All you need to make successful canapés is a top and a tail. Lay them out on colourful plates for the perfect accompaniment to a summer barbecue
The word canapé can conjure up fear in even the most adept cook. But, if you break it down into minimal requirements, canapés are easy to create – all you need is a base and a topping.
The fruit and veg section at the supermarket is a great place to search for canapé building blocks.
- Salad leaves like endive or radicchio make wonderful ‘cups’ or ‘wrappers’.
- Artichoke leaves topped with store-bought houmous are just the right size for popping in the mouth while maintaining a conversation.
- Life may be too short to stuff a mushroom, but button ones with the stalks removed make an ideal base, as do baby tomatoes with the seeds scooped out. (In fact, any fruit or veg that’s been hollowed out can be used to hold a variety of sweet and savoury fillings.)
- Grape cups can be spread with Stilton and topped with a walnut
- Cucumber cups, made by scooping out the centre of a 5cm piece of skinned cucumber, are delicious ‘sips’ filled with gazpacho.
And so to bread...
Don’t miss the bakery section for functional bread bases. Gather some brioches, French sticks, tortillas and naan breads, then toast and cut them into interesting shapes with biscuit cutters or drizzle with olive oil, rub with garlic and make crostini. Some of the sturdier crisps on the market not only act as a stable base but have a delicious flavour as well.
Deli belly
For no-fuss toppings, hit the deli section – you’ll find everything from houmous to baby sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
Cheesy
Hard and soft cheeses, Greek yoghurts and crème fraîche are another easy idea.
- Ricotta cheese flavoured with a few fresh ingredients is heaven when nestled in an endive leaf.
- Mini potatoes which have been baked with the insides scooped out are delicious if you mix the potato flesh with some fruit chutney, crème fraîche, salt and pepper, and then fill up the potato skins with the mix and sprinkle over some grated cheddar cheese. Bake the filled potato skins in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
Top and tail checklist
Use any combination below for the perfect party canapé:
- Tops
- store-bought good quality pâté
- mango chutney mixed with cream cheese and a little cayenne pepper
- smoked salmon with a dollop of crème fraîche, sprinkled with lemon pepper
- potted shrimps
- tuna Niçoise salad
- prosciutto and figs
- coleslaw (stuffed into tomatoes)
- crab bound with mayonnaise, a dash of Tabasco and a squeeze of lemon
- sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
- Boursin cheese spread mixed with roasted vegetables
- Tails
- little gem lettuce leaves
- red endive
- grape leaves
- mushroom caps
- patty pan squash cups
- tomato cups
- thinly sliced bread, buttered on both sides, moulded in a mini muffin tin and baked to make a croustade
- ciabatta crostini
- homemade or store bought crisps
Quick homemade dips: