Brie and Raspberries with Almonds in Phyllo. When it comes to beautiful hors d‘oeuvres, frozen is a good thing.

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April 2005

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Hors D’Oeuvres

Black Tie Hors D’Oeuvres

Seven Minutes to Dinner at Eight

Black Tie is a maker of high-quality frozen hors d’oeuvres sold at fine retailers. A large portion of its business is to foodservice—caterers and restaurants—so those tasty hors d’oeuvres you had at a reception or a wedding might well have been Black Tie’s.

They go from freezer to plate in just seven or eight minutes. What more could a busy parent, host or hostess ask for?

Calculating The Number Of Hors D’Oeuvres That You’ll Need

If you will be serving dinner, allow 4 to 6 hors d’oeuvres per person. 

*Black Tie Hors D’Oeuvres are packaged 12 to a tray.

If you’re hosting a cocktail party with no dinner to follow, allow for 8 to 10 hors d’oeuvres per person.

Note that caterers calculate “per person” rather than “per hour” because cocktail parties are typically capped at 2 hours. They are meant to be cocktails enjoyed before dinner.

• A cocktail party enables a host to entertain more people and enables them to mix more than a typical dinner party.
• A party of longer duration that is not followed by dinner would be an “open house” of 3 or 4 hours. Since some guests might actually be there for the entire duration and would at some point seek more extensive food, a light buffet is generally provided.
• Depending on the season and the time of day (an open house can begin in mid-afternoon), the buffet could include cold salads and platters, hot foods or a mix.
• Of course, you can have hors d’oeuvres as well as buffet items at an open house, and you can serve a buffet at a cocktail party; though in the latter situation, many people will not fully partake of a buffet if they have dinner plans afterward.

How many different types of hors d’oeuvres should you serve?

Caterers often use this rule of thumb:

• Up to 50 people: 4 to 5 varieties
• 50 to 100 people: 7 to 8 varieties
• More than 100: Up to 10 varieties

However, we look at it from the eating point of view, not the headcount point of view. It’s how long the party lasts, not how many people attend. Whether you’re one of 20 guests or one of 120, if you’re there for two hours do you want to look at the same four puffs and quiches pass by, or do you want to see seven, eight, or ten choices?  You be the judge!

Beyond The Cocktail Party

In addition to serving Black Tie at parties, you can bring a box of hors d’oeuvres as a hostess gift, use the for amuses bouche at your dinner table, or break open a box when you’ve had a long day and need to feel civilized...in seven minutes.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Crostini

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