'Tis the season of the bridal shower, the graduation celebration, the wedding, the lawn party and other outdoor soirees. 'Tis the season of the hors d'oeuvre.

Silver-dollar potato crepes topped with salmon, creme fraiche and caviar make a showstopping hors d'oeuvre for a bridal shower or lawn party. Photo credit: Photograph by Ben Fink for "Hors d'Oeuvre at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

The term "hors d'oeuvre" means "outside the meal," according to "Hors d'Oeuvre at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (Wiley, 2007). In Spanish-speaking cultures, they are called tapas; in Greece, they are "mezze"; in Italy, "antipasti." Combined judiciously, they can take the place of an actual meal. They are, generally speaking, pretty to look at, tasty to eat and have the added advantage of giving your guests many choices.

Making hors d'oeuvre doesn't have to exhaust you. First, think about the foods that you can purchase easily, that can be arranged in bowls or platters for easy munching:

- nuts

- cheeses and breads or crackers

- dips and raw vegetables, crackers or chips

- pate and sausages

- smoked meats or fish, served on tiny squares of "party rye"

- raw clams or oysters, freshly shucked and served with lemon wedges and hot sauce

- shrimp with cocktail

- salsa and chips

- small balls of mozzarella skewered with cherry tomatoes

- an antipasti plate assembled from jars and canned goods: marinated artichoke hearts, anchovies, marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers, olives.

And don't forget dessert:

- strawberries, plain or dipped in chocolate (easy to make ahead)

- fruit kabobs

- small squares of homemade or store-bought brownies or cake

- biscotti

- cream puffs (buy them frozen, defrost and fill with whipped cream).

Once you've got these basics purchased, you can knock yourself out on a few "showcase" canapes, like the recipes here. They come from the Culinary Institute's book, and from the invaluable guide "Cocktail Food" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford (Chronicle Books, 1999). As a rule of thumb, the authors advise that a three-hour party with 12 guests will require 156 pieces of hors d'oeuvres and 60 napkins. They also recommend 36 glasses, three (750-milliliter) bottles of liquor, three-dozen bottles of beer and eight (750-milliliter) bottles of wine or champagne.

POTATO CREPES WITH CREME FRAICHE AND CAVIAR

12 ounces pureed cooked potatoes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

3 large egg whites

1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream, or as needed

salt to taste

ground white pepper to taste

pinch of grated nutmeg

6 ounces smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1/2 cup creme fraiche (sold in many supermarkets, or substitute a mixture of 1/4 cup cream cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream, well blended)

1 ounce caviar

Combine the potatoes and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the whites. Adjust the consistency with the heavy cream until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Coat a nonstick griddle or saute pan lightly with oil. Pour the batter as for pancakes into silver-dollar-sized portions. Cook until golden brown and turn and finish on the second side, about 2 minutes total cooking time.

Serve the crepes warm, each topped with a smoked-salmon slice and garnished with a small dollop of creme fraiche and caviar. You can also lay out the crepes, the salmon, creme fraiche and caviar separately, and let guests assemble their own.

Yield: 30 pieces

Recipe from "Hors d'Oeuvre at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

CRAB CAKES

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked clean

2 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

2 scallions, trimmed and minced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (made by chopping a slice or two of crustless white bread in a blender or food processor)

1/4 cup finely diced celery

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons lemon juice

mayonnaise as needed

1-1/2 cups Japanese style breadcrumbs (panko; sold in many supermarkets)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup honey mustard, Creole honey-mustard sauce or tartar sauce, for serving

Combine the crabmeat, bacon, green onions, garlic, white breadcrumbs, celery, mustard and mustard powder, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Blend in the lemon juice. Mix in just enough mayonnaise to hold the mixture together.

Pour the Japanese breadcrumbs (panko) into a shallow bowl.

Portion the crab mixture into 30 balls, flatten slightly and dredge both sides of each cake in the panko. At this point, the cakes can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen for later use.

Heat the oil to 350 F in a saute pan set over medium-high heat. Line a platter with paper towels. Pan-fry the crab cakes in oil until heated through and golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes total. Drain on the lined platter. Serve with the sauce of your choice.

Yield: 30 crab cakes

Recipe from "Hors d'Oeuvre at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

CHIX STIX

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1-1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (You want 36 pieces.)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

36 snow peas, cut in half on the diagonal

Pour 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice over the chicken and toss to coat in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup lemon juice, brown sugar, water, zest and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Drain the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put the flour, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, paprika and pepper in a plastic bag and shake well to mix. Add the chicken and shake to coat completely.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large, nonstick skillet set over high heat. Line a platter with paper towels. Add half the chicken and cook until crispy and brown on all side, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to the lined platter. Wipe out the skillet and return it to the stove. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. When hot, add the remaining chicken and cook as above.

Add the chicken to the lemon-juice mixture and toss to coat well. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch nonreactive (glass, ceramic or enamel) baking pan. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To assemble, soak 36 bamboo skewers in water for 15 minutes to prevent splitting. Preheat the oven to 350 F. On each skewer, slide 1 piece of snow pea followed by 1 piece of chicken and another piece of snow pea. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used. Cover in foil and bake until warm, about 5 minutes.

Yield: 36 skewers

Recipe from "Cocktail Food" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford (Chronicle Books, 1999)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.

Copyright 2007, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.