It’s party season and most of us will be invited to at least one party where we have to take something and my favorite things to take – whether it’s to a cocktail-style party or a dinner party is hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’Oeuvre literally means “out of hours” — a reference to the fact these flavorful tidbits are not eaten at a meal. Traditionally the French don’t snack or eat at all outside of mealtimes at which time they sit down and have a proper meal (although a proper meal may simply be a croissant and cup of coffee), so these little treats are eaten outside of meals — outside of proper eating times.

Some of these recipes can be completely prepared in advance while others only need a few minutes in an oven. These are all finger foods, suitable for eating with no fancier implement than a cocktail napkin.

Enticing Empanadas: Empanadas, at least the finger-sized version, are primarily a Latin American dish. I only found one Spanish recipe in my searching — which surprised me. They certainly make nice two-bite morsels suitable for munching with a glass of sherry or wine and, because I was catering a tapas party, I though it would be easy enough to create a recipe that tasted more of Spain than Honduras or Cuba so that’s what I did.

Duck Rillettes: Rillettes are made from confit, which is some kind of meat (rabbit, pork, goose, or in this case, duck) slowly cooked — essentially poached — in fat and then pounded into a paste. Confit is an old method of preserving meat, very much a peasant dish in origin and rillettes, spread on bread or crackers, is a great and simple way to enjoy it.

Sausage Balls: I was nine or 10 when I got the assignment: make sausage balls. I suspect I brought it on myself. My memory from so long ago is fuzzy but I seem to recall lobbying my mother to make them one Christmas (she must have made them the previous year) and, as she was wont to do, her response was, “If you want them, you make them.” I’ve made them every year since then — making them the only dish I’ve ever made so long and so consistently.

Humus bi Tahini: Every time I make humus I’m reminded of an elegant (there’s that word again) Lebanese lady who once told me I made the best humus she’d eaten in the US. She said, “It’s tart, but not sour. It has good garlic, but not too much. I like the ‘pepperness.’” Here is a dish that couldn’t be more humble or more common. But it also has an elegance of flavor. Serve with crudities and triangles of pita bread.

Stuffed Mushrooms:
I developed this recipe for a client who has both celiac disease and an allergy to shell fish. I didn’t have to make stuffed mushrooms, but I’d fixated on the idea of mushrooms being part of the overall mixture of finger foods I was making — and important pasrt of the complete picture of flavor, texture, and temperature. So I skipped the bread crumbs and subbed pancetta and sun-dried tomato for the shrimp or crab. Delicious.

Southern Pâté: I can’t abide most liver (I do like foie gras) so I usually avoid pâtés. But I came across a liver-free recipe a few years ago and decided to tweak it into a recipe for a Southerm pât&eactue;. It turned out beautifully. I’ve served it with rye cocktail bread and with toast points, but I like it best with little bite-sized biscuits.