Hors d'Oeuvres and Appetisers

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 99, Issue 4, 15 October 1959, Page 394

Hors d'Oeuvres and Appetisers

By

JANET W. ROBERTS,

Home Science Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland

\A/hen an assortment of meats, fish, relishes, and other highly ’ ▼ flavoured foods is served as a delicious overture to a meal the Americans call it appetisers, the French and English call it hors d'oeuvres, the Italians call it antipasto, and the Swedish call it smorgasbord. Regardless of their name, appetisers are all calculated, by their distinct and piquant flavour, as well as by their appearance, their careful arrangement, and their garnishing, to act as a stimulus to the most jaded appetite.

J. TORS D’OEUVRES are often made of oddments of diced, cooked vegetables, fish, poultry or meat, seasoned with chopped parsley or chives, French dressing, or mayonnaise. In fact almost any meat, vegetable,

or fish in small quantities may be served for hors d’oeuvres. It is an excellent way to use up small portions of tasty foodstuffs to make an extra course and they can be prepared well in advance of the mealtime.

Depending on their type hors d’oeuvres may be served at the table as the first course of a formal meal or they may be served with a cocktail or a sherry before a meal.

SINGLE ITEM HORS D'OEUVRES

Single item hors d’oeuvres are set on individual plates at each place at the table. They should be served with crisp rolls, toast, or brown bread and butter. Oysters Rockefeller 4 oz of butter 1 tablespoon of finely 1 cup of fine bread- chopped parsley crumbs 1 tablespoon of dry 1 cup of cooked sherry spinach 2 dozen oysters in the 2 tablespoons of half shell finely chopped onion 4 oz of grated cheese Salt and pepper Cream the butter and mix in the breadcrumbs. Add the spinach, onion, parsley, and sherry and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture generously over the top of each oyster, in the half shell. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Place in a large baking pan and bake in a moderate oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes or until browned. Serves eight. Stuffed Mushrooms 20 mushroom caps J cup of chopped I cup of chopped Brazil nuts mushroom steins i cup of cooked 1 small, finely tomatoes chopped onion 2 oz of grated cheese i oz of butter J teaspoon of salt i cup of fine, dry i teaspoon of pepper breadcrumbs 2 teaspoons of lemon juice Wash and dry the mushroom caps.

Cook the mushroom stems and onion in butter slowly for five minutes (do not brown). Combine all the ingredients except the mushroom caps, mix well, and stuff the mixture into the caps. Arrange them on a baking tray and grill for 10 to 15 minutes until browned on top. Serves 10. Melon Wedges Melon Icing sugar Ice Ground ginger Chill the melon and cut it into wedge-shaped sections. Remove the seeds and if possible serve the wedges on ice with icing sugar and ground ginger. Egg Mayonnaise 3 eggs i pint of mayonnaise 1 oz of gelatine 1 tomato 2 tablespoons of warm 1 lettuce water Hard boil the eggs, remove the shells, and cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Dissolve the gelatine in the warm water and add it to the mayonnaise. When the mayonnaise is on the point of setting coat each egg with the mixture. When set place each half egg on a slice of tomato and arrange on a bed of lettuce. Serves six.

Corn Savouries Batter cases 8 oz of sifted flour 2 beaten eggs 1 pint of milk 1 teaspoon of salt Mix into the beaten egg, a spoonful of dry ingredients and a spoonful of milk alternately. The batter should be like thick cream. Leave it to stand for one hour before cooking. Special irons are required to make the batter cases illustrated on page 394. The iron is dipped in hot fat which has a faint smoke rising from it, then into the batter mixture, and immediately back into the hot fat. Each case will take a few minutes to cook and it will leave the iron soon after it has been put back into the fat. Filling 1 cup of minced onion J teaspoon of sugar 2 cups of cooked 1 teaspoon of lemon whole kernel corn juice i teaspoon of salt 1 oz of butter Pepper to taste Cook the onion in butter until it is tender. Add the corn and other ingredients and heat them. Put spoonfuls into each batter case and reheat in the oven. Asparagus-ham Roll 1 tin of asparagus J teaspoon of salt 4 slices of cooked ham J teaspoon of pepper 1 oz of butter J pint of milk 2 tablespoons of flour 4 oz of grated cheese Melt the butter and stir in the flour and seasoning. Slowly add the milk and stir until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Roll four spears of asparagus in each slice of ham and place in a buttered dish. Cover with the cheese sauce.

Brown lightly in a moderate oven at 375 degrees F. Serves four. MIXED HORS D'OEUVRES Special dishes, divided into sections fitted together on a round or oblong tray, are made for serving mixed hors d’oeuvres. Small separate dishes arranged on a tray or trolley may also be used or the food may be set out on a large platter with the items separated by a garnish of watercress or parsley. Suggestions for mixed hors d’oeuvres are:

Slices of ham or tongue Asparagus and cheese sauce Stuffed eggs Sardines garnished with thin flakes of butter and arranged on finger lengths of buttered toast Filleted anchovies garnished with tiny heaps of finely chopped yolk of hard-boiled egg Crayfish and mayonnaise arranged on lettuce leaves

Macedoine of vegetables made from a mixture of cold cooked vegetables cut into small cubes and tossed in mayonnaise (peas, carrots, beans, artichokes, and potatoes should be used) Beetroot, cucumber, and tomatoes cut thinly and arranged in rows with each slice slightly overlapping, garnish with chopped parsley or egg, and served with vinegar Celery stalks, 2 in. long, with the grooves filled with cream cheese and sprinkled with paprika or parsley

Celery curls made by cutting one end of the celery pieces in several places and then putting them in ice water until the cut ends curl out Radish roses made by cutting one end of each radish in petal shapes and then placing them in ice water to spread out Salted Almonds 4 oz of sweet almonds Salt i oz of butter Blanch the almonds. Dry each one well as it is blanched. Fry them in butter over a gentle heat until they are pale brown. Drain well on crumpled paper. Toss them in some salt, then shake them on a sieve to remove any superfluous salt.

Garlic-flavoured Potato Chips or Peanuts 1 quart of potato 2 cloves of garlic chips or i lb of peanuts Halve the two cloves of garlic. Insert a toothpick into each garlic half. Place the potato chips or peanuts with the garlic in a tightly covered container. Let them stand for several hours, occasionally shaking and turning the container. Remove the garlic before serving.

Canapes are very small open-faced sandwiches and are especially easy to eat when standing up at a buffet meal. The bases of the canapes can be made of bread | in. thick and toasted on one side, fried bread, water crackers, shortcrust, or cheese pastry. They are cut into fancy shapes with special hors d’oeuvres cutters, spread with a well defined savoury butter or highly seasoned paste, and garnished. These will all go a long way in the making of canapes: A hard-boiled egg, 1 oz of cream cheese, some radishes, a tomato, strips of green pepper, a jar of fish or meat paste, some olives, and a tin of sardines.

Cheese Pastry Base 4 oz of flour 3 oz of grated cheese J teaspoon of salt 1 egg yolk Pepper Or, 2 oz of butter Water Sift the flour, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Cut in the butter until it is well blended, then add the cheese. Mix to a dry dough with one egg yolk or with water. Chill and roll out 1 in. thick. Cut into small fancy shapes. Bake at 425 degrees F. When cool spread with savoury butter, top with egg and vegetable, and garnish with a contrasting colour. Green Pea Canapes Sieve one cup of peas and pipe the mixture on to buttered canapes. Garnish with chopped mint. Tongue Canapes Chop 4 oz of tongue and mash it in a basin with one teaspoon of finely chopped capers. Season well with two teaspoons of mixed mustard, salt, and pepper. A little mayonnaise or tomato ketchup may be added. Spread on the untoasted side of the base. Peanut Butter and Bacon Canapes Cover square or oblong canape bases with peanut butter. Top with a piece of cooked crisp bacon to nearly cover the canape. Crumble crisp bacon into bits and mix them with peanut butter. Spread the mixture on the base.

SMORGASBORD

Scandinavia’s most famous contribution to the culinary art is the smorgasbord. This glorified hors d’oeuvre is said to have originated from. the country parties of long ago. Each guest brought some kind of food. All the dishes were arranged on a long table round which people walked, choosing from the variety of fish, meat, vegetable and egg salads, and cheeses offered. Smorgasbord may be simple or elaborate. A simple smorgasbord would consist of foods served on a tray divided into compartments from which items could be chosen by the guests to make their own open-faced sandwiches. The bases can be made from a variety of different kinds of bread cut in various shapes. These are spread with a coloured paste or butter, topped with small pieces of cooked fish or a slice of meat, then a piece of cheese, a slice of hard-boiled egg or tomato, and lastly, to provide greater

colour contrast and more flavour, a decorative garnish is added.

Suggestions for a smorgasbord tray are: Butters and Spreads Chive 4 oz of butter 1 teaspoon of i cup of chopped Worcestershire chives . sauce Cream the butter thoroughly. Chop the chives very finely and mix them with the butter and sauce. Anchovy 4 tablespoons of 8 oz of butter anchovy paste 3 teaspoons of lemon Or juice J cup of minced anchovies Cream the butter, add the anchovies and lemon juice, and stir well. Anchovy butter may also be made by beating the butter to a cream with enough anchovy essence to colour it pink. Cheese i lb of tasty cheese i teaspoon of tabasco i teaspoon of grated J teaspoon of onion Worcestershire 1 tablespoon of sauce vinegar Finely grate the cheese, stir in the other ingredients, and mix well. Mock Pate de Foie Gras 8 oz of lamb’s fry i teaspoon of mixed ■ Yolks of two hard- mustard boiled eggs li tablespoons of Salt and pepper mayonnaise Fry the lamb’s fry and mince it very finely. Mix it with the other ingredients to form a paste. Rub through a sieve. Chicken 1 cup of minced 3 tablespoons of chicken sweet pickle J cup of cream Combine the chicken, • cream, and pickle and mix well. Salmon 1 tin .of salmon 2 teaspoons of bottled 1 tablespoon of horse capers radish 3 tablespoons of 2 teaspoons of lemon mayonnaise juice Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Fish Fish balls Herrings in wine sauce Meat Slices of garlic sausage Slices of liver sausage Slices of roast beef Slices of roast pork Slices of ham Meat balls Cocktail sausages

Garnishes Chopped parsley Chopped chives Shredded tomato Shredded green pepper Sliced carrot Sifted hard-boiled egg yolk Minced green pepper Radish rose Sliced olive Sliced cucumber Sliced gherkin Pickles Cress Meat and Cheese Dishes Swedish Meat Balls J lb of minced meat J cup of water Quarter of an onion J lb of fresh pork 2 tablespoons of fine, Butter soft breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon of salt i teaspoon of ginger J teaspoon of pepper or nutmeg Mince the meat and pork together three times. Fry one teaspoon of scraped onion in g oz of butter. Add to the meat. Stir in the other ingredients. Mix and blend until smooth. Shape into very small round balls and fry in butter. Shake the pan occasionally so that they will brown evenly. Serve hot or cold. If they are to be served hot, pour over any butter which is left. Cheese Fondue - J pint of hot milk J teaspoon of salt 1 cup of breadcrumbs J teaspoon of cayenne 1 beaten egg yolk pepper 1 egg white X cup of toasted, g cup of grated cheese sliced Brazil nuts 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce Pour the milk on to the breadcrumbs. Let them stand for 15 minutes. Add the beaten egg yolk and all the other ingredients except the egg white. Whip the egg white until it is stiff and then fold it in to the other ingredients. Turn into a buttered casserole, place in a baking pan and half surround with boiling water. Bake until firm (about 1 hour at 350 degrees F). Garnish with extra toasted, sliced nuts. Traditional Swedish Casserole 1 lb of chuck steak A teaspoon of white 6 medium-sized pepper white potatoes 1 cup of water 3 sliced onions 1 cup of beer 1 oz of butter Chopped parsley 1 tablespoon of salt Cut the meat into slices 4 in. thick. Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices. Saute the onions in butter and brown the meat. . Put the potatoes, meat, and onions in layers in a casserole, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper. The top layer should be potatoes. Barely cover with the liquid and simmer 1 to

14 hours or until the meat is tender. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Variety and Substance The smorgasbord provides a great range and substance in the foods that are piled on to the one piece of bread. This method of serving food is particularly useful when large numbers of guests are being entertained. For a more elaborate smorgasbord, the food is arranged on the table, which is pushed against the wall if space is limited. If there is plenty of space, the table may be in the centre of the room and the guests can circulate freely and choose their own food. The food is grouped according to type not only for convenience but so that the cold dishes are not warmed by the hot ones. All photographs by Sparrow.

How to Wash Leather Gloves

LEATHER gloves can usually be washed satisfactorily if given proper treatment. A tab to say whether they are washable is usually affixed. Gloves should be washed before they become really soiled. They should be put on the hands and washed, as if washing the hands, in lukewarm suds made from pure mild soap or soapflakes. Very soiled parts can be rubbed with a soft cloth dipped in the suds. The gloves should be rinsed in lukewarm water, squeezed to press out as much water as possible, taken carefully off the hands, and puffed into to keep the inside surfaces from sticking together. The gloves should then be rolled in a towel and squeezed again to remove more water, puffed into again, and dried flat on a towel away from any direct heat. As they dry they should be worked to soften the leather and keep it pliable. If this is not done and the gloves have dried hard, they can be rolled in a damp towel to soften them; then one glove at a time can be put on the hand, smoothed, and stroked until the leather becomes soft again. Suede gloves can be brushed with a soft brush to raise the nap, and glace ones can be polished with a soft cloth to restore the finish. Some chamois leather and doeskin gloves may require slightly different treatment from that already outlined. Washing instructions usually accompany washable gloves and these should be followed exactly. —MAUD B. STRAIN, Home Science Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin