Creative Canapes – Quick, Easy Ways to Impress!

Canapes are ideal for stylish entertaining without taking a lot of time and effort. They need to look nice, taste nice (well d'uh!) and be easy to eat. These are healthy too. So much more impressive than opening a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa. These are a few of my favourites which always go down well and which I prepared most recently just this Sunday! These quantities adequately/generously serve 12 guests.

Pear & St Agur filled Crispy Prosciutto Cups

Ingredients to make 24 cups:

• 150 g prosciutto, thinly sliced (12 slices), each halved so roughly square
• 2 ripe pears
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 75 g St Agur or other soft blue cheese

Method:

• Heat oven to 190 C/375F
• Line small muffin tin with the prosciutto - one half per cup, overlapping any tears, crimping to fit
• Cook for 10 minutes until the fat is golden and crisp (give them a couple more minutes if necessary)
• Core the pears and chop up small
• Mix the pears with the lemon juice
• When the "cups" are cooked carefully, with a fork, lift them out onto kitchen paper to drain and cool
• Just before serving fill the prosciutto cups with the pears and top with the cheese

Duck Bites with Citrus and 5 Spices

Ingredients to serve 12:

• 525 g duck mini fillets
• 1-2 tsp duck fat or coconut oil
• juice and finely grated rind of: 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 lime
• 1 tsp agave nectar, or to taste
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp butter

  Method:

• Marinade the duck in half the juices with all the rind and half the five spice powder for at least 2 hours, or overnight
• Drain and squeeze the duck dry
• Heat the oil over high heat and cook the duck in batches until brown all over and just cooked, about 3 minutes (don't over fill the pan or the duck will stew - not nice!)
• Drain the duck on kitchen paper or in a sieve
• Boil the rest of the juices with the remaining 5 spice powder and the agave nectar until reduced by half.
• Switch off the heat and add the butter, stir to mix it in well
• Put the duck in a wide dish and pour the glaze over, stir to coat and serve hot or cold

Caprese Skewers

To serve 12, with other dishes:

• 24 baby vine tomatoes
• 24 baby mozzarella balls
• 24 large leaves basil
• a few extra basil leaves, rolled and chopped
• salt & cracked black pepper
• virgin olive oil
• 24 toothpicks or mini skewers

Method:

• Place the tomatoes in a wide container with the basil, salt & pepper and then cover with olive oil. Marinade for 2 hours or overnight
• Pierce one tomato, a basil leaf and a mozzarella ball on each skewer

Also serve a bowl of marinaded olives and a bowl of seeds and or nuts for variety of flavours, colours and textures. Lay out and put out toothpicks for the Duck Bites and the olives - ideally in a pretty container but the one they come in works too! Great with wine or cocktails - cheers!