m
Auspicious Begton~pgs
To the first course in a menu falls the every class of ingredient， from the
happy task of enticement. Like a humblest root vegetables to the
musical overture， an appetizer choicest seafoods and the most ex-
heightens expectations and sets the ~ otic spices， has its part to play.
stage for whal is to follow. What- The recipes in this volume indi-
ever tempting form an appetizer cate the breadth of the subject， Di-
takes---perhaps nuggets of barbe- vided into three chapters， covering
cued seafood， savory tartlets， or a cold， hot， and microwaved appetiz-
layered terrine of many hues--it ers， and grouped within these sec-
gives pleasure in itself yet stimulates tions according to their principal in-
the appetite instead of sating it. ， gredients， they demonstrate a
Such delights need not be re- ，~ remarkable variety of first courses:
stricted to dinner parties or special ~ simple and elaborate salads; stuffed
occasions. For an ordinary family ~ vegetables ranging from artichokes
and eggplant to okra and tomatoes;
meal， a plate of raw vegetables en- ~ aspics， aromatic stews， roulades;
circling a creamy dip， or a piping-hot
portion of pasta， makes a welcome fish and shellfish; crepes， crous-
start， and what is more， a healthful tades， and pastry cases concealing
one. For the good news is that none delicacies; cold meats with robust
of the 123 appetizers in this book， dressings; purees heady with fresh
f om the simplest to the most elab- herbs and garlic; brochettes， que-
o~ate is unworthy of a place in a nelles， timbales， and meatballs; pas-
health-conscious diet. ta and beans; rice and other grains
The recipes in this volume have in many guises.
been developed in the Healthy But one common approach un-
Home Cooking test kitchens in ac- derlies this diversity. All these reci-
cordancewithestablishednutrition- pes express a new philosophy of
al guidelines. It is acknowledged cooking， based on the conviction
that foods high in saturated fat， if that it is possible to eat well and still
consumed in excess， may trigger an increase in blood cholesterol， eat wisely. The emphasis is on fresh foods， chosen from those
implicated in the development of heart disease. The effects of salt richest in nutritional benefits and cooked in ways that preserve
on health are still a matter of debate， but the sodium in salt is their goodness without undue reliance on saturated fat， cho-
thought to contribute to high blood pressure in susceptible peo- lesterol， and salt.
ple. A certain amount of salt is essential， but most people， es- Flavors are clean and vibrant. Natural piquancy or intrinsic
pecially those whose diet contains a high proportion of processed sweetness is heightened by marination in lively mixtures of fruit
foods， consume far more salt than their bodies need. juices， vinegars， aromatic vegetables， wines， and spices， and by
In most of the recipes that follow， one serving of average size the liberal addition of the fresh herbs now available in ever-wider
contains no more than 250 calories， 6 to 9 grams of fat--of varieties. Basil， for example， was once largely restricted to those
which only 3 grams or less are saturated fat--75 milligrams of lucky enough to live in sunny climates， now， several different
cholesterol， and 400 milligrams of sodium. A few of the appe- types， from the tiny peppery leaves of bush basil to the large，
tizers， appropriate for special occasions that merit a little self- decorative opal basil， perfume the air of many supermarkets.
indulgence， exceed these limits. The majorityfallwell below， thus Mint， dill， sorrel， lemon balm， and a host of other species are
leaving plenty of scope for planning the remaining courses， available too and are no longer the exclusive preserve of green-
An appetizer is generally understood to be a small dish served thumbed rural and suburban gardeners.
at the beginning of a meal. Greater precision is impossible， for When sauces are used， they are based on vegetable or fruit
these so-called small dishes embrace the culinary universe， purees， or on cooking juices thickened by reduction rather than
Indeed， the making of appetizers is cooking in microcosm， by flour. Creaminess is achieved by the addition of yogurL
Every cooking method is called upon: Oven， broiler， steamer， Dressings for salads are light: Fine oils of distinctive flavor， such
saucepan， and saute pan are all pressed into service. Moreover， as virgin olive oil or those derived from hazelnuts or walnuts.
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