1. Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Chapter 23
Hors d’ Oeuvres
Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2. Hors d’Oeuvres
The pantry or Garde Manger department is generally responsible for the small food items known as appetizers or hors d’oeuvres.
The function of these foods is to enliven the appetite before dinner, often to the accompaniment of drinks, so they are generally small in size and spicy or piquant in flavor.

3. Hors d’Oeuvres Appetizer Hors d' Oeuvres
The first course of a multicourse meal.
Hors d' Oeuvres
The finger foods served at receptions and with cocktails

4. Serving Hors d’Oeuvres
The two most common ways of serving hors d’oeuvres are:
Butler-style
Hors d’oeuvre selections are offered to guests by service staff carrying small trays as they pass among the assembled group
Buffet-style
Hors d’oeuvres are arranged attractively on one or more tables, and guests help themselves.

5. Canapés Canapés may be defined as bite-size open- faced sandwiches.
Canapés are perhaps the most traditional and also the most modern of hors d’oeuvres.
Most canapés consist of three parts:
Base
Spread
Garnish

6. Canapés Base Canapé bases may be made from several items.
Bread cutouts
Toast cutouts
Crackers
Melba toasts
Tiny unsweetened pastry shells (short dough, phyllo dough, or other pastry)
Profiteroles (miniature unsweetened)
Cream puff shells (p. 1025)
Toasted pita wedges
Tortilla chips or cups
Tiny biscuits (split in half)
Polenta cutouts
Miniature pancakes

7. Canapés
Base
Base
For canapés, trim the crusts from a pullman loaf. With a serrated knife, cut the loaf horizontally into thin slices.
Bread slices for canapés can be
cut into several basic shapes with no waste.

8. Canapés
Spread
Canapé spreads may be as simple as butter or softened cream cheese.
It is better to use a more highly flavored spread.
Sharp or spicy flavors are better for stimulating the appetite.
The spread should be thick enough to cling well to the base so the garnish sticks to it without falling off.

9. Canapés
Spread
Spreads may be divided into three basic categories, as follows:
Flavored Butters
Flavored Cream Cheese
Meat or Fish Salad Spreads

10. Canapés
Spread
Popular and versatile flavors for butter spreads include:
Lemon
Parsley
Tarragon
Chive
Anchovy
Caviar
Mustard
Horseradish
Pimiento
Blue cheese
Shrimp
Olive
Shallot or scallion
Curry
Caper

11. Canapés
Garnish
The garnish of a canapé is any food item or combination of items placed on top of the spread.
It may be a major part of the canapé.
It may be a small tidbit selected for color, design, texture, or flavor accent.

12. Canapés
Garnish
Food items that may be used alone or in combination to decorate canapés:
Vegetables, Pickles, and Relishes
Radish slices
Olives
Pickles
Capers
Pimiento
Pickled onions
Chutney
Asparagus tips
Cucumber slices
Cherry tomato (slices or halves)
Watercress leaves
Marinated mushrooms
Parsley

13. Canapés
Garnish
Food items that may be used alone or in combination to decorate canapés:
Fish
Smoked oysters and clams
Smoked salmon
Smoked trout
Herring
Shrimp
Rolled anchovy fillets
Caviar
Salmon or tuna flakes
Crab meat
Lobster chunks or slices
Sardines

14. Canapés
Garnish
Food items that may be used alone or in combination to decorate canapés:
Meat
Ham
Salami
Chicken or turkey breast
Smoked tongue
Roast beef
Other
Cheese
Hard-cooked egg slices

15. Cocktails
Cocktails: Alcoholic beverages and vegetable and fruit juices
Also a group of appetizers made of seafood or fruit, usually with a tart or tangy sauce.
Popular Seafood Cocktails:
Oysters and clams on the half-shells
Shrimp
Crabmeat
Lobster
Firm, flaked white fish (with an appropriate sauce)

16. Relishes The term relish covers two categories of foods:
Raw vegetables
Pickled items
Raw vegetables are also known as crudités.
Crudités are often served with an appropriate dip.
Raw vegetables must be served crisp and well-chilled.
Use the most fresh and attractive vegetables possible.

17. Relishes
A wide variety of pickled items are served as relishes such as:
Dilled cucumber pickles
Gherkins
Olives
Watermelon pickles
Pickled peppers
Spiced beets
Other preserved vegetables and fruits
Pickled items should be served chilled.

18. Dips
Savory dips are popular accompaniments to potato chips, crackers, and raw vegetables.
Proper consistency is important for any dip you prepare.
Dip must be thick enough to stick to the items used as dippers.
Proper consistency means thickness at serving temperature.
Most dips become thicker when held in the refrigerator.

19. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
A great variety of other foods, both hot and cold, can be served as hors d’oeuvres.
Finger food is much easier for guests who are likely to be standing and holding a wineglass or cocktail glass while eating.
If hors d’oeuvres are to be served away from the dinner table, it is best if they can be eaten with the fingers or speared with a pick.

20. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
Antipasto
Italian cuisine is particularly rich in hors d’oeuvre, or antipasto.
Typical components include the following:
Cured Meats
Seafood Items
Cheeses
Hard Cooked and stuffed eggs
Relishes
Mushrooms and Vegetables à la Greque
Cooked dried beans and other firm vegetables in a piquant vinaigrette

21. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
Bruschetta
A Roman garlic bread consisting of a slice of Italian bread that is toasted, rubbed with crushed garlic, and drizzled with olive oil.
The best-known topping is a seasoned mixture of diced fresh tomatoes and olive oil.
Meats, cheeses, cooked dried beans, and raw and cooked vegetables are all appropriate.

22. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
Tapas
A small food item intended to be eaten with wine or other drinks, usually in taverns and bars.
The Spanish term literally means “lid.”
The original tapa is thought to be a small bit of food, perhaps a slice of cured ham placed on top of a glass of sherry.

23. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
Caviar
Caviar is the salted roe, or eggs, of the sturgeon.
In the United States and Canada, any product labeled simply “Caviar” must come from sturgeon.
Roe from any other fish must be labeled as such (e.g., “Whitefish Caviar”).
Caviar is given the name of the species of sturgeon it is taken from.
Beluga
Osetra
Sevruga
Sturgeon
Caviar
Salmon
Caviar
Tobiko

24. Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres
Amuse Bouche
A tiny appetizer or hors d’oeuvre offered to guests seated at their tables.
Compliments of the chef.
Usually in more expensive restaurants.
It is offered either before or after they have ordered from the menu.
It is an opportunity to showcase an aspect of the chef’s cooking style and talent and to welcome the guests.
Nearly anything that can be served in a tiny portion can be served as an amuse bouche.

25. Recipe Pronunciations
Hummus (Chickpea Dip) (p. 788)
Guacamole (p. 789)
Rumaki (p. 794 )
Crêpes (p. 797)
Belgian Endive with Herbed Chèvre (p. 798)
Profiteroles with Ham Salad or Deviled Ham (p. 798 )
Mushrooms Stuffed with Tapenade (p. 800)
Miniature Gougère Puffs (p. 801)
Black Bean Quesadillas (p. 802)
Chicken Liver Pâté (p. 804)
Brandade de Morue (p. 804)
Bruschetta (p. 805)

26. Recipe Pronunciations
Spicy Meat Empanadas (p. 806)
Vegetable Samosas (p. 806)
Cauliflower Pakoras (p. 808)