Hors d’oeuvres

or “horse devours”

When I was a kid, I loved horses more than just about anything in the world. I didn’t have a piggy bank like all the other kids. I had a “paint horse fund.” My mom took an old animal cracker tub, cut a slit in the lid, and wrapped paper around the side, which we decorated with drawings of horses. Every cent I found on the sidewalk or pulled out of pants pockets in the laundry went into that tub.

When the military makes you move, they send in a packing team to help you. They put colored stickers on all of your furniture with a number on it to make sure that nothing gets lost or sent to the wrong house. Once all of your stuff was in the new place, you had to begin the long process of combing the furniture legs for these stickers.

My parents always tasked me with this job. I thought it was fun to crawl through and under and over the furniture, the dog on my heels wondering what on earth I was doing. And what made it even more fun was that for every sticker I found, my parents gave me a nickel. A quarter if it was a sticker we’d missed from a previous move.

Every cent of that went in the paint horse fund. I would take all of the change out periodically and count it to see how close I was to having enough money to buy my very own horse.

So, as someone who has also always had a deep connection to food, imagine my level of excitement when one day, as I was reading a book, I discovered that there was a food called “horse devours.” What on earth could this fantastical food be? Was it things that horses liked to eat? Apples, carrots, oats. Was it a dish that was made into the shape of a horse?

I ran to ask my mom. I showed her the word in the book, and she laughed and told me that it was pronounced “or derves.” I was disappointed. Almost as disappointed as when I was reading a book a year or two before and ran across the word “equipped,” which I of course thought was a term for a horse’s foot (“equi” meaning horse, and “ped” meaning foot — my years of Latin at work ladies and gentlemen).

Since my initial heartbreak over the fact that this was not a dish shaped into a horse, I’ve loved hors d’oeuvres.

I find it incredibly fun that there is a whole category of small and dainty foods that exist for the express purpose of delighting your guests before dinner (and a little bit for showing off, too).

Hors D’oeuvres are bit like a good black dress or a nice, dark pair of jeans — they can be dressed up or down to suit almost any occasion.

And there’s a lot of debate about what hors d’oeuvres even are.

Some people say that they’re just appetizers wearing a beret. Others say that they’re completely different. While appetizers signify the beginning of the meal and are almost always paired intentionally with the flavors of the meal, hors d’oeuvres, which literally translates to “out of work” or “outside the meal,” are completely separate from the meal and should be served long before dinner.

Some say that only foods that are bite-sized and can be passed around on a plate qualify. Others say they’re anything that whets your appetite before a meal.

Whatever your definition, hors d’oeuvres are a great way to welcome your guests and add an extra flavorful flair to your dinner, whether you’re making dinner for one or ten.

My favorite thing to serve recently has been Honey-Baked Brie. It’s just as delicious as it sounds and is especially lovely with slices of pear and croccantini crackers.

But for everyone who would say that that’s not an hors d’oeuvres, another hors d’oeuvres I’ve been enjoying lately is Fresh Mozzarella Bruschetta.

As the summer approaches, and the safety of having outdoor gatherings is growing, I hope these hors d’oeuvres are a dinner-party delight, whether you’re eating them for an indulgent dinner-for-one or serving them to a group.

Honey-Baked Brie

Prep time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

You will need:

A wheel of Brie

Honey

2 Pears, sliced

Croccantini crackers

What to do:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the wheel of brie in a non-stick baking pan and drizzle with an ample amount of honey. Bake until the brie gets soft and gooey. Serve with the pears and crackers and enjoy!

Fresh Mozzarella Bruschetta

Prep time: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

You will need:

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

Rustic loaf of bread, sliced

4 large tomatoes, sliced

Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

What to do:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your slices of bread into smaller pieces (one or two bites worth) in a pan or on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and bake them for 3 minutes. While those are cooking, cut the tomato into thin slices a little smaller in size than the pieces of bread. Cut the mozzarella slices about the same size. Take the bread out, place a slice of tomato on each then place a slice of cheese on top of that. Cook until the mozzarella looks gooey. Top with thinly sliced basil and serve!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the recipe. Paying subscribers can check back in next week for another story-recipe. Be sure to check out my new novel, No Regrets, through the links below!

Thanks!

Juliana Nicewarner