Original French canapé sandwiches were slices of bread fried in butter only with anchovies or two on it. Today, under this name we include all salty appetizers that have a basis with extras on top, the size of one or two bites, and served with cocktails and aperitifs. Canapés can be hot and cold, simple or imaginative, according to your wishes. Depending on their size, ingredients, and on whether a preview main dish, prepare 2-6 canapé-sandwiches per person.
Basis
The basis for the canapé can be made from the dough, fresh bread of all kinds, toast, crackers (usually unsweetened or salted), rye or plain crunchy pressed Vail. The canapé basis should be thin and fresh -don’t prepare canapé-sandwiches more than an hour or two in advance because they will become dry or mushy and they will not be able to raise with fingers.
Shape the basis of the canapés so that you cut them into squares, triangles or circles, and some also previously cut off the crust of bread. Lightly grease the canapé basis with butter or margarine, and you can use layer of cream cheese or cottage cheese. Try also butter with herbs, which you can also prepare by mixing 100 g of moderately salty butter with 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and chives.
Extras on top
For meat lovers, arrange the canapé-sandwiches with thin slices of chicken or turkey (each separately combined with mayonnaise and spices, or just for turkey, with a small stack of cranberry sauce). Cold boiled or roast beef goes well with stuffed olives, pickles, mustard or horseradish, garnish ham with candied cherry, pineapple or apricot.
Put slices of cucumber, tomato, stuffed or canned olives on a paste of meat or venison. Pieces of fish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp can also be used alone or mixed with mayonnaise and herbs. As a special treat, try the smoked salmon with lemon juice, black pepper and a sprig of dill and smoked trout with horseradish. For a simple prayer, mix tuna with a little cream, lemon juice, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce.
Hard cheeses are good for starters. Decorate them with pieces of fresh apples or pears or pickles. Cream cheese and cottage cheese go well with pineapple, peach or apricot, and equally so with pickles and olives. Add a little ground black pepper.
For vegetarians and those on a diet, use slightly salted, delicate slices of cucumber previously immersed in vinegar and decorated with a sprig of dill. Sprinkle coarsely grated carrot with lemon juice and parsley.
Serving
Arrange canapé-sandwiches on a serving platter covered with wrapping paper to color different sandwiches complemented each other and better emphasized. Lightly cover them with plastic wrap and keep in a cool place until you serve guests.