Written by Chef Sherry Swanson
Chef Sherry here. I’m a private chef. I cook for one family - usually lunch and dinner and occasionally I cook breakfast or brunch. Dinners are mostly formal and consist of four canapés, a first course followed by an entrée with sides dishes and dessert. 4 canapés every night multiplied by 5 nights a week is 20 unique canapés per week that I prepare for my client. That's a lot of canapés!
The magic of a canapé is that it's not plated, not coursed, no assigned seating needed - simply a casual yet warm and inviting experience to excite your palette with bites of variety. And for the hostess preparing the canapés, all of the cooking is done before your guests arrive. Now you can really enjoy your company without being tethered to the kitchen.
As a self-proclaimed canapé master, I have identified the ultimate 3 hacks for you to master for a stress-free holiday party season.
Hack #1
Store-bought appetizers, add a homemade sauce.
Purchase ready made appetizers and make it your own with a special homemade sauce. Here are my top 4 store-bought appetizer / dipping sauce pairings for you to try.
Store-bought appetizer:
crab cakes, grilled shrimp, black bean cakes(or any vegetarian burger), avocado fries
Make this homemade sauce:
Smoky Chipotle Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chipotle paste (take a whole can of chipotle in adobe and puree the chilies and sauce in a small food processor - store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon or scallion or chives, minced (optional)
Store-bought appetizer:
Asparagus, Seafood, Crispy Artichoke Hearts, Crispy Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
Make this homemade sauce:
Lemon Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, finely grated on a microplane
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Store-bought appetizer:
Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken Cutlet Bites, Mini BLTs, Grilled Shrimp
Make this homemade sauce:
Sweet Basil Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Store-bought appetizer:
Steak Bites, Chicken, Air-Fried Cauliflower Florets
Make this homemade sauce:
Spicy Sriracha Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of Sriracha
1 garlic clove, finely grated on a microplane
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Hack #2
Make it small.
Sandwiches, salads, burgers, veggies - almost anything tastes better when it is tiny. Think mini BLTs, mini grilled cheese, tiny meatballs, caprese skewers or mini baked potatoes.
Mini appetizer:
BLTs
Use small cookie cutters to cut the bread. Slice bacon into 1 1/2 inch slices and cook on a parchment lined sheet pan in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or until crisp, drain on paper towels. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle with salt, set on paper towel lined plate to drain. You can use any lettuce you like; iceberg, romaine or arugula. To assemble take your bread and dollop on some mayo or one of your delicious aioli sauces, then layer your bacon, tomato, lettuce another dollop of aioli and the top slice of bread. Skewer with a fancy toothpick.
Mini appetizer:
Grilled Cheese
Make regular size grilled cheeses and cut off the crust and then slice into squares or diamonds or use a mini cookie cutter. Just remember that you should let your sandwiches cool a while before slicing into them so the cheese doesn’t run out. Play around with a combination of cheeses. I like one that is gooey and another that has a bright flavor. Fontina is a great because it is both sharp and gooey. Some great combos are sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. Mozzarella and Gorgonzola are a great together. Once you decide on a cheese combo think about all of the different add ins… crispy bacon, fig jam would be great with mozzarella and Gorgonzola, Jalapeño with the cheddar/jack combo, apple slices with the fontina. Keep in mind that you will be slicing the sandwiches small so anything you put inside needs to cut well or be cut into small pieces.
Mini appetizer:
Baked Potatoes
I’ve found teeny tiny potatoes at Trader Joe’s and other grocery stores. Bake them at 350°F for 15 minutes or until cooked through, using a pairing knife slice a little slit in the top of each potato. When they are cool enough to handle use your index fingers and thumbs to press them together to split them open and press them down on a flat surface to make the bottom flat so they don’t roll around on the plate. Top with sour cream or creme fraiche and a sliver of crispy bacon, prosciutto or pancetta and chives. Make sure you make a lot, these go fast!
Mini appetizer:
Air-Fried Vegetables
Use any of your favorite veggies to create a vegetarian or vegan option. Toss your cubed veggies (halved brussels sprouts) with olive, salt and pepper and fry at 375°F for 5 minutes, remove the basket and shake the veggies and then spread them out, cook another 5 minutes and repeat the shaking and spreading and cook for another 5 minutes. When your veggies are nicely brown and crispy remove from the oven. Top with grated parmesan, sprinkle with lemon juice or balsamic glaze, skewer and serve with or without one of your go-to dipping sauces. Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squash, Potatoes, may take as long as 30 minutes to cook. I like to add warm spices to my sweet potatoes and winter squash like cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander and cumin. For potatoes I like to rosemary and garlic powder but your can experiment with different spices. For crunchier veggies use a panko bread crumbs (you can use equal parts panko and parmesan). Dip the veggies in beaten egg and then press into the panko or panko/parm mixture. Spray the air fry basket and veggies well with an olive oil spray.
Mini appetizer:
Caprese Skewers
Skewer small balls of mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes wrap a large leaf of basil between the two and add a lemon or basil aioli dipping sauce. Change things up and add prosciutto; make a small rosette by cutting the slice in half length wise and rolling it into a rose shape and skewering through the bottom of the rose. Switch the grape tomatoes out for a cube of cantaloupe, strawberry or a slice of peach.
Hack #3
Puff pastry is your BFF.
I love puff pastry and it is always in my freezer. I try to find the kind with all butter like Dufour or even Trader Joe’s brand.
Puff pastry appetizer:
Savory palmiers
These are sometimes call Elephant ears. The sweet version is usually filled with cinnamon sugar and looks like two spiral that are linked together. Palmiers are great because they can be baked ahead and sit out at room temperature all day. They also freeze well in a raw state and can be cooked in a flash. This is a great make ahead that you can store in the freezer and always have ready to bake and serve.
Roll out a sheet of puff pastry with a little flour and then spread your selected ingredients (ingredient inspiration below) almost to the edges, roll the right side of the pasty up until you get to the center, then roll the left side of the pastry up to meet it. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices and freeze for about 10-15 minutes. Bake at 425°F or the temperature suggested on the puff pastry box. Note: Puff pastry with oil will be baked at a lower temperature than an all butter puff pastry. Below are some different filling options.
Grainy mustard with parmesan and prosciutto palmier
Spread the mustard first, then sprinkle with parmesan and top with thin slices of prosciutto.
Fig and gorgonzola palmier
Spread a thin layer of fig jam (warm in the microwave if necessary) then sprinkle with small crumbles of gorgonzola.
Pesto palmier
Spread the pesto on the pastry and sprinkle with extra parmesan.
Sweet and spicy palmier
Spread softened cream cheese on the pastry and then spread hot pepper jelly over the cream cheese.
Bacon jam palmier
Spread the bacon jam on the pastry (bacon jam stands on its own).
Puff pastry appetizer:
Wrapped in puff pastry
Beef Wellington is a classic, Filet stuffed with shallots and mushrooms and wrapped in puff pastry is a chef favorite way to wrap a present. Here are some savory presents for you to serve to your guests.
Brie wrapped in puff pastry
Preheat your oven to 425°F or the suggested temperature on your puff pastry box. Roll out a sheet of your puff pastry. Lay an 8 oz wheel of brie in the center, top with your choice of jam, caramelized onions, cranberry sauce or honey & nuts. I like berry jams but spicy jams work really well too. Trim the pastry so that you have enough pastry to wrap the wheel. You can use extra pastry to cut out leaves or other shapes to decorate the top of the wheel. Wrap the pastry around the wheel of brie. Flip the wheel so that the seams of the pastry are facing down. Refrigerate the wrapped wheel for at least 15 minutes. Brush the wheel with beaten egg and cook for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Lamb sausage wrapped in puff pastry
Buy a 1 pound 1/2” thick coil of lamb sausage. Cook your sausage on a sheet pan at 400°F for 20 minutes. Flip the sausage and cook another 5 -10 minutes or until cooked through. Roll out the pastry and spread the top with mustard. Cut the sausage into 4 equal pieces. Wrap them in strips of puff pastry and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and brush with egg wash and place on a sheet pan seam side down. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt and bake for 20-25 minutes until brown. Slice and serve with spicy mustard.
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