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.

Stewart's ambitious new book will no doubt be an "instant classic." Good hors d'oeuvres books are not easy to find, and presentation and entertaining are Martha's specialty; her earlier Hors d'Oeuvres (1984) remains an enduring best seller. The recipes in this collection reflect contemporary influences from a wide variety of cuisines, although there is a chapter of "classics"--long-time favorites from earlier books. This handbook is divided into two main sections: first, the photographs, of which there are more than 300, with every recipe shown in full color, and then over 350 recipes. There are "Layered and Stacked" hors d'oeuvres, tea sandwiches and canap s, "Skewered and Threaded" tidbits, and dozens of dips, spreads, and salsas, along with cocktails and drinks, a whole section on cheese, and more. These are followed by a smaller section called "The Guide," with menus, party-planning ideas, and glossaries of ingredients and equipment. Some of the recipes are demanding indeed, but others really are not, and the variety is amazing. Essential. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/98.]

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