How to Plan Hors d’oeuvres for a Party

How to Plan Hors doeuvres for a Party How to Plan Hors doeuvres for a Party Hors d’oeuvres, more popularly known as appetizers, are small bite sized snack foods relished before the main meal. They are generally served to whet the appetite or sustain guests until mealtime. Many a times hors d’oeuvres are served exclusively and replace dinner, as in cocktail parties and receptions. Starters to the main meal, properly planned and served hors d’oeuvres can build up the mood of a party. While serving hors d’oeuvres, you may either pass them to your guests, serve them during a sit-down meal or leave it on a buffet table for the guests to help themselves.

Whether you are hosting an informal cocktail party, a birthday bash or a lavish wedding reception, deciding on the hors d’oeuvres calls for careful planning and selection, taking into account the type of party, number of guests and their diet preferences. These simple instructions should help you on how to plan hors d’oeuvres for a party.

• Select the hors d’oeuvres depending on the type of party being hosted. The number of hors d’oeuvres you would need depends on the length of the cocktail hour and whether a meal would follow the cocktail hour. If it is a two hour party, plan for about 10-12 bites per person. Where hors d’oeuvres replace dinner, you need to plan for about 20 bites per person. In case of an elaborate meal, 4-5 bites should generally suffice. The tendency to snack is generally more during the first hour of a party. Also, if you have more of a younger crowd, the appetizer number should be relatively larger. People generally gorge on food more at casual parties than formal functions.

• The presentation manner of hors d’oeuvres is important as part of their charm lies in their visual appeal. Have a right balance of both hot and cold appetizers. Ensure that you have added some vegetarian starters for your vegan guests.

• Where your party has arrangements for dinner also, the hors d’oeuvres should not become very heavy for the guests. Small and interesting snacks to build up an appetite for the main meal are ideal in this case. Canapés, cold cuts, deviled eggs, meatballs, stuffed celery, fruit and cheese kabobs and dumplings are some easy appetizer choices you can do with. For a beach or tropical wedding party, you can serve citrus grilled vegetable skewers, grilled shrimp on bamboo skewers and tropical chips in paper cones.

• When serving cold cuts, simple slices of deli ham, salami, turkey breast and cheese can be rolled into tubes and arranged in a platter. Crudités are another easy and inexpensive option for hors d’oeuvres. Carrots, celery, radish and zucchini are most popular in crudités. Crudités are served with a choice of dips or spreads. Tartines or canapés are small toasts topped with ingredients like marinated tuna, anchovy paste and cheese. Roasted figs stuffed with cheese and fruit wrapped in prosciutto are some other choices for hors d’oeuvres.

• When you are serving hors d’oeuvres exclusively at a cocktail party or a reception, the appetizer choice has to be elaborate so that the guests do not get a feel of an half filled stomach. Crab cakes, smoked salon, chicken spiedini and frangipane tarts are good options for formal dinner parties.