The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook (4 page)

Ideally, hors d’oeuvres should be just one or two bites. How many different kinds should you serve, and how many per guest? If you have eight guests or less, two different hors d’oeuvres is perfect; shoot for three for parties up to twelve; four to however many you can manage for bigger blowouts. If you’re serving dinner, you only need plan for six individual hors d’oeuvres per person. If it’s cocktails-only, double that to twelve.

The most difficult part of serving hors d’oeuvres is planning. You don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all night. Balance your menu with hot and cold items, or ones that can be reheated in the oven without any fuss.

This is where dip comes into play as the party giver’s best friend. Serve a big bowl of chips accompanied by a tasty dip, and you have just supplied a lot of servings with very little effort. Serve the combination in a retro chip-and-dip set, and you get extra points.

Most chefs recommend serving each type of hors d’oeuvre on its own tray or platter, but you can make beautiful presentations by lining up like-items. No matter what, never serve hot and cold hors d’oeuvres on the same plate.

Put Your Right Hand Out

Raise your hand if you love getting a slimy, wet handshake at a cocktail party. Yeah, we don’t either. Though it might seem like a difficult juggling act, a good party guest balances all their food and drink in their left hand, leaving their right hand free for dry, well-mannered greetings.

To do this, tuck a small fold of the middle of your cocktail napkin in between your left hand ring finger and pinkie. Spread the rest of the napkin out, and place your hors d’oeuvre on it. Now hold your glass by the bottom against the flat of your palm between your thumb and forefinger, steadying the sides with those fingers. It sounds complicated on paper, but try it and you’ll see how easy it is to be a perfect party guest.

BLINI AND CAVIAR

MAKES 40 BLINI, ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Blini and caviar, popularized by their appearance at Russian-esque upscale restaurants like New York’s Russian Tea Room, were the ultimate indicator of midcentury luxury. The little pancakes are simple to make at home. You can serve them with caviar or smoked salmon. And, as a boon to the busy party giver, they should not be hot–that would only warm the caviar.

¾ cup all-purpose flour

⅔ cup buckwheat flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups whole milk

½ cup full-fat sour cream, plus more for serving

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Vegetable oil, for cooking

2 ounces caviar

Minced onion, minced hard-boiled egg yolk, and minced fresh chives, for serving

1.
Sift the fl our, buckwheat fl our, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, sour cream, eggs, and butter together in another bowl. Add to the fl our mixture and whisk just until smooth. Do not overmix.

2.
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat until a splash of water forms tiny bubbles that dance on the griddle surface. Lightly oil the griddle. Using a tablespoon for each, spoon the batter onto the griddle. Cook until the underside is golden brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook until the other sides are browned, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate. (The blini can be prepared, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature, for 8 hours before serving.)

3.
Place the caviar in a small serving bowl and nestle in a larger bowl of ice. (Or, if you have a caviar server, use it.) Serve the blini with the caviar and the sour cream, onion, egg yolk, and chives.

CLAM CASINO DIP

MAKES 2 CUPS, 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Onion dip was king of the chip-and-dip set, but clam dip also had plenty of supporters. Our version is dressed up with the flavors of another Sixties fave: clams casino–baked clams seasoned with red peppers and bacon. Like many midcentury classics, it relies on canned food. If you have fond memories of Mom’s clam dip, we provide the recipe in the “Kitchen Time Machine.”

1 large red pepper

2 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Hot red pepper sauce

2 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and finely chopped

Potato chips, preferably ridged, for serving

1.
Position a broiler rack about 8 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Broil the pepper, turning occasionally, until the skin is blackened and blistered, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Remove and discard the skin. Chop into 1/4-inch dice. Measure ½ cup and set aside. Reserve the remaining red pepper for another use.

2.
Drain the clams and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice. Using a rubber spatula, mash the cream cheese with the juice in a medium bowl. Stir in the drained clams, red pepper, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with the hot red pepper sauce. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

3.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the bacon. Serve chilled, with the chips for dipping.

KITCHEN TIME MACHINE

For Classic Clam Dip, drain 2 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams, and reserve 2 tablespoons of the clam juice. Mash 8 ounces softened cream cheese, with the juice, 1 small minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, and season with hot red pepper sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

MAKES 24 OYSTERS

Although invented at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans in the late 1800s, we include these rich, hot oysters because of Nelson Rockefeller’s influence on New York life in the Sixties, and they were a popular way to start a meal during the decade. We warn you—they are as rich as Rockefeller, which is how they got their name. How many is too many? Three of these luscious oysters is enough for most people, especially as a first course, but many restaurants serve six to twelve per plate.

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium celery rib, very finely minced

4 scallions, white and green parts, very finely minced

2 tablespoons anise-flavored liqueur, such as Herbsaint or Pernod (but not anisette)

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup Italian-seasoned dried bread crumbs

Hot red pepper sauce

24 oysters, shucked, curved shells served

1.
A handful at a time, squeeze the excess water from the spinach. Set the spinach aside.

2.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the scallions and cook, stirring often, until very tender but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the liqueur and cook until it evaporates, about 15 seconds. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is dry, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Cut the remaining butter into tablespoons, and add to the skillet. Stir until the butter is melted. Add the Worcestershire sauce, then the bread crumbs. Season with hot red pepper sauce. Set aside at room temperature. (The green butter can be made up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before using.)

3.
Position a broiler rack 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Crumple aluminum foil in a broiler pan to make a bed for the oysters. (You may need two broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets to hold all 24 oysters.)

4.
Nestle the oysters, in their shells, in the foil. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture over each oyster. Broil until the butter is bubbling and the edges of the oysters are curling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the oysters to dinner plates and serve hot.

CRAB RANGOON

MAKES 24 APPETIZERS, 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Surely nothing like crab Rangoon ever existed in Burma or even Polynesia. Once a mainstay of the pupu platter, crab Rangoon isn’t as popular as it used to be, perhaps because it must be deep-fried to appreciate it in its crispy-creamy-crabby glory. Newer, baked versions just aren’t the same.

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 scallion, white and green parts, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 ounces crabmeat, picked over for cartilage

Hot red pepper sauce

Cornstarch, for dusting

24 wonton squares (from half a 12-ounce package)

1 large egg white, beaten with a pinch of salt until foamy, for sealing the wontons

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Hot Chinese Mustard (
page 43
) and duck sauce, for serving

1.
Mash the cream cheese, soy sauce, scallion, and garlic together in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the crabmeat. Season with the hot red pepper sauce.