Lisa Hause Photography

Austin Hors d’oeuvres Catering

by Leslie LaSora

When you are an attendee at an event like a wedding or fundraising dinner, what’s the first thing you get excited about when you walk through the door? For most people, it’s the delightful bite-sized morsels that kick off most celebrations: the hors d’oeuvres. At Crave Catering, we love crafting distinctive, innovative hors d’oeuvres that combine fresh ingredients and complex flavors. Our goal is always to delight your guests the moment they arrive and set the tone for an elevated event experience.

Why Cater Hors d’oeuvres

Hors d’oeuvres are versatile in so many ways. From the way they’re served to the flavors they boast, the options are truly limitless. In many cases they are a nibble before the main event, or in some cases you can craft an entire meal serving heavy hors d’oeuvres paired with a few stations. Either way, they’re always a beloved part of any celebration, especially for those who love to sample a little bit of everything.

To many, catering with hors d’oeuvres can become slightly overwhelming, as it’s slightly more complex than something like a simple sit-down meal. Luckily, our Crave Catering team is expert in crafting events that are enhanced by the addition of hors d’oeuvres, and they can guide you through the planning and all you need to know about incorporating hors d’oeuvres into your next catered event. A few things to consider are:

Guest Count

Guest count is critical when it comes to successful catering and event planning. In terms of hors d’oeuvres, the number ordered typically directly corresponds to a number of pieces per person. Therefore, we utilize the guest count for accurate planning to ensure that you’re ordering the perfect amount for you and your guests to enjoy.

Location

Hors d’oeuvres are appropriate for celebrations in any location. From the office to a specialty venue, there are so many options in a city like Austin to host your event. For many that want to incorporate the celebration into the workday, they’ll get a catered cocktail hour brought right to the office for a little office happy hour with simple hors d’oeuvres. If it’s a large celebration like a wedding, awards dinner, gala or holiday party, check out some of our partner venues to peruse and get an idea of what type of venue may be the best fit for your event. One thing to consider when selecting hors d’oeuvres is that many require preparation that is slightly more complicated and could require more equipment on site. For that reason, you may have to select simpler options if the venue selected doesn’t have the appropriate means or space to prepare the food. However, don’t fret—these are all details our Crave Catering team will work out with you for your ideal event.

Inclusive Selections

Just as if you were planning a buffet or plated meal option, you’re going to want to ensure that there is a selection that caters to all guests’ preferences and food allergies. You won’t want to create a menu that incorporates six beef hors d’oeuvres and just one vegetarian option. The goal is to strike a balance. Our team is expert at crafting menus that ensure everyone will enjoy a few of the hors d’oeuvres selections. Ensuring you have red and white meat options, seafood options, vegetarian and vegan options along with gluten-free and dairy-free options is typically a good place to start when planning your hors d’oeuvres selection.

How Much to Serve

This is a question that everyone asks: how many hors d’oeuvres should I serve? The answer—it’s all about the amount of time you’ll be serving them, if they’re combined with other food options for the evening, and how many guests you expect. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Quick cocktail hour prior to dinner (30 minutes – 1 hour) = 2 to 4 pieces per person
• Long cocktail hour prior to full dinner (1.5 hours – 2 hours) = 5 to 6 pieces per person
• Standard event serving heavy hors d’oeuvres for dinner (2 hours – 4 hours) = 8 to 10 pieces per person
• Long event serving only heavy hors d’oeuvres (over 4 hours) = 12 to 15 pieces per person

This is just a quick overview, but our Crave Catering team will work with you to ensure all bases are covered for the perfect amount of hors d’oeuvres with a wide selection crafted for you and your guests.

Alcohol Service

Many ask if they can serve alcohol at a heavy hors d’oeuvres-based event. The answer is absolutely! However, we recommend sticking to lighter specialty cocktail options, beer and wine and estimating on the higher end of pieces per person to make sure guests are eating enough to satiate themselves.

Crave Catering Highlighted Review

When our Crave Catering chefs get to dream up decadent hors d’oeuvres, they’re in a creative haven that produces the most delicious small bites. We love seeing what they come up with to fit the seasonal products available, the theme of the event or the desires of a client. No matter what, every bite is indulgent and delicious and leaves you craving more.

A few of our recent favorites are:

• Shrimp n’ grits cake with creole cream sauce
• Buffalo empanadas with chimichurri crème fraiche
• Holy guacamole on a tortilla chip spoon
• Mini croque monsieur
• Goat cheese stuffed strawberries with balsamic pearls
• Venison carpaccio atop garlic rubbed toast with fried quail egg, frisee, capers and micro greens
• Ahi tuna tartare served atop a wonton crisp with tobiko caviar, wasabi sesame seeds and micro greens
• Ginger-lime compressed melon with crab, jalapeno and cilantro
• Mini chicken and waffle slider with bourbon maple reduction and micro celery
• Eggplant caponata crostini with balsamic reduction and basil crystals