The days are longer and sunnier, and spring fever is well underway, with plenty to look forward to in New Zealand hospitality. Finger food provides ease, diversity and a great opportunity to showcase your skills and produce to larger guest numbers with a lot less fuss. It’s also a really good way to trial new ideas, so you can gauge a dish’s popularity without committing to a full meal on the menu.
Share platters, cocktail morsels and inventive canapés served alongside cold bubbles and refreshing drinks are a great way to keep everybody happy. Whether you’re presenting your nibbles individually, on multi-layered trays or on giant boards, there are a few golden rules that apply:
Look at what size you want your canapés to be: are they single servings to be eaten whole, or are they more than a few mouthfuls? Maybe you want to create a little of both to cater for all tastes and appetites.
Make things easy to prepare in quantity. That might mean cutting larger pies into bite-size portions, or cooking in bulk and storing chilled until needed.
Consider what utensils might be needed. Single bites may require toothpicks or small forks, while dishes with saucy accompaniments may require individual bamboo boats or plates. If something is quite liquid or is better served ‘scooped’ into the mouth, spoons might be useful. Bidfood has a range of sustainable serving ware to suit every need.
Make it look impressive. Our eyes eat first; make your canapés as showstopping as possible. Consider playing to a theme or ambiance, especially for private or larger events.
Start with a good base. Mousses, patés, hummus, relishes, guacamole, infused crème fraîche, sour cream, sweet chilli bases and mascarpone all provide a burst of flavour with a creamy, moist texture.
Look at options like sweetcorn patties, blinis, waffles, flatbreads and rosti, that you can use to build on. A chicken karaage nibble atop a sweet chilli and sour cream base, topped with bright green spring onion, for example, and mini-pancakes topped with ready-to-serve seafood like crab, salmon and caviar creates depth and provides pretty bites that are easy to hold and eat.
Use the textures, colours and flavours of seasonal spring produce to create dramatic garnishes that add colour, texture and fragrance to your canapés. Spring asparagus, avocado and fresh herbs all add freshness and seasonality to your plates.
Living Goodness have a great range of kimchi and sauerkraut. Add a dollop of this healthy raw fermented flavour to add kick and pop of colour.
Don’t forget about the sweet treats to round out the party! Use portioned slab cakes, tartlet shells, meringues and chocolate to satisfy the dessert lovers. Check out our “Savvy Spring Sweets” feature on page 20-21.
November 5th is a huge day on the calendar; not only is it Guy Fawkes’ night, but the Melbourne Cup is on, marking the day for many as one on which to dress up, pop the champagne, get the canapés underway and party the day away.
Many of Bidfood’s suppliers have done a lot of the preparation work for you. Wild Chef does a great range of mini rosti, fritters, falafels, mini hash browns and bite-sized patties that make great bases, as do mini slider buns, savoury tartlet shells, cones and waffles.
Blini are excellent platforms, light & fluffy and perfectly round.
Top with classic salmon and caviar, shaved rare roasted beef & horseradish crème, or Parma ham, pear and blue cheese. Include vegetarian options like smoked eggplant, hummus and pomegranate – with a blini, anything is possible!
For variety, take a bigger component like small bacon & egg pies and divide into multiple serves.
Ensure it holds together well for presentation and ingredients are distributed evenly. Top with seared mushrooms and garnish with microgreens or sprouts, herbs and balsamic glaze.
