Warm Yukon Gold Blinis with Crème Fraîche and Salmon Caviar-Day 10 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

Let’s pull out all the stops and do a west coast version of blinis and caviar! These are always a hit at parties and seem very elegant and impressive yet are surprisingly straightforward to make. Have you ever made pancakes? Then you can certainly make these little gems.

We are going to start with the great Canadian potato, the Yukon Gold. These yellow fleshed potatoes are prized for their sweetness, creamy texture and beautiful yellow colour. They are the base of a batter which is rounded out with some flour, eggs, crème fraîche, milk and of course salt and pepper. A quick spell in a non-stick pan (2 minutes on one side and an additional minute on the other) and these emerge golden on the outside and creamy on the inside. Continue reading

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Cantonese BBQ Duck with Kumquat Marmalade Canapés – Day 8 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

Here is a recipe that made an earlier appearance on this blog way back in March. I wanted to include it again for this canapés series as it is an easy two-bite wonder to balance out some of the more labour intensive hors d’oeuvres featured here.

I originally posted this recipe as part three in a series of “things to do with kumquat marmalade” and will post the recipe below for those who want to give it a whirl. You can, of course, skip making the marmalade and simply purchase a good quality store bought orange or citrus version. Then this recipe becomes all about some careful shopping and some last minute assembly. Continue reading

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Spicy Rosemary Cashews – Day 8 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

Okay, so I know that this is technically not a canapé but no holiday cocktail party would be complete without a bowl or two of these salty, spicy, herbal cashews. And if you have invited a few friends over for a cocktail before going out for dinner and are in a particularly minimalist mood you could open up a bottle of wine or Champagne, whip up a batch of these nuts and call it a day.

These are also great to take along when you are invited to a party as a gift for the host/hostess or for something to share with your fellow party guests. You can put them in a clear cellophane party bag and tie with some festive ribbon or use a pretty glass jar with a hand drawn label and you have a lovely gift to give to friends.   Continue reading

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Crab Salad with Green Apples and Grapefruit Vinaigrette in Endive Petals – Day 7 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

How about something light and fresh tasting that still manages to be special and festive? I have nothing against mini meatballs, piggies in a blanket, or a nut studded cheese ball but it is always nice to round out the heavy duty, rib-sticking hors d’oeuvres with something that is lighter and brighter, crunchy and fresh.

Endive leaves are the perfect vessel for all kinds of fillings. I have seen the beautiful elongated petals filled with gingered salmon tartare, figs with goat cheese, candied pecans and a port reduction or a truly decadent lobster salad with citrus segments and frisée. Continue reading

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Gougères with Prosciutto, Parmesan, Pesto and Pea Shoots – Day 6 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

I love these little puffs made from pâte a choux dough as they are so very versatile. For today’s canapé I am using them as a vessel for a tiny Italian themed “bunwich” with some prosciutto, pesto and a shaving of Parmesan cheese. But these can go in so many delicious directions. Think of pairing them with a herbed crème fraîche, some silky smoked salmon and chopped capers or a shrimp salad with tarragon and a touch of mayonnaise, curried egg salad with frisée or even some thin slices of ham with a sharp cheddar and some honey and Dijon mustard. Continue reading

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White Bean Crostini with Rosemary – Day 5 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

This is a recipe that has a lot of things going for it. It is healthy, easy to make, a good vegetarian/vegan option, cost effective and really delicious. No difficult to find ingredients and no special equipment is needed. It is from Jamie Oliver’s “Jamie’s Italy” cookbook and was passed along to me by my friend Sarolta.

You can toast your baguette slices early in the day either on a grill or in the oven and you can also make up the rosemary oil ahead. The beans are best served warm so it is good to make them just before serving. We have, however made them up ahead of time and then warmed them up for a minute in the microwave before serving. If you are going this route it is a good idea to add, as Jamie would say, a good “glug” of olive oil before you reheat it so that it is not too dry. Continue reading

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Roast Beef Canapés with Stilton Cream and Red Onion Jam – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

A bit late in the day for this recipe but I just got cleaned up (with a lot of help from Leigh-Anne) from last night’s fundraiser. We hosted the First Annual Kitchen Culinaire Food Bank Fundraiser and while I can’t speak for anyone else I can say that I had a fantastic time.

I was so thrilled and touched and inspired by how many people managed to make time during the busy holiday season to come out and support a charity that is the closest to my heart. I am very excited to report that we raised $1000 for the Vancouver Food Bank and I want to send out a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out last night and contributed. We cooked some hors d’oeuvres, drank some wine, mixed and mingled and had more than a few laughs. Truly wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Continue reading

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Pistachio Red Grape and Chèvre Truffles – Day 3 of the 12 Days of Canapés – 2010

Tonight I am hosting the first annual Kitchen Culinaire Food Bank Fundraiser. Every year we host some kind of Christmas party but this year I thought it would be a nice twist to invite our friends not only to stop by and have a cocktail and a bite (or two) but to also help us raise some funds to help out our local food bank.

As an added incentive for people to come out (what? our sparkling company isn’t enough?) we are going to do an informal cooking class and demonstrate six different hors d’oeuvre recipes over the course of the evening. Continue reading

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