This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
A few fabulous canapes for you to serve to your guests… all of them scrumptious, all of them easy, all of them impressive.
POPPADOM SCOOPS
Ingredients makes about 20
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 ripe mango, finely diced
½ green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
20 mini poppadoms
How to prepare
Mix together the first five ingredients with some seasoning in a medium bowl. Make up to 24 hours in advance, cover and chill. Spoon into poppadoms and serve.
PIGS IN BLANKETSPIGS IN BLANKETS
Whenever I serve these, they disappear in seconds. For some reason everyone loves them.
Ingredients
18 bacon wrapped cocktail sausages (every supermarket sells them ready prepared)
Tbspn runny honey
Tbspn finely chopped rosemary (or any woody herb you like)
How to prepare
Pop in hot oven for 30 mins until cooked through and caramelised. Remove from heat and brush with the honey and sprinkle over the herbs. Pop back in the oven for 5 mins. Stab each one with a cocktail stick and watch them go!
HARISSA CHICKEN BALLS
Ingredients
2 skinless chicken breasts
1½-2 tsp rose harissa paste, to taste
Finely grated zest of ½ a medium orange
2 spring onions
2 tbsp olive oil
For the dip:
100 g (3½oz) natural yogurt
Few fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
5cm (2in) cucumber, grated
How to prepare
Put chicken, harissa, orange zest and some seasoning into a food processor. Snip in spring onions, then whizz until fairly smooth. Remove blade and shape mixture into bite-sized balls.
Heat oil over medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan. Add meatballs (you will need to do this in batches) and fry for 10-12min, turning frequently, until golden and cooked through (check by cutting into one).
If making ahead, cool then refrigerate for up to 24 hrs (reheat in a preheated oven 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3 for 10 mins.
To make the dip, mix all the ingredients together with some seasoning and put into a small serving bowl. Serve chicken balls warm or at room temperature with dip on the side.
CLEVER LITTLE EGG CANAPES
Thanks to my friend Lesley R. for this – she is a brilliant hostess and always comes up trumps with her canapes. Not only are these delicious, they are very easy to make and you don’t get a soggy bottom (as these pastry cup croustades can do sometimes with cold fillings).
Ingredients
Quails eggs – 2 boxes
Box of croustades
Few slices of streaky bacon
How to prepare
Grill the bacon, and snip into small pieces. Lay out the croustades on a baking sheet. Add a couple of pieces of bacon and then crack an egg into each pastry cup.
Put into a 180 degree oven for a couple of minutes until the eggs are cooked.
I am pretty confident you will get a positive reaction from your guests when they pop one in their mouths!
Or how about these from the A&G recipe archive:
Chorizo with Celeriac Remoulade click here for recipe
Mozzarella Lollipops click here for recipe