Small wonders
Gurdeep Loyal sets out to create the perfect canape selection for the festive season, using Borough Market produce
“THE BEST CANAPE PACKS A PUNCH OF UNCOMPROMISINGLY LOUD FLAVOUR, PRIMED TO GET THE PALATE PARTY STARTED”
Words: Gurdeep Loyal / Image: Stuart Ovenden
Being a good host is all about knowing what your guests might desire before they’ve realised it themselves. With this in mind, greeting them with a seasonal tipple and astonishingly delicious nibble at the door is the definition of festive hospitality. With canapes, there are three golden rules: offer something that’s easy to hold with one hand only; sized to provide two satisfying bites; and packs a punch of uncompromisingly loud flavour, primed to get the palate party started. My take on three party classics will do just that.
Devilled eggs
Devilled eggs, a well-loved party favourite in the 70s and 80s, have had something of a revival in recent years – with all sorts of global iterations perking up this joyful retro classic. This Japanese-inspired take brings in Asian flavours with unapologetic gusto and will go down a storm at any seasonal bash. 13 Acre Orchard has the perfect organic eggs for these: fresh from the nest, with sunshine-yellow yolks thanks to the range of grasses the free-roaming chickens feed upon. Head to Spice Mountain for some miso and wasabi, both of which add pleasing punches of flavour. It’s the shichimi togarashi Japanese spice blend that’s the true hero of these mini bites, though, combining white and black sesame seeds, sancho pepper, orange peel, chillies, seaweed and ginger. It’s best to make a double batch of these from the get-go. They really are a party on the palate!
Sizzled spring onion & togarashi devilled eggs
Cheese straws
The only thing more suited to a celebratory martini than a briny olive or cured anchovy from Brindisa is a home-baked cheese straw – far superior to those you can buy in shops. These crumbly, savoury biscuit batons are perked up with zhug from Arabica – a fresh, verdant Yemeni chilli paste, rich in coriander, green chilli, cumin, clove and cardamon. Alternatively, use fresh harissa from Borough Olives, made with hot chillies, garlic, caraway, paprika and rapeseed oil, or the deliciously warming chimichurri sauce from Porteña. Sparkenhoe from Borough Cheese Company is a great base cheese for these straws, particularly with the addition of some Red Cow parmesan from Bianca Mora, aged for 24 months for a rich, savoury flavour. For an extra touch of spice, add in some earthy, toasty, brick-red smoked paprika from Spice Mountain.
Zhug cheese straws
Devils on horseback
The ultimate party bite is something that hits every tastebud at the same time – sweet, savoury, salty and crunchy, all at once. These devils on horseback do just that. For the fruit element, Date Sultan’s premium medjool dates are succulent and juicy. For something a little chewier, the safawi or mabroom, both from Saudi Arabia, have toffee-caramel flavours and a rich dark colour. Alternatively, use dried apricots or figs. For the oozy filling, Blackwood Cheese Company’s Graceburn is perfect – a feta-inspired cheese with a creamier, more buttery texture. Greek wild flower honey sold at Oliveology, Ginger Pig’s smoked streaky bacon – marbled with fat that crisps up perfectly – and Food & Forest’s flavourful walnut kernels from Grenoble finish these morsels off a treat. Serve warm from the oven with champagne, crémant, franciacorta, or a bottle of something else suitably effervescent, ready to pop throughout the night!
Feta & thyme honey devils on horseback
