Impressive but easy canapes for festive entertaining

If you’re looking to impress your guests this Christmas, forget slaving away in the kitchen all day. You can easily create showstopping festive canapes with minimal effort.

Pastaio’s Stevie Parle puts his signature spin on the classic festive canape devils on horseback. All we can say is seek out Agen prunes and Early Grey tea bags...

Bre Graham, meanwhile, takes olives to new heights in one of many tanatlising recipes perfect for entertaining from her upcoming cookbook: stuffed, deep-fried olives.

And lastly, don’t be afraid to pack some spice: Amy Poon’s zesty prawn-stuffed chillies are the perfect way to add a bit of heat ahead of the main event.

Devils on horseback

By: Stevie Parle, chef-owner of Pastaio

“My grandpa would always make these at Christmas. They were my favourite bit and I’d snaffle as many as possible. Try to get those big soft Agen prunes – they’re amazing. You can wrap these the day before and either eat them while you are waiting for lunch or serve on the side of your goose. If you have some prunes left over, soak them in brandy and put them on your Boxing Day porridge; you’ll thank me.”

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 Earl Grey tea bags

18 prunes

5 chestnuts, peeled and quartered

18 thin slices of pancetta or streaky bacon without rind

75ml red-wine vinegar

Small pinch mild dried chilli flakes

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200C (alternatively, you can cook these while your goose rests).

2. Make a pot of Earl Grey tea and soak the prunes in it for an hour (longer if you didn’t get Agen prunes; they’re usually drier). Remove the stones and replace each with a quarter of a chestnut.

3. Wrap the chestnut-filled prunes in bacon and fit snugly in a tray. Pour in the vinegar and sprinkle with a little chilli (for background heat).

4. Bake for around 10 minutes until the bacon turns crisp and the prunes are hot and tasty.

Stuffed fried olives

From: Table for Two: Recipes for the ones you love by Bre Graham (DK, £20), coming January.

“Something salty, fried and finished with a spritz of fresh lemon is just how I want to start a meal. These olives are first stuffed with Gorgonzola and parsley, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden and crisp on the outside and soft inside. I buy them pre-pitted as they’re easier to stuff than trying to remove the pits yourself.”

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

45g (11⁄2oz) Gorgonzola cheese, cut into 12 small pieces

¼ tsp roughly chopped parsley

50g (1 heaped cup) panko breadcrumbs

250ml (1 cup, plus 1 tbsp) flavourless oil,

1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method:

Put the Gorgonzola on a plate, sprinkle the rosemary over, then turn the cheese to coat it in the herb. Stuff the middle of each olive with a piece of parsley-coated Gorgonzola.

Put the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dust each olive in the flour, then dunk it into the egg, followed by the crumbs until evenly coated. Repeat until all the olives are coated.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat – it’s at the correct temperature when a breadcrumb dropped into the hot oil sizzles and turns light golden. Fry the olives in batches of four for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper (paper towels).

Sprinkle the olives with salt and serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over.

Prawn-stuffed chillies recipe

By: Amy Poon, owner of Poon’s

“This classic and versatile stuffing of mashed and seasoned prawns can be used to stuff tofu, aubergines, okra or peppers. The mild chillies in this recipe are a particularly good match of flavour and texture.”

Serves: 4

Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

600g of prawns, raw and peeled (frozen is fine)

1½ tsp table salt

8g of potato starch, plus extra for dusting

1 pinch freshly ground white pepper

10g of coriander stalks, finely chopped (optional), plus some leaves to garnish

1 egg white

10 mild red chillies, approx 12cm long

1 dash of vegetable oil

For the black bean sauce:

½ tsp garlic cloves, finely minced

½ tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

1 tbsp of fermented black beans, (salted) rinsed

200ml of boiling water, or chicken stock

20ml of light soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp potato starch, mixed to a paste with 2 tsp of water

1½ tsp sesame oil

1 spring onion, sliced

Method:

Begin by making the prawn stuffing. Add half a teaspoon of salt to the raw prawns (ensuring they are defrosted if frozen) and rub them between your fingers for a few minutes to “clean” them. Rinse off in running water and squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the prawns using a tea towel. Begin smashing the prawns into a paste with the flat of a Chinese cleaver and break them down further with the back of the knife, or blitz them into a paste using a food processor.

Place the mashed prawns, remaining salt, pepper, coriander stalks (if using) and potato starch into a stand mixer with a paddle attached and mix on a medium speed until the mixture is gluey. Add the egg white and mix again until the mixture is springy. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

After an hour, return the prawns to the mixer and mix again to ensure the moisture is consistent throughout.

Cut the chillies in half and remove the seeds and white membrane. Dust the inside of each chilli half with potato starch so they are completely coated.

Take a tablespoon of the prawn filling and gently smooth it into the chilli cavity. Add more filling as required but not so much that the filling spills out over the edge. Repeat until all the chillies are filled.

Preheat a wok or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil then place the stuffed chillies, prawn-side down, in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the prawn mixture is cooked through.

Add the garlic, ginger and black beans to the pan and sauté until fragrant. Add 130ml of the water or stock and bring to a simmer, then add the soy sauce and sugar. Add in more stock as needed – you want just enough sauce to coat all the prawns.

Add the potato starch slurry to thicken the sauce and finish with the sesame oil and the chopped spring onion.

Transfer immediately to a serving plate and garnish with a handful of coriander leaves.