The season of Christmas chucks every style of party at us, impromptu parties, when guests unexpectedly turn up just as the cocktail hour strikes; laid back parties for family and close friends, and more sophisticated sit-down soirees for the real party animals.
Our ideal finger foods fit into the first of these categories, for they can be rustled up in seconds when you find yourself surprised by the arrival of friends. They are meager-tasty, and you can have eats for six to eight people in the blink of an eye. All you need is a store cupboard with some of these basic essentials: anchovies, mango chutney, tapered preserved ginger (available in Chinese shops), chili pepper sauce, walnuts, smoked salmon (top quality wild fish), roasted peppers, mascarpone, brie, blue cheese, red onions, shallots, mozzarella, and a selection of bases for these delectable delights: bread (preferably day-old), or crackers, or nacho chips (savoury triangular deep fried Tortilla chips - we use the widely available Phileas Fogg variety). With these basics you can put together canapes in moments, and here are some suggestions.
Simple Store Cupboard Savouries
Smoked Salmon & Mascarpone Nachos
Beat some hot chilli pepper sauce into your mascarpone. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to lighten the cheese and beat again. Place teaspoonfuls of this cheese mixture onto nacho chips. Top with a little swirl of smoked salmon and a thin slice of red onion or finely diced shallot.
Smoked Salmon, Mango Chutney and Ginger Nachos
Smooth some whipped mascarpone or cream cheese over the nachos. Place a roll of smoked salmon on top, then smear with the merest suggestion of mango chutney. Top with julienned preserved ginger.
Smoked Salmon and Blue Cheese Toasts
Toast some sliced bread. Spread the blue cheese over the bread. Place in a very hot oven for about a minute. Slice into bite-size pieces and top with slices of smoked salmon. Squeeze over some lemon juice and garnish with some chopped shallots.
Hot Mozzarella Nachos
Grate some mozzarella and sprinkle over the Nachos. Top with a piece of anchovy and a dribble over some of the anchovy oil. Bake in a very hot oven for a minute.
Blue Cheese and Brandy Baguettes
Lightly toast slices of day-old baguette. Mash some blue cheese with a splash of brandy and smear the mash over the bread. Bake in a very hot oven for about a minute. Aim to catch the cheese just as it begins to ooze - left in too long the cheese will ooze off the toast! Take out of the oven and garnish each circle with a piece of walnut.
Baked Red Cabbage and Red Onion Salad
We just couldn't imagine a buffet table without this sensational salad, an invention of Bernadette O'Shea from her book, Pizza Defined. The salad is not only drop-dead gorgeous, it is easy to make and brilliantly versatile. It can be used in three different ways: either raw, before cooking; served hot straight from the pot, or cold.
250g (9oz, 1 very small) red cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced
140g (5oz, 1 large) red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
25g (1oz) fresh or pickled ginger, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon soya sauce
125ml (4 fl oz, 1/2 cup) of balsamic vinegar
70g (2 1/2oz, 1/3 cup) sugar
5-6 twists freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
50ml (2fl oz, 1/4 cup) olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Mix all the ingredients except the oil together and let stand for a few minutes. Warm the oil in an oven proof saucepan. Add the red cabbage mixture, cover and bake for 40 minutes. Give the occasional shake or stir to the pot during cooking.
Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip
If asked to name the great icon dish of the last decade, our vote goes to the spicy chicken wings served in Dublin's Elephant & Castle restaurant. The E&C has never divulged the secret of its technique, but we reckon this knock-out version, from The Dean & Deluca Cookbook, gets as close to the E&C special as you can. This is pure lip smackin' stuff, good to hand out as an appetiser, great on a buffet table, sensational as the first course of a formal sit down dinner. In fact, the ultimate party food. Louisiana hot sauce is available in supermarkets.
24 chicken wings, tips removed
salt and pepper to taste
1 Litre (1 and three-quarter pints) vegetable oil
50g (2 oz) unsalted butter
50ml (2 fl oz) Louisiana hot sauce, or more to taste
15ml (1 tablespoon) white vinegar
celery sticks as an accompaniment blue cheese dressing (see below)
1. Cut wings in half and season them well with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil to 190C/375 F. Fry the wings in two batches until crisp and brown, about 10 minutes a batch. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the hot sauce and vinegar. Stir to blend. Dip the wings into the sauce and place wings on a serving plate. Pour any extra sauce over wings. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
Blue Cheese Dressing
This dressing is sublime with the chicken wings - but if you make a big batch of it you will discover that it also makes for a good dip with crudites, or to be spooned up out of the bowl with spicy nachos.
225ml (8 fl oz) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
5g (1 teaspoon) finely chopped garlic
25g (1oz) finely chopped fresh parsley
125ml (4 fl oz) sour cream
15ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
15ml (1 tablespoon white vinegar
225g (8oz) crumbled blue cheese
Mix the ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.