One of the most important things to consider when deciding on the canape menu for your cocktail party is variety. It's a fine line to walk, but the best cocktail parties are those with a canapé selection that appeals to a wide range of tastes.
The "Cocktail Party 101" chapter in our book provides recipes for various canapes, but it's crucial to consider the number of guests and consult the party math table for portion estimation.
Since a cocktail party is all about mingling and moving around, we suggest that the cocktail party menu include room-temperature, ready-to-serve canapés, allowing for efficient hosting and less time spent in the kitchen.
For our canape menu, we will be serving crab cucumber cups, stuffed onion cups, and chèvre endive cups. Crab cucumber cups are filled with crab salad, while stuffed onion cups are filled with sweet green peas and feta. Red onions can be marinated in vinegar for added colour. Chèvre Endive Cups are filled with goat cheese, toasted nuts, and honey and are easy to handle and use like a spoon.
Tip: To avoid nut allergies, try using pumpkin or sunflower seeds or fried shallots instead of walnuts in Chèvre Endive Cups, as the extra effort is worth it.
Chèvre Endive Cups
yield: serves 6–8; prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup walnut halves
3 full endives
10½ oz. chèvre
2 Tbsp. whipping (36%) cream
½ tsp coarse sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ green apple, peeled
½ lemon, juice of 4 tsp. honey
Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the walnuts on a baking tray and bake until lightly toasted, 4-5 minutes, mixing halfway through to prevent browning. Set aside to cool, then chop into small pieces.
Cut the base from the endive heads to release the leaves from the root. Carefully separate the leaves and gently wipe them with a clean dishcloth or paper towel to remove any dirt. Set aside 12 of the larger leaves to use for the cups. Store the remaining leaves in an airtight container in the fridge for another use.
In a medium bowl and using a handheld mixer, whip together the cheese, cream, salt, and pepper until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Mince the apple and place it in a small bowl with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
Arrange the endive cups on your serving platter. Fill each cup with about 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese mixture, drizzle with some honey, and top with toasted walnuts, diced apple, and a pinch of salt.
Crab Cucumber Cups
yield: 6–8; prep time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
6 mini cucumbers
1½ cups crab meat, drained and diced
½ cup cream cheese, softened
1 shallot, finely minced
1 Tbsp. chopped curly parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped dill
1 Tbsp. minced red bell pepper
½ cup low-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. brown mustard
Sea salt and black pepper
6 chives, thinly sliced
Spanish paprika
Method
Cut the cucumbers into 1-inch rounds. Using a melon baller, small spoon, or paring knife, scoop out the centre of each cucumber piece without going all the way through the round to remove the pulp and seeds (you want a slight base on each cucumber round). Place them on the serving platter.
In a medium bowl, mix the crab meat, cream cheese, shallot, parsley, dill, bell pepper, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste until fully combined.
Carefully scoop the crab mixture into each cucumber cup. Garnish with chives and a pinch of paprika.
Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes, uncovered. If you're making this ahead of time, refrigerate the crab mixture, cover and separate it from the cucumber cups, and assemble it 30 minutes before serving.
Stuffed Onion Cups
Yield: serves 6–8 • prep time: 30 minutes; • cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
3 small red onions or large shallots
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 lb. frozen and thawed peas
4 garlic cloves, divided
1½ tsp. sea salt, divided
1 shallot
¼ cup + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
Black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. chopped curly parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
6 fresh mint leaves + more for garnish
½ lemon, grated zest, juice, and more zest for garnish
Crumbled feta, for garnish
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the onions whole, with their skins on, for 2-3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Cut the root end off each onion and remove the skin. Slice the onions crosswise into ½-inch-thick rings. Separate the onion layers into cups. Set aside the medium-sized cups. The remaining onion cups can be refrigerated or frozen for another use.
In a medium stockpot, bring 8 cups of water and the vinegar to a boil. Prepare an ice bath.
Brush a nonstick skillet with some oil, set it over high heat, and place the onions cut side down in the oil. Cook, without stirring or turning, until their edges develop a dark char, about 2–3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
In a medium stockpot set over medium heat, combine the peas, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Fill with enough room-temperature water to cover the peas by 1 inch. Cook until the water comes to a boil and the peas turn bright green, 1-2 minutes. Discard the garlic, and then transfer the peas to the ice bath.
Roughly chop the shallot and the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Sauté them in a large skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Season with the remaining ½ tsp of salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine and stir until the alcohol has evaporated about 2 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender with three-quarters of the peas, the remaining ¼ cup of oil, the parsley, chives, mint, and lemon zest and juice. Purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the remaining peas. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Fill each onion cup with pea purée and garnish with more mint, lemon zest, and feta.
We wish you happy hosting!