Newfoundland Hors D’oeuvres

Christmas just isn’t Christmas in Newfoundland without these hors d’oeuvres! Sure, they look rather simplistic and it’s easy to have a dislike for canned sausages, but these are so delicious! If you can slice cheese and skewer it onto toothpicks, you can easily assemble these little appetizers!

I think we are all familiar with cocktail onions. They’re often found in martinis or on an antipasto plate. They can be found in most grocery stores and are found in tall, skinny jars. The same can be said for gherkins. I love these little pickles! And, of course, we all know cheese! But, have you ever tasted a canned Vienna sausage? They have been a staple in Newfoundland pantries for many, many years, so it’s no wonder they found their way into a very traditional treat like these Newfoundland Hors D’oeuvres!

These were not overly traditional in our home while I was growing up. I’ve had them many times, but I can only remember a few occasions when my mom prepared them. Most of the time, you can find them at holiday parties or other functions. They are also part of a Cold Plate but in another variation. In that version, cubed cheese is paired with rolled sliced ham – sometimes there’s a pickle and other times there is not.

Pairing cubed cheese with a cocktail onion and a slice of sausage was something I was mostly exposed to when I met my now ex-wife. She loved them and we had them often – well, more often than I had them while growing up! I can still remember being at her mom’s house and helping to make a plate of them. Once skewered, they were placed on a dinner plate in a circular fashion with the blunt end of the toothpick sticking out over the side so that they were easy to pick up. I can’t tell you how many of those I ate that night!

BUT HOW DO YOU SAY IT IN NEWFOUNDLAND?

If you’re not familiar that much with Newfoundland and its people, you might not know that we have a very thick accent. And, across the island, you will find many variations in terms of dialect. Early settlers in the 17th century came mostly from Ireland, but there were also settlers from England and Scotland. In fact, Newfoundland English was first recognized as a separate dialect in the late 18th century when George Cartwright published a glossary of Newfoundland words.

Glossaries and dictionaries depicting words and phrases used by Newfoundlanders have been published numerous times. And, there’s a good reason for that too! Otherwise, how would a visitor even know what a questions like, “Where you’s longs to” or “Who knit ye” means? Which, by the way, translates to “Where are you from” and “Who are your parents” respectively. Variations in recipe titles from one part of the province to another apply as well. These hors d’oeuvres, for example, are sometimes call oderbs, horse doovers, or another name where the letter S in the word horse is dropped and the word is preceded by the letter W. I’ve heard it all!

I’m going to tell you all about this appetizer and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re just kicking off the month of November, but I have a lot of Christmas-themed recipes to share with you this year, so I’ve got to get started early. So, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for this recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS APPETIZERS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the second of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. This series will focus on easy-to-make appetizers that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be so complex that you can’t whip them up just before your guests arrive. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday appetizers year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers series! Even though this is the second series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Some of my favourites from previous years are my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas, my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Canned Vienna Sausages – They are packed in salty brine. Drain them well and cut them into half-inch lengths. If you don’t like these, you can use cured sausage, but it will not be authentic nor will it taste as it should.
• Cheese – Traditionally, these are prepared with either orange cheddar or marble brick-style cheese. Any hard cheese, such as mozzarella, havarti, swiss, gouda, etc., will work too.
• Cocktail Onions – These add crunch and a burst of pickled flavour!
• Gherkins – Sometimes called cornichons, gherkins are small pickles with a smoky flavour. Cut these little pickles into half-inch pieces to match the length of the sausages.

HOW TO MAKE NEWFOUNDLAND HORS D’OEUVRES

Preheat your oven… No, I’m kidding! This is an assembly type of recipe. Once you have cubed the cheese, sliced the canned sausages and gherkins, and fished the cocktail onions out of the jar, it’s time to put them all together.

I find it easier to skewer the softest ingredient first, which, in this case, is the sausage. The sausage, gherkin, and cocktail onion will slide onto the pick quite easily. The cheese, however, is thick and dense meaning force is needed to push a wooden pick all the way through it.

Another reason for skewering the cheese last is because if you prefer, you can stand the hors d’oeuvres up on their end if your cheese is cut straight enough. Once all of the ingredients have been skewered, they can be eaten immediately. If you are making these ahead of time, cover the plate well with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

WHAT ARE GHERKINS?

According to Cooked Best, here’s what you need to know about gherkins, or what they are otherwise known as – cornichons. In most English-speaking countries, these small pickles are sold under their French name, cornichons, but the English call them gherkins. So you may be wondering what are cornichons. They come from a few different types of gherkin plants that are generally small and picked when quite young. The most popular varieties of cucumber used for cornichons are Parisienne cornichon de Bourbonne and fin de Meaux cucumber.

Gherkins have a striking resemblance to cucumbers, but they are not true cucumbers. They are a close relative to the cucumber but have a bumpy exterior. They are one to two inches long, and their width is about the size of a child’s finger. The texture of this little cucumber cousin is crunchy, and the taste is tart and mildly sweet.

In French cooking, pickles do not have a huge part, but the crunchy bite of cornichons balances out pâté, cured meat and cheese. Moreover, terrines, charcuterie items and raclettes welcome this tiny crisp pickle with open arms. They are great on appetizer platters, added to salad and sandwiches and chopped up in classic deviled eggs.

WHAT ARE COCKTAIL ONIONS?

A cocktail onion is usually a pearl onion which has been pickled in brine. Pearl onions are usually chosen for their natural sweetness, but other varieties are sometimes used as well. In most cases, you will find them wherever pickles are sold. They are usually in a taller, thin jar and can most commonly be found in two flavours. There is a sweet cocktail onion and a sour cocktail onion. I like them both, but I feel the sweet one works best in this Newfoundland Hors D’ouevers recipe.

The sweetness of the cocktail onion, along with the sweetness and smokiness of the gherkin, helps to balance out the saltiness of the sausage and the cheese. The combination of all three together is what makes this appetizer taste so good. Now, to be perfectly honest, pickled sweet onions, or cocktail onions, are sometimes hard to locate around the holidays. I guess they’re more popular at that time of year.

Look for them at grocery stores, or even at Walmart. I’ve tried the Walmart brand and they’re quite good. If you prefer sour cocktail onions, my go-to choice there is the Bick’s brand.

CANNED VIENNA SAUSAGES

Before you even screw up your nose, let me just go right ahead and say, yes, I know they are bad for me. And, yes, I know they probably have very little real meat. I’ve heard it all when it comes to the naysayers who think they’re to hoity-toity to eat a sausage from a can. But, I love them! They were such a normal thing to see in my home when I was a kid. We used to take a can along with us when we were berry picking or doing something else that might require us to be away from home for more than 5 or 6 hours.

I know many Newfoundlanders who refuse to eat them anymore like they did when they were kids. But, I have not stopped. If I’m making homemade pizza, I have to put sliced canned Vienna sausages on it! Want proof? Check out my Homemade Newfoundland-Style Pizza right here! So, just what are they anyway?

After having been brought to North America by European immigrants, a Vienna sausage came to be a shorter smoked and canned sausage, rather than link sausage. North American Vienna sausages are made similarly to pork wieners, where pork is finely ground and mixed with seasonings and spices, such as cloves, coriander, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder and ground red pepper. That mixture used to be stuffed into a long casing sometimes smoked, and thoroughly cooked. Beginning in the 1950s, the casings were removed and the links were cut into short segments for canning and cooking. Sales peaked in the 1940s but have declined since the 1970s.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!