg rolls. As to what to use as a garnish, try a variety of fresh herbs like thyme, chives, flowers and the universal garnish, parsley, will add beautiful and edible touches to your appetizer. When it comes to spices, a sprinkle of paprika, curry powder or cinnamon is sure dress up items stuffed eggs, dips and spreads. Other items that make wonderful garnishes are citrus zest, sprinklings of cumin, caraway or black sesame seeds and curls of Parmesan cheese, Sweet appetizers look lovely with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder or tiny fruits like raspberries or fresh currants. Just remember to keep all the garnishes simple and if possible, unusual. Oftentimes a single leaf of an herb is all you'll need to make your taste treat look outstanding.

Presentation is Important

Keep it simple. Only place one or two different kinds of appetizers on each serving tray. Having a jumble of different appetizers on one tray can be confusing and make it difficult to choose. Keep the table clean and the trays well stocked. Don't make appetizers too large; they should be able to be eaten in one or two bites.

Decide ahead of time whether or not you will be passing trays of appetizers around or whether you will keep them all on a stationary surface. If passing appetizers, be sure to choose trays that aren't too large and heavy. Avoid serving only fussy intricate little appetizers. Throw in some dips, spreads or pates. Not only will this cut down on the work for you it will also help to bring all the dishes you are serving to the forefront. As for arrangement and presentation look for inspiration in books, magazines. Keep in mind the colors of the food you're serving. A table full of monochromatic foods will be boring.

Now that you have enough information to set the table it might be helpful to have a few recipes.

BASIL TOMATO TART (dairy)

Line shell with double-thickness of foil. Bake in 450 for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more or till set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 375. Sprinkle crust with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut tomatoes into wedges; drain on paper towels. Arrange tomato wedges atop cheese in the pie shell. In a food processor bowl combine basil and garlic; cover and process till coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes. In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading to evenly cover the top. Bake in a 375 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till top is golden and bubbly. Serve warm. If desired, garnish with basil leaves. Serves 6 to 8.

BASIL MOZZARELLA & TOMATO PIZZA FOR ONE OR TWO OR THREE (dairy)

Preheat oven to 450. Place one 4-ounce Italian bread shell on ungreased cookie sheet. Arrange plum tomato slices over bread; sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with chopped fresh basil, sliced olives, and black pepper. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. This can be doubled or tripled and each individual pizza can be cut into quarters and served as bite size pieces.

CARAMELIZED ONION TART (pareve or dairy)

To Make the Tart Shell (you can skip this step and use a pre made shell)

Combine flour, salt, and 1 cup butter in food processor. Pulse briefly with on/off turns until the butter is the size of peas. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle ice water over flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing until all is moistened. Gather dough into a ball. On well-floured board, roll dough into a rectangle. Starting at one end, fold 1/3 of dough over towards center. Fold other end of dough over, forming 3 layers of a dough that is 1/3 the original size. Give dough a quarter turn. Repeat rolling and folding dough. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough to 8-inch circle. Trim edges evenly using a lid or template as a guide. Arrange dough on baking sheets. Form sides on tarts by rolling in 1 inch of edge and crimping into small overlapping pleats, forming 6-inch shells. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Prick shells all over with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned, repricking pastry occasionally to prevent puffing. Cool tart shells on pans set on rack.

To Make the Onion Thyme Filling

While tart shells are baking, melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy saucepan. Add onions. Cook slowly, stirring often, until very soft and light brown, about 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon thyme and vinegar. In small bowl, whisk egg yolk into cream. Stir into onions. Season with salt and pepper. Spread filling evenly on pre baked shells. Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool slightly before serving. Cut each tart into 6 to 8 wedges. Serves: 6 to 8.

CHICKEN AND BEEF SATE (meat)

Slice chicken cutlets lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide strips; place in medium bowl. Holding knife almost parallel to work surface, slice steak crosswise into thin strips; place in another bowl. From limes, grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In small bowl, with fork, mix lime peel, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and garlic. Stir half of soy-sauce mixture into chicken. Stir remaining soy-sauce mixture into beef. Cover and refrigerate both bowls 30 minutes to marinate. . Soak wooden skewers in water 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Spicy Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish. . Thread chicken strips and beef strips separately on wooden skewers, accordion-style. Using a grill pan or an outdoor grill, grill the chicken and beef strips over medium heat 3 to 7 minutes, turning once, until just cooked through (you can also broil the meat). Serve immediately with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish.

Spicy Peanut Sauce:

In medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup very hot tap water, 4 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light molasses, and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper until smooth. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Cucumber Relish:

In medium bowl, with spoon, mix 4 medium Kirby cucumbers (about 4 ounces each), diced, 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons diced red onion, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

ASIAN STUFFED MUSHROOMS (pareve)

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a baking pan. Pull the stems from the mushroom caps and chop them finely. Place the caps in the prepared baking pan. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, ginger and red bell pepper just until tender, about 3 minutes. (Stir in a tablespoon or two of water if the ginger begins to stick.) Stir in the chopped mushroom stems and the bok choy. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, bread crumbs, chili paste, scallions, and lemon juice. Using a teaspoon, stuff the mushroom caps with the filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the caps are tender. Serve immediately. Serves 6. This can be doubled or tripled.

APPLE DIP WITH A TWIST (dairy)

A surprisingly zesty dip, delicious with fruits and vegetables.

Mix the fat free ranch dressing, grated apple, horseradish, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice and pepper in a medium sized serving bowl and chill until serving. Makes 2 cups.

THAI EGGPLANT DIP (dairy or pareve)

A tasty baked eggplant appetizer, served with baked pita bread wedges.

Preheat oven to 425. Pierce eggplant several times with a fork, and wrap in foil. Place eggplant on a baking sheet, and bake at 425 for 1 hour. Cool slightly. Peel, seed, and mash eggplant with a potato masher. Combine raisins and water in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at high 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes; drain. Add the raisins, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt and garlic to eggplant. Mix well and then preheat the broiler. If you are using cheese, sprinkle the pitas with cheeses, and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese melts. If you are not using cheese toast them under the broiler for 1 minute. Cut each pita into 6 wedges, and serve with a spoonful of eggplant dip on top. Serves 6 to 8. This can be doubled or tripled.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.