8 Great Hor D’oeurve Recipes

By Sally King
Published on December 1, 1999
1 / 5
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
2 / 5
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
3 / 5
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
Pears with Blue Cheese and Chives, Grilled Skewered Chicken with Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce, and Dill Biscuits with Smoked Trout, presented with bowls of olives and salted pecans, make for a full-bodied cocktail hour.
4 / 5
Smoked Salmon and Dill Butter Canapes, Herbed Goat Cheese in Endive Spears, and Chive and Buckwheat Blini with Salmon Caviar are both pretty and simple to make.
Smoked Salmon and Dill Butter Canapes, Herbed Goat Cheese in Endive Spears, and Chive and Buckwheat Blini with Salmon Caviar are both pretty and simple to make.
5 / 5
Served with a green salad, Red Potato Tortilla with Rosemary and Parmesan Cheese makes an excellent light meal.
Served with a green salad, Red Potato Tortilla with Rosemary and Parmesan Cheese makes an excellent light meal.

8 great hor d’oeurve recipes

Smoked Salmon and Dill Butter CanapésSouthern-style BiscuitsGrilled Skewered Chicken with cilantro Tomatillo Dipping SauceChive and Buckwheat Blini with Salmon CaviarParsley-Basil Pesto with Prosciutto on BruschettaHerbed Goat Cheese in Endive SpearsPears with Blue Cheese and ChivesRed Potato Tortilla with Rosemary and Parmesan Cheese

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with serving chips and salsa to accompany cocktails, special holiday meals often call for fancier beginnings. Why not offer a selection of tasty little nibbles–redolent with fresh herbs–that your guests will remember long after the party’s over?

Herbs give the following simple recipes both flavor and visual appeal. Most of these hors d’oeuvres can be made ahead of time (always a plus), and none requires tricky pastry techniques, special equipment, or hard-to-find ingredients.

Consider serving at least three different hors ­d’oeuvres–more if you have time–so that guests have a choice. Include something cold and crisp (pears), something meaty (chicken), and something starchy (biscuits, blini, or potatoes). A bowl of salted pecans and a dish of mixed olives will flesh out the menu. But no matter how delicious your hors d’oeuvres may be, if guests are also ­invited for dinner, keep the cocktail ­period short: 45 minutes to an hour is long enough.

Sally King is a Virginia-based freelance writer whose USDA Zone 8 herb garden produces through Thanksgiving.

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