Nelja helppoa kanapeeta
The festive party season is upon us and I always think it is a good idea to have some quick and easy canapé ideas to hand. Here are four different ideas (3 savoury and one sweet ) that are fairly simple and shouldn’t take too long for you to prepare. Firstly a chilled avocado and cucumber soup shot, which can be whizzed up in seconds. Then a roasted beetroot and horseradish fraiche bread. Thirdly a sweet potato and chilli vol-au-vent and finally a quick apple, vanilla and cinnamon tartlet topped with a biscoff crumb. To make you life easier I would recommend making the pastry cases and vol-au-vent cases the day before you need them. I have also made use of Planti’s range of cooking fraiches and yogoat to cut preparation time.
This is a paid collaboration with Planti
Chilled avocado and cucumber soup shot – makes around 12 shots
1/2 Ripe Avocado, peeled, de-stoned and roughly chopped
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and cut into chunks
1/2 green chilli, roughly chopped
1/2 a spring onion, roughly chopped
a handful of fresh coriander
a handful of fresh basil
1 dl vegetable stock
1/2 dl/ 50 ml Planti cooking fraiche, natural
juice of a 1/2 lime
salt and pepper
red chilli slices to serve
Simply add all the ingredients, except the red chilli, to a blender and pulse until you have a smooth soup. Add a little extra water if the soup is too thick. Check the seasoning and place in the fridge to chill. When ready to serve, simply pour into shot glasses and top with the red chilli slices.
Roasted Beetroot and horseradish fraiche breads – serves 12
1 large beetroot, peeled and cut into small cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 tbsps Planti cooking fraiche, natural
freshly grated or jarred horseradish
dill to decorate
6 slices dark bread/ archipelago bread cut into 2 triangles
Preheat the oven to 185 degrees c.
Toss the beetroot cubes with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven to 25 – 35 minutes or until tender, set to one side to cool
Add a little horseradish to the cooking fraiche (taste until you have the desired level of heat). Spoon a small amount on each triangle of bread and top with the roasted beetroot and a sprig of dill.
Sweet potato and chilli vol-au-vent – serves 12
2 small sheets of vegan friendly puff pastry
1 small sweet potato , peeled and cut into cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
6 tbsp Planti Cooking fraiche, paprika and chilli
a handful of pecans, roughly chopped
a handful of coriander roughly chopped
smoked paprika to decorate
Make the vol-au-vent cases by cutting out 12 small circles of puff pastry. Use a knife or a smaller cutter to mark out a smaller circle in the centre of each round, be sure not to cut all the way through. Cook as per manufacturer’s instructions. Once cooled a little, push down the centre round to create a space for the filling.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 185 degrees c. Toss the sweet potato cubes with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven to 25 – 35 minutes or until tender, set to one side to cool. If you are making the beetroot breads, you can roast the vegetables at the same time.
In a small bowl mash the sweet potato a little, and add 4 tbsps of cooking fraiche, the pecans and the coriander. Mix lightly and check the seasoning. Spoon small amounts into each vol-au-vent case and top with a little more cooking fraiche and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
Apple, vanilla and cinnamon tartlet – serves 12
12 vegan friendly tartlet cases (I used vegan friendly store bought pastry and cut out and blind baked the tartlets in advance)
1 x 150 g pot Planti, apple and vanilla Yogoat
1 small apple, cored and cut into small pieces
a small knob of plant based margarine
a tbsp brown sugar
a pinch of cinnamon
a couple of biscoff biscuits, crushed
In a small frying pan, melt the margarine and add the apples and sugar. Cook until the apples have softened a little, but retain their shape and the sugar has melted. Add the cinnamon and set to one side to cool
Add a generous spoonful of the yogoat to each tartlet. Top with a little of the cooked apple and finish off with a sprinkle of the biscoff crumb.
A Brit in Helsinki 