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Sweet and savoury canapés: small wonders
Delia's sublime-tasting (and sublimely easy) canapés include Marinated Chicken Satay, Thai Fishcakes and Bruschetta, plus mini muffins, choc ices and truffles. Many are prepare-ahead, so you can relax before your guests arrive.
Savoury canapés
Thai Pork Satay Kebabs with Peanut and Coconut Sauce
My thanks to John Curtis, who was head chef at Norwich City Football Club, for this brilliant recipe. It has all the exotic fragrances and flavours of the East, yet it's very simple to make.
Marinated Chicken Satay with Peanut Satay Sauce
Chicken satays are no trouble to make now that we can buy ready-boned and skinned chicken breasts, and the satay sauce can be whizzed up in seconds.
Salt-crusted Mini Baked Potatoes with Cold Chive Hollandaise
These are excellent to serve at a buffet, as they are so much easier to deal with than the unwieldy large jacket potatoes. The topping can vary, and for those with rather less time to spare for preparation I would recommend a soft cheese mixed with garlic and herbs, or else a tub of ready-made herb and onion dip.
Caramelised Onion Tartlets with Goats' Cheese and Thyme
When we made these tartlets for the photography, we couldn't stop eating them! Crisp, light pastry with such a luscious filling – and also lovely as a first course at a supper party.
Thai Fishcakes with Sesame and Lime Dipping Sauce
The ingredients list for these noble little Thai-inspired fishcakes looks very long but the good thing is they can be made and cooked with incredible speed. Serve them as a first or main course, or they're also good as canapés to serve with drinks, in which case make them smaller.
Crostini Lazio
Italian in origin, crostini are 'little crusts'. In France they are called croutons, but both are little rounds or squares of bread brushed with olive oil or butter, and sometimes crushed garlic, then baked in the oven.
Anchoïade with Toasted Goats' Cheese Croutons
It's true that, because of overkill, everybody is tired of sun-dried tomatoes, but now we can buy semi-dried tomatoes, called mi-cuit or sun blush, which are more squashy and succulent, with lots of concentrated tomato flavour.
Sausage Rolls
Made with a melting quick flaky pastry, these are one of our major treats at Christmas. They can be prepared well in advance, frozen uncooked and then defrosted and baked from the freezer on Christmas Eve or whenever you need them.
Vegetarian 'Sausage Rolls'
These make delicious party snacks and go well with chutney recipes. They can be frozen before cooking and then glazed and cooked from frozen for about 30-35 minutes.
Little Croustades filled with Gravadlax and Soured Cream
These are simplicity itself and the filling comes from the supermarket. The croustades are made in mini tartlet tins, which are available in trays of 12; what they are essentially are croutons made into tartlet cases.
Tiny Cheese, Onion and Olive Scones
These are so moreish that I don't think your guests could possibly survive on just one. They are simple to make and freeze superbly once cooked, provided you defrost and re-heat them in a hot oven for about 4 minutes before serving.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Bruschetta is a very special type of toasted bread, pronounced 'brusketta'. When I first tasted the real thing in Tuscany, it was one of the most memorable eating experiences of my life.
Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Rare Beef and Horseradish and Mustard Crème Fraîche Sauce
This recipe is from Lindsey Greensted-Benech, our Catering Director at Norwich City Football Club. I found it hard to believe at first: could a cold Yorkshire taste good?
Sweet canapés
Miniature Choc Ices
This is an unashamedly fun recipe, great for special parties and at Christmas, or to serve instead of chocolates or mints at the end of a meal. But although it's fun, the choc ices are seriously good to eat, particularly if you buy the best-quality ice cream.
Chocolate Mini Muffins with Toasted Hazelnuts
These were invented specifically for children to make for the 1997 Comic Relief campaign with red cherries on top. This is a more adult version, but children can still make them using chocolate drops for melting and cherries instead of nuts.
Caramelised Mincemeat Ravioli
This is a beautiful bite-sized version of mince pies, and I think not as fiddly. If you don't have a pastry wheel you can forgo the frilly edge and use a sharp knife to cut the pastry.
Irish Whiskey Truffles
Since everyone seems to want chocolate at Christmas it's a good excuse to make some real proper home-made truffles. If you like you can use rum or brandy, but Irish whiskey is my favourite.
