People sometimes get confused between appetizers and hor d’oeuvres. Which is which? What’s the difference? There’s no officially mandated distinction between the two, but in common parlance, an appetizer is the first course of a meal, usually served sitting at the table. In French, the term “hors d’oeuvre” (purists insist it can’t be pluralized, even when more than one item is involved) means approximately “outside the main work” — the main work being the actual meal.
Hors d’oeuvres (we’re not purists) are typically finger food, served with cocktails or at least before dinner is served. They can also just be snacks. (Speaking of which, these are 40 discontinued snack foods we really miss.)
However you define them, hor d’oeuvres are an essential part of holiday entertaining, whether you make them part of an elaborate spread you’ve planned ahead of time or just throw one or two together at the last minute.
24/7 Tempo has combed through numerous cookbooks and recipe websites to come up with a list of easy hors d’oeuvres that will help make your holidays more festive and quite possibly less stressful — whether you’re hosting a full-scale get-together, having a few friends drop by for an open house, or just toasting the season with your loved ones.
Some of these are home-style versions of food you might find in restaurants. Some are familiar party fare you’ve probably had a hundred times (and wouldn’t mind having a hundred times again). Some are strictly old-school — things your parents or even grandparents might have enjoyed at festivities of their own. (Here are more old-school appetizers that are classics for a reason.)
You won’t find recipes here, just photographs and brief descriptions, but an online search will return recipes galore.
Feta and herb dip
If you want to bring Mediterranean flavors to the party, this creamy dip based on feta cheese and flavored with dill and/or other herbs is an excellent place to start.
Artichoke-spinach dip
A certified member of the hors d’oeuvre hall of fame, this classic dip combines two popular vegetables in a cheesy sauce. Tortilla chips, pita chips, potato chips, or crackers for conveying it to the palate complete the presentation.
Pepper jelly and cream cheese spread
Spread crostini (toast rounds) or crackers with cream cheese, then top with spicy jalapeño or other hot pepper jelly — what could be easier? The jelly comes in both red and green varieties, too — Christmas colors.
Queso fundido
Whether you call it “queso fundido” (Spanish for “melted cheese”) as in Mexico or just “queso,” Texas-style, this fondue-like specialty, to be scooped up with tortilla chips, is the perfect communal hors d’oeuvre. Chopped tomatoes and chiles are typically stirred into the mix, and chorizo and or mushrooms make a great addition.
Guacamole
Another appetizer classic, this familiar dip is nothing more than ripe avocados mashed with ingredients that traditionally include finely chopped onions, chiles, and cilantro, and sometimes tomatoes and/or other enhancements.
Deviled eggs
Food historians say that deviled eggs — hard-boiled yolks mixed with mustard, mayonnaise, and other ingredients, then stuffed back into the halved hard-boiled whites — date back to Ancient Rome. They’ve certainly stood the test of time as one of America’s most popular hors d’oeuvres.
Gougères
This irresistible French import is made with choux pastry dough and grated gruyère cheese, formed into spheres and baked to a golden-brown.
Baked brie
Brie or camembert baked in a pastry crust, often with preserves added, was a fad in the latter 20th century. But there’s no need to get that fancy. Just bake the cheese by itself until it’s warm and runny, then drizzle some honey and/or balsamic vinegar over it and serve it with crackers or toast rounds.
Cheese board
This is about the easiest help-yourself hors d’oeuvre imaginable — a nice board or platter crowded with an assortment of good cheeses (at room temperature, please), accompanied by a selection of seasonal fruits.
Shrimp skewers
Marinate some small or medium-sized shrimp (or just brush them with olive oil or melted butter) and grill or broil them, then serve them on skewers, or even just wooden toothpicks, with or without a dipping sauce — seafood heaven.
Chicken satay skewers
Skewered and grilled chicken pieces served with peanut sauce (also called “sate,” pronounced in two syllables) are a specialty in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and are becoming justly popular here.
Antipasto skewers
Almost any ingredients on a standard antipasto platter — artichoke hearts, olives, cheese, salami or mortadella, marinated onions, etc. — can be adapted as finger food. Just cut the larger items into smaller pieces (and fold over the meats) and skewer them in any order or combination — antipasto on a stick.
Homemade Chex mix
Think of this popular hors d’oeuvre or party snack as savory indoor trail mix. Rice Chex and Wheat Chex cereals are the basics, then add some combination of mini-pretzels or pretzel sticks, peanuts (or almonds or cashews), melba toast rounds, Cheez-Its, Fritos — whatever. Toss everything with melted butter seasoned with garlic and onion powders, seasoned salt, and any herb or spice you like. (It’s not necessary, but the combination is even better when baked for 45 minutes or so at low temperature.)
Cucumber tea sandwiches
Channel your inner Brit with this afternoon tea essential. Cucumber sandwiches are just thin slices of cucumber on buttered crustless white or wheat bread, cut into triangles — elegantly simple.
Pigs in a blanket
One of almost everybody’s favorite passed hors d’oeuvres, these are just Vienna sausages or other small sausages (or segments of larger ones) wrapped in some kind of pastry dough and baked. Mustard for dipping is a frequent accompaniment.
Swedish meatballs
Though meatballs in Sweden are often served as a main dish, typically alongside mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and thin-sliced cucumber, they make an excellent hors d’oeuvre, too. Serve them in a chafing dish with toothpicks for spearing (and nobody will complain if the meatballs come from Ikea).
Mozzarella and prosciutto canapés
These two iconic Italian foods — mozzarella and prosciutto — go perfectly together. Combine slices of each on pieces of toasted country-style bread or focaccia and garnish with a leaf of arugula or basil, and you’ve got the flavors of Italy in your hand.
Tapenade crostini
A coarse purée of black or green olives (or both), capers, anchovies, and capers, tapenade can be spread on crackers, but it’s best on crostini — thin slices of toasted bread.
Original nachos
Nachos don’t have to be jumbles of tortilla chips swimming in a sea of melted cheese with a dozen ingredients added. The original nachos, probably invented in a Mexican border town around 1940, were simply individual tortilla chips, each topped with melted cheese and a thin slice of jalapeño. They’re more authentic that way, easier to make, and much easier to eat.
Toasted ravioli with marinara sauce
Toasted (baked or fried) ravioli, usually filled with cheese, are an Italian-American invention from St. Louis. They’re easy to make (especially if you cheat and buy pre-made ravioli), and need nothing more than marinara sauce for dipping on the side.
Jalapeño poppers
If you like spice and cheese, these are for you — whole jalapeños filled with cream cheese (often enhanced with cheddar, parmesan, or some other cheese as well), then breaded and deep-fried.
Mini-pizzas
Roll out pizza dough — homemade or store-bought — and use a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut it into rounds. Toppings are up to you, but pizza sauce, mozzarella and/or other cheeses, sliced olives, sliced tomatoes or mushrooms, herbs, and of course pepperoni or sausage are among the possibilities.