Easy Party Canapes

I love everything small and dainty. It is no wonder that I adore canapes. Remember what they said about good things coming in small packages? This is exactly that. These bite-sized goodies are absolutely pleasing to the eyes and simply delicious.

My basic requirements for easy party canape are simple. Use ingredients that are easily available with minimal cooking. It also has to be time-saving with minimal wastage (very important to me). I am not a fan of skewering multiple components. Imagine you are organising a party and have million and one things to take care of. You do not want to spend hours poking at your food. I am also not a fan of cutting odd shapes that leaves two third of the ingredients to the trash.


There are so many things you could do in the name of canapes. Just let your imagination run wild. I will be introducing two easy party canape recipes here. It is perfect for special occasions like Christmas or New Year. It is more assembling than cooking really. But at the same time, the canapes look chic and appetising.

Here are some of my favourite ingredients:

Salmon

I don't know about others but I simply adore salmon in its raw or smoked form. This is one ingredient that is delicious, readily available and best of all, does not require cooking.

Bread/Baguette

The easiest base for canapes that I could think of. It is economical, easy to work with and are available in various forms. Really saves you a lot of work (and money?). The creativity for breads are endless. It could be use in its original form, toasted, fried, baked, or used as crust.

Raw vegetables

Raw vegetables such as salad leafs, cucumber and tomatoes are my favourite ingredients. Basically, I am a fan of vegetables that provides different colour, taste and texture to the canapes.

Green Herbs

Green herbs like dill and basil are appropriate to be used as flavour enhancer and garnishing.

Salmon Caviar Canape

100g salmon, sliced into diamond or square shape
3 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 Japanese cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch slice
1 1/2 tbsp caviar

Whisk creme fraiche, lemon zest and lemon juice together. Put a slice of nicely cut salmon on top of each cucumber slice. Add creme fraiche on top of salmon. Then spoon a little caviar on top of the creme fraiche. Best served chilled with Champange. 

Potato Parcel

2 large russet potatoes, boiled and slice 1/2 cm thick
200 g minced beef
2 tbsp mixed vegetables
1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce
3 slices of cheese, cut into strips
chopped parsley

Cook minced beef together with mixed vegetables and spaghetti sauce in a little bit of oil . Sautee until beef is cooked and the sauce dries up. Remove any excess liquid. Spoon minced beef on top of potato slice. Add cheese strips to make a cross. Sprinkle some chopped parsley. Preheat oven to 180C. Put potatoes into oven and bake for 10 - 15 mins until cheese is melted and potatoes slightly browned. Remove and put onto serving tray.

See also: Asian-Inspired Canapes