Hors d’oeuvres. It’s a funny word. It’s hard to say and even more difficult to spell. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, hors d'oeuvre is: "...any of various savory foods usually served as appetizers." The pronunciation guide show hors d'oeuvre is pronounced approximately like “orderve.”
The purpose of hors d’oeuvres is to whet the appetite before a meal or to sustain guests if there is a long waiting period between when the guests arrive and when the meal is served.
Hors d’oeuvres may be served to your guests before they arrive at the table for the meal or at the table as a part of the sit-down meal. Hors d’oeuvres also frequently serve as the entire menu for many parties. If you serve hors d’oeuvres before dinner, you should plan for three to four pieces per kind per person. If no dinner is to be served you should plan for approximately eight different hors d’oeuvres and ten to twelve pieces per person.
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If you just can’t get past the pronunciation of hors d’oeuvres, you can always call them appetizers. And, thankfully, while we may find the word difficult, preparing hors d'euvres doesn’t have to be hard. Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick provide 150 of their favorite recipes in Quick Hors d’oeuvres. The recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. The book is one in their six-book series of “One Foot in the Kitchen Cookbooks” that include helpful “Foot Notes” from the authors, a nutritional analysis with each recipe and award-winning design. The book is available from local bookstores and gift shops or by contacting the publisher, Great American Cookbooks, toll-free at 866-625-9241.
Call them “ordervs” or appetizers or even starters, but definitely try these recipes for your next get-together. |
