Easy canapés to serve with drinks for the Disreputable One’s big day
So my Disreputable Dad and his partner are planning a small wedding. Sam, our very own Mad Professor, was absolutely delighted - and pretty gobsmacked it has to be said - when his Grandad asked him to be his best man, and the Dude, along with his cousin Jackson, is going to be an usher. The Dude is ridiculously excited about wearing a suit. I’m slightly less excited about buying it. Still, they both need new school shoes so I’m killing two birds with one stone there, at least.
As it’s a small wedding, and they’re just having a drinks reception with a few close friends and family, I offered to make some canapés. We’re not talking about catering here, but just a few little bits and bobs to soak up the fizz. One thing I absolutely hate is using bloody paper plates. They’re ridiculous. Not only are they impossible to hold along with a drink, as they start to droop, but they look pretty poo as well, so we decided to just hand around one bite things that people don’t need plates for. Serving platters are equally horrible - I wanted ones that were nice looking AND eco-friendly, and eventually came across The Whole Leaf Co, who sell natural, compostable palm leaf platters - eminently better looking than those awful aluminium foil serving platters, and better for the environment too.
Now down to recipes. The thing about canapés is that they need to be compact in size, but HUGE in flavour. Your aim is to leave everyone wanting more after they’ve finished their little mouthful. I also bought some little bamboo spoons to serve little single mouthfuls on: I’m thinking teeny portions of crab salad, tossed in lime juice and decorated with a single coriander leaf and maybe some dessert ones - a little blob of chocolate mousse dotted with cream and topped with a tiny shaving of chocolate.
When thinking about canapés, you need something with a sturdy base. Here, I find that pastry is your friend. Whether you buy ready made pastry cases, or spend a little time cutting out little circles of puff pastry, brushing them with butter and baking them in a muffin tin (easy peasy), you’re left with a hardy vessel ready to be filled with all manner of things that can be made ahead of time: simple prawn cocktail, easy guacamole, maybe topped with a little bacon and sour cream, goat’s cheese with tomato salsa and basil… all these are easy and quick.
Another sturdy base is bruschetta - a slice of baguette or similar, brushed with olive oil, rubbed with garlic (if you like) and lightly toasted or griddled. These can be topped with the goat’s cheese mixture above, and also with tomato salad, proscuitto, broad bean hummus (or indeed regular hummus… all sorts of things.
I’m not discounting the more ‘ordinary’ party foods either. Nothing beats a sausage roll (or seven) and I think it was Nigella who said that the cocktail sausage was the ultimate party food, and I agree. I’m also toying with paté on tiny crackers, mini cheese and onion scones and maybe some bite sized crab cakes, served with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.
Oh and I’m making big towers of fairy cakes. What? I love a fairy cake.
Still a while to go before I have to decide. What’s your favourite party food?
Oh and PS, I’m off to Miami tomorrow with the lovely chaps at Royal Caribbean to hop on one of their fabulous cruise ships for a cruise around the Caribbean. So I’ll see you in a week. Play nice
There is something about buying seasonal food that creates an idyllic image of long country walks followed by cooking in a farmhouse kitchen, complete with a range cooker and a Collie dog asleep in the corner.
Farm Shops and Markets
Bali, Indonesia
Fiji, Melanesia
Phuket, Thailand
Every so often someone comes up with an idea that’s just so brilliant, I’m amazed I haven’t heard of it before. 
I’m not big on going out. I’m happier in my own home with a few friends. I’m a bit of a wuss, really, when it comes to going out: I don’t like crowds, hate fighting my way to the bar, don’t really like drunk people and am a complete baby about catching taxis or, worse, having to get a train at night.
Abra-ca-debora pancakes made me my very own pancakes in time for Shrove Tuesday - isn’t that amazing?
Steenbergs Organic were established in 2003 and are based in North Yorkshire. They sent me a fabulous selection of products from their amazing array of fairtrade and organic goodies. The spiced chai sugar is absolutely gorgeous, and the flavourings are incredibly good quality. Check out their website as I can’t even begin to list all the stuff they sell.
We’ve been drinking a ridiculous amount of this delicious Villa Maria Gewürtraminer. It was on spesh at Majestic but is sadly back up to £9.99. I’ll be watching out for the next time it’s on offer.
Cawston Press brought out a range of ‘grown up’ fizzy drinks (just in time for my failed attempt at alcohol free January): the sparkling apple & rhubarb was my favourite, closely followed by the sparkling lemon and lime (which tasted sublime with a dash of gin).
Lovely Sophie at Mullion Cove makes traditional Cornish fairings. They’re gorgeously soft and spicy, and the fig and ginger had us all fighting over the last one. Oh, and apparently the word ‘fairing’ comes from the fact they were sold at Cornish fairs and feasts and in Victorian times they were brought by a gentleman to give to his sweetheart as a love token!
French’s have brought out some new products this year: our faves by far were the Jalapeno Tomato Relish and the Sweet Onion Relish (scrummy on hot dogs, but I’ve taken to putting it in toasted cheese sandwiches too). I’m not keen on mustard, but English Dad insists that the new Smooth & Spicy version of their original yellow mustard is fabulous too.
Elizabeth Shaw have brought out two new scrummy new flavoured bars: Pear and Almond and Blackberry and Ginger. We liked them both, but I would have liked to see larger chunks of nuts in the almond one that came across as slightly gritty. I was, I admit, in the minority in this view, though, and they were both scoffed in seconds.
Wagamama‘s new chilli, coriander and ginger dressing is fab on salads and in chicken wraps, but SUBLIME on avocados, mushed into rye toast. Don’t question me, just do it. We also tried Nando’s Smokey BBQ marinade which is lovely with chicken, sausages, ribs and any chunky white fish.
It’s Shrove Tuesday today so it’s a great opportunity to get the kids into the kitchen (and maybe even sneak some fruit in there too). Traditional pancakes are quick and easy to make, and with a little bit of practice you’ll be flipping pancakes like a pro! The Death Wish Dude flipped his onto the floor this evening, but we applied the 5 second rule and he’s still alive - I just checked.
During a recent shopping trip to find him a suit for my Disreputable Dad’s upcoming wedding (the girl in the shop was rather taken with my handsome boy and I was laughing as she practically climbed into the changing room with him), we were discussing parents’ evening, which is fast approaching. And while he’s doing well at school, I’m under no illusion that my youngest enormous offspring is any sort of an angel. I did ask him, somewhat nervously, what I was to expect at parents’ evening.
I love Michael Palin, and even if you didn’t catch his latest epic BBC series, Brazil, I think you’ll adore the book that accompanies the series. Palin’s writing is very much like his presenting: full of warmth and humour. A fascinating read.
If you were on the edge of your seat watching Liam Neeson in The Grey and, like me, think wolves are just the most incredible, powerful animals, you might like the next one up on my pile of ‘to read’ books by my bedside: Wolves in the Land of Salmon, by David Moskowitz. Okay, not strictly a travel book, but Moskowitz’s adventure across British Columbia tracking these beautiful creatures promises to be an incredible read.
Fuchsia Dunlop is one of my favourite food writers. I’m really looking forward to reading her latest book: Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China. Dunlop studied at a cooking school in China and vowed to eat anything and everything that was offered to her. I can’t wait to dive into this book: I bet it’s an absolute blast.
Last on my list is Calcutta: Two Years in the City. I’m desperate to visit India, and this looks incredible. Amit Chaudhuri was born in Calcutta and this book documents his return (in 1999) and subsequent two years, as the name suggests. Obviously as it’s not published yet I don’t know exactly what it’s like, but I’ve heard great things about Chaudhuri’s wonderfully moving and descriptive writing. Out Feb 14th.
So last week Sam, the Mad Prof, passed his theory test. He had £100 worth of lessons for Christmas and is doing well, enjoying driving, and looking forward to passing his practical test and gaining his freedom.
