Styling Your Christmas Table: Six Super Easy Canapes To Impress Your Guests (Edition 7)
Every year I say this and every year I stand by the fact that canapes are the food of KINGS. I could live on canapes and never ever eat a proper meal, no problemo. Small food appeals to me; the day that the supermarkets launch their party food offerings for the festive season is one that I look forward to. In our house, we usually do what we call Party Food December whereby we sample festive party fare from each supermarket at the weekends but this year, we have been foiled in our attempts by the fact that Joe is on a diet and is avoiding any pastry based product. SO annoying. Alongside this irritating situation is the fact that two of my children have now gone to University, meaning that I only have Leo my 13 year old as a partner in party food crime and unfortunately he will only eat items that are, in fact, breaded and made of reformed chicken. Sigh.
Anyway, looking back I have realised that this is, in fact the, seventh year that I have produced a canape blog. I have to admit that it is one of my favourite blogs to compile and I have much fun going through my pins and past ideas to create a selection that are both easy and impressive, an absolute must for any recipe in my opinion. I am not one for complication. I’m also a fan of advance preparation and minimum dish usage - anything that does not involve multiple mixing bowls, copious frying or baking or thinking too hard works for me. One of my very best friends, Sam, introduced me to the joy of canapes not thrown into your basket from a shelf about 15 years ago. We lived in Caversham, near Reading with two small children (latterly three) and going out anywhere but friends houses for dinner wasn’t really an option, mostly due to lack of free cash but also the fact that we all lived within walking distance so could be back home quickly if there were any issues. We used friends older kids for babysitting and every dinner party was an event. Having kids - particularly multiple - is BLOODY hard work. Being able to properly dress up, see friends and NOT talk about them for a few hours on a Saturday night was our equivalent of a high, quite frankly.
The best dinners spent with friends during the early kids days.
My friend Sam was - and is - the Queen of the dinner party. She works for a variety of chefs as a Home Economist but most regularly, James Martin, and she can always be relied on to come up with the edible goods at all times. Going to the Heads house for dinner was always like breathing a huge sign of relief - we’d enter the house with a sleeping baby Leo in his pushchair, whack him into a room and shut the door and turn to be welcomed with a glass of sparkling and a plate of delicious nibbles, all bathed in the scent of a Jo Malone candle. I still make those recipes that Sam presented (they appear in my first canape blog) - sticky sausages and smoked salmon whirls are referred to by my kids as Caversham Canapes and have appeared every Christmas morning for the last decade. Those evenings with friends were a sanity saver during those kid/baby days and the babysitting fees were still the best money ever spent. They also showed me the fun of cooking for friends and how it brings you all together - our most memorable and happy times were not spent in expensive restaurants but round a beautifully laid table in a friends home or ours eating home cooked food, feeling very lucky.
Enough reminiscing - let’s move on to the main event and that’s the canapes. This year, I’ve compiled six easy peasy recipes that can be prepared in advance and will make you look as though you’ve spent hours in the kitchen to thrill your guests, when, in fact, you haven’t. They can all be adjusted to suit your taste too, plus what you’ve actually got in your cupboard - if you don’t like salmon, swap it for ham; the potatoes can be seasoned with whatever spice you have on the shelf and the goats cheese board is super flexible depending on what you feel like topping it with. And I promise, they are ALL easy and can be reproduced in your kitchen with minimum fuss and maximum impact. If you try any out, please do tag me, I would love to see! And you can check out my previous canape blogs here: Edition 1, Edition 2, Edition 3, Edition 4 , Edition 5 and Edition 6. Happy Christmas everyone.
Charcuterie Wreath
Anyone who is a Pinterest fiend like myself will recognise this idea - it’s all over the shop but crucially for one of my canape blogs, extremely easy yet high impact. ANYONE could do this, even my husband could pull this one together. I’ve used a selection of deli ingredients but really, anything goes - have a look at what you’ve got in your fridge or cupboard and give it a go. The main thing that you need is a big round plate or wooden board, plus a good herb to pass as greenery such as rosemary or basil.
Cornichons, artichokes, rosemary
Mini mozzerella, gouda, festive flavoured cheese
Olives, black and green
Cherry tomatoes
Salami
Jarred red pepper
Dice the cheese and drain the mozzerella. Drain the cornichons, artichokes and olives and put all aside. Drain the jarred red pepper and slice into thumb sized pieces. Now add to your cocktail sticks in whatever combination you wish (incorporate the salami by folding into four) or just freestyle if you like. Arrange around your board or plate in a wreath shape, then add your rosemary or basil to give extra wreath authenticity. SUPER impressive. You can even add a dip to the middle if you so wish (a simple mix of green pesto and seasoned sour cream or creme fraiche works perfectly).
Spinach, Pesto & Ricotta Rolls
These are a take on a cheese and chorizo roll using puff pastry that I did a few months ago (click here to see) but equally delicious and a good vegetarian option. I used ready made pizza dough for quickness but you can make it yourself, of course, if you’ve got the time and inclination. You can ditch the ricotta and pesto for a vegan substitute if required.
Pizza or bread dough
Chopped garlic, dried oregano
Pot of ricotta
Good couple of handfuls of thinly sliced spinach
Mix the ricotta, garlic and oregano in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roll out your pizza dough to the closest to a rectangle you can muster. Spread with the ricotta mixture then sprinkle over your thinly sliced spinach. Roll in on the long end, then use a sharp knife to cut into rolls. They’ll squish a bit but squidge them back into shape. Put on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and stick in the oven at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove and scoff, excellent when hot.
Salmon & Cucumber Sticks
This is a super easy recipe that really does look the part, has minimum ingredients and takes about two minutes. You can substitute the smoked salmon with a nice prawn if you prefer, or if you’re not into fish, ditch the horseradish and add parma ham or similar. The idea is to use the cucumber as a solid base for whatever you wish to top it with. I bought these paddle cocktail sticks from Amazon but any cocktail stick will do. Make it vegan by using vegan cream cheese and adding a cornichon or a slice of beetroot instead of the fish.
Cucumber, sliced
Pot of cream cheese
Spoonful of horseradish (to taste)
Smoked salmon
Dill, chopped
Mix together your cream cheese, chopped dill and horseradish, then season well to taste. Spoon on to your cucumber then top with the smoked salmon and a good sprinkling of black pepper and a bit of extra dill. Prong with the cocktail stick and you’re good to go.
Whipped Goats Cheese Board
Butter boards are SO last year. Goats cheese is far tastier than butter, FACT. Just like butter boards, you can top this with whatever you so wish but I quite like this festive combination. Serve to your guests with some nice crackers or bread on your favourite board and it will last about two minutes.
Two pots of soft goats cheese
Half a pot of ricotta cheese
Two tablespoons of sour cream
Handful each of shelled pistachios and dried cranberries, chopped
A few rashers of precooked crispy streaky bacon
Honey
Crackers or pitta bread
Whip the goats cheese, ricotta and sour cream in a mixer or with a hand whisk until it’s nice and combined. Season well. Get out your favourite board and spread it in arches, or however you so wish - just chuck it in a pile if you feel like it. Mix your chopped pistachios and cranberries together and sprinkle over the goats cheese, then crumble the bacon over the top. Finish by drizzling the honey across the top in a zig zag. Season again if you wish, then serve, with crackers or pitta.
Smashed Potatoes With Pesto
These are another favourite of mine that I demonstrated recently on a Reel (click here to see). Super easy, ridiculously delicious and are a good way to serve the humble potato, whatever course you’re eating. I’ve teamed this with a pesto dip but you can put it with anything similar; tomato sauce or mayo work just as well. This dip recipe is easily adaptable using vegan substitutes for the sour cream and replacing the pesto with a non dairy option such as a tomato based sauce. Serve cocktail sticks alongside for ease.
Bag of small new potatoes
Smoked paprika and/or Parmesan
Spoonful of pesto
Two spoonfuls of sour cream or creme fraiche
Boil the potatoes in a saucepan on the hob until just cooked. Add greaseproof paper to your baking tray and then add the potatoes, crushing each one with the back of your spoon, enough to flatten but not break. Drizzle well with olive oil, then season well with the paprika, parmesan or both, plus salt and pepper. Put in the oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes until they are nicely browned and crispy. Whilst they’re cooking, mix together your pesto and sour cream or creme fraiche and put in a nice little bowl. Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle a bit more salt and serve with your dip. Sprinkle with herbs if you got any spare.
Fig, Halloumi & Parma Stacks
I LOVE a fig - one of favourite salad recipes is based on figs (click here to see) and I always think they are good to elevate any sort of dish. This is a good recipe which has the nicest of combinations all in one mouthful. Buy the slimmest flute that you can, or buy the part baked sticks and slice and toast for the base.
Figs, cut into eights
Halloumi, cut into slices
Parma ham
Mint leaves
Thinly sliced flute or baguette
Fry or oven bake your halloumi until nice and browned. Cut each piece in half (the right size for your flute slice). Toast your thinly sliced flute then drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Top with the halloumi, a mint leaf, half a piece of parma ham folded and top with an eighth of fig, then secure it all with a cocktail stick. Put on a lovely plate or board and serve.
