Rely on these simple-to-cook, tasty treats to make sure you enjoy your party as much as your guests do
ANYONE KIND ENOUGH to throw a party this Christmas will find to their surprise that this year, even the most sniffy guests will show up, hungry and thirsty, like never before. The recession will do wonders for bad habits and ill-manners. Rude guests who in the past rarely RSVPd or regularly did a "no-show" will no longer be tolerated. Party no-nos, such as a warm glass of über-cheap white wine and flaccid cocktail sausages will be considered the height of sophistication. People will be banging on your door for more. So remember, if you're nice enough to be hospitable in these tough times, make sure you enjoy your party and don't get caught up in making a good impression. It's not cheap to feed and hydrate guests in Ireland nowadays, so relax and have fun instead of worrying about whether you've made a mess of your mulled wine. Enjoy some nice nibbles and wines, recommended overleaf by John Wilson, that have been chosen especially to go with them.
Devils on horseback (makes 24)
For these, prunes are wrapped in bacon, with a small bit of mango chutney to make them go sweet and crispy when grilled. I feel ashamed to mention the next bit, for fear of sounding like a name-dropping, ignorant cow, but Heston Blumenthal owns a pub, the Hinds Head Hotel, in the same village as his three-star Michelin restaurant, the Fat Duck. If you are ever lucky enough to be taken to lunch there (on the understanding that someone else is paying), then make sure you go! One of the best bits of the day I visited, was having a drink in the pub beforehand and getting to eat devils on horseback and scotch eggs, before going for the gourmet Michelin-starred lunch, down the road. While we were there, chef Marco Pierre White called in and much to our annoyance, kept scoffing all our pub grub. He mumbled something about mango chutney giving the devils on horseback such a great flavour. I thought he was barking until I got home and checked it out. Until then, I never realised that these old-time classic canapés had mango chutney in them! But they do, and it works a treat. I would have apologised, if he hadn't stolen all our grub.
12 streaky rashers
24 prunes
Few tablespoons of mango chutney
Turn your grill up high. Slice the rind off your bacon. Lay the rashers out flat on a chopping board, and using the back of a knife, scrape the rasher so that it practically doubles in length and becomes much thinner. Slice it horozontally into two pieces and continue this process until all the bacon is prepped. Wash your hands, then one by one, dip the prunes into a bowl of mango chutney, place at one end of the bacon and then roll up. When they are all done, grill until really crispy and golden brown. You may have to turn them over halfway through cooking, so they get evenly coloured. Either serve straight away with a toothpick in them, or let them cool down and, just before serving, re-heat in a warm oven (150 degrees/gas two) for 10 minutes.
Smoked trout with parsley and capers on walnut and raisin toasts
This also makes a good brunch dish, especially when served on toasted pumpernickel bagels. This makes enough for approximately 20 generous canapés, or enough fish mix, for four to six open sandwiches.
6 slices raisin and walnut bread
200g cream cheese
200g smoked trout
Black pepper
2 tbsp capers
Bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Bunch spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Toast the bread and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Mix the cream cheese and trout together, using a fork to mash the trout, and season well with black pepper. Separately, mix the capers with the remaining ingredients. Top the toasts with the cream cheese and trout mix, spoon some of the caper mix on top and serve. Everything except the toasts can be done well in advance or the night before and refrigerated.
Goat's cheese and avocado crostini (makes 20)
You can buy plenty of crostini-type concoctions in posh shops and delis, but to be honest, once you've mastered making them, you'll be dead chuffed that you can make a large batch and top with whatever you fancy. Buy a jar of tapenade, top your crostini with some buffalo mozzarella and a sun-dried tomato and hey presto - another tasty canapé. This creamy blend of goat's cheese and avocado would also be a tasty dip when guacamole seems a bit too fiesta-ish.
1 thin baguette
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
10 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 avocadoes
150g goat's cheese
Juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/gas four4. Slice the baguette into thin slices and plonk on to a baking tray. You could brush them individually with the olive oil, but feel free to just generously drizzle with olive oil, shake them about and season. Bake for 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Allow them to cool fully and then put them in an airtight container for up to a week. If you put them into a container when they are still warm, they will go soggy.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and put in a bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil. Mix the balsamic vinegar with sugar and pour this onto the tomatoes. Gently toss them so they get coated and then roast on a baking tray for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure they don't start to burn, because of the sugar.
Blend the avocadoes with the remaining ingredients. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and blend until super smooth. You can do this bit and the tomatoes the night before. Chill until you need to assemble, by putting a spoon of the avocado and goat's cheese cream on top of the crostini and topping with a tomato. To stop the avocado cream from discolouring, squeeze a bit of extra lemon juice on top and cover it with cling film, pressing down to make sure the cream avoids contact with the air. Taste and re-season before serving.
Spicy chicken parcels with green chilli sauce
These were our favourite at the cook-in, the only down side being that they need to be cooked and eaten quickly. Perfect for more relaxed, fun entertaining. Think beers and paper towels. Make a massive batch and don't bother cooking anything else for dinner.
Pastry:
175g plain flour
25g butter
Pinch salt
1 litre sunflower oil (for frying)
Filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, very finely chopped
200ml tomato juice
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 large chicken breast, skin removed
Pinch dried chilli flakes
½ tsp cumin
Good pinch of cinnamon and ground cloves
Handful green or black olives, very finely chopped
2 tbsp raisins
Salt and pepper
Green chilli sauce:
1 avocado
2 green chillies, de-seeded
Handful of fresh coriander
2 spring onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
Splash of sweet chilli sauce
2 cloves garlic
Make the chilli sauce by whizzing everything in a blender or food processor. Check the seasoning and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the pastry by whizzing the flour and butter in a food processor until it resembles crumbs. Add 90ml of warm water, which will turn it into a soft dough. It is a fairly hardy, tough pastry, so roll it out on a floured surface until quite thin, but still hardy enough to take the chicken stuffing and when folded, not tear apart. Cut into 7.5cm rounds, which is approximately the width of a water glass. When they are all cut, chill for an hour while you get the chicken mix ready and cooled down.
Heat the olive oil and sweat the onion until it is soft. Chop the chicken into chunks and mince in a food processor until it is mush. Add the tomato juice and garlic to the frying pan and gradually add the minced chicken. Break up the chicken with the side of a wooden spoon as it will want to stay in one big lump. Once it has started to move around, add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on a high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Check the seasoning. Make sure it is good and tasty.
Cool the mixture fully before stuffing the pastry round with it. Place a spoonful of filling on one half and fold over, making a half-moon shape. Use a little water in a cup beside you to help make the edges stick together. You can keep them for 48 hours in the fridge in single layers.
When just about ready to serve, heat a few inches of sunflower oil in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the parcels until golden brown and crisp. Dry on kitchen paper and season with a sprinkle of salt. Serve with the chilli sauce.
Ginger lime creams
This is embarrassingly easy. You could fill tart cases with it or just serve it in shot glasses for a perfect hit of something sweet and zingy.
Juice and zest of 3 limes
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
Knob fresh ginger, finely grated
100ml cream
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
A few pieces of preserved ginger (for garnish)
Mix everything, except the preserved ginger, in a food processor on pulse mode, or using a whisk, until well mixed. Check the seasoning. If you want to sweeten it, add some syrup from the stem ginger. Or add more lime and lemon juice if you want to sharpen it up. Add more cream if you want to make it more bland. Chill for an hour or two, until it sets. Spoon into glasses or tart shells and decorate with thin slices of stem ginger and lime zest.
