Styling Your Christmas Table: Six Super Easy Canapes To Impress Your Guests (Edition 5)
I am a woman who could live purely on canapés. Given the choice, I would never willingly eat a full plated meal - give me a platter of smoked salmon swirls, a mushroom vol au vent and a sticky sausage and that’s enough for me. Another reason why I am an avid promoter of party food is because, well, it looks nice. My naturally shallow self leans heavily towards the prettiness of a nicely laid out wooden board topped with beautifully comprised nibbles; the fun of putting together a delicious dip surrounded by colourful crudités far outweighs the prospect of preparing a chicken Kiev, potato waffles and baked beans. Back in the old days, when we had actual social lives, I often bypassed dinner completely when we had guests and did evenings comprising wholly of party style food. The upside to this style of gathering is that there’s far less washing up involved - no plates or cutlery means that from a clearing up perspective, you are dealing only with discarded paper napkins, leaving more time to do fun things instead of loading the dishwasher. It’s Food Of The Gods, in my opinion, not least because it’s much quicker and easier than serving a sit down meal and there’s rarely any waste. Let’s face it, everyone loves a good canapé.
Last Christmas. Just a small selection of the shit loads of nibbles that my family are able to consume in a single sitting.
Also, another benefit of canapés is that even the smallest of nibbles goes very nicely with a glass of wine on any day of the week. I come from a family where the evening was always an event. My parents had a routine. At six o’clock, my Dad got out the glasses and they opened a bottle of wine. If any of us children were around, there would be a bowl of nibbles - most commonly crisps or nuts - and we’d celebrate the end of the day before sitting down for dinner. When my mum visits, we continue this tradition and as six o’clock strikes, I am generally to be found thrusting a glass of Sauvignon into her hand with a bowl of Chicken Sensations and a pot of houmus as she completes The Daily Mail crossword whilst simultaneously watching Tipping Point. The downside to this is that my mums attention is often so distracted that she fails to notice the Buddy, our Llasa Apso, sneaking up to her nibbles as if he were Ethan Hunt on a mission. My kids are also massive fans of party food. During December, we have another family tradition (yes, we like routine) whereby we try ready made party food from every major supermarket at the weekend, rating them from one to ten. We know how to live on a Saturday night, oh yes we do.
Anyway, for the past four years I have annually bestowed on my lovely blog readers my favourite canapé recipes, from bread baked Brie through to tomato and mozzarella sticks, classic recipes that can be pulled out of the bag at the shortest of notice, often using ingredients that you’ve got in the cupboard. I don’t, of course, stick to the actual rules of the canapé. The true definition is that a canapé should be a piece of bread, a cracker or toast topped with something delicious but I cast aside this theory. Canape or finger food, it’s all the same in my book. There has, however, always been one underlying common theme to my canapé recipes and that is that they HAVE to be simple. I don’t do complicated when it comes to cooking and this years offerings are no exception. Here are my top six super easy canapés that will help make your Christmas a gastronomic winner (PS: you can substitute the meat ingredients for vegetarians and vegans really easily).
Chicken & Bacon Cups
1 roast chicken breast, shredded and chopped
4 crispy bacon strips, crumbled (extra reserved for garnish)
2 baby gem lettuce, leaves divided for filling
1 mashed and chopped garlic clove
5 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice
Tbsp of grated parmesan (plus handful of sliced for garnish)
Chopped chives
Chicken and bacon is another unbeatable combination (if you’re not a vegetarian, obvs). This is such an easy recipe that takes ten minutes but looks great. Lay out your baby gem leaves on a platter. Combine the mayo, garlic, grated parmesan, white wine vinegar and lemon juice in a cup, mixing well then add to the chicken and bacon until well combined. Spoon into the cups and garnish with a sliver of parmesan, a bit of bacon and sprinkle with chives. Easy peasy.
Serrano & Manchego Skewers With Quince
1 packet of Serrano ham, each piece cut into two
Piece of Manchego cheese, diced into 12 chunks
12 cornichon (jarred)
Quince paste or jam
This is my favourite combination. I often serve the Manchego simply sliced with quince cubes, but blocks of membrillo are quite difficult to get hold of so this is more simple. Combine a cornichon, rolled Serrano and diced cheese on a cocktail stick. Give the quince paste a good mix in a bowl and serve with a small spoon. Perfection on a stick.
Meliz Cypriot Breakfast Canapes
200g halloumi cut into cubes
1 sliced sucuk (can be substituted with chorizo)
2 sliced baby cucumbers, 8 cherry tomatoes (halved)
16 pitted dry black olives
Sumac, crushed coriander seeds to garnish
Dressing:
1 tsp dried oregano, half tsp mint and coriander seeds
1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tsp red wine vinegar
This recipe comes from the fabulous Meliz Berg of Meliz Kitchen blog - I am forever obsessed with her delicious menus and amazing food photography (apologies in advance that my own is of far lower quality). Okay, in a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together, then add the cucumbers, tomatoes and olives and stir. Fry the sucuk or chorizo in a dry frying pan until the oil runs and they start to crisp, then remove to a piece of kitchen roll. Add the halloumi cubes and fry in the oils. Skewer on to cocktail sticks and brush over the excess dressing. Garnish with sumac and crushed coriander seeds. DELISH.
Pizza Nachos
Bag of tortilla chips
2 diced tomatoes
1 diced red onion
2 chopped cloves of garlic
Tbsp Lime juice, oregano, white wine vinegar
Mozzerella grated cheese
Pepperoni and jalapeño slices
Anyone who follows me on Instagram will know I was totally inspired last week when I bought pizza fries from a local street food van. Here’s a canapé sized version (for very hungry people). Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Mix the tomatoes, red onion and garlic in a small bowl and mix with the white wine vinegar, lime juice and oregano to make a loose salsa - season to taste. Lay the tortilla chips on a baking tray and spoon the salsa over the top. Top with grated mozzarella, pepperoni and jalapeño slices. Put into the oven for about ten minutes or until the cheese has melted. Scoff. Can be adapted with vegan cheese and toppings.
Guacamole Potato Skins
6 medium sized potatoes
4 cherry tomato, quartered
2 ripe avocado, mashed
Tbsp chopped chive, dill, flat leaf parsley
2 sliced spring onion
Jalapeno to taste, chopped
Tbsp mayo, lime juice, sour cream
Chopped herbs to garnish
In my mind, anything involving a jacket potato skin cannot be beaten. Oil and season the potatoes, then bake at 200 degrees for one hour. Remove and allow to slightly cool so you can handle them. Carefully slice in half, then scoop out the potato middle and place in a bowl, mashing with the mayo, sour cream and a dash of milk until it reaches the desired consistency - season to taste. Place the potato skins on a baking tray, spoon in the mashed potato and put back in the oven for ten minutes until slightly crisp. Whilst they are cooking, mix the cherry tomato, avocado, spring onion, jalapeño, lime juice and chopped herbs together in a separate bowl. Remove from the oven and top with guacamole - garnish with herbs. Yum. You can also add crumbled bacon or prawns to the top if you so wish.
Queens Gambit Checkerboard
Loaf of rye or pumpernickel
Loaf of white bread (as thin as possible)
Pot of cream cheese (Philadelphia style)
1 packet of smoked salmon
1 thinly sliced cucumber
Lemon juice, chopped dill
Obviously I can’t do a lockdown blog post without a Netflix reference (I did try and connect a canapé to Schitts Creek but it wasn’t possible, ha). I actually served this canapé at my 40th birthday party which was seventies themed, alongside cheese and pineapple on a stick and vol au vents. Classic. Anyway, super simple but looks cool. Spread cream cheese on three pieces each of rye bread and white bread. To the rye, add a squeeze of lemon juice and spread over the slices of smoked salmon - add rye slices to create three sandwiches. Add cucumber to the white bread slices and then top to do the same. Cut squares from each set of sandwiches then create a checkerboard effect on the platter. Top each checker with whatever you’ve got in the fridge - perhaps half a cherry tomato or a pickled onion - on a cocktail stick, scatter with dill and you’re away. Retro chic.
