On Sunday I’ve invited a couple of friends round for drinks and nibbles. My inner lazy hostess wants to run to Aldi to get crisps and nuts and be done with, however I have decided otherwise.
I am far from being a domestic goddess. I am too impatient to see a recipe through to the end and if I’m honest I’m terrified of my oven. However this weekend I’ve decided to conquer my fear and cheat my way to a few simple morsels.
Camembert
First up is baked camembert, surely I can do this in my Esse oven?! I have a couple of porcelain bakers but obviously you can also cook in the wooden box.
I’m considering following Jamie’s recipe which involves studding the cheese with rosemary and garlic before popping in the oven (and in true Jamie style adding lots of olive oil). He serves his with fancy nutty cranberry crumbles as you can see above. Yum.
Spiced Nuts and Chilli Olives
I don’t really need an excuse to whip out a kilner jar and the idea of making shop-bought nuts appear more appetising really appeals. GoodFood have several recipes, one with honey for a sweet tooth and one with chilli for a spicy tang.
Carrying on with the kilner jar theme, I also like to take one of those huge jars of shop bought olives and decant into another jar adding garlic, a glug of olive oil and chilli flakes. I tip and rotate over a few days to disperse the flavour evenly.
Charcuterie
Over the past few years I’ve accumulated a few wooden boards so I usually lay out an Italian antipasti platter with strips of pastrami, salami, chorizo and prosciutto. However I can’t promise it will look like the amazing image above by Roland Persson.
Dips and Breads
I made my own houmous recently and unfortunately it did not taste good. I’ve had more luck with a home-made tapenade courtesy of James Martin. Also for a fresh take on pesto this pea version is delicious. Both are exceptionally quick to whizz together in a food processor and are ideal to create mini crostinis.
Finally I’ll be buying some fresh bread; my local Co-op have some excellent seasonal bloomers with all sorts of delicacies in them, a few hunks of good quality cheese, maybe a pate or two and some delicious crackers.
What do you think I’m missing? Any other quick recipes you’d like to add? What’s your speciality appetiser dish?
Hi Lauren
If you’re looking to make spiced nuts, I really recommend this recipe for spiced pecans. Very additive and super easy.
1 egg white, beaten
1 tbsp water
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp cayenne)
Preheat oven to 175C. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Beat the egg white with the water. Stir in the pecans, mixing well until moistened.
In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, salt and spices. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread on prepared baking tray. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
A word of warning about the chilli nuts you link to: I recently made curry-spiced nuts and, whilst they were tasty, my house stank of curry powder for about a month afterwards! My recipe used more curry powder than yours, but it still might be something to watch out for.
Now, I’m off to bake myself a Camembert… x
Thanks so much for the word of warning on the chilli nuts Tracy, that wasn’t the festive aroma I was aiming for! Your spiced pecans sound delicious x
Oooo I’ve made homemade houmous lately with an amazing recipe from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour. It was really easy and tasted amazing, from the same book I also made a cucumber, dill and garlic yoghurt dip from the same book which would be great as an appetiser.
I’ll have to check out it out Gracie. The one I made was plain odd!
The Camembert one is amazing – we’ve had it as a starter on Christmas Day the last 2 years!!! It’s delicious and easy 🙂
I love doing anti-pasti plates – so easy to cobble together and tasty!
Brilliant Lynn. I’ll definitely go Jamie style then x
These are a fave in our house!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/asparagus_and_puff_00402
oooh, they look very fancy Claire. I like!
Oooh, love a good appetiser! Buy some cute cocktail sticks, slice a cherry tom in half then sandwich with a basil leaf and some mozzerella and pop on the stick. Goats cheese tartlets are also yummy. Get some ready made puff pastry and cut in to mini squares (or big and just cut up at the table). Place a slice of goats cheese on top and a good dollop of caramelised onions then bake for 10 -15 mins. Feeling rather peckish now! x
Nothing says ‘party’ like getting the cocktail sticks out Charlotte. Great idea on the tartlets too. They sound very easy. x
I would second the goats cheese tartlets, but pair mine with a spoonful of fig jam – delish! Glazed honey and mustard cocktail sausages are always a winner, Nigella has a straightforward recipe as is mini smoked salmon blinis – blini, dollop of creme fraiche, slice of smoked salmon, piece of lemon zest and sprig of dill. Strangely satisfying to arrange. Oooh I do love a canapé party!
Mmmmm fig jam! Sounds delicious Nicky x
Nigella has a very simple but tasty sounding seasonal canapé suggestion that I’m planning on testing out myself over the festive period. They’re called Parma ham bundles and are basically just parma ham wrapped around a dollop of goat’s cheese on half a dried fig. Mmmmm! X
These sound delicious Emma x
Love these ideas thanks! I am hosting a little Holiday get together with my colleagues on Monday afternoon and will be using this recipe again to try and re create a really famous appertizer at one of my favourite brunch spots, Leconde Verde (Robert De Niro’s restaurant in New York). Serve it with farm bread toast that has been rubbed my some orange segment 🙂
It looks rustic and inviting AND is cheap and easy. It’s a sure winner. Got to share the cheese love
x
http://andrewcarmellini.com/recipes/sheeps-milk-ricotta-with-sea-salt-and-herbs/
oooh thanks Nicola, I’ll be checking this out x
The camembert is a killer, go for it! Along the same lines, the baked Mont d’Or is über simple and utterly delicious: make a small hole in the cheese center, pour white wine (dry is better), hush it in the over for about 20 minutes at 180 °C and get ready to dive in.