The 3-Ingredient Appetizer That Looks Way Fancier Than It Is

Easy appetizers? Sign us up. When it comes to crafting the best party appetizers, quick and uncomplicated are mission critical. Easy hors d'oeuvres and snacks free up your time in the kitchen so you can concentrate on dishes that require a little more TLC. It also leaves you with more time to chat with your guests. Sure sushi is a great finger food, but the amount of time it takes to make — in excess of an hour — doesn't place it at the top of the list, nor do most food items that require lots of ingredients, prep work, and cooking time. That's why you are going to love this three-ingredient appetizer that looks way fancier than it is. Try them at your next holiday party!

Break out some figs, sugar, brie cheese, and a kitchen torch. These ingredients scream sophistication, but the way you are going to transform them into a brûléed fig with brie cheese will have your guests licking their lips as elegantly as possible. Simply slice up the figs into round disks. Coat the tops of the fig slices with a good helping of sugar and use your kitchen torch to melt the sugar and caramelize it. Next comes the brie cheese. Cut it up into small cubes and place those on top of a brûléed fig slice and top with another fig slice. It should look like a petit sandwich made of fruit and cheese.

These are not only a breeze to assemble, but they also taste excellent. Brie and figs often come together in other dishes, like baked brie with fig jam, but brûléed fig with brie cheese is dessert-like. Figs are naturally sweet, but when you caramelize that sugar on top of those fruity slices, it creates a slightly crunchy, almost burnt taste that is equally sweet with hints of vanilla. That buttery bite of brie gives it a creamy finish that makes for a perfect combo. Of course, the type of figs you use and your choice of sugar are going to influence the end product.

It can be just plain white cane sugar, but brown sugar is going to add some notes of caramel thanks to the molasses that gives it its signature color. Black Mission figs and Violette de Bordeaux figs are both known for their sweet nature. Violette de Bordeaux figs will taste a lot like blueberry and strawberry while Black Mission figs are slightly milder in taste.

If you want to try and make these fig and brie appetizers but don't have a kitchen torch, you can always place those slices of figs on a sheet pan. The sugar will burn quickly so be attentive. When it starts to turn into a syrupy golden brown consistency, you have about 5 seconds to get them out of the oven.