Prawn cocktail, vol-au-vents and devilled eggs were crucial to culinary socialising from the 1950s right up to the 1990s. We think it’s time for these great canapés to be celebrated again – with a few up-to-date twists, of course
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND PHOTOGRAPHS NASSIMA ROTHACKER STYLING MAX ROBINSON
Spinach, smoked trout and pink peppercorn roulade
Makes 20 slices Hands-on time 35 min Oven time 10 min Specialist kit 30cm x 25cm oven tray
The retro swirl of a roulade always looks impressive. Our spinach and smoked trout bites are spiked with the fruity, floral flavour of pink peppercorns. Make the roulade 1 day in advance, wrap up and keep in the fridge, then slice just before serving (it will slice better from chilled).
DON’T WASTE IT Have some extra soft herbs? Use them in place of some of the spinach. Basil and parsley work best.
• 150g spinach
• 3 medium free-range eggs, separated
• 50g plain flour
• 150g full-fat cream cheese
• 100g smoked trout or salmon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed
• ½ bunch chives, finely chopped
• Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon →
Harissa roast chicken vol-au-vents with crispy chicken skin
Makes 20 Hands-on time 1 hour Oven time 25-32 min Specialist kit 5cm and 3cm round cutters
Ditch the tired, grey chicken and mushroom filling for our creamy, hot and herby harissa-spiked version.
MAKE AHEAD Both the cooked pastry cases and filling can be prepared to the end of step 4 up to 2 days in advance, so all you have to do on the day is put them together. Store the pastry cases and crispy chicken skin in airtight containers and the filling in the fridge.
DON’T WASTE IT Save pastry scraps for cheese twists or pie decoration. The pastry freezes well, but keep it flat if you still want it to puff up evenly.
• 2 free-range chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
• 3 tsp harissa
• 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 1 medium free-range egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4 and line a small oven tray with baking paper. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, scrape away any excess fat from the skins with a small knife, then lay them flat on the lined tray.
2 Season the skinless thighs with salt and pepper, then coat with half the harissa and put on the same tray as the skins. Roast for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the thighs. Check after 10 minutes; if the skins are light golden and crisp, remove them while the thighs finish cooking. Leave both to cool but keep the oven on.
3 Unroll the pastry sheet on a work surface and li
