Canapé recipes: These sandwiches are a hit at every celebration

Canapé or sofa sounds incredibly sophisticated. These are basically just small slices of sandwiched bread. Slices, so to speak. Because the appetizers are at home in upscale cuisine, the name can also be a little more luxurious. By the way: It's called canapé because the topping lies on the bread, like on a sofa (canapé).

The great thing about the mini sandwiches is that you can put a variety of toppings on them and easily eat them as finger food.No special cooking skills are required.Even beginners can make canapés themselves - thanks to the bread slice, you don't have to prepare a complex dough as a base. This makes preparation a snap and the slices can also be made as last-minute snacks.

In addition to three original canapé recipes, in this article we will show you which ingredients you can use to put together your own slice variations. Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration to become creative yourself. With this in mind: get ready, go!

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Tipp:After toasting, you can briefly rub the crostini with a cut garlic clove. This ensures a delicious Mediterranean aroma. Add a few drops of high-quality olive oil and you have a quick snack in between.

If you prefer it simple and English, simply top a slice of unroasted toast as a canapé. For British mini sandwiches, you carefully cut the crust off the bread so that the topping shows off the taste better.

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Tipp:It doesn't always have to be rectangular. For a change, stick shapes into your (toast) bread. For special occasions such as Christmas or New Year's Eve, you can have festive canapé stars - individually or stacked high as a sandwich.

>>A set of different sized star cutters is available here on Amazon.*

Delicious alternatives to the typical slice of bread:

You can get creative with the canapé topping. Anything you and your guests like is allowed. You basically have the choice between a raw and a fried topping. This can make a crucial difference, especially with meat and fish. Just try out different variations of the same ingredient.

Tipp:Slices taste just as good cold as they do warm. Or partly warm. If you need more advance notice when planning the party, you can prepare the canapés and then serve them as cold appetizers on the buffet. As a starter for a meal, fresh grilled vegetables, melted cheese or pan-fried shrimp are a nice detail.

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Ideas for your canapé topping:

The combination of sweet and savory is also great.Figs, honey and cheese are just as good food partners as chicken, pineapple and mango or melon, dates and ham. Always good with seafood and fish canapés: a slice of lemon. Decorative toppings such as almonds, nuts, kernels and seeds provide that extra crunch.

The icing on the cake of a canapé recipe is the sauce.This can be mayonnaise, aioli, hummus,, tartar sauce, mustard, horseradish (horseradish) or even a dollop of hollandaise sauce. Be bold when inventing new flavor combinations. If in doubt, place the sauce next to the plate of appetizers as a self-serve dip.

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As promised, here are three unusual canapé recipes that you can copy straight away. All ideas can be implemented and prepared in no time.

The recipes come from theCookbook “Mini Mania” by Ilse König. The book lives up to its name as it is full of sweet and savory party treats. There are also lots of recipes with freshly prepared dough for even more variety on the appetizer platter.

>>You can buy the great cookbook on Amazon here.*

This is how quick it is to prepare:
1. Defrost frozen shrimp, wash fresh shrimp, peel and remove intestines. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and fry the shrimp over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on their size. They should be reddish on the outside, white on the inside or at most slightly glassy, ​​if you like that. Frying them too long makes them tough. Deglaze with cognac. Allow to cool.

2. Halve the avocados, remove the stone, remove the flesh. Drizzle with lemon juice. Roughly chop in a speed chopper with the remaining lemon juice or mash with a fork. Wash and clean the eggplant and cut it lengthwise into 6 thin slices using a sharp knife or vegetable slicer. Drizzle with lemon juice.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy, non-stick pan and quickly fry the eggplant slices until brown on both sides. Salt and pepper lightly. Roll into spirals. Place 1 large spoonful of avocado in the middle of each cracker, followed by 1 shrimp or 1 eggplant roll. Top with basil and mint.

Preparation is so easy:
1. Roast the sauerkraut with butter or olive oil in a small pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Allow to cool.

2. Spread mustard on the middle of the matzahs. Place the pastrami on top and wrap the sauerkraut in it. Top with cheese, juniper berries and, if you like it spicy, a dollop of mustard. Decorate with 1 bay leaf.

As Info:Matzahs ​​are wafer-thin flat cakes made from unleavened dough consisting only of water and flour. If you can't get round matzos, cut square ones into pieces; they usually have perforations that make them easy to break. The inspiration for the recipe was the classic ones
Reuben sandwiches, which are served warm.

This is how it is prepared:
1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C (fan oven 170 °C). Remove the crust from the toast and cut into approx. 6 ½ cm squares. Brush lightly with butter on both sides. Press into the molds. Bake in the oven (center) for 8-10 minutes until crispy brown at the tips. Let cool on a cake rack.

2. For the filling, cut a ratatouille, zucchini, eggplant and pepper into very small cubes. Chop onion. Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion over medium heat, add garlic, stir. Fry the diced peppers for 2 minutes, stir in the aubergine and zucchini, cook for 5-7 minutes until al dente.

3. Salt and pepper the fish fillet. Fry in olive oil on the skin side until the top is almost cooked. Turn over and remove pan from heat. Add chopped garlic and rosemary, drizzle with lemon juice and let steep for 5 minutes. Take out.

4. Fill toast baskets (or in fine form: croustades) with ratatouille, cut fish fillets into small pieces and place on top.

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