Hor's D'Oeurves for Summer

Hors d’oeurves and appetizers are interchangeable these days. The French translation is literally out of work, but more loosely outside the meal. Every culture has its version – Tapas in Spain, Antipasta in Italy, Dim Sum in China, etc. Sometimes this variety of foods served in small portions become a meal in themselves.

Here in the states, serving apps has become commonplace since the late 1800’s and is still an integral part of dinner service. When I think hors d’oeurves, I think 1950’s cocktail parties, Friday and Saturday evenings when entertaining guests in home was a bigger part of our culture, especially with high society. I think it’s because they were drinking so much, they needed a solid base to make it through the night!

All kidding aside, hors d’oeurves are not only a nice touch to begin dinner service, but a true testament to a chef’s skills in pairing foods together. Those starter bites of food need to blend well and compliment the food being prepared for dinner.

A good chef should have a well-versed background of different cuisines in their arsenal. A great chef can encompass them all. Although at times, preparation of these little one bite morsels can be quite tedious to prepare, they set the tone for the evening. I like to mix it up a lot especially here in the west.

To me, hors d’oeurves are one of those things now where I get to play with ingredients and let the creativity flow. Keep an eye out on social media this summer for some of the new hors d’oeurves & appetizers we will be serving to our clients. Pictured above: Spicy Korean King Crab Fritters | Toasted Black Sesame Seeds | Scallion | Citrus, Soy Butter.