Small Is Beautiful – Individual Canapés

I have moved back in to my house! I am feeling very content and at peace with myself. There really is no place like home as Dorothy once said and she knew what she was talking about it would seem.

This summer has been challenging and thought provoking for me in many ways. Living in someone else’s house and cooking in someone else’s kitchen was an adventure but also made me appreciate my own home and kitchen all the more.

And now I am home. I find myself breathing more deeply and sleeping more soundly – does that make any sense I wonder? I just know it feels good.

In truth, I still have lots of unpacking and organising to do until we are completely back to normal so I am still not quite in the swing of things blog wise. So for this post I have decided to just share a just a few tasty morsels I knocked up for a canapé party last week. Super quick, super tasty and supremely beautiful, they are a sophisticated way to kick off any special meal.

First of all when planning out canapés such as these, I like to consider what I am going to serve them on. I have said before that I am a sucker for little dishes, pots and glasses. I seem to collect all manner of dainty vessels to carry my food. I especially love individual spoons that can hold a perfect concoction of ingredients which produce just one magnificent mouthful, always leaving you wanting more. I think that’s very sexy…..

‘Spoon canapés’ do not have to be complicated. Just think of some things that work together, chop them up small and layer them on the spoon! The possibilities are endless. On this occasion I made Pear, Roquefort, Walnut & Honey Spoons; they work so well capturing the sublime balance of sweet and salty; soft and crunchy, just perfectly. The little bits of chopped pear at the base with nuggets of Roquefort crumbled over, topped with a walnut and drizzled with honey – made in minutes, devoured in a nanosecond!

This next canapé is my version of a familiar combination – Fresh Fig with Goats Cheese and Tomato, wrapped in Prosciutto.  These are like individually gift wrapped surprises! The sweet fig works perfectly with the creamy goats cheese whilst the sliver of tomato adds a wonderful juicyness to the parcel, all bound together with the delicious cured ham. Another marvelous morsel!

And finally, another canapé based on tried and tested combinations – Fresh Salmon with Spicy Avocado. For this little pot I just poached some salmon and flaked it into a mixture of avocado, chilli, coriander, tomato, red onion and lime juice. You could serve this on a spoon to scoff in one go, or use a little pot like me and provide spoons. Either way, we all know that the marriage of salmon and avocado is a most harmonious one and the hint of chilli and squeeze of lime pep it up delightfully.

None of these canapés demonstrate any cooking prowess but they are inventive and delicious none the less. And I think they can make a very exciting addition to any evening.

Small things can be very beautiful and deliver great pleasure. Which brings me back to moving back home…the fluff of my own pillows, the way my sofa is indented where I sit, the view from my kitchen window, the quiet of living in a field…these small things to me are very, very beautiful and deliver infinite pleasure. Until next time, I shall be indulging in them.