Canapes

~ Smoked Duck with Hoisin Air
~ Poached Prawn in Tomato Gazpacho
~ Figs and Cheese Brochette
~ Crab and Avocado Cone-Nectar

A canapé (a type of hors d’œuvre, (“outside the (main) work”)) is a small, prepared and usually decorative food, held in the fingersand often eaten in one bite.

Because they are often served during cocktail hours, it is often desired that a canapé be either salty or spicy, in order to encourage guests to drink more. A canapé may also be referred to as finger food, although not all finger foods are canapés. Crackers or small slices of bread or toast or puff pastry, cut into various shapes, serve as the base for savory butters or pastes, often topped with a “canopy” of such savory foods as meat, cheese, fish, caviar, foie gras, purées or relish.

Traditionally, canapés are built on stale white bread (although other foods may be used as a base), cut in thin slices and then shaped with a cutter or knife. Shapes might include circles, rings, squares, strips or triangles. These pieces of bread are then prepared by deep frying,sautéing, or toasting. The foods are sometimes highly processed and decoratively applied (e.g., piped) to the base with a pastry bag. Decorative garnishes are then applied. The canapés are usually served on a canapé salver and eaten from small canapé plates. The technical composition of a canapé consists of a base (e.g., the bread or pancake), a spread, a main item, and a garnish. The spread is traditionally either a compound butter or a flavored cream cheese. Common garnishes can range from finely chopped vegetables,scallions, and herbs to caviar or truffle oil.