Conversation Pieces

There's a Very Good Reason why the urban host is a firm believer in the positive power of hors d'oeuvres. Called on to entertain at any hour of the day or night, he finds them perfect party provender before or after sunset, sunrise, theater, the big game, a movie, a sail--you name the pleasure. One of the greatest attractions of hors d'oeuvres is their seemingly infinite adaptability. You can--as they do in Italy--serve a single hot hors d'oeuvre, such as a roll stuffed with fontina cheese and baked, as the first course of a dinner. You can easily assemble a plate of curried herring in sour cream with black bread and butter to offer to visitors who have arrived 'twixt meals. Or you can combine prepared hors d'oeuvres from a gourmet shop--anything from Japanese smoked mussels to Strasbourg pâté de foie gras--with appetizers of your own making. When served as snacks already perched on crackers, squares of black bread or pieces of toast, they're great for enjoying while martinis are in hand and conversation is in full swing.

The most inspired sources of hors d'oeuvres are the Mediterranean countries, which draw on the creations of French, Italian and Spanish kitchens, and the Scandinavian countries, represented by the glories of the smorgasbord. Both schools believe that appetite, even when it's lackadaisical, is often accelerated by eating, provided foods are vividly flavored, freshly made or freshly turned from jar or can. The dedicated smorgasborder who sets out to make a tongue, ham and mushroom salad will use only prime smoked beef tongue, freshly cooked and sliced, and ham that would be an eye opener in its own right if served alone. And it's impossible to imagine a Scandinavian kitchen without fresh dill or sour cream. The French hors d'oeuvrier, choosing tarragon for his stuffed eggs with lobster, will insist that the leaves of tarragon be garden fresh. If this fresh herb isn't available, he'll resourcefully flavor the eggs with curly fresh parsley, chervil, chives or any other fresh herb that pleases his fancy and enhances the lobster. Both schools lean more heavily on seafood than on meat. While cold appetizers normally outnumber the hot, the latter usually make their presence felt. A guaranteed attention getter is a casserole of hot Swedish meatballs in paprika sauce or a platter of light codfish fritters from Iberian cookery.

If there's a single ingredient that distinguishes the hors d'oeuvres of sunny southern Europe, it's the olive and the rich oil extracted from it. Actually, the offerings of olives in all their sizes, forms and colors--including green, mottled green, purple and black--are often more varied in American shops than they are in those of their native countries. While the most attractive olives on the shelves are packed in simple salt water, connoisseurs know that they reach their peak of flavor when mixed with olive oil. It takes only an overnight marinade to make your own combination of olives and oil. The quality of olives commercially mixed with oil and packed in jars--sometimes also mixed with peppers, capers and herbs and called olive condite--is often erratic. The olive medley recipe given on page 195, made of whole rather than cracked olives, really ennobles the fruit that has been titillating appetites for no fewer than 37 centuries.

When hors d'oeuvres are being considered as an end in themselves, nothing is better for keeping the appetite aglow than a chilled dry white wine. In recent years, Frenchmen have learned to drink Scotch or bourbon with their hors d'oeuvres; Italians and Spaniards prefer an aperitif wine or a bitter aperitif cocktail. The Norseman will precede his visit to the smorgasbord with ice-cold aquavit or vodka, but, reverting to his viking ancestry, he'll soon turn to beer.

How the smorgasbord--meaning sandwich table--came into being is anybody's guess. But the legend we like best is the simple explanation that it was originally a community party in which each couple made its own contribution to the table; the more guests, the more sumptuous the array of foods on the smorgasbord. Today, the host is left to his own devices, which is all to the good, we say, since he should be the master of his party.

To help you prove yourself a provident master, we offer the following, designed to pique or assuage eight discerning appetites.

[recipe_title]Herring in Curry[/recipe_title]

[recipe]16 ozs. matjes herring fillets[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size onion, grated[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons curry powder[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons lemon juice[/recipe]

Cut herring crosswise into 1/2-in, strips. If very salty, soak in cold water overnight, drain and wipe dry. Mix herring with all other ingredients. Chill well before serving.

[recipe_title]Danish Cheese Board[/recipe_title]

You may have to go to a cheese specialty shop, but the imported Danish cheeses such as samsoe, tilsiter, esrom and blue have a buttery, mature flavor that is unsurpassed for smorgasbord. Provide at least 3 chunks of cheese weighing about 3/4 lb. each, removed from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

[recipe_title]Smoked Eel, Cabbage Salad[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1-1/2 lbs. smoked eel[/recipe]

[recipe]1 quart plus 1 pint finely shredded cabbage[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon dry mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]Dash pepper[/recipe]

Smoked eel is at its best when freshly delivered from the smokehouse. Buy it at a shop that receives a fresh stock frequently.

Cut eel into 1/2-in. chunks. In a mixing bowl, combine cream, horseradish, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper; add cabbage and toss well. Place cabbage salad on serving plate or bowl; arrange eel on top.

[recipe_title]Tongue, Ham and Mushroom Salad[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 lb. sliced smoked beef tongue[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. sliced cooked or canned ham[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]3 medium-size carrots[/recipe]

[recipe]3 medium-size pieces celery[/recipe]

[recipe]1 Spanish onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Cut tongue, ham and mushrooms into julienne strips 1 in. long. Boil carrots and celery until barely done, still slightly firm but not raw. Cut both vegetables into thinnest possible julienne strips about 1 in. long. Cut onion in half through stem end; cut crosswise into thinnest possible slices; separate slices to make strips. Place onion in cold water, bring to a boil and remove from fire as soon as water boils; drain well. Combine all ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste. Chill well.

[recipe_title]Finnish Dilled Salmon[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 lbs. fresh salmon[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon crushed whole white pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 large bunch (about 20 sprigs) dill[/recipe]

Be sure salmon is absolutely fresh. Have it cut into two fillets, with center bone removed but skin left on. Wash fish and dry well with paper toweling. Combine salt, sugar and pepper. Rub this mixture into all sides of the salmon. Place a layer of dill in a bowl. Place one fillet skin side down on the dill. Add a layer of dill on top of the fish. Place the second piece of salmon skin side up on top, arranging it so that the thick part fits over the thin part of the bottom piece. Add more dill. Place an inverted plate or a piece of wood on the fish and weight it down with a heavy object. Chill 24 hours, turning fish several times but keeping pieces tightly fitted together. Scrape seasonings off fish and cut into thin diagonal slices. Place on serving plate. Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh dill. Serve ice-cold. May be accompanied by a French dressing, if desired. To some Americans, the flavor of this fish is an acquired taste; to Scandinavians, it's Valhalla.

[recipe_title]Cold Stuffed Beets[/recipe_title]

[recipe]16 medium-size red beets, canned or freshly boiled[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]4 hard-boiled eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon dry mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons prepared mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter at room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]4 teaspoons mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]16 rolled anchovies[/recipe]

If beets are canned, drain well. If freshly boiled, remove skins. Cut a small slice from bottom of each beet, so that it can sit upright. Cut out a small cone from the top of each one, so that it can be stuffed. Chop finely the pieces that have been cut away. Pound caraway seeds in mortar until flavor is released. Combine chopped beets, caraway seeds, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto serving dish. Mash hard eggs by forcing them through a fine sieve. Mix egg with both kinds of mustard, butter and 4 teaspoons mayonnaise, adding salt and pepper to taste. Stuff beets with egg mixture. An easy way is to roll a portion of the mixture lightly between hands and place on top of each beet. Place stuffed beets on serving dish. Top each one with an anchovy and chill.

[recipe_title]Halibut and Apple Salad[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 lbs. fresh halibut, 3/4-in.-thick slices[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cups boiled peeled potatoes, 1/2-in. cubes[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup minced celery[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups apples, peeled, 1/2-in. cubes[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]4 teaspoons sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]4 teaspoons vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons finely minced fresh chives Salt, pepper[/recipe]

(continued on page 194)Conversation Pieces(continued from page 120)

Boil halibut in salted water until fish flakes easily--about 12-15 minutes. Drain; remove skin and bones from fish and break into flakes. Cut into approximately 1/2-in. squares. Place halibut, potatoes, celery and apples in mixing bowl and toss lightly. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, horseradish and I teaspoon chives, mixing well. Add mayonnaise mixture to fish mixture and toss lightly, adding salt and pepper to taste. Turn salad into serving dish. Sprinkle remaining chives on top.

[recipe_title]Swedish Meatballs[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 lb. ground beef[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. ground pork[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. ground veal[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 slices stale white bread, 1/2-in. squares[/recipe]

[recipe]8-oz. can tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion, grated[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground fennel[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon ground allspice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground mace[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs[/recipe]

Place meat in mixing bowl. Put bread and tomatoes in blender. Stir with rubber spatula until bread is softened with juice of tomatoes. Add balance of ingredients to blender and blend at high speed about 1 minute. Add to meat in mixing bowl; mix well by hand. Preheat oven at 375°. Shape meat into small balls about 3/4 in. in diameter. Place on lightly greased shallow baking pan. Bake until brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Combine with paprika sauce below and heat over low flame about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Best if made a day in advance and reheated at serving time.

[recipe_title]Paprika Sauge[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup very finely minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

In small saucepan, heat chicken broth and cream to boiling point and remove from fire. In another pan, sauté onion in butter until onion is yellow. Remove from fire; stir in paprika and flour, blending well. Slowly stir in chicken-broth mixture. Return to a moderate flame and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Stuffed Eggs with Lobster[/recipe_title]

[recipe]8 hard-boiled eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 freshly boiled 1 1/4-lb. lobster, split[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons very finely minced shallots or scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon bottled Sauce Diable[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter at room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh tarragon[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Small can consommé madrilene with sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]16 strips fresh tarragon, 1 1/2ins. long[/recipe]

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove and mash yolks by forcing them through sieve. Remove tomalley and any roe from lobster and mix with mashed yolks, shallots, mustard, Sauce Diable, butter, mayonnaise, minced tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Pile yolks back into whites. Empty madrilene from can and chill in refrigerator just until it is syrupy-looking, not jelled. Brush tops of stuffed eggs lightly with madrilene. Cut shelled lobster into 16 chunks; dip each in madrilene and place on top of egg half. Diptarragon strips in madrilene and arrange alongside lobster. Chill well.

[recipe_title]Celery and Cucumber, Mustard Cream[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 cups sliced celery[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups sliced cucumber[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]4 teaspoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]Dash cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, white pepper[/recipe]

Clean celery and cut crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. Peel cucumber; remove seeds with spoon and cut crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. In mixing bowl, stir mustard and lemon juice until well blended. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Add celery, cucumber, cayenne and salt and white pepper to taste. Chill well. Keep covered in refrigerator.

[recipe_title]Olive Medley[/recipe_title]

Peel a dozen small shallots or round scallions, white part only, and simmer in boiling water until barely tender. Drain. In mixing bowl, combine shallots, a dozen each of extra-large green olives, pimiento-stuffed olives and ripe olives, and ripe olives, all drained. Cover with mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part red-wine vinegar with 2 large cut cloves garlic. Marinate overnight. Discard garlic and place olives without oil in serving dish. Oil mixture may be used at another time for salad dressing.

[recipe_title]Melon with Prosciutto and Ginger[/recipe_title]

Cut 1-in.-wide slices of melon in season, allowing two per person if served with other hors d'oeuvres. Cut away skin of melon. Brush each slice with syrup from candied ginger in syrup. For each slice of melon, chop coarsely a piece of candied ginger and place in hollow of slice. Wrap each piece of melon with a slice of prosciutto.

[recipe_title]Pâté[/recipe_title]

Allow about 1 oz. Pâté per person, using canned, homemade or fresh Pâté from gourmet shop or restaurant. Cut Pâté just before serving with sharp knife dipped in hot water or with wire cheese slicer. May be served on Boston lettuce leaves garnished with chopped meat aspic, if desired.

[recipe_title]Beet, Apple and Onion Salad[/recipe_title]

Marinate 3 to 4 hours 1-lb. can drained shoestring beets, 2 large apples, peeled, cored and cut same size as beets, 1 cup onion, same size, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Bacalao Fritters[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 2-oz. packages shredded salt codfish[/recipe]

[recipe]4 eggs, separated[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup finely minced roasted sweet pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons very finely minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon chervil, very finely minced[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Olive oil[/recipe]

Soak codfish, following directions on package, and drain well. Mix codfish, egg yolks, flour, milk, lemon juice, sweet pepper, parsley, chervil and black pepper. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Preheat 1/4 in. oil in skillet at 370°. Drop batter by heaping teaspoons into fat. Fry until medium brown, turning once. Fritters may be made ahead, chilled and reheated (in a single layer on baking sheet) in moderate oven 10-12 minutes before serving time.

[recipe_title]Panini with Cheese[/recipe_title]

[recipe]8 small hard dinner rolls[/recipe]

[recipe]Butter at room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]7 1/2-oz. jar sweet roasted peppers, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup onions, 1/2-in. dice[/recipe]

[recipe]10 ozs. diced fontina cheese or any semisoft cheese such as bel paese or port du salut[/recipe]

[recipe]4 eggs, beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon oregano[/recipe]

[recipe]Freshly grated parmesan cheese[/recipe]

Cut a slice about 1/2 in. from top of rolls. Scrape out several tablespoons crumbs from each roll. Butter inside of each one generously. Place sweet pepper inside roll. Place onions in cold water in saucepan, bring to a boil and discard water. In mixing bowl, combine cheese, onions and eggs. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add oregano. Preheat oven at 350°. Spoon cheese mixture into rolls; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place rolls on baking sheet; bake about 20 minutes. Place under broiler for a few moments, watching constantly, for additional browning, if desired.

Any or all of the aforementioned--whether they be hot or cold, from the north or the south--should turn on your guests' taste buds in spectacular fashion. If they don't, we can only suggest that you try new guests.

He:"Pamela, these hors d'oeuvres really look together--especially the halibut-and-apple salad. Reminds me of Waldorf. I've had a suite in the Towers for years, you know. Great room service and the view is outasight."

She:"Oh?"

He:"This pâté is the best I've had since Jackie and Ari's Aegean blast last year. If you'd like to meet them, it's no problem at all."

She:"Really?"

He:"Smoked-eel-and-cabbage salad--delicious! It's got the same tangy touch of the sea as the canapés the Aga set out the last time I was in Sardinia. After the tourists leave, the island's practically my second home. And it's almost around the corner by jet."

She:"Imagine that."

He:"Now, here's a tasty little nibble. Hmm, herring in curry, I'd say. I once owned a houseboat in the Vale of Kashmir and my pukkah-wallah used to whip up something similar. These are better, of course--because you're here."

She:"Flatterer!"

He:"Try this bacalao fritter! The Portuguese certainly can turn a hunk of codfish into a work of art. Juanita, the cook at my villa in the Algarve, couldn't do better. And she's crazy about visitors...."

She:"Well...."

He:"Take a bite of this! Tongue, ham and mushrooms, I'll bet. Dad often serves it down on his Virginia farm just after a Saturday hunt. You must look great in riding Pinks."

She:"Whoa!"

He:"And, speaking of Virginia, we've got this apple orchard you've got to see to believe. This beet, apple and onion salad is unbelievable, too."

She:"Right on."

He:"Say, now, melon with prosciutto and ginger. Molto bene! And stuffed eggs with lobster! Lord, do I love lobster! Reminds me of the victory banquet last summer on Martha's Vineyard, when I managed first place in the regatta. You sail, of course."

She:"Of course."

He:"Ah, Swedish meatballs. What say I introduce you to my sauna? And the sauna the better."

She:"Ouch!"

He:"If you're through with this Finnish dilled salmon and the panini with cheese, let's proceed to the second course--dinner at my place, served by my delightfully discreet manservant."

She:"Now, that's tempting ...

... but our host's marvelous hors d'oeuvres will hold me. He's too modest about his culinary skill--but you wouldn't know about modesty, would you? Besides, I promised I'd stay to tidy up--and serve him breakfast in bed in the morning...."