HORS D'OEUVRES

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30215, 21 August 1963, Page 3

HORS D'OEUVRES

When it comes to preparing the menu for a dinner party, it is often something for an opening number which gives most food for thought. When in doubt, serve hors d’oeuvres. Their very nature not only gives scope for your own imagination but for everybody’s taste as well. Hors d’oeuvre dishes, or individual small bowls, each hold a separate item and the number of different things offered will depend on the number of guests, and individual preference, but anything from six on will give sufficient variety.

A bowl of thick mayonnaise, small plates and forks allow self service to guests’ own tastes. The whole thing may be prepared merely by wielding a tin opener if desired, or more unusual items such as pineapple and walnut mixtures or rice and pepper salads made if time allows. Here are some suggestions; choose any number and any varieties and they will make a colourful and pleasing array. Egg Slices.— Hard boil eggs, cut into halves and scoop out the yolks. Mix yolks to a soft paste with melted butter, curry powder and salt and pepper. Cut white halves across again and pipe a rosette of the yolk cream on to each. Oysters.— “Au naturel.” Shrimps. Straight from the tin, or creamed sweet corn, diced tinned beetroot, sardines and cocktail or pickled onions. (Omit if you are having a pre-ball party). Pineapple.— Cut into small pieces and serve as it*is, or combine with diced cheese, or chopped walnuts. Tomato.— Cut into small segments. Asparagus.— Choose thick spears and serve as they are.

Potato Salad. Combine diced potato with thick mayonnaise and chopped chives or parsley. Russian Salad. Tinned mixed vegetables, drained and tossed with mayonnaise, or served as they are. Cheese Stuffed Prunes. Pickled Walnuts.— Gherkins and olives. Tinned Mushrooms. Tuna Fish.— Salmon or herrings. Rice. — Boil rice, rinse to separate grains. Add salt and pepper, and mix through a little chopped red and green pepper, or shredded pineapple and walnut, or green peas and a little finely chopped tomato. Meat. Diced cooked corned beef or ham, or diced liver sausage. Spiced Plums.— Or peaches (cut in small pieces).

Iced Salmon Mousse Alternate hot dishes with cold ones make for a most dramatic effect at a dinner or luncheon party. If you are serving a hot soup, follow it with this Iced Salmon Mousse which is delicate and delicious. Place small glass serving plates ready with a little finely shredded lettuce and a flower on the side made from small pieces of tomato and hard boiled egg. When required, place a slice of the mousse on and serve at once. Ingredients: 1 large tin salmon 3 chopped hard boiled eggs I cup thick mayonnaise i pint cream ioz gelatine Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon chopped parsley 1 teaspoon lemon juice Method: Drain the salmon from its liquid and flake the fish. Chop hard boiled eggs and parsley and mix in. Make the salmon liquid up to half a cup with water and stir in the gelatine. Warm until dissolved. Stir this into i cup of thick mayonnaise, then add chopped eggs and salmon. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk cream until stiff and fold lightly through. Turn into deep ice cube tray or loaf tin and place in the freezing compartment. Stir once or twite and leave chilling for about 3 hours.

Chicken Anana A roasting fowl does not necessarily need stuffing to make a flavoursome meal. Here a whole fowl is pot-roasted in the oven with onions and pineapple and bacon. It comes to the table brown, well-flavoured and accompanied by a savoury gravy. Give it about two hours slow cooking for a big bird Ingredients: 1 roasting fowl Flour Salt and pepper 4oz butter 1 lib tin pineapple slices 3 onions 3 rashers bacon 1 beef cube i cup flour Stock or water Method: Melt butter in a baking tin with a lid and heat until browning. Dip the fowl well in flour mixed with a little salt and pepper and lay into the hot butter, turning to brown on all sides. Add small whole onions, and the pineapple slices cut into quarters. Remove rind from bacon rashers and cut into postage stamp pieces. Add round the chicken, frying until all are a little browned. Pour the pineapple juice over the fowl, cover with a lid and cook in an oven preheated to 400 degrees until quite tender. Lift fowl, pineapple, onion, and bacon out, arranging on a hot dish. Pour off most of the dripping and' blend flour into the re- i mainder. Add crumbled beef cube and stock or water, stirring over heat until smooth and boiling.