Gourmet Canapés: Cocktail Hour Will Never Be The Same
When you want to serve small, bite sized decorative hors d’oeuvres at your next house party, think canapés. And when you want to make your appetiser game a tad bit more sophisticated than your usual fare, think gourmet canapés. A plate full of these tiny starters is an absolute delight, it is generally prepared using simple ingredients like a bread or a cracker wrapped or topped up with something savoury. But canapés can be incredibly delicate to craft especially if you are fumbling around with lots of different cheeses and meats. Yet, there is nothing more elegant than passing around a large tray full of these pleasing treats on a cocktail night to light up your taste buds.
Canapés are perfect for cocktail hour because they are subtly flavoured, tiny portions of food that go really well as bar bites, suited to an array of drinks. And when you add just a touch of luxury to your appetiser game, you can come up with some very decadent, creamy and flavour packed variations that spell fine food and sophistication. Make these gourmet dishes only when you want to splurge on some of your best friends because they can be heavy on the pocket!
Read on below to know more about some of the gourmet canapés that you can prepare the next time you host cocktails for an intimate group:
Lobster Salad In Phyllo Cups
When you want a fancy feast, you cannot go wrong with lobsters which cost major bucks but are just heavenly to taste. Prepare a lobster salad using the sweet meat of the crustacean mixed with some chives, lemon juice, mayonnaise and celery and serve this in phyllo cups. Filo cups or phyllo cups are essentially thin folds of dough that are baked to form a light pastry which pairs really well with fresh lobster salad.
Seared Scallops And Salsa
Preparing scallops requires a bit of skill because they tend to cook quickly and you have to know just when to get them off the flame. You can season the scallops with a vibrant salsa made from mangoes, onions, lime juice and some cilantro and serve these gourmet appetisers atop a wonton wrapper. These bright and refreshing canapés are perfect when you are serving tropical cocktails filled with lots of different fruity notes.
Goats Cheese And Fig Jam Tartlets
Goats cheese is a wonderful palate cleanser and when paired with fig jam, it is sheer luxury. The two come together to become a slightly sweet, salty and acidic pairing which is the perfect refresher at cocktail hour. You can serve the pair in mini tartlets with a garnish of fresh thyme or fig so they become bite sized portions that can be popped into your mouth. Keep a small dip bowl of fig jam on the side, just in case you crave an extra helping.
Truffles And Mushroom Crostini
Toast a baguette and toss some finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and garlic in some truffle oil to serve a luxurious mushroom and truffle crostini at your next cocktail party. Top this up with a garnish of shaved truffles and some chopped chives for more umami and spicy textures. You can serve this luxe crostini when you are offering a chosen selection of cocktails like a martini or whisky sour.
Smoked Salmon And Watercress Canapés
Prepare smoked salmon and tossed watercress that can go on top of thinly sliced cucumber for very refreshing appetisers that work towards freshening your taste buds after you sip on some intense whisky or gin infused mixes. You can top these canapés with cream fraîche for that heightened gourmet appeal.
Caprese Skewers
Timeless and utterly delicious, caprese skewers are an elegant serving option when you want to prepare canapés that are simple yet luxurious. A classic caprese salad contains tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. You can drizzle this mix with balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of sea salt and white pepper before making skewers out of thick slices of tomatoes and mozzarella. Caprese skewers go really well with whisky or single malt cocktails because they manage to even out some of the intense notes of the liquors.
