Canapés

A canapé or canape (French for couch[1] and known in Italy as tartina) is a small, prepared and usually decorative food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. Because they are often served during cocktail hours, it is often desired that a canapé be either salty or spicy, in order to encourage guests to drink more. A canapé may also be referred to as finger food, although not all finger foods are canapés. Crackers or small slices of bread or toast or puff pastry, cut into various shapes, serve as the base for savory butters or pastes, often topped with a "canopy" of such savory foods as meat, cheese, fish, caviar, foie gras, purees or relish.

Traditionally, canapés are built on stale white bread (though other foods may be used as a base), cut in thin slices and then shaped with a cutter or knife. Shapes might include circles, rings, squares, strips or triangles. These pieces of bread are then prepared by deep frying, sautéeing, or toasting. The foods are sometimes highly processed and decoratively applied (i.e. piped) to the base with a pastry bag. Decorative garnishes are then applied. The canapés are usually served on a canapé tray and eaten from small canapé plates. The technical composition of a canapè consists of a base (i.e. the bread or pancake), a spread, a main item, and a garnish. The spread traditionally is either a compound butter or a flavored cream cheese. Common garnishes can range from finely chopped vegetables, scallions, and herbs to caviar or truffle oil.

Hors d'œuvre & Antipasto

If there is an extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is served (for example, during a cocktail hour), these might also serve the purpose of sustaining guests during the wait. Hors d'oeuvre are sometimes served with no meal served afterward. This is the case with many reception and cocktail party events.

Hors d'oeuvre may be served at the table as a part of the sit-down meal or they may be served before sitting at the table. Hors d'oeuvre prior to a meal are either stationary or passed. Stationary hors d'oeuvre are also referred to as "table hors d'oeuvre." Passed hors d'oeuvre are also referred to as “butler-style,” “butlered” or “butler-passed” hors d'oeuvre.

Though any food served prior to the main course is technically an hors d'oeuvre, the phrase is generally limited to individual items, not crudités, cheese or fruit. For example, a glazed fig topped with mascarpone and wrapped with prosciutto is considered an "hors d'oeuvre," whereas figs on a platter are not.

In catering, both frozen and fresh hors d'oeuvre are served. Generally the fresh, handmade items are more flavorful, beautiful and expensive.

A more substantial starter or first course served at the table might be referred to as an entrée (outside the U.S. and English Canada).

Hors d'oeuvre might include:

* Canapés
* Cold cuts
* Crudités
* Snack foods
* Cheeses
* Sausages
* Dumplings
* Bruschetta

Other languages and cultures

* Antipasto is the Italian equivalent of hors d'oeuvre, meaning “before the meal” (anti = before, pasto = meal). In Italian cuisine, this typically consists of savory cold foods such as cheeses and raw or marinated vegetables, as well as cold cuts and cured meats such as prosciutto.
* Meze is the equivalent of hors d'oeuvre found in Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.
* Picaditas is the Spanish equivalent of hors d'oeuvre in Argentina, pasabocas in Colombia, pasapalos in Venezuela, boquitas in Honduras, botanas in Mexico, entradas in Chile, bocaditos in Peru, and entremeses, or tapas in Spain.
* Zakuski is an offering of hors d'oeuvre served in Russian cuisines. Usually presented buffet style, it often consists of cured meats and fishes, various pickled foods such as carrots, cucumbers, and garlic, prepared salads, caviar, and breads. Zakuski is often offered with vodka or other spirits.
* It is called leng pán ?? ("cold plate") in Mandarin.

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Bruschetta & Recipe

Is an Italian food whose origin dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. In its purest Italian traditional form, it consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat such as Proscuitto, and/or cheese; the most popular American recipe involves basil, fresh mozzarella (grated or melted), and tomato. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In Italy, Bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill. In Tuscany, bruschetta is called fettunta, meaning "oiled slice".

Crucial to good bruschetta, is really GOOD Oil and serving the toast warm with the toppings cold.

A simple, yet tasteful bruschetta recipe.

Ingredients
for a quite big slice of rustic Italian or French bread
- 1 clove garlic
- a half of a red onion
- 200 g fresh small tomatoes (heirloom tomatoes give the best flavour)
- extra virgin olive oil or really, any flavour oil you like, but it should be very high quality oil
- sea salt & ground pepper
- fresh basil leaves

Directions
Put the slice of bread in the oven at 180 C, and leave it there until it becomes light brown. In the meantime peel the clove of garlic, and chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Finely chop/crush the onion and the basil leaves. If you want to use proscuitto and/or mozzarella, shred/slice these as well.

Mix together the tomatoes, the minced onion and the basil and dress the mix with plenty of oil, then salt & pepper to taste.
When the bread is ready, take it out from the oven and firmly rub the clove garlic on the bread surface. You'll see the garlic literally melting down and get consumed by the rubbing.
Put your mix on the bread and some basil leaves on top. Add any other toppings you've chosen now as well, such as pieces or proscuitto, shredded or melted cheese, Olives etc.

Serve right away when the bread is warm and the toppings cold.

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