Appetizers and
Hors D'oeuvres Recipes

Appetizers and Hors-d'oeuvres are usually small portions of hot or cold foods intended to whet the appetite in anticipation of the more substantial courses to follow.

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This dip is always a crowd pleaser and one of my favorite appetizers to serve!

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup ½-inch rindless Brie

1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese

1 (6 ½ oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 strips bacon fried crisp, drained and chopped

¼ cup grated Parmesan

Assorted chips for dippiing (pita chips, tortilla chips, bagel chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round chafing dish and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze to remove all excess water and chop. Set aside. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and cream in a steady stream, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked spinach and lemon juice, and stir to incorporate. Add the cubed and grated cheeses, artichoke hearts, and bacon, and stir well. Remove from the heat and pour into the prepared dish. Top with the Parmesan and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot with chips.

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Mushrooms Stuffed with Ricotta, Prosciutto and Herbs

16 medium or 12 large shitakes or creminis mushrooms

8 oz. ricotta (1 cup)

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped (2 ½ oz.)

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh fennel

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 oz.)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste

Additional sprigs of a fresh parsley, basil or thyme, for garnish

Rub the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any dirt. Remove the stems and chop them. Set aside the mushroom caps for stuffing. Beat the ricotta with the cream in a medium bowl. Add the prosciutto, parsley, basil, thyme, fennel, Parmigiano, and the reserved mushroom stems. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a baking pan just large enough to hold the stuffed mushrooms in a single layer. Mound a portion of the cheese stuffing on top of each mushroom cap, smoothing the top and sides. The large tops will hold about a heaping tablespoon of the mixture. Place the stuffed mushrooms in the baking pan. Bake for 7 the 10 minutes, or until heated through and the mushrooms are just beginning to soften. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter. Garnish with sprigs of one or more of the fresh herbs. Serve the mushrooms warm.

Assorted Cheeses, Apricot Compote, Walnuts and Herbed Honey

This is a very simple dish to put together and is perfect for grazing at gatherings!

Cheese:

1 or 2 small pieces each of

• Gorgonzola (Lombardy)


• Taleggio (Lombardy)


• Raschera (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna)

In their absence, try Spanish Garroxa, Cabrales, or Manchego, English Stilton or Humbolt Fog goat cheese or Humbolt Blue. Yum!

Apricot Compote:

2 cups dried apricots

½ cup champagne vinegar

½ cup water

1 T. lemon juice

¾ cup sugar

Cut the apricots in half. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and lemon juice in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the apricots and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the liquid begins to thicken and the apricots plump. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. If the liquid is still very runny, remove the apricots and reduce the liquid further. The compote will, however, thicken when it is refrigerated.

Walnuts and Herbed Honey:

2 cups walnut halves

½ cup honey

1 T. dried lavender or 2 large sprigs tarragon or rosemary

¼ cup water

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toast the walnuts for about 10 minutes. If you can smell them, PULL THEM OUT! Nuts tend to go from toasted to burned very quickly. Remove them from the pan immediately and toss them in a medium bowl with the salt. In a small sauce pan, combine the honey, herb of your choice, oil and water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and while it’s still warm, pour it through a strainer. Pour the honey over the toasted walnuts and toss to combine.

To serve:
Arrange the cheeses to your liking on a serving tray and accompany with the apricot compote and walnuts.

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Smoked Duck Diablos

This appetizer is fabulous and I will give you a tip on how to make the presentation very creative!

3 duck breasts, skinless (can also use boneless chicken thighs)

4 dried figs, (mission figs are great)

1 small jicama (and 1 large one for presentation)

8 slices of smoked bacon (applewood)

4 jalapenos

4 oz. balsamic vinegar

Red chili glaze

16 wooden skewers

Salt and pepper

Quarter the figs from stem to nose. Marinate figs in the balsamic vinegar for 1 hour or more. Salt and pepper the duck breast and smoke in a stovetop smoker over high heat for 10 minutes. Cool and slice the duck into ¼ inch slices. Quarter the jalapenos and remove the seeds. Peel and cut the jicama into 16 French fry shapes. (Mandolin is helpful). Cut bacon strips in half and cook until halfway done or medium rare. Place bacon strips flat on a cookie sheet. Stack a fig slice, jicama slice, jalapeno slice, and duck slice at one end of each piece of bacon. Roll and secure with a skewer. Repeat 15 times. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 F. Serve with Red Chili Glaze.

Red Chili Glaze

1 cup champagne vinegar

1 to 1 ½ T. red chili flakes (if you like it hot 2 T.)

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons onions, minced

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

¼ cup tomato paste

½ cup soy sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 stick sweet butter, cut into 8 to 10 chunks

Simmer champagne vinegar, chili flakes, garlic and onion in a heavy saucepan until reduced by half. Add brown sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce and salt and bring back to a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter chunks.

To serve:
Take the additional large jicama and half it. On your presentation plate, ladle out some of the chili sauce, place the halved jicama (cut side down) on the plate over the chili sauce, then stick the wooden skewers (with the duck diablos) into the jicama so they spike out on either side. This makes a very nice presentation!

Salsa-Baked Goat Cheese

¼ cup pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

3-oz. package cream cheese, softened

4-oz. log plain goat cheese

½ cup red salsa

½ cup green salsa

1 T. chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

grape tomatoes, for garnish

Tortilla chips or pita crisps, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned and very fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Add the cheeses to the bowl with the nuts. Scoop the cheese mixture into the center of a baking dish, such as a decorative 9-inch pie plate, and form into a 5-inch disk. Spoon the red salsa on one side, then the green salsa on the other side. You can also drizzle a little of both salsas on top of the cheese. Bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and scatter a few tomatoes around the sides for color. Serve as a dip or spread with tortilla chips or pita crisps.

Shrimp Dip

This recipe is better if it sits a day in the refrigerator before serving for all the flavors to come together.

1 small can shrimp

½ cup mayonnaise

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp.)

½ chopped celery

½ cup chopped (finely) onions

Shrimp Queso

This is a twist on regular queso that everyone will love!

1 can Cream of chicken soup

¾ cup evaporated milk

7 oz. can diced green chiles

2 T. chopped jalapenos (optional)

4 oz. jar chopped pimento, drained

1 pkg. Ranch dip mix (Hidden Valley)

1 can Rotel tomatoes & peppers

1 lb. Velveeta, cut in cubes

2 T. minced fresh cilantro

4 T. unsalted butter

½ cup diced onion

1 lb. raw, shelled and deveined shrimp (big ones, not salad shrimp)

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

½ dried leaf oregano

Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Heat soup, milk, peppers, pimiento, dip mix, Rotel, Velveeta, and minced cilantro in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until cheese melts and mixture is combined. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add onion and shrimp and sauté until onion is tender and shrimp turns opaque. Sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Stir into cheese mixture. Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm with chips.

Caribbean Baked Goat Cheese

Serves 6 to 8

12 oz. Goat cheese, softened

3 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp. Finely minced chives

1 Clove Garlic, minced

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup Diced, roasted red peppers

1 medium Red, Yellow, or Orange Bell Pepper (halved and cleaned out)

Olive Oil

Pita chips, crostini, or crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, chives, garlic, and Cajun seasoning until smooth. Stir in the diced red bell peppers. Spoon into halved peppers and place in a baking dish. Bake about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with chips or crackers.

2 Dozen

These cheddar crisp hors d'oeuvres are simple but exceptional, with just enough substance to curb but not kill the appetite.

Because shredded cheddar cheese available in packages is less moist and oily than fresh grated, it is preferable for this recipe.

1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) packaged shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions and heat over to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese onto one sheet, then spread into a round with your fingertips so that cheese is more or less in a single layer. Repeat with remaining cheese, keeping cheese disks about 1 inch or so apart. (You should get about 12 wafers on a large sheet.)

Bake until crisps stop bubbling, 9 to 10 minutes, switching sheets after 5 minutes if they appear to be cooking unevenly. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

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