Martha Stewarts Hors Doeuvres Handbook

No one knows better how to give a party than Martha Stewart--and as she proves in this comprehensive and visually dazzling handbook, great parties begin with great hors d'oeuvres. Three hundred all-new recipes, each photographed in full color, show why Martha Stewart is still America's style authority and most trusted party host.

It was fifteen years ago that Martha Stewart first turned her creativity and talent for teaching to this subject, when she defined the look and flavor of party appetizers for professionals and home cooks in Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres. Since then, America's tastes have evolved and Martha's own approach to food has expanded to encompass flavors from around the world, seasonal ingredients fresh from the garden, and  innovative preparations all presented with an unsurpassed eye for beauty.

In this book, after laying out the basic foundations and techniques, Martha presents chapters on different hors d'oeuvre categories that are brimming with new ideas--Layered and Stacked; Wrapped, Rolled, Filled, Folded, and Stuffed; and Skewered and Threaded. Whether a classic cocktail party food reinvigorated with her wit and style--chicken salad tea sandwiches turned on their sides and encrusted with sesame seeds, for example--or deliciously decadent dips for crudités and seafood updated with Indian dhal or white beans and mustard greens; tiny toasted breadboxes filled with Welsh rarebit; or savory sips of soups in edible cups, these impeccable jewels are as exciting as anything Martha has ever invited her readers to serve on the buffet or tea table or pass among guests.

Reflecting Martha's favorite way to entertain now--informal and relaxed--there is also Bites and Pieces, a chapter packed with simple recipes for parties that please the guests without undoing the host. Marinated olives, spiced and seasoned nuts, handmade cheese crackers, and spicy cocktail ribs can be prepared quickly and easily in advance and arranged before the doorbell rings. Even the drinks have been provided: classic and contemporary cocktails, imaginatively garnished, are accompanied by a guide to stocking the bar and serving champagne.

Everything about Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook has been considered to create a book that is easy to use. The size was chosen to comfortably fit in the hand, in the cookbook holder, or on the kitchen counter. Color photographs in the front of the book help cooks select which hors d'oeuvres to combine for their own parties; the cross-referenced recipes in the back have been tested in Martha's own kitchen and in the test kitchens of Martha Stewart Living; and two place-marking ribbons keep track of both picture and recipe. And every detail has been covered--tips on techniques and ingredients, serving ideas, menu suggestions, recipe variations, advice on party planning, and even a glossary of equipment, special ingredients, and supplies, with a guide to finding them. With its range of recipes, its wealth of ideas, its lavish photography, and its innovative format, Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook is simply the most instructive, inspirational, and indispensable guide to hors d'oeuvres ever compiled.

Martha Stewart, the author of thirteen best-selling original books on food, entertaining, gardening, and home restoration, is the chairman and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She lives in Connecticut, Maine, and on Long Island.

Susan Spungen is the food editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She joined the company eight years ago, as a member of the launch team of Martha Stewart Living, the award-winning magazine. A former caterer, chef, and student of printmaking, Susan lives in Manhattan.