Canapes/nibbles suggestions/recipes pls?

muckety

I am planning to have an old fashioned drinks party at Christmas, inviting a variety of ages (friends and neighbours) - about 60 people including children, and want to have a nice spread of 'nibbles'. Ideas so far (that can be made in advance) are: smoked salmon + cream cheese rolls (cut and served on blinis maybe?); mini-kebabs or yakitori; hummus, red pepper hummus + tapanade -on french bread on mixed plates; mini onion tarts on puff pastry; squares of tortilla omelette; maybe mini-wraps with various fillings (garlic chicken, egg mayo).

All suggestions (or direction to a good website) appreciated!

Minder

Cornets with Chicken Liver Pate

I posted this simple recipe on another partyfood thread. Take a head of chicory and pick off the leaves. Dice whole cooked beetroot into 1cm cubes - do the same with some clementines. Roast some hazelnuts and rub the skins off in a clean teatowel. Roughly chop the nuts. Mix beetroot, orange and nuts. Put a little fromage frais on each chicory leaf and scatter on the salad mix. Very festive looking!

The canapes from the British Larder are always a great source of inspiration.

I can copy out a recipe for crab beignets if you are interested. It's a light ball of crab meat bound with a little mashed potato. the ball is chilled then dipped in a beer (or soda water) batter and deep fried. The result is light bite just begging for a dip in a bowl of garlicy mayo.

Croustades also make great finger food. This recipe from thepassionatecook blog works really well. Croustades are (for those who haven't seen them) tiny crisp cups - fill with anything you choose. Just bear in mind that the crispy croustades get soggy quickly if the filling is too wet.

boodlesdoodles

The latest Good Food magazine has party food ideas in it for Christmas. Their recipes are usually good and fairly straightforward.

lucylu

a good old fashioned drinks party is not complete without cheese and grape on cocktail sticks!


A quiche cut into small squares..

Puff pastry cut in squares with a sprinkle of chopped tomato & cheese

Pudding11

The BBC Good Food website is brilliant for any kind of party. They have a whole section on Christmas now and it has a subsection on canapes so you are sure to find some great recipes in there! I used the website for a party i had last week and was able to save all the recipes I liked into a binder which was handy as I didnt have to go searching for them again the next time I needed them!

muckety

lucylu wrote: »

a good old fashioned drinks party is not complete without cheese and grape on cocktail sticks!


A quiche cut into small squares..

Puff pastry cut in squares with a sprinkle of chopped tomato & cheese

I could do the 1970's Hedgehog - stick the cocktail sticks into a grapefruit!:D

bonkey

Here's a fave of mine, which mrs. bonkey came up with as part of her Roman cooking experiments...

• 500g dried chickpeas (i.e. not the ones in a tin)
• Soak overnight in water
• Cover 2 baking trays with baking paper, spread the chickpeas out, and then roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes at 200-220 (until crunchy). Shake them occasionally (every 10-15 minutes) to prevent sticking or burning. If your oven is unevenly hot, you might need to turn the trays and/or swap them around once or twice.
• Let them cool, then put in a large bag w. about 1 tbl of sunflower oil and shake (to coat very lightly in oil.

• Add seasoning of choice (herby salt, or spices, or whatever) and shake again to coat. What we use is...

Roman salt (a la Apicius)
1 dsp salt
1/3 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp celery seeds / fennel seeds


Blitz in a coffee mill / crush in a pestle & mortar until fine.

Minder

As all suggestions are welcome, here's a couple. The source of you inspiration comes in book form. Two books - or rather one book and one genre. Tony Botella works in that most vibrant of modern food culture - the Catalan. Botella has a book out called Cocktail Cuisine. Find a bookshop and have a flick (its hideously expensive), but if you can find a copy and spend a few moments browsing, it's well worth it. What Botella does with toast is incredible!

Second to that is a style of canape or starter called Verrines. A verrine is a snack usually presented in a glass. The key to a verrine is to take a selection of complementary ingredients and artfully layer them in a glass - producing a visual feast before the taste sensation. Usually presented in small glasses - anything from a shot glass to a brandy bowl. It's an interesting idea and there are a few cookbooks (must less expensive) offering suggestions. Have a poke around google for some recipes.

Schtoom

How bout a 70s throwback - Devils on Horseback? Prunes wrapped with bacon and secured with a toothpick. Salty and sweet together is lovely.

shinikins

Loads of lovely party food idea's here
I've tried their Thai Fish Cakes and they are amazing!! Very easily made in advance taste just as nice cold as warm!!

Don't forget about loads of simple sambo's for later, i've gone to the trouble of making lovely canapes and finger food, but it always seems to be the ham sandwiches that are polished off!!!