Christmas Canapés

I make a lot of canapés – both for business and home entertaining. This year I’ve been asked for easy canapé ideas at my cookery demos so I thought I’d share a few of my favourites. I hope you like them!

Mini Tartlets

I used to make my tartlets from filo pastry – a rather long process but I came across the idea for these on holiday last year and they have made my life much easier!

You need a mini-muffin tray, a packet of wonton wrappers, some sunflower oil and a pastry brush – brush each wonton sheet with oil and mould it into the muffin tin to make a small case. (This is much easier to demonstrate than explain!)

When you’ve filled the mini muffin tray sprinkle the cases with a little salt and bake at 200 C for 4 mins. Allow to cool on a wire rack and then use or store in airtight container for up to 4 days.

This is what your end product should look like:

The possiblities are now endless….Some fillings I use are:

• Avocado & crab topped with some créme fraiche and dill mustard
• Red onion marmalade and Cooleeney  brie (put in oven for minute or two to soften the cheese)
• Prawn cocktail
• Thai beef salad

Sticky Christmas Sausages 

This is another great recipe from my favourite Christmas book ‘Nigella’s Christmas’  and the best thing is that they can be prepared in advance and frozen  – just put mix and sausages in plastic bag and take out of freezer a few hours before your guests are due!

• 2lbs cocktail sausages (approx. 60)
• 125 ml sweet chilli sauce
• 60 ml cranberry sauce
• 60 ml soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. dark muscovado sugar
• Juice of 1 small orange
• Juice of 1 lime

 What you do:

• Mix together all the ingredients except the sausages to make glaze
• Put sausages in foil tray (much easier than cleaning a roasting tray!)
• Pour glaze over sausages and mix to coat.
• Cook for 20 mins then turn and cook for another 10 -20 mins until they’re hot and sticky.

Smoked Salmon/Trout Wraps

This is another quick and easy idea which doesn’t really need a recipe!

• Tortillla wraps (I find the Discovery ones the easiest to roll!)
• Some Goatsbridge Smoked Trout  or some Smoked Salmon
• Cream cheese

What you need:

• Simply ‘butter’ your tortilla wraps with the cream cheese
• Place strips of trout or salmon on the cheese
• Season with a little black pepper and lemon juice then roll into a ‘tube’
• If you have time wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to set but otherwise trim the two edges, cut wrap into three then cut each piece into two diagonally (again this is much easier to show!)
• Other fillings which work are roasted peppers, parma ham, pesto……..

Happy Cooking!