Bright and colourful hummus with big flavours.

Packed with vegetables and spices, these colourful pakoras make excellent finger food.

The perfect tapas tart of caramelised onion, fig and prosciutto from Australian Women's Weekly.

This recipe is our version of the classic Mexican "chiles rellenos", stuffed Anaheim peppers.

You can also use pink-eye or sebago potatoes for this recipe. Note

A classic British dish in canapé form.

soak eight bamboo skewers in cold water for an hour before use to prevent them splintering or scorching during cooking. Note

These tasty little pizzetta bites with pesto, bocconcini and prosciutto make a great share platter for a cocktail party.

Place apples in acidulated water (cold water mixed with either vinegar or lemon juice) to prevent them from browning. Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

Recipe is best made just before serving. Note

Spicy and well spiced, these chilli, lime and coriander chicken skewers make a great starter or share plate for a party.

This is such a useful little recipe, you can serve these crispy spiced fish pieces as a starter, main or as finger food to pass around at a party.

These crispy, tasty little tarts make wonderful finger food.

Spice up your olives to make the perfect complement to your tapas evening.

Delicious chicken wings in a sweet honey soy marinade; great for sharing with family and family.

Tuna is best cooked rare as it tends to dry out when overcooked. You could also use salmon or swordfish for this recipe. Note

Use sashimi quality tuna; the loin is the best cut for this recipe. A non-stick pan is best to use for cooking the tuna. Don’t overcook the tuna, it should be rare. Make-ahead tips 8 hours Make filling; cover, refrigerate. Note

The flavour of fresh coriander and its seeds dominate this dish. You need to soak eight bamboo skewers in water for at least an hour before using to prevent them splintering and scorching. Note

Smoky with sumac and tahini, this spiced chickpea and yogurt dip is surprisingly easy to make, and entirely delicious.

Spicy American-style crab and prawn cakes, served with ribbon salad and a spicy tomato remoulade, make a great cocktail food platter.

Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes before use to prevent splintering and scorching. Note

This decadent, creamy salmon mousse served with crisp toasts is so easy to make and perfect for a cocktail party.

Served on a bed of sea salt and fresh sprigs of chervil, these soft-boiled quail eggs are perfect for a cocktail party.

Any beef cut suitable for stewing can be used for the pie filling: gravy beef, skirt, blade or chuck steak. These cute little beef and stilton pies make excellent finger food.

If you don’t have the time to make the crostini, ready-made crostini can be found in various flavours in most delicatessens and some supermarkets. Note

Dukkah is a Middle Eastern spice blend containing toasted nuts and seeds. It is usually based on hazelnuts, spices and sesame seeds, and teamed here with roasted garlic yoghurt it will make your lamb cutlets sing.

Home-made blinis are quite simple, but if you're short of time you can buy them and just make the topping.

These scallops on the half-shell, dressed with fragrant saffron cream and topped with salmon roe, make an exquisite starter for a very special dinner.

Crispy wonton wrappers make a great base for all kinds of toppings, here we've used smoked trout and horseradish.

Piquant and full of fresh flavours, salsa verde turns these mini-toasts topped with sliced steak into a fabulous cocktail party platter.

A proper, finger-licking chilli salt prawns recipe brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly

These smoked trout tarts with peas and dill make a great lunch. If you'd like to make finger food sized versions for a party, just quarter the filo sheets at the beginning, use a mini-muffin tin and cut the cooking time to 10-12 minutes.

This creamy and lemony dip is delicious and dead easy to make. You can adjust the lemon juice and garlic to taste.

Hot, oozy and deliciously spiced, these cheese fritters with fresh mint salsa are perfect for handing round at a party. Just make sure you have napkins on hand for your guests.

Paired with crisp apple slaw, these juicy sliders will have your guests drooling.

Enjoy this classic Middle Eastern dip with vegetable sticks, crackers, bread or meats. It's easy to make and packed full of the goodness of chickpeas.

A banana and coconut relish from Australian Women's Weekly.

The perfect French sharing platter: croûtes with beef and horseradish cream.

A fancy and exquisite tapas-style warm herb and citrus marinated olives.

These delicate smoked trout and freshly pickled onion squares have a big flavour for such a little bite.

The Australian Women's Weekly Kids' Perfect Party Book

Oil will solidify on refrigeration; bring to room temperature before serving. Recipe best made 3 days ahead; can be refrigerated for up to 3 months. Note

These tarts are best made immediately before serving to prevent the pastry going soggy. You can pre-roast the tomatoes ahead of time, but don’t assemble the tarts until just before serving. Serve topped with chervil, if you like. Note

Make the perfect tapas-style dish; warm olives and chilli from Australian Women's Weekly.

Serve these spicy, Asian-inspired sticky prawns on betel leaves for an elegant, mouth-watering canapé.

Originally from Russia, blini are small, leavened buckwheat pancakes that are traditionally served with sour cream and caviar. They make a perfect base for any number of canapé toppings.

Use a mandolin or V-slicer to cut the papaya and carrot into matchsticks. 8 hours Make rolls; refrigerate. Store loosely packed, with damp paper towel or baking paper between layers as rolls can stick together. Note

Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, these duchesse potatoes are like elegant potato gems.

The classic Greek seasoning of lemon, oregano and garlic brings out the flavour and helps tenderise the meat for these marinated lamb skewers. With a Greek salad and smokey baba ganoush on the side, it's a light, satisfying meal bursting with flavour.

Seasoned with oregano and fresh grated parmesan, these veal meatballs with gazpacho salsa make a great shared party platter.

Smoked salmon, creamy mascarpone and dill make a fabulous filling for these crepe-wrapped roulade slices.

Served with pomegranate yoghurt, these Moroccan pastries make elegant finger food.

We used anchovy-stuffed olives, but any variety of large green stuffed olives can be substituted. Note

Making these cute little wonton cups is frightfully easy; all you need is a muffin pan and you're good to go. Remoulade or rémoulade is a condiment invented in France that is usually aioli-or mayonnaise-based.

Regular extra virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon rind can be substituted for lemon-infused olive oil. Note

It is important to use silken tofu for this recipe to get the right texture. Note

Campari Rosso (red vermouth) is a red-coloured apéritif made by infusing herbs in alcohol and water. You can also use Aperol, an orange-coloured apéritif made by infusing bitter orange and rhubarb in alcohol and water. Note

Use granulated or crushed peanuts to save time. Note

These little pastries are a great way to use up leftover bolognese sauce. All you need is a few sheets of shortcrust pastry and an egg.

Perfect for parties, serve these simple sweet chilli and coriander prawn skewers with lime wedges and plenty of napkins.

Flavoursome and delectable tapas-style nibbles of bocconcini, olive, cherry tomato with pesto.

Delicious and fresh Italian-style crostino of tomato and basil from Australian Women's Weekly.

Wonton cups can be prepared a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. You need 3 x 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans. If you only have one pan, that is fine, just cook the wonton cases in batches. You could also serve the tuna tartare in a bowl with a pile of home-cooked prawn […]

These delicious chewy cranberry meringues, sometimes called cranberry chewies, make a delicate, pretty afternoon tea treat.

If you need to assemble some cocktail snacks in double-quick time this recipe is perfect. You could even prepare the wontons earlier in the day and keep them in an airtight container.

Add a taste of Japan to your evening and serve these nibbles with drinks for an easy snack before a dinner party.

Dip your fingers in cold water when shaping the prawn balls to prevent the mixture from sticking to them. Placing prawn balls on a plastic-wrap-lined tray and refrigerating them for at least half an hour before frying will firm them and help ensure they don’t fall apart during cooking. Prawn balls can be shaped a […]

These flavour filled little tarts make a great shared platter for a cocktail party, or a starter for a special meal.

Full of flavour and pretty as a picture, these prawn sandwiches are perfect for a fancy high tea.

These bite sized olive and cheese fritters and packed full of savoury flavour and crunch - the perfect finger food for a birthday party or event.

Serve these rum-spiked chocolate cake pops at your next cocktail party and watch as they quickly disappear.

Dolloped with whipped tomato mascarpone and crispy prosciutto, these olive pikelets are fantastic for a party.

Use 250g marinara mix or your favourite seafood in this recipe. Note

Delight both children and adults with these top-quality homemade sausage rolls and pizza spirals.

Salt cod is a Mediterranean delicacy and can be bought from speciality stores.

Every mouthful is a delight when you pass around these little strawberry liqueur surprises. You can choose whichever liqueur you prefer to flavour the cream, or even make a few different versions.

These tasty little spinach and corn pasties are sure to be a firm favourite with young and old. Great for lunches, after-school snacks and lunchboxes.

If you're looking for a simple, tasty and appealing platter for a party then marinated baby bocconcini with prosciutto is your friend. Salty meat wrapped around mild, sweet cheese and spiked with basil. Perfect.