AFFORDABLE CANPES 23

One of the most anticipated aspects of a holiday season, especially the winter one, are the parties, from large, elegant balls to small, casual, often impromptu get-togethers. We enjoy the chance to relax with current friends and to catch-up with those less frequently seen. It would be a real loss to allow rising food prices to curtail these occasions.

So in the interest of preserving holiday entertaining, I’m offering a few recipes, which are every bit as delicious and appealing as expensive, catered or commercially prepared hors d’ouvres.  With planning, and little or no extra time and effort, these canapes can be tailored to any party budget.

However, before getting into the canape and related recipes, I want to suggest an alternative type of party which takes a bit more time and space, but does offer an economic saving, especially on the bar bill, if adhering to the drinks recommended-The Dessert Party. This party is described in detail with recipes for food and drink in my post at https://www.dinnerwithjoy.com/give-a-dessert-party/. There is also a Cheese and Cake Party written up in the post for Dec.5, 2019.

Another specifically focused party worthy of consideration is a Cheese Party, where strategically paced cheese boards offer the only canapés. Cheese can be very expensive, but it’s a huge field. Working with experts in the stores, it’s possible to design boards to fit nearly any budget and on the up-side, it involves minimal labor. I discuss this party in my post Say Cheese https://www.dinnerwithjoy.com/say-cheese/

An additional post you may find helpful is Leftovers Love to Party—https://www.dinnerwithjoy.com/holiday-leftovers-turn-into-party-canapes/ This post discusses how many leftovers from a dinner party can be reincarnated as canapes. Also check out Fantastic Impromptu Party Food https://www.dinnerwithjoy.com/fantastic-impromptu-party-food/

Now onto the subject of the week…….

RECIPES

Probably the single most useful ingredient for anyone planning a party featuring finger-food is cream cheese. It’s the basis of most hors d’ouvres dips, spreads and balls, but also can be outstanding in its own right.

Served by itself, a block of cream cheese can be a stunning appetizer with a covering of Tapenade.  If you are in need of something to serve fast, open an 8oz. package of cream cheese, and spoon about 4-6oz. of tapenade, jarred or your own, diagonally over it. Serve with crackers or other spreadables. 

Tapenade was originally made with capers, black olives, anchovies and lemon juice. Now it includes any Chopped marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts, smoked oysters or mussels can also cover the cheese, as can spicy rather than mild chutney.

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Or make it especially festive. Cut the block of cream cheese on a diagonal and flip one half over to form a triangle. Add a stick of cinnamon or a twig to form a trunk and it becomes a tree to be decorated as you like. A group of several 4oz. blocks, with different toppings, makes a delicious display.

Most importantly cream cheese is the base of most spreads. Consistency can be controlled with the addition of sour cream or yogurt to convert the mixture to a dip or adjusting the amount to enable the items to stand independently. A few examples follow. First a seasonal pairing…

Sundried Tomato Pate: Serves 6-8—From Tea Time Journeys by Gail Greco
½ cup oil packed sundried tomatoes-drained, save oil for another use.
8 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup butter
½ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp. EACH dried oregano and basil
½ tsp. rosemary
Blend everything until smooth. Chill at least 6 hrs. before serving.

Pesto Spread:  From  HTTPS://WWW.FOOD.COM/RECIPE/PESTO-CREAM-CHEESE-SPREAD-290268
1(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¹⁄₈teaspoon garlic powder

¹⁄₃cup parmesan cheese, grated

3tablespoons butter, softened

¹⁄₂cup pesto sauce

3tablespoons olive oil

Line a 5-3/4×3″ loaf pan with plastic wrap.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and garlic powder until well blended; set aside.

In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, butter and pesto sauce until blended.

Gradually stir in olive oil.

Spread about 1/4 cup cream cheese mixture into prepared pan.

Carefully spread with 1/3 pesto mixture.

Repeat layers twice.

Top with remaining cream cheese mixture.

Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours.

Un-mold; serve with crackers and vegetables

Easy Dip:
1 envelope beef bouillon dissolved in ¼ cup water –allows the dip to become a mold(optional)
½  cup cream cheese
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
¼ tsp. each onion and garlic powder
1 tsp. strong herb and/or spice of choice or 1 ½  tsp. spicy brown mustard
Mix well or blend until smooth. Chill before serving.

Bleu Cheese Spread:

Packaged salad crumbles work well here
6 oz. bleu cheese – any type Danish, Roquefort,  Gorgonzola
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs. dried minced onion
2 Tbs. White wine
Blend well, place in crock for serving and chill

Packages of shredded cheese from the supermarket Dairy case are useful to create affordable but delicious, attractive hors d’ouvres too. Here’s an example and you can easily think of other combinations.

Cheddar Balls
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese –commercially packaged is fine
3 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. salt
Red pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. chili powder
Combine the paprika and chili powder and set aside. Mix all the other ingredients and form into small balls. Roll the balls in the paprika-chili powder mix and chill before serving

In addition, ordinary, everyday ingredients can be transformed into stunning, savory hot appetizers. Here are three illustrations……..

Baked Bean Sandwiches
(1) 15 oz. can Boston baked beans
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
1 Tbs. horseradish
½ lb. loaf of Jewish Rye bread sliced thin
Bake the beans until still soft but with little sauce. Mash them with the ketchup, mustard and horseradish, adjusting the taste as you do so. Spread the mixture on one side of half the bread slices and top with the other half. Cut each sandwich into 3 or 4 finger sandwiches. Can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, for 1 week, or frozen for 1 month, at this point. Broil until golden on both sides and bubbling. Serve at once.

Spinach Porcupines:
(1) 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach-thawed and drained
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 egg beaten
2 Tbs. melted butter + 2 teaspoons
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
2 Tbs. pine nuts-or 1 ½ Tbs. sesame seeds
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. powdered ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of pepper
Salt to taste
Mix the spinach, egg, onion butter and breadcrumbs together. Add the seasonings and pine nuts and incorporate well. Shape into equal balls about 1 inch diameter each and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 min. or until cooked through and firm. Serve warm with toothpicks.

Zucchini Squares:

3 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled zucchini- a 1 lb. bag of frozen, thawed and drained will do
1 cup Bisquick
½ cup onion chopped
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 tsp. dried marjoram or dried oregano
2 cloves garlic mashed
½ tsp. pepper
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs beaten
Mix all the ingredients together and spread in a 13 x 9 x2 inch greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. or until brown. Cut into 1 x2 inch pieces.

Here’s an idea for those who serve beef over the holidays

Hot Dogs in Cumberland Sauce:

1 lb. pkg. hot dogs – any type
(1) 12 oz. jar red currant jelly
¼ cup Dijon or spicy brown mustard
Red pepper flakes or Tabasco to taste
Divide the hot dogs in 6 pieces each. Over medium heat, melt the jelly and mustard together and stir until completely dissolved and combined. Add the hot dog pieces and reduce heat, cook until hot dogs are puffy, @ 5 min. Add hot pepper to taste. Keep hot while serving. Have a cup of toothpicks on the side and some cocktail napkins. Makes 48 pieces

These hot dogs are always wildly popular. They taste really good and people seem to enjoy spearing them with toothpicks, which opens the door to fondues. Fondues are a fun do-it-yourself gimmick at parties and they’re economic. They can offer infinite variety at a reasonable price.

A True Swiss Fondue: Serves 4 for dinner-Divide amounts for canapes
EQUIPTMENT: A Fondue Pot – or 2 Qt. Saucepan you can take to the table, and a candle to keep the food warm.
Bamboo skewers
INGREIDENTS:
2 lbs. grated Swiss cheese – or very thinly sliced and cut in small pieces – rind removed (8 oz. blocks from the store’s dairy counter will do)
6 Tbs. flour
1 garlic clove cut in half
4 cups dry white wine
6 Tbs. brandy
Dash salt
Ground nutmeg
Ground black pepper

Toss cheese and flour to coat well. Rub the inside of the pot with the garlic. Over low heat, cook the wine until bubbles rise to the surface. Add the cheese, a few spoonfuls at a time, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the cheese melts; the mixture is smooth and begins to bubble. Add the brandy, nutmeg and pepper. Reduce heat until there is just enough to keep the fondue hot, without burning the bottom. It sounds far more difficult than it is, and when made at the table, everyone can watch.

Serve with a variety of dippers – – Pieces of crusty bread, (just be sure the bread has the density to hold up to the sauce, otherwise it will be soggy, or break off and stay on the pot) or cubes of cooked meat –chicken, ham, cooked hot dogs, or vegetables – cherry tomatoes, broccoli or cauliflower flowerets, baby carrots, pieces of bell pepper, scallions, celery even pieces of sturdy fruits like apple, pear, fresh pineapple or banana. The list goes on and on and on.

Meat Fondue:  4 servings will require about 2 lbs. total—mixing meats is fine.
1 lbs. chicken tenders-or strips of breast
1 lbs. sturdy fish – packages of frozen Salmon fillets do well
Skewers
1quart of liquid, wine, broth, or juice appropriate to choice of meats
Cut the meat to size and place on the skewers before presenting for cooking. The meats cook at generally the same speeds and mixing them could cause problems.  Cut the fish in chunks. Seafood can be prepared with one or more pieces per skewer.  Thread the chicken strips ribbon style on the skewers.
To serve, heat the liquid with any seasonings you choose, to bubbling. Have the filled skewers ready and allow people to put them in the pot and leave them until done. I often put markers on the table so people can mark their skewers and check for doneness.
The finishing touch is to dip the cooked meat in a sauce before eating. Two easy ones which work with both meats are
1) Bottled barbeque sauce
2) Dill Sauce: equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream with dried dill to taste. Marinate, chilled for several hours to meld flavors and keep cold until serving.

Don’t as the Brits say “go crackers’ over expensive gourmet crackers either. There are other ways to provide things to hold a dip or spread, that will win you raves, even if you couldn’t get to the store. For the diet conscious, sliced apples wiped with lemon water to prevent browning, and peeled, sliced jicama, which stays crisp and doesn’t brown, are nice, fresh alternatives.

1)Flour tortillas, and pita breads (the latter opened to make two circles), cut in wedges, sprayed lightly with oil and sprinkled with lemon pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, or any similar seasoning of your choice, and dusted with paprika, for color, then baked on a foil lined cookie sheet, at 350deg. for 8-10min .make wonderful presentations, and really add taste, especially if the tortillas are tomato or spinach and the tortillas are wheat or flour.
2) Don’t forget bread either. There are really good “party loaves” in the market, usually found near the Deli counter. If you are planning ahead, they keep well frozen and served by themselves or cut and toasted, depending on the use, they can really enhance flavor.

3) You can also make your own. My personal favorite is real Jewish rye, thin sliced, cut into bite size, and lightly toasted. Slices of French or Italian bread, can also be treated the same. Plain loaf slices can be rolled and cut into triangles, sprayed with cooking spray and baked at 350 deg. for 5-8 min Bagels, sliced and toasted are good too.
4) All of the above suggestions keep for about a month in air-tight containers, so make lots at a time and have them on hand!

Finally, a bonus of two excellent but affordable .hors d’ouvres.

Deviled Egg Dip

A simple dip to make from in house items is actually an old family favorite and can do triple duty as a sandwich spread or dressing for a wedge of lettuce. This is a “to taste” recipe rather than an exact one, but the rigid rule to success is that the whites are chopped alone, and the yokes crumbled into the mixture at the end of mixing.
4 hard boiled large eggs – whites finely chopped – yokes reserved
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. Spicy Brown Mustard (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. Red Pepper – or to taste
Mix everything but the yokes. Then crumble them in. Mixture will be stiff, but will become more liquid as the flavors meld. Refrigerate at least one hour, adjust seasoning before serving. Makes 1 cup. (Note-Excellent with potato chips)

Marinated Mackerel *
(1) 15 oz. can of mackerel fillets
Cider or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Drain the fish, and carefully  brush off the silver skin with a blunt knife. Separate the fillet halves, trying not to break them and remove the spines. Lay the fish halves side by side in a flat bottomed glass or china dish, wide enough to hold 3 fillet halves. Drizzle with 1 tsp. vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat layers and chill several hours before serving.
*This recipe was created for skinless boneless sardines