’Tis the season for sparkling parties and sun-soaked celebrations! With these irresistible canapé recipes, you’ll have the perfect festive bites to keep the cheer flowing and your guests coming back for seconds (and thirds).
Tuscan toast
Serves 8 as a snack
Ingredients
3 red peppers
¼ cup olive oil
3 shallots or 1 red onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs origanum, picked and chopped
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup pitted black olives, sliced
2 Tbsp capers or caper berries, drained + extra for serving
Handful parsley, chopped
Salt and milled pepper
1 olive or plain French loaf, sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
Olive oil, for drizzling
For the ricotta topping
1 tub (250g) ricotta
⅓ cup sour cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Handful chopped parsley
Method
- Place the peppers on an open flame or grill in the oven on high to scorch and blacken the skin of the peppers. Once blackened, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Set aside to sweat for about 10 minutes.
- Uncover and peel the peppers. Cut the peppers into strips, discarding the skins and seeds.
- Heat oil over medium-low and sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Add origanum, vinegar and sugar, and cook for 3 minutes to reduce.
- Stir in peppers, olives and capers, then simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add parsley and season.
- In a dry pan, toast the bread slices until golden and crisp. Remove and rub garlic cut-side down on bread to infuse flavour.
- Combine the ricotta topping ingredients, mashing with a fork as needed.
- To assemble, top the toast with ricotta mixture and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with extra caper berries and serve.
Recipe & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons
Tempura prawns with granadilla cream cheese
Serves 6
Ingredients
250g cream cheese
½ cup granadilla pulp
1 cup flour
1 cup soda water
1 tsp salt
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
100g prawns, cleaned, with tails attached
100g panko breadcrumbs
1 French loaf, cut into 2cm slices
Method
- Combine the cream cheese and the granadilla pulp. Set
- Whisk together the flour, soda water and salt to form a smooth batter.
- In a deep pot, heat the vegetable oil to medium heat.
- Dip the prawns in the tempura batter, then the panko breadcrumbs. Deep-fry them until golden and crisp. Drain on paper
- To serve, spread a generous layer of granadilla cream cheese on each slice of bread, top with a tempura prawn and serve immediately.
Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
Lemony lamb frikkadels on beetroot raita
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 pack (500g) lamb mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, whisked
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamon
½ tsp cinnamon
Handful chopped mint, parsley and coriander
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the raita
3-4 cooked beetroots, grated
1 cup double-cream plain yoghurt
1 Tbsp olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice
½ tsp ground cumin
1-2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped (optional)
For serving
Chopped salad (we used a combination of cucumber, tomato and red onion)
Handful rocket or micro herbs
Method
- Combine mince, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, whisked egg, lemon juice and zest, spices and herbs in a bowl. Season.
- Roll into golf ball-sized portions and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat a glug of oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry frikkadels in batches for 10-12 minutes until golden-brown and cooked through.
- Remove and drain on kitchen towel.
- Place raita ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Season to taste.
- To serve, spread raita over a platter and top with salad, rocket or micro herbs and frikkadels.
Recipe, styling & photography: Fresh Living magazine
Pork bombas with fresh tomato & garlic
Makes 16-18
Ingredients
Glug olive oil
½ (about 110g) smoked Spanish chorizo, cubed
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ packet (375g) frozen pork bangers, defrosted
1½ tsp smoked paprika
Salt and milled pepper
½ cup sherry or balsamic vinegar
4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1½ Tbsp olive oil
Oil, for deep frying
Flour
2-3 eggs, whisked
Breadcrumbs (or panko crumbs), for coating
For the tomato garlic
3-4 tomatoes, grated
Glug olive oil
2 cloves garlic, grated
Salt and milled pepper
Method
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Fry chorizo cubes until crispy and oils are released. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion and fry for 5-8 minutes until soft.
- Remove pork sausages from casing and fry with onion, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until browned.
- Add paprika and sherry or balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add cooked pork mince and chorizo to a food processor and pulse to a course texture. Cool completely.
- Boil potatoes until fork tender and pass through a sieve, or mash using a potato ricer.
- Add olive oil, season and roll into balls (about 20-30g each).
- Using your index finger, make an indent halfway through the centre of each potato ball.
- Fill with about 2 tsp pork and chorizo filling and close potato around filling, smoothing into a ball. Allow to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Combine tomato and garlic ingredients, season well and set aside to infuse.
- Dredge each ball in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil until shimmering hot and deep fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and season.
- Serve hot with tomato and garlic dipping sauce.
Recipes and styling: Gail Damon
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Fondue sliders with beer and cheese sauce
Makes 12
Ingredients
12 store-bought mini cocktail buns
1 pack (12) butchery meatballs
2 Tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
½ cup pale ale beer
Salt and milled pepper
1½ cups grated Cheddar
1 cup grated mature Cheddar
For serving
Dijon mustard
Handful fresh salad leaves
6 gherkins, sliced
12 slices Emmental (optional)
Method
- Flatten meatballs into patties, slightly larger than the buns.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry patties to your liking. Set
- For the sauce, heat butter in a pot until bubbling. Stir in flour and cook for a minute until smooth.
- Gradually whisk in milk, then add beer, whisking
- Season and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add cheese and stir until melted.
- Top halved buns with mustard, leaves, gherkins, patties and Emmental Add generous dollops of sauce and serve hot.
Recipe, styling & photography: Fresh Living magazine
Brownie bites with berry buttercream & candy floss
Serves 8
Ingredients
550g Ina Paarman’s chocolate brownie mix
125g butter, softened
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp milk
For the coulis
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 tsp lemon juice
Sugar, to taste
To serve
1 cup fresh berries
½ tub pink candy floss
Method
- Bake the brownie batter according to box instructions. Cool completely.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut small circles out of the brownie tray. Arrange on a serving platter.
- Whisk butter and icing sugar together for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add milk if needed to slightly loosen the mixture.
- Place frozen berries in a pot over medium heat. Add lemon juice and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until thick and syrupy, stirring constantly. Add sugar to taste and allow to cool completely.
- Add spoons of the berry coulis to the buttercream and swirl through.
- Using a piping bag or spoon, dollop buttercream on each brownie. Drizzle with extra berry coulis.
- Finish off by adding a bite of candy floss just before serving, to avoid melting.
Cook’s note: Don’t throw away the off-cuts! Once you’ve cut out your brownies, combine the remaining bits to form a base for cake pops.
Recipes and styling: Chad January
Photography: Zhann Solomons
Also read: 3 festive charcuterie board ideas
