In the culinary tome "Larousse Gastronomique" (1961 edition) there are thirty-three pages devoted to hors-d'oeuvres, with well over 500 preparations! How many people today under the age of 30 know what a hors-d'oeuvre is? OMGYG2BK!
Historically these were meant to be light and delicate snacks additional to the main luncheon or dinner. In the 1950s no self respecting American cocktail party would be without several hors-d'oeuvres, both cold and hot. Oddly this evolution is French as derived from Russia, following a custom there referred to as "Zakuski" - a kind of dinner-before-dinner, served with Vodka and other spirits (hors-d'oeuvres á la russe).
In fact the language of hors-d’oeuvres sounds today as ancient as Sanskrit – knowledge lost.
Anchovy scrolls á la Nicoise
Free anchovy fillets from salt, scrape and dry in a cloth. Flatten the fillets and coat them with a thin layer of fish purée or any other mixture suitable for cold hors-d’oeuvres. Roll the fillets into scrolls. Hollow some very small raw tomatoes. Marinate them and fill two thirds with the same purée. Place the scrolls in the tomatoes. Garnish to taste, as with chopped egg yolks and egg whites, capers and chopped parsley. Dress with a thin trickle of fine olive oil.
Canapés á la livonienne
Slice a dark rye loaf of rectangular shape; spread the slices with a compound horseradish butter. Garnish with slivers of herring filets alternating with thin ribbons of good tart apples, brushed lightly with oil and surround with a border of chopped chives.
Sausages á la maltaise
Fry small artisan sausages quickly in butter. Cut a sandwich loaf into thick rectangular pieces. Hollow out and fry in butter. Put one sausage on each piece of fried bread. Add white wine to the butter in which the sausages were fried, stirring well. Season with a little chopped shallot. Make a rich demi-glace sauce (reduction). Blanch some orange peel, drain, cut into very thin strips and add to the demi-glace sauce. Pour this sauce over the sausages.
JTLYK
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