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Spinach and sweet miso tartlets

Time 1 hour
Yields Makes about 3 dozen (2-inch) tartlets
Spinach and sweet miso tartlets
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Everyone loves canapes.

They’re beautiful, inviting, and terribly tasty. They make a great splash either as a prelude to dinner served with glasses of sparkling wine or as an event on their own with cocktails. Canapes set a tone, alerting guests that something special’s going on, that care has been taken. They’re not just for full-blown cocktail parties -- try inviting a few friends for canapes and drinks before going out to dinner.

“A good canape should incorporate in one bite everything that’s great about a fabulous meal,” says Eric Greenstein, chef-owner of Contemporary Catering in Los Angeles.

Canapes are bite-sized hors d’oeuvres made by assembling different ingredients on bread or a bread-like base (“canape” is the French word for “couch”), though these days the definition can be stretched. The interplay of colors, textures and flavors is what makes a canape attractive and intriguing, and a tray filled with them goes the small plate craze one better. We turned to some of the top caterers around town for a selection of this season’s best.

At Along Came Mary, passed hors d’oeuvres this summer include a number of canapes made with bases other than bread, says general manager Erick Weiss. Pita cups hold mini Greek salads, won ton cups are filled with Asian slaw, and roasted potato slices form the base of tuna nicoise stacks.

Mini caprese salads seem to be on every caterer’s pick list, but the ones made by chef Elka Gilmore of Gai Klass in Culver City are distinguished by the use of burrata cheese (instead of mozzarella) topped with tiny quarters of cherry tomatoes and slivers of fresh basil. Gilmore serves hers on cracked-pepper shortbread, but we’ve opted for easy slices of toasted baguette.

“A lot of time when I’m thinking about hors d’oeuvres, I’m thinking about shrinking something,” says Gilmore, who also makes a canape with roasted lamb, sweet shallot confit and oven-dried tomato jam that was inspired by an entree she created. She serves it on toasted olive bread, but, she says, “we’ve done it on roasted zucchini. I’ve done it with roasted garlic instead of shallots. I’ve done it with reduced balsamic instead of the tomatoes.”

The layering of flavors is the essence of canape craft. Various elements -- cooked meat or seafood, confits or purees, fresh vegetables, herb garnishes -- are prepared separately, then arranged on a base. Keep canapes bite-sized, but don’t get too precious about shapes or too fussy with garnishes: This is L.A., not Stepford.

Contemporary Catering’s Greenstein has an inventive list, including lemon-poached shrimp with green-olive spread on toasts. Greenstein revived a cunning ‘50s technique for preparing the toasts: He removes the crusts from slices of white sandwich bread, then flattens the bread with a rolling pin, cuts it into squares or shapes, and bakes it until golden. Shrimp are poached in water, lemon juice and brown sugar, then dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, sugar, salt and pepper. He makes his green-olive spread, but any tapenade could be used. Assembly is straightforward: a toast, a dollop of tapenade and a shrimp.

Indeed, Greenstein recommends that people who entertain a lot keep jars of tapenade, roasted red peppers, cornichons, good-quality imported tuna and anchovies and the like on hand so they can throw together canapes at the last minute.

“If you’re doing a cocktail-esque party, where you’re not serving a meal, canapes are great,” says Alexandra Angle. “They’re light, so they’re great in summer. A lot can be done in advance -- it’s mostly assembly that’s required just before the party.”

She and her husband, Eliot, are not only caterers, they also have written “Cocktail Parties With a Twist” and the upcoming “Perfect Summer Parties With a Twist.” Some of their favorite canapes this season are spinach and sweet miso tartlets; eggplant caviar on garlic toast rounds; minted shrimp on pea and sorrel puree canapes; roasted cherry tomatoes with ricotta and sage; and jicama slices with avocado and crab salad. Jicama is not only crunchy, it has a lightly sweet taste that works with a wide range of flavors.

The Angles’ miso-spinach tartlets pair buttery pastries (which can be made ahead) with a savory spinach filling enlivened with miso and mirin. The same pastry shells can be filled with any number of things, says Angle. “There are a zillion ways you can do a tartlet. We do tofu or teriyaki, or Mexican flavors, or simple ham and cheese.”

Assemble your canapes on baking sheets so you can store them easily (wrapped with plastic film), and transfer them to platters and trays just before serving.

Gilmore suggests modern glass slabs for a contemporary look, or “ethnically appropriate” serving dishes such as Italian pottery for the mini caprese salads. The Angles often line trays with leaves (grape or banana work well) or rose petals.

Then pass the tray, sit back and enjoy the rest of the summer.

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Tartlet shells

1

Combine the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until a crumbly dough forms. Add the ice water to the dough and continue pulsing until well mixed. Form the dough into a ball, wrap securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (At this point the dough can be placed in a sealed plastic bag and frozen for up to one month. To use, place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to thaw before baking.)

2

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Take half the dough from the refrigerator, transfer it to a flat, floured surface and roll it out to a one-eighth-inch thickness. With a small glass or a cookie cutter, cut circles that are slightly larger than the 2-inch tartlet molds. Press each circle into a mold and pinch off any excess. Pierce the bottom and sides of each shell several times with a fork and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes to re-chill the dough.

3

When the dough is firm again, bake the shells for 15 to 16 minutes, until they are very light golden. Cool on wire racks before carefully turning out of the molds.

4

Repeat the rolling out, molding and baking process with the remaining dough. At this point the shells are ready to be filled or they may be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

Filling and assembly

1

Squeeze excess water from the spinach, then chop finely or puree; set aside.

2

In a saucepan over low heat, whisk together the miso, mirin, vinegar, salt, sugar and water until a smooth sauce forms. Remove the mixture from the heat, add the spinach and toss to combine. Stir in the eggs and cream.

3

Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Spoon a scant 1 tablespoon of filling into each shell. Transfer the filled shells to a baking sheet, cover gently with foil and bake for 15 minutes or until the mixture has set. Remove the foil, bake for 2 minutes longer, then serve.

From Alexandra and Eliot Angle. You will need 2-inch tartlet molds.