french apero spread
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French Apéro for Dinner

Whether you’re looking to host a French apéro as a light dinner with friends, or you’re looking for some ideas and recipes you can use as an apertif before a French dinner party, this post will give you lots of tips and inspiration!

Classic French Apéro

It’s true that a classic French apéro often consists of just a few French nibbles like nuts, olives, and/or cornichons. The idea is that you have just a small bite with your drink (French 75, anyone?) before dinner.

If you’re invited to a French person’s house for dinner, you probably won’t get a spread like this offered to you as this would spoil your appetite for dinner.

french apero for dinner

But if your host is probably on the younger side and not planning on serving a formal dinner, it’s very likely that you can look forward to several hors d’oeuvres or small bites. These days, a French apéro can be a legitimate substitute for dinner.

In fact, it tends to be my favorite kind of French meal because you get a little bit of everything (that I love).

French Apéro: What to Include

I think the key to a fabulous apéro spread is to keep things diverse and the perfect balance of light but filling.

I love the idea of doing a little bit of homemade with store-bought whenever I do an apéro. This way, everything still feels really easy to put together, but I also get to add some of my personal touches.

brie en croute

In France, there’s a frozen food store called Picard, sort of like an elevated Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle. You can find fabulous eats like cheesy gougeres, brie en croute, and savory choux pastries, to name just a few.

Many French people mix these into their spreads as they’re delicious and require little prep (aka you just have to heat them up!).

I always prefer to look to the season when figuring out what I want to add to my spread. I just hosted an apéro for a few friends this June, and these photos here share a lot of what I found in-season and perfectly in line with an elaborate French apéro:

  • Sautéed asparagus
  • Radishes with salted butter
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Italian deli mix (prosciutto, salami, bresaola, etc.)
  • Fresh basil
  • Bread sticks
  • Fresh baguette slices
  • Olives marinated in French herbs (herbes de Provence)
  • Fresh burrata, which I personally mixed with chopped sundried tomatoes
  • Crème d’artichaut (artichoke), which I found at La Grande Epicerie
  • Herbed nuts
  • Comté (hard cheese) and Brillat Savarin (soft cheese)
  • Quince jelly
  • Fresh peach slices
  • Dried mango slices
  • Wine (both rosé and a bordeaux) along with Champagne
asparagus with salted butter and radishes

You’ll notice that there’s a mix of veggies, fruits, meats, bread and crackers, cheeses, a couple of fun spreads, classic French nibbles like nuts and olives, and of course one of each type of wine (red, white or rosé, and champagne).

It’s varied, light, but still filling enough to be substituted as a “girl dinner” (probably my favorite kind of dinner!).

In the past, I’ve also mixed in cheddar crackers or brie with apples and pecans during the holiday season. It’s all about having fun and using what’s in season to inspire you.

rosé

I also think that it’s nice to balance out the heavier things like cheese and deli meats with fresh fruit and vegetables, no matter what season you’re in. Even if you’re hosting a French apéro in the middle of winter, you can utilize fresh pears and oranges, and put out some crispy brussels sprouts.

L’Apéro Details

Equally important to the food are the practical things on the table. It’s nice to have decorative elements like fresh flowers and candles, but you can also add a decorative touch with the items that have to be on the table.

I’m talking about boards, napkins, utensils, and glassware. I love using printed napkins (these radish printed ones were so cute and found at La Grande Epicerie).

french cheese board

The wood boards have been collected over the years, but a trio of different shapes like this is the idea you want to go for.

I always use my favorite Potmeirion porcelain pastry forks as little serving forks for the various eats on the table. Not only are they elegant, but they’re obviously useful too.

I also love using my crystal coupe glasses and rose-tinted wine glasses that were found at a French brocante. In addition, I display my go-to La Rochere bee glasses alongside this pretty ribbed pitcher for water.

Of course, you’ll also want a set of cheese knives to make it easy for guests to cut the cheeses. I also love taking small containers, like these hammered copper shot glasses, and using them to hold the smaller items like olives, nuts, and jam.

If you’re putting out chilled wine and/or champagne, you can put out an ice bucket or wine cooler. Or, just protect your table with a wine coaster.

Styling Your Apéro Boards

One of the things to pay attention to when you’re layering the food items onto the boards is to think about what kind of works together.

It’s not that every food that’s put next to each other has to be eaten together, but it helps to create balance with the color and flavors.

italian deli with burrata and artichoke cream

For example, if I’m putting out Italian deli meats, it makes sense to put the cherry tomatoes, Italian cheese, and basil on that board.

If I’m creating a board with French cheeses, it’s nice to pair it with the fruits and jam.

I’m also always trying to add contrasting colors. Creamy, neutral cheeses get a pop of color with the fruit, while mostly red and pink deli meats get a fresh touch with the green basil.

Extra Tips

I like to also make sure I’ve got some candles lit around the rest of the room, fresh flowers, and French music playing in the background.

I feel like this adds to the ambiance and really gets everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves!

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3 Comments

  1. Beeta, Oh my gosh they both sound amazing! I’ll have to try to find those in San Antonio now that I’m home! Thank you for sharing your love of food with us!

  2. Beeta, I love all of your food displays! What is in the bowls on the meat board? One bowl looks like mayonnaise (although I’m sure it’s not!) and the other looks like it could be chicken or seafood. You always make entertaining look so easy!

    1. Hi Shirley! So one of them is crème d’artichaut which is basically a puréed artichoke spread (I purchased this at La Grande Epicerie here in Paris). The second one is burrata mixed with chopped sun-dried tomatoes! 🙂

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