New Year’s : Save the Canape

Whenever friends tell me they are going to throw a big cocktail party, I know exactly what they are imagining: nothing short of a Tott’s Champagne commercial with martinis in place of the bubbly. Beautiful people dance across parquet floors under an intoxicating din of revelry and conversation. It’s all so sophisticated.

I also know that the party will turn out more like a Bud Light commercial. Comfortable friends catch up on old times and kid each other over cold beer, cheap wine and lots of chips and salsa. Not bad. But certainly not sophisticated.

Now, I have to say that I love salsa. It’s versatile, you can do a hundred variations of it, and it goes great with either fish, poultry or meat--it’s a healthy alternative to heavy sauces. But right now I’m blowing the whistle on salsa and chips as the main event at cocktail parties. And the same goes for all that guacamole folks keep pulling out of their kitchens by the vatful, screaming about how the recipe is a family secret.

Some hosts solve the problem of chip-and-dip mediocrity by serving nothing at all. I caution against this. No matter what the time of day or number of people, guests at a cocktail party expect food.

On the other hand, eating food served buffet-style at a cocktail party is a juggling act worthy of the Cirque Du Soleil. It is asking too much of a guest to stand for hours contributing to conversation while holding a drink in one hand and a plate of food that requires utensils in the other. Serve buffet food when you have the space to create small eating areas, and when food, not cocktails, is the focus of your gathering.

So what’s the solution? Very simply, it is the canape. Yes, the canape, that little hors d’oeuvre thing you see pictured on the Carr’s wafer box.

People don’t serve canapes anymore. In fact, the first and last time I saw one was at cooking school. But now is the time for a canape revival. Ignore the complicated look of these tidbits. The hardest part of making a canape is not burning the bread.

It may help to know that canape is French for “couch.” This makes sense because a canape is simply a main ingredient, usually a protein of some sort, lying casually and elegantly on a base, or couch, of something crisp, and dressed up with a colorful garnish.

As with anything so French and so good, there are a couple of rules to keep in mind. The canape should be easily grasped and eaten in one or one-and-one-half bites. This is serious stuff because guests eating canapes need to simply pick them up and pop them in their mouths. Pop, chew, wipe, smile, drink. That’s it! No plates. No utensils.

Eye appeal is as important as taste. Consider this when thinking about color or height. A pimiento or red pepper wedge can brighten, while a length of chive can bring height to the hors d’oeuvre. Canapes should be uncomplicated yet elegant. A good idea is to purchase a pastry bag with a variety of tips. Above all, be creative, use the included recipes for inspiration (or for your first-time canape party), then create your own canape creations.

When it is time to assemble your canapes, gather all of your ingredients together before you start. Prepare the canapes in an assembly-line format. For instance, cut out all of your bases from the bread and toast. Then smear the spread on your toasted bread bases. Next, top all of your spreads with the main ingredient. Finally, garnish all.

Before you know it you will have 50 canapes. One other thing, don’t build your canapes too far in advance. Your base will get soggy after about three hours. You can do all the chopping and cooking long before the party, however.

Plan for two to three canapes per person if passed, four to five if served buffet style. Combined with a cheese tray, a vegetable platter and maybe a shrimp bowl, you’ll have plenty of food to go around--and just a bunch of napkins to throw away. If only martinis came in recyclable glasses.

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The following recipes were developed in The Times Test Kitchen. For the lamb medallions, you may substitute pork tenderloin and a favorite chutney, pureed, for the base.

LAMB MEDALLIONS ON SOURDOUGH TOAST WITH MINT CREAM CHEESE AND CRANBERRY MINT LEAF GARNISH

1 (2 1/2-pound) lamb rib roast

1 clove garlic, halved lengthwise

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 loaf sourdough bread, unsliced

1/2 cup apple-mint jelly or mint jelly

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup Port wine

25 cranberry halves

25 small mint leaves

Have butcher remove tenderloin from rib roast. Keep bones for stock. Remove all fat and silverskin from tenderloin.

Rub roast with garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Roast in 350-degree oven until lamb reaches internal temperature of 140 degrees when tested with instant-read thermometer, about 40 minutes. Cool meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate. May be done 1 day ahead.

Slice sourdough bread lengthwise horizontally into 3/8-inch slices. Using 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch star-shaped or round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from bread. Toast rounds just until golden brown. If rounds are made ahead, store them in airtight container. Do not refrigerate.

Combine apple-mint jelly and cream cheese in food processor or blender. If doing ahead, cover and refrigerate mint-cheese mixture.

Spread mint-cheese mixture evenly onto toasted rounds.

Slice tenderloin into 1/4-inch-thick medallions and lay on top of mint-cheese mixture.

Pour Port into saute pan, add cranberry halves and briefly poach until just tender. Place dab of mint-cheese mixture in center of lamb disck then top each with 1 mint leaf and 1 cranberry half. Makes 25 canapes.

Each canape makes:

122 calories; 129 mg sodium; 22 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.05 grams fiber.

CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE ON PATE-A-CHOUX WITH PISTACHIO-AND-PIMIENTO PUREE AND GREEN GRAPE SPEAR

1 small bunch green grapes

Pate-a-Choux Rounds

Chicken Liver Mousse

Pistachio-and-Pimiento Puree

Slice grapes into lengthwise quarters to make spears, 1 quarter for each canape. Set aside. Grapes will discolor, if cut too far in advance.

Slice baked Pate-a-Choux Rounds in half, making 1 top and 1 bottom for each. Using pastry bag with No. 3 star tip, pipe Chicken Liver Mousse onto bottom rounds. Cover each with top rounds. Using same tip on separate pastry bag, pipe small amount of Pistachio-and-Pimiento Puree to cover doughnut holes of each round. Place 1 grape spear vertically into puree on each round. Makes 25 canapes.

Each canape contains:

140 calories; 112 mg sodium; 132 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.11 grams fiber.

Chicken Liver Mousse

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons shallots

4 cups chicken livers, chopped coarsely

1 teaspoon thyme

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup brandy

1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute 1 minute. Adds chicken livers. Add thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Saute 3 to 4 minutes until livers are slightly springy yet still rosy on inside. Remove livers and set aside, leaving shallots in pan.

Raise heat to high and add brandy to saute pan. Ignite brandy and flambe shallots, tossing shallots by flipping pan by its handle. (This helps loosen brown bits left in pan from livers.) When flaming stops, brandy should be reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Scrape sides and bottom of pan with wooden spoon. Remove pan from heat and cool.

Place contents of saute pan in food processor along with reserved chicken livers. Begin processing while slowly adding whipping cream until mixture resembles thick mousse. (You may not need to use entire 1/2 cup of cream.) Cool in refrigerator. May be made 1 day in advance.

Pate-a-Choux

7 eggs

1 1/8 cups water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups bread flour

Combine 1 egg and 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) water in small bowl to make egg wash. Set aside.

Boil remaining 1 cup water, butter and salt. Add bread flour, all at once, and stir until dough forms, pulling away from sides of pan. Place in mixing bowl with paddle attachment. On low speed, mix dough, adding remaining 6 eggs, 1 at time, until eggs are worked into dough.

Place dough in pastry bag with Number 4 or 5 round tip and pipe dough into 25 (1-inch) doughnut shapes on greased baking sheet. Brush rounds with egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool rounds and store in tightly covered container. Do not refrigerate.

Pistachio-and-Pimiento

Puree

2 ounces bottled pimientos

2 ounces pistachios

Drain pimientos and place in food processor. Begin processing and add pistachios until mixture achieves crunchy peanut butter consistency.

SMOKED SALMON AND LEEK ROULADE WITH DILL CREAM CHEESE ON PUMPERNICKEL

1 tablespoon butter

1 leek, white part only, cut into long strips

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 pounds smoked salmon or gravlax, thinly sliced

1 bunch dill

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Whipping cream

1 loaf pumpernickel or black bread, unsliced

Place butter in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add leek strips and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until just tender. Cool to room temperature.

Lay 1 (16x12-inch) sheet of clear plastic wrap on clean smooth work surface. Lay 2 overlapping rows of salmon slices in large rectangle shape on plastic wrap, leaving 1 inch of wrap uncovered around edges. Scatter sauteed leek randomly on top of salmon.

Lift bottom side (closest to you) of plastic wrap and use as guide to roll salmon into log shape. Do not wrap plastic wrap inside log. Once log is made, move to bottom of plastic wrap. Wrap salmon log in plastic wrap, holding top side (farthest from you) of plastic wrap with 1 hand while covering and pulling log toward you with other hand. Tightly twist plastic wrap on 1 end of plastic-wrapped log and tie securely with twine. Twist plastic wrap on other end tightly and tie securely with kitchen twine. This makes salmon log as tight as possible. Place salmon log in freezer several hours to firm up. May be done several days in advance.

Reserve 25 small sprigs from dill bunch. Place remaining sprigs in food processor with cream cheese and mustard. Process until smooth, or place in mixing bowl and blend with hand mixer. If mixture is too thick, thin out with small bit of whipping cream.

Remove salmon roulade from freezer. Thaw several hours.

Slice pumpernickel loaf lengthwise horizontally. Cut 25 (1-inch) circles out of slices with cookie cutter, then toast. Cool. Spread dill cream cheese mixture on toast bases. Place remaining dill cream cheese in pastry bag fitted with Number 2 tip. Slice salmon roulade into 25 (1/4-inch-thick) round medallions. (If salmon is still bit frozen, don’t worry. It is easier to slice in this state and will be completely thawed by serving time.) Place salmon medallions on dill-cream cheese coated bread rounds. Pipe dab of remaining dill cream cheese in center of salmon medallions and place 1 dill sprig on top of each. Makes 25 canapes.

Each canape makes:

134 calories; 1554 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 0.13 grams fiber.

CRISPY WON TONS ON CUCUMBER ROUNDS WITH PLUM SAUCE AND PICKLED EGGPLANT GARNISH

8 won ton wrappers

1/2 cup plum sauce

2 ounces pea sprouts

7 ounces enoki mushrooms

24 slivers pickled red ginger

1 cup canola oil

1 medium-thin cucumber

24 slivers pickled purple eggplant

Place 8 won ton wrappers on level work surface, positioned so that corners of each won ton form diamond shape instead of square. Make sure wrappers aren’t stuck together.

Dab corners of each won ton wrapper with little plum sauce. Place small amount of pea sprouts horizontally in center of each won ton wrap. Top sprouts with small amount of enoki mushrooms, making sure that mushroom caps appear on both sides. Top enoki with sprinkling of red ginger. Bring bottom corner of each won ton wrap to center, as if you were making envelopes, so that filling in each won ton is covered. Next, bring sides of won ton toward center, then roll wrap to top corner. Plum sauce should act like glue, holding won ton together. Packages will look more like egg rolls than won tons at this stage.

Pour 1/4-inch of oil in large saute pan and heat until very hot but not smoking (350 degrees). Place won tons in hot oil in 2 batches, turning quickly and watching very closely. When won tons are golden brown, remove to paper towels to drain, then cool.

With sharp knife, cut ends of each won ton at 45-degree angle and twice again at equal intervals in center to make 3 won tons from 1.

Using tip of vegetable peeler, make lines every 1/2 inch lengthwise along side of cucumber. Slice cucumber into 24 (1/4-inch) disks and place large dab of plum sauce in center of each. Lay won ton section sideways on top of each cucumber and stick 1 enoki mushroom in each end. Place small dab of plum sauce on top of each won ton to hold garnish. Garnish each with small sliver of pickled purple eggplant crossed with silver of red ginger. Makes 24 canapes.

Note: Pickled red ginger, enoki mushrooms and pickled purple eggplant can be found at Japanese specialty food stores.

MADEIRA-BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED DATES WITH PISTACHIO AND KIWI

1/2 cup Madeira

6 ounces blue cheese

13 dates

1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped

26 kiwi wedges

Pour Madeira into saute pan and reduce by half over medium-high heat.

Place blue cheese in food processor, begin processing and add reduced Madeira until mixture resembles thick mousse.

Slice ends off each date. Using small finger, push pit out of each date. Cut through center of each date at 45-degree angle. Place date halves upright on flat ends. Place blue cheese mixture in pastry bag fitted with No. 3 star tip and pipe into hollows of dates. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top of blue cheese. Garnish each canape with 1 very small kiwi wedge. Makes 26 canapes.

Each canape makes:

91 calories; 190 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.41 grams fiber.

AIOLI-AND-OREGANO CROSTINI

6 to 8 large cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1 1/2 cups canola oil

2 1/2 cups Parmesan or Romano cheese, or combination of both

5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

6 slices sourdough bread

1 Roma tomato, halved lengthwise, seeded and finely chopped

Pulverize garlic with salt in food processor. Add egg yolks and process about 30 seconds. Add vinegar and process several seconds. With processor on, very slowly begin adding oil in steady stream. After about 30 seconds contents should thicken into mayonnaise. Continue adding oil and thin out with little more vinegar if necessary. Transfer to mixing bowl. Add cheese, 4 tablespoons oregano and pepper.

Cut crusts off bread slices and cut slices into 25 triangles. Toast triangles in 350-degree oven until golden brown and thoroughly dry. Spread aioli mixture on triangle slices. Broil 6 inches from heat source until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly, top with little tomato and sprinkle with remaining oregano. Makes 25 canapes.

Each canape makes:

191 calories; 254 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.04 grams fiber.

Cocktail napkins pictured on cover and on H9 by Liz Wain from Gearys.

Manhattan glass pictured with Smoked Salmon-and-Leek Roulade on cover is a Mozart Chanys Moser glass from Ceska, L.A. Mart.

Saki martini pictured on cover with Crispy Won Tons on Cucumber Rounds served in Danielle martini glass, Ceska, L.A. Mart.

Raspberry royale pictured on H8 with Chicken Liver Mousse on Pate-a-Choux served in Voltaire champagne flute by Cristalleries de Lorraine, the Kasl Company, L.A. Mart.

Ginger melon ball cocktail pictured on H8 with Madeira-Blue Cheese-Stuffed Dates served in Frank Loyd Wright highball glass, Tiffany’s.

Food styling by Donna Deane and Mayi Brady