1. Appetizers and Hors d’oeuvre
Chapter 9
Appetizers and Hors d’oeuvre

2. Chapter 9 Objectives Compare and contrast appetizers and hors d’oeuvre
Identify composed hors d’oeuvre including canapés, profiteroles, tartlets, and barquettes
Discuss the role of appetizers in à la carte, buffet, and tasting menu situations
Explain how to select and prepare appetizers
Recognize the principles of presenting appetizers
Understand the preparation of cold savory mousses, sorbets, and espumas
Classify types of caviar and its role in garde manger

3. Distinctions Between Appetizers and Hors d’oeuvre
Hors d’oeuvre are typically served as preludes to a meal
Hors d’oeuvre are small bite-sized items
Appetizers are served as the first course of a meal
Typically, appetizers are small portions of very flavorful items, meant just to take enough edge off the appetite to permit thorough enjoyment of an entrée

4. Hors d’oeuvre Translates as “outside the work”
Today it is increasingly common for clients to request an entire menu made up of hors d’oeuvre to serve at a reception or cocktail party as a “standing meal”

5. Hors d’oeuvre
There are a few precepts to remember in general hors d’oeuvre preparation and presentation:
Keep in mind the nature of the event, as well as the menu to follow
Ice carvings and ice beds are sometimes used to keep seafood and caviar very cold, as well as for their dramatic appeal
Hors d’oeuvre served on platters or passed on trays butler style should be thoughtfully presented
Choose something eye-catching that will show off the design of the hors d’oeuvre

6. Composed Hors d’oeuvre
Composed hors d’oeuvre are built from two or more components
Can be served as:
Tartlets
Barquettes
Canapés
Profiteroles
Spoons
Classic elements:
Cured and smoked foods
Pâtés
Foie gras
Salads
Vegetables
Mousse

7. Barquettes and Tartlets
Pâté dough can be used to create small edible containers, known as barquettes or tartlets
They may be filled with a cold mousse or other savory fillings
Very moist fillings can quickly make the pastry shell soggy
These hors d’oeuvre are best when assembled as close as possible to service time

8. Barquettes and Tartlets
Some classic examples from around the world:
Bouchées
Empanadas
Beurrecks and tiropettes
Dim sum
Spring rolls

9. Canapés Canapés are small open-faced sandwiches Elements of canapés:
Small piece of bread cut to shape and toasted
Spread
Filling or topping
Garnish

10. Profiteroles
Profiteroles are small, round, hollow puffs made from pâté à choux
Can have sweet or savory filling
They are very often baked, sliced in half, filled, and garnished as desired
Alternately, a hole can be made in the bottom of the puff while they are still warm and then a smooth filling such as a mousse can be piped in

11. Spoons
Spoons are used as a base for an hors d’oeuvre so that you can layer a variety of items that have different flavors, colors, and textures
One of the biggest advantages to using the spoon as a base is that you can add a liquid element to the hors d’oeuvre in the form of a sauce or gelée
Spoons also offer the functionality of having the utensil built into the presentation

12. Appetizers on the à la Carte Menu
When creating appetizers for the menu, it is important to provide enough appropriate options that work with the main course offerings
In some restaurants, waitstaff may suggest an appetizer for the table to share and enjoy while their entrées are being prepared, both as a way to expose guests to something new or unusual as well as to “sell up the menu”
Grazing menus or degustation menus are produced by selecting a series of appetizer-size portioned items served in a logical sequence

13. Appetizer Tasting Menus
Allows the diner to taste a wide variety of dishes because the plates are only a few bites each
The chef decides on the appetizer that will help build a menu that has complementary flavors through the entrée and dessert
A disadvantage for this type of tasting menu is the limited amount that the customer gets to choose from

14. Appetizer Tasting Menus
Tapas restaurants offer the patrons their choice of little dishes
Classically, tapas were small pieces of bread that were used to cover glasses of sherry
Tapas in Spain evolved as bar and restaurant owners began to feature their regional products alongside their Sherries and wine
Seasonality is very important in Spanish tapas

15. Appetizer Tasting Menus
Other cuisines’ small dishes:
Russia: Zakuski table features smoked and pickled fish, blinis with caviar, and a host of special salads
Mediterranean region: Mezzes feature olives, nuts, dips, spreads, and highly seasoned items such as grilled kebabs of meat or fish
Scandinavia: A smorgasbord showcases special dishes, hot and cold, including herring, cheeses, and pickled foods

16. Appetizers for a Banquet
Banquet menus frequently call for one or more appetizers
The chef does have the ability to “build” a menu, progressing from one flavor and texture experience to the next
Appetizers should be served in sensible portions, perhaps smaller than you might offer on an à la carte menu, so that guests can sample a few appetizers and still enjoy their main course and dessert

17. Selecting and Preparing Appetizers
Classic hors d’oeuvre can usually be served as appetizers if you increase the portion size slightly and take into consideration the plating of the appetizer
Examples:
Smoked fish or meat
Sausages
Salads
Small portions of pasta
Cooking an item more than one way on a plate

18. Principles for Presenting Appetizers
Basic principles for selecting, preparing, and plating appetizers:
Serve all appetizers at the proper temperature
Season all appetizer items with meticulous care; appetizers are meant to stimulate the appetite, so seasoning is of the utmost importance
Slice, shape, and portion appetizers properly
Neatness always counts, but especially with appetizers

19. Principles for Presenting Appetizers
Basic principles for selecting, preparing, and plating appetizers:
When offering shared appetizers, consider how they will look when they come to the table
Color, shape, and “white space” play a role in the overall composition of your plate
Consider the garnish for the appetizer carefully and be sure that it adds something to the plate

20. Cold Savory Mousses
The French word mousse literally means “foam” or “froth”
Mousses are always served cold
Three basic elements of a mousse:
1. Base
2. Binder
3. Aerator

21. The Base Savory items are pureed until very smooth
May need to add a liquid to adjust consistency
Base consistency should be that of a pastry cream before adding binder and aerator

22. The Binder Gelatin is the binder used in a mousse
In some cases, the base product has enough body and bind to hold the mousse together without an additional binder
The key is to have the proper balance of binder and base so that the mousse will keep a distinct shape when chilled without melting or sagging but also without being rubbery because there is too much binder

23. The Aerator Aerators give mousses their frothy texture
For maximum volume, add about one-third the total amount of aerator first to make it easier to fold in the remaining two-thirds
Aerators include:
Beaten egg whites
Whipped cream

24. Basic Formula for a Mousse
Base – 2 pounds
Binder* – 1 ounce (*if required by recipe)
Liquid* – 1 cup (*to bloom gelatin)
Aerator – 2 cups

25. Savory Waters, Jellies and Sorbets
Flavored waters that can either be used as broths for meats, poultry, fish, and vegetable entrees, frozen as sorbets and granitas, or thickened with a variety of agents to make jellies
Jellies can add a luscious texture contrast to most dishes; for gelatin in jellies use 1% to 3% of total weight
Savory sorbets and granités have been used for some time to tease the palate as an intermezzo or to add a contrasting frozen element to an entrée or appetizer

26. Alternative Thickeners
Other thickeners in lieu of gelatin:
Agar agar
Carageenan
Alginate

27. Savory Foams and Encapsulations
Cold and hot foams use methods such as agitation and nitrous oxide canisters to create foam out various products
Vegetable and fruit purees are especially appropriate for foams because the carbohydrates in their cell walls prevent the bubbles from disintegrating too quickly
Encapsulations take the concept of the foam to the next level
Makes spherical shaped items such as small orbs of fruit puree to look like caviar or a tea sphere

28. Caviar A delicacy made from the roe of a sturgeon
Was described by Aristotle in the 4th century B.C.E.
Today caviar remains among the most expensive and exclusive of all preserved foods, partly because of overfishing and pollution and partly because caviar is labor-intensive to produce, and extremely perishable

29. From Roe to Caviar
The roe sac must be harvested from the sturgeon while it is still alive
The roe sacs are carefully rubbed over a sieve
The eggs (or berries) are caught in a container
Washed in fresh water
Drained
Graded

30. Grading Caviar Master grader looks for: Consistency of grain Size
Color
Fragrance
Flavor
Gleam
Firmness
Vulnerability of the roe skin
* The bigger and lighter in color the eggs, the more rare and expensive the finished caviar.

31. Preparing Caviar
Eggs of the highest quality are prepared by a method called “molossal” or “little salt,” indicating that salt is added at a rate of less than 5 percent of the egg’s weight
Lesser-quality caviar will be processed with greater amounts of salt
Salt both preserves the caviar and gives it its texture and flavor

32. True Caviar
Beluga: The most expensive and least readily available caviar; color is light steel gray to dark gray
Osetra: Brownish color with a golden tinge; strong nutty flavor
Sevruga: Dark brown, the smallest of the true caviars, with a strong flavor

33. Other Types of Caviar Roe from these fish is also used as caviar:
Salmon
Paddlefish
Whitefish
Lumpfish
Cod
Carp
Tuna

34. Buying and Storing Caviar
Fresh sturgeon caviar should be:
Plump and moist
Shiny, smooth, separate, and intact
Savory flavor, slightly nutty with a hint of the sea
Storing caviar:
Under refrigeration at 28°F to 32°F
Can be held unopen for 4 weeks
Can be held open for 2 to 3 days