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Whether you call them appetizers,
hors d'oeuvres, canapés, amuse-bouches, or amuse-gueules, they
are the scrumptious little morsels served before the start of a full
course meal. They can vary from simple presentations such as cheese
and crackers to complex preparations with exquisite ingredients requiring
as much work as the main course. Hors d'oeuvres can also function as
the primary food such as at cocktail and holiday parties.
Below are a variety of ideas for
hors d'oeuvres for your holiday get-togethers. I hesitate to call them
recipes, simply because I haven't listed exact measurements for each
ingredient. First of all, exact ratios are not necessary for the forthcoming
preparations. Second, by freeing yourself of the measuring spoons and
cups and relying on your eyes and your taste, you can whip these concoctions
together much quicker. This is a party atmosphere. Go with your gut
and indulge your creativity.
The list of hors d'oeuvres varies
in the complexity and the extravagance of their ingredients. Choose
the ones that suit your budget, culinary zealousness, and your personal
taste.
ROASTED PEPPER & ANCHOVY CROSTINI
Crostini are small thin slices of
toast. Roast a red pepper in the broiler and remove the seeds and stems.
Chop it up with some anchovies and garlic. Add either some basil or
sautéed spinach for color. Finish with extra virgin olive oil,
salt and pepper. Slice a long thin loaf of French bread, drizzle some
olive oil on the slices and toast. Spoon the mixture onto the slices.
SMOKED SALMON CRUDITES
crudités, (cru-dee-TAY),
are raw vegetables served as a hors d'oeuvres Finely mince a red onion
and some dill. Mix it into sour cream. You can also add some capers
if you like. Add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Peel
and slice a cucumber into » inch rounds. Bundle a piece of smoked salmon
on the cucumber and then top with the sour cream sauce. Place a tiny
sprig of dill on top of the sauce or if you really want to get fancy,
some caviar.
WATERCRESS DIP
Take 2 batches of watercress and
about a pint of sour cream. Chop up the watercress with some red onion
and mix in the sour cream little by little to you achieve the desired
consistency. Add horseradish, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers
and/or raw vegetable sticks.
BLACK OLIVE & SUN DRIED TOMATO
TAPENADE
Place an equal amount of black olives
and sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Add a bunch of parsley,
a squirt of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. First pulse that mixture
a few times. Then slowly add a stream of extra virgin olive oil with
the processor on until a smooth paste is achieved. Check for additional
salt or pepper. Place dollops of the tapenade on Belgium endive leaves.
TRUFFLED GOAT CHEESE CRUDITÉS
Mix white truffle oil into the goat
cheese until you achieve the extent of truffle flavor that you like.
You can also add chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme or rosemary. Add
salt and pepper to taste. Peel and slice a cucumber into » inch rounds
and a parsnip into 1/16 to 1/8 inch rounds. Roast, seed, and peel a
red pepper. Cut the pepper into little diamond shapes or some other
decorative pattern about a half-inch in size. Spread some of the cheese
on a cucumber slice. Top with a parsnip slice and more cheese. Place
a piece of the red pepper on top in the center. Sprinkle with fleur
de sel or another high quality sea salt.
SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA PUFFS
You can use frozen chopped spinach
but if you have the time I'd recommend sautéing fresh spinach
in some garlic and oil and chopping it yourself. If you choose to sautéit
yourself, remember that spinach reduces a great deal so start with a
lot. Take the thawed frozen spinach or the sautéed spinach and
squeeze as much of the fluid out of it as possible. Add the spinach
to a food processor along with an equal amount of mozzarella cheese.
Add some parsley and salt and pepper. If you used the frozen spinach
add a few cloves of garlic. Briefly whiz it in the food processor until
you have a homogenized mixture.
Take two sheets of phyllo dough
and brush them with melted butter. Then cut lengthwise into three-inch
strips. Take a spoonful of the spinach mixture and place at the beginning
of a strip. Fold it over to make a triangle and continue to fold the
strip end over end, maintaining the triangular pattern. Brush the finished
puff with the melted butter. Continue with the rest of the dough until
you've used up the spinach mixture. Line the puffs on parchment paper
on a sheet tray and place them into a preheated 350 degree oven until
golden brown. Keep an eye on them for the filling can sometimes burst
out while baking. You can also fill them with the goat cheese mixture
from above.
LAMB FILETS OVER QUINOA
Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a popular South
American grain. It is very nutritious, containing several vitamins and
minerals, as well as being a complete protein with all eight amino acids.
Look for it in gourmet stores or on the Internet.
First roast a lamb loin. If you
can't get a whole loin, try lamb rib chops. If you use the chops, pound
them thin like veal scaloppini and sautéthem very briefly at
high heat.
For the quinoa, finely mince one
small carrot, one celery rib, and half a small onion. sautéthe
vegetables in a good dose of butter and olive oil for two minutes. Add
about one cup of quinoa and sautéfor a minute or two more. Add
two cups of water and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer
for 10 minutes until the quinoa is the texture of al dente pasta. Taste
and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Make quenelles with the quinoa.
To make a quenelle scoop up some of quinoa with one tablespoon. Work
it back and forth against another tablespoon to form a firm football
shaped mass. Slice the lamb very thin and drape one slice over each
quinoa quenelle. If you'd like, make a quick sauce from equal parts
buttermilk and plain yogurt. Add chopped mint leaves and salt and pepper.
Place a small dollop of the sauce on top of the lamb.
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