WHENEVER you go round to family and friends, at this time of year, they usually bring out standard `pop in the oven' spring rolls and samosas.

They look good but have little substance, rarely taste of anything and are quite expensive for what they are.

Canapés are fairly typical of the food you might usually leave to professionals. At the Alderley Restaurant we have a reputation for them. But that doesn't exclude you from doing your own selection. With a little effort, imagination and a deep fat fryer, you can give your friends the sort of canapés that money can't buy in the High Street.

It's all part of busting the myth that fine dining is the preserve of restaurants and professional kitchens. Think again. Yes - you really can do it at home.

All you need is time to prepare, then cook to order and put them together as buffet nibbles or to tantalise the taste buds before dinner.

I love them and here I'm going to talk you through three short canapé favourites.

We have smoked duck and wild mushroom samosa. Our duck generally comes from Horseshoe Farm at Alderley Edge but you can also get it at Cheshire Smokehouse. It may be a bit thin on the ground at the average supermarket but ask at a respectable deli.

Then we have goat's cheese and truffle fritters and, finally, smoked salmon and crab blinis (neutral flavour canapé carriers).

A selection of canapes

(makes 8 of each)

Ingredients

Smoked duck and wild mushroom samosas

1 smoked duck breast

50g wild mushrooms

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 sheets filo pastry

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 egg white

Goat's cheese and truffle fritters

300g good quality goats cheese - Delamere, Golden Cross …

1tbsp truffle paste

black pepperto taste

6 slices white bread (oven-dried at 60°c)

6tbsp parsley

zest of half a lemon

2 eggs

6oz seasoned flour

Smoked salmon and crab blinis

4oz thinly sliced smoked salmon

4oz fresh white crab meat

1 tsp chopped dill

2 tbsp mayonnaise

juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp English mustard

salt and white pepper to taste

Blinis

1lb potatoes

2tbsp strong flour

2tbsp crème fraiche

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

sea salt and white pepper to taste

Method

Smoked duck samosas

Thinly slice and shred the smoked duck, sauté the wild mushrooms and garlic in oil and butter, season with salt and pepper, squeeze lemon juice over and set aside to cool. Then mix with the duck.

Cut each filo pastry sheet into five short strips, place a small amount of mixture at one end and fold the pastry at an angle to cover filling, then continue folding to make a triangular parcel. Seal end with a little brushed egg white.

Refrigerate for up to three days until ready to serve.

To cook - deep fry until golden, drain on absorbent paper and season with salt.

Goat's cheese and truffle fritters

Put the dried bread in a blender with parsley and 1 tsp of salt and lemon to create bread crumbs. Grate the goat's cheese into a bowl and season with black pepper and truffle paste. Roll into small bitesize balls. Whisk the two eggs, place in a small bowl, pass the goat's cheese balls through the seasoned flour, then egg and finally through the bread crumbs making sure to cover the balls completely.

Refrigerate for up to three days until ready to serve.

To cook - fry for about 1½ mins until golden, drain on absorbent paper and season.

Smoked salmon and crab blinis

To make them, simmer the potatoes in skins until tender, peel and mash finely. To 9 oz of puréed potato, add flour and crème fraiche and egg. Gradually whisk to a smooth batter. Season. Drop 1 tsp of the batter into a greased, non-stick pan, turn when golden and cool on a wire rack.

Mix the crab meat with dill, lemon juice, mustard, mayonnaise and seasoning. Place a slice of smoked salmon on a blini and top with crab. Finish off with a sprinkle of dill.

Chris Holland is the head chef of the Alderley Restaurant at the Alderley Edge Hotel.

Tweet