Top 5 easy canapés for Christmas
Don’t bother with the disappointing ready-made offerings in the supermarkets – these homemade canapés take less than an hour to make and are miles better than anything found on a shop shelf.
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Taste testsAs part of our Christmas taste tests, one of the areas we wanted to explore were all those ready-made canapés you see in the supermarkets every year during the festive period. So we called them in and set about trying each one to find the best of the lot. Unfortunately, not one of them was up to scratch – they were either far too finicky to put together, massively lacking in the flavour department or looked far too unappetising to be served at any sort of party.
Not only did they have a pretty poor flavour, they were also no quicker to put together than many of the Christmas canapé recipes on our website. So rather than recommending some sub-standard party food, we’ve rounded up our five easiest, tastiest festive canapés to make at home. Each one takes less than an hour to put together and will knock anything you can buy in the supermarket out of the water.
1. Scallop pops
This three ingredient recipe couldn’t be simpler from Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton. Take the best scallops you can find, wrap them in thin slices of bacon and then fry in oil, before mounting on cocktail sticks for guests to enjoy. You can also replace the scallops with oysters or, if you’re not a fan of seafood, prunes stuffed with mango chutney.
2. Crispy chicken canapés
Tossing chunks of chicken thigh in seasoned flour before giving them a bath in buttermilk and a final dredge results in a beautifully crispy, moist and moreish bite-sized canapé from MasterChef’s own Marcus Wareing. They’re easy to present, too – after a quick deep-frying, the chicken is skewered with a wooden stick and placed in a bowl of mustard mayonnaise, for guests to simply pick up and eat.
3. Prunes and Gorgonzola wrapped in pancetta
Share your love for the flavours of Italy with this super speedy take on the classic British dish Devils on Horseback. Blanched prunes are stuffed with little cubes of Gorgonzola, which are then wrapped in pancetta and fried until the cheese melts and the ham is crisp. The walnuts add some welcome crunch and the celery leaves add both colour and flavour to the finished plate.
4. Blue cheese filo bites with pears and pecan
Being able to prep a few canapés ahead of time saves you spending all evening in the kitchen, which is why we love these little pastry tarts. Using a muffin tin, sheets of filo can be shaped into little cups for some crumbled Stilton, cubed pear and pecans, before being baked for fifteen minutes. After that, they just need reheating for a few minutes before you plan to serve them.
5. Smoked mackerel pâté on Melba toasts
A quick blitz of the food processor, a few minutes on the hob and some toast is all that’s needed to make these dainty canapés. The smoked mackerel pâté is given some zing with lime juice and pickled ginger, while the cranberry on top adds a festive twist. Melba toast is simply normal toast sliced in half, then given a quick blast under a grill so they curl up into little spoons.
Looking for even more Christmas canapé recipes? Check out our extensive recipe collection.
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