5 Quick & Easy Hor d’ouvres in 15 Minutes or Less to Wow Your Guest

Hor d’oeuvre

Hors d’oeuvres (a French term that translates to outside the meal). They

are small items served before dinner, often accompanied by cocktails.

They can be hot or cold, sweet or savoury, crunch or soft. The main thing is to have fun preparing them and enjoying them with friends and family.

1.            Shrimp Cocktail (USE COCKTAIL GLASSES FOR SERVING)

• Devein shrimp and butterfly or (buy pre-cooked and deveined)Poach Shrimp at 165 degrees- no bubbles – about 5-8 min – lazy river poach–
• Add acid (white wine) to poaching liquid, and add a small shake of salt and pepper Do not shock shrimp in water to stop cooking – put them in the refrigerator instead

Seafood Sauce:

Ingredients:

• Ketchup 1/3-1/2 cup
• Horseradish 1 Tbs
• Lemon – juice ½ lemon
• Tabasco sauce – few dashes

Mix all ingredients in a bowl

Instructions:

• Put the arugula in the bottom of a Margaretta glass,
• Add seafood sauce on top of the lettuce
• Rim the glass with shrimp

2.                Cream cheese dip with herbs

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 small garlic clove, quartered

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

1-2 tablespoon chopped chives

2/3 green onions finely chopped

PREPARATION:

Combine cream cheese, butter, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add parsley and chives and pulse a few times until well combined. Pack the mixture into a small serving bowl. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with seeded crackers, sim sun bread, pita chips, raw veggies.

3.            Smoked salmon on Crackers (ADD CAPERS FOR A TANG OF SALTY)

Ingredients:

Smoked salmon

Cream cheese (room temperature)

Cracker

Red Onion (optional)

Capers

Watercress (optional)

Instructions:

• Spread cream cheese on water crackers, mini bagels, baguette
• Top with a piece of smoked salmon twisted.
• Finish off with a few capers and a sprig of watercress

4.         White Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed ( or cook your own, save bean water)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 small garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 to 4 tablespoons water, if needed to thin to the right consistency ( use bean water if cooking dried beans)

Instructions:

• In a food processor, pulse the cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice zest, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined.
• With the food processor running, slowly add the water and process until smooth.
• Blend in fresh herbs, (two tablespoons each of your favourite, if desired.) Parsley, chives, fine leaf thyme are a few that would go well with the dip.

Serve with veggies or pita.

OTHER USES:

• slather it onto a sandwich OR BURGER
• scoop it into a pita with YOUR FAVOURITE FILLING
• add it to any grain bowl for extra protein.

5.            Cranberry Brie Bites

Ingredients:

14 oz (400g) ready-rolled Puff Pastry 1 egg (lightly whisked)

5.3 oz (150g) Brie (cut into 1” square pieces)

6 tbsp Cranberry Sauce

Fresh thyme or rosemary leaves t o decorate

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f and line a baking tray with parchment paper
• Unroll the pastry and brush with egg wash

• Cut the pastry into approximately 40 small rectangles

• Place one pastry rectangular on a piece of parchment and top it with another pastry rectangular or arrange pastry in muffin tins
• Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown

• Top with a piece of Brie, and put back into the oven for 2 minutes for the brie to melt
• Take out of the oven, add a dollop (1 tsp cranberry sauce/jam) to each brie bite and serve while warm. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired

So folks here you have 5 appetizer you can put together in 15 min or less. Now all you need is some fine wine or a signature cocktail. Sit back, relax and enjoy your company. I hope you will enjoy these. For more recipes visit my website at eatlivedesign.com.