Bite-sized appetizers such as these can satisfy your guests without filling them up. Among the possibilities, clockwise from center front: Tapenade on toast, Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Basil on Parmesan Cheese Crisps, and Fresh White Cheese with Garlic and Thyme.

And if cookery is an art, then the first bites of a dish are as crucial as the opening strains of music in a symphony, as consequential as the first impression of a painting. If the work has any merit, then thoughtful consideration will undoubtedly reveal more depth and pleasure over time, but that first impression is critical.

Thomas Keller, whose "French Laundry Cookbook" more than confirms Burton's venerable opinion, calls it the law of diminishing returns. "The initial bite is fabulous," he writes. "The second bite is great. But by the third bite — with many more to come — the flavors begin to deaden, and the diner loses interest." So Keller serves anywhere from five to 10 tiny courses that only together constitute a real meal. The rest of us typically limit ourselves to two or three dishes. A few hors d'oeuvres at the start can whet the appetite and amuse the mouth while setting the tone for the evening to come. But what and how much to serve are questions that can vex a cook.

In her 1975 work "From Julia Child's Kitchen," the queen of home cooking writes about a certain American girl who married into a French family and "was expected to live and cook in the French way right from the start." The challenge for her was finding that little something to begin. Child recommends the deviled egg, always a winner.

For appetizers, especially those served with cocktails, choose foods with strong flavors so tiny bites will satisfy, not stuff. Highly caloric foods are OK, too — they are, after all, being presented in very small amounts. Olives, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, these have almost universal appeal. For the daring, slip a little anchovy into one appetizer, some garlic into another.

Tapenade
Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Basil
Parmesan Cheese Crisps
Fresh White Cheese with Garlic and Thyme

For presentation, pull out your wildest trays; rediscover chic glass or silver serving pieces tucked away since you opened your wedding presents. Even a few funky pieces from a thrift shop will do. For a recent party, I improvised platters by brushing off a few cedar shakes left over from a roofing job and lined them with fresh green cedar boughs from the woods.

Here's a chef's rule on how many appetizers to serve: Choose three simple, bite-sized items and make enough for every member of the party to have two of each. That's six bites per person. Some won't eat them all; the hungry people will take up the slack.

A little of this, a little of that, presented just so, and you'll feel like a veritable Picasso. Ah, the art of the appetizer.