Party bites ideal for pre-Christmas drinks, or to serve as part of a buffet
Caramelised mushroom tartlets
This is a clever recipe for those occasions when you need an exciting canapé, but could do without the faff. Everyone will ask the secret of your crunchy pastry, and the secret is, it isn’t pastry at all. Slices of bread are moulded into a tartlet tin, and baked up into delicious tart bases. You can make the mushroom mixture a day ahead and assemble the tartlets up to an hour or two ahead, then chill until needed.
MAKES 12 tartlets PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins EASY
2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 tbsp golden caster sugar 250g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 3-4 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves 12 slices of thin white sandwich bread butter, for spreading 100g grated vegetarian hard cheese or cheddar, for sprinkling
1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 7 mins until soft and golden. Stir in the sugar and some seasoning, then turn up the heat and add the mushrooms. Sizzle for 5 mins until any liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden. Add the garlic and stir for a few minutes more until fragrant, then turn off the heat and stir in most of the thyme. The mushroom mixture can now be chilled for up to a day.
2 To make the tartlet bases, stamp out 7-8cm circles from the bread using a biscuit cutter or glass. Butter one side of each, then use to line the holes of a 12-hole tartlet tin, buttered-side down. (Freeze any leftovers to make breadcrumbs.)
3 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the tartlets and top with the grated cheese. Bake for 10-15 mins until golden and bubbling. Sprinkle over the reserved thyme and serve.
PER SERVING 131 kcals • fat 6g • saturates 2g • carbs 14g • sugars 3g • fibre 6g • protein 5g • salt 0.4g
Furikake devilled eggs
Try furikake – a Japanese seasoning – in this retro canapé flavoured with a hint of wasabi and pickled ginger. Furikake is traditionally sprinkled on rice.
MAKES 12 PREP 15 mins COOK 10 mins EASY
6 eggs 2 spring onions, trimmed 2 tbsp Japanese-style mayonnaise or salad cream 2 tsp wasabi paste ½ tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp pickled sushi ginger, finely sliced, plus 1 tsp vinegar from the jar 3 tbsp furikake (available online or in specialist shops), plus a pinch
1 Cook the eggs in a pan of simmering water for 10 mins, then immediately plunge into a bo
