ottawa foodies

i need to make ahead some appetizers that can be quickly reheated. two things i'd like to do are dumplings (pot stickers) and salad rolls. i can do the salad rolls the day of and just keep them wrapped and cold until putting out. i am wondering if pan frying the dumplings the night before and reheating before the party would work? they wouldn't have to be hot, i think room temp would be fine (no meat involved).

any suggestions or other ideas?

Instead of potstickers - I just stick to steamed dumplings. I think the wrappers would hold up better. However I know from first hand experience that spring rolls toast up very nicely. (may be a bit redundant if you are going with salad rolls already). How about either shrimp or chicken satay/skewers? They are good served cold or warm.

I made a vegetable samosa recipe from Bonnie Stern. Added sweet potato along with potato and used phyllo instead of wonton wrappers. As they made quite a large batch I put the leftovers in the freezer after cooking. To heat up again, I let them thaw in frige about 2 hours, then put in 350'F oven until heated. about 15 minutes.

I generally look to Spanish cuisine for ideas when I need small bites ready well ahead of time...for example:

stuffed tomatoes (breadcrumbs, cheese, a baked egg or all three)
stuffed peppers, mushrooms or eggplants (all these can all be thrown in the oven just before)
tuna salad wrapped in bell pepper strips (cold)
deviled eggs (cold)
cold meats and cheeses, olives
cold slices of spanish omellette
chicken livers in sherry sauce (heat it back up)
veal liver in saffron/almond sauce (heat it back up)
ratatouille on a piece of bread (cold or warm)
anything with romaneso sauce (esp. grilled veg or shrimp)

i can get recipes if necessary...let me know

As gauche as it seems, I love meself a good pinwheel sandwich! Actually, the classics... homemade meatballs, cheese plate, cold cuts, etc...

I have rocked the house with this dish many times. Instead of making 3.5" rounds I make them more like 1 1/2" and that way they are just a little item you can pop right in your mouth. Making ahead of time works.

thebitessite.com

While I haven't made many of the appetizer and nibbly recipes from Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen 'The Best Make Ahead Recipe' cookbook, everything that I have made is great. They have both long term make ahead (freeze) and make a few days ahead versions of a lot of the recipes. Off the top of my head there are dips, empanadas, and the like. I first borrowed the book from the Ottawa Public Library, then liked it so much we bought it.

thanks for all the good ideas. i have now been given a list of dietary restrictions which are driving me crazy. i'll figure it out. if all else fails, i'm breaking out the cheese fondue.

it is a wine tasting party (hosted by billy's best bottles) and i am serving appetizers before hand and had planned a more sit-down meal after (to soak up the wine). i have ordered spanikopita from the farmer's market (not in ottawa), veggies, cheese, bread (lots), pomodori al forno (my favourite, though i use slightly less olive oil and always double or triple recipe)
www.bonappetit.com

chels - i haven't read that cookbook, but immediately went to the library website and requested it. can't wait to read it!

HFF: why not make the sit down meal cheese fondue with a salad? it's simple, it soaks up the wine and it will probably work with the dietary restrictions. I've eaten meals of nothing but fondue, bread, and salad before, with much enjoyment.

For apps, you could still do the avocado-salmon stacks but without the salmon (use smoked duck or chicken pate?)

The upside of the layout is that you can keep everything with fish/nuts on one end of the table.

Not sure if I'm a little late with this but here are some more suggestions:

hummus
baba ghanouj
edamame in the shell, steamed and sprinkled with sea salt
dolmades
terrine

Another idea...I just saw this and liked the idea of using rosemary as a skewer "to spear cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, black olives, and slices of salami."
thepioneerwoman.com

Bacon-wrapped dates take well to reheating, and they're staggeringly delicious.

I second the dates (but you said no meat). A very strong wine pairing is a stuffed date, something like shallot, blue cheese, grainy mustard. They are quick to prep, easy to store, and quick to reheat.

Costco often has Medjool dates, nice and plump, easy to stuff.

Dates or figs stuffed with an almond, walnut or pecan--appetizer only but you can heat it if you want...vegan simple, yummy option

Ah, right! I forgot about the "no meat" thing. My bad. Stuffing the date with the blue cheese mix, or even just a nice pencil-thick piece of Parmesan, would work splendidly.

I like picking up fresh pita and serving hummus, baba ghanouj, roasted red pepper dip, dolmades.

Cheese boards with breads, crackers, tappinade, olives and sliced fruit are also a nice and simple option. (Tip: if you`re downtown check to see what cheeses are on sale at the many cheese stores in the Byward Market. Some are ussually close to their dates, others they got deals on and did bulk purchases but if you`re using it right away it doesn`t matter. It can help with the budget and sometimes you end up trying new things that become faves.)

mushroom stuffed mushrooms (Mince/fine chop: some mushrooms, shallot, garlic parsley and cook in a frying pan in your choice of olive oil and/or butter. This is stuffed into put onto a mushroom caps. You can stop here and wait to cook the whole and either put onto the BBQ or a tray and into the oven or toaster oven. You can also cook it all ahead but I like the texture better the first time around, so either under cook and reheat or just serve at room temp.)