The word canapé, from French, literally means couch. It means that because when it was first coined, canapés were thin pieces of toasted or stale bread bearing various toppings. And because the toppings are sitting on the bread, as one would on a couch, canapé obviously felt very fitting. Now, with the basic concept being so simple, making your own finger food for a New Year’s do (if you’re inclined to host at home this year) is relatively simple. That said, we hadn’t the faintest where to start, and Google was only yielding a list of the unoriginal and overused. This is not something we can be satisfied with, and nor do we expect our readers to be. So TOAD embarked on a recipe mission, once again, to bring forth some gems from Abu Dhabi restaurants.
Paolo Verzenifrom Roco Forte
Serving in five star kitchens from Rome to Hong Kong, Executive Chef at Roco Forte, Paolo Verzeni’s journey to Abu Dhabi is without shortcuts. He brings to your canapé tray, a culinary experience accumulated over career highlights which include the London’s prestigious Savoy Hotel and the Westin Plaza in Singapore.
Bresaola bruschetta
(serves 4)
Ingredients
8 slices of baguette
40g of bresaola (8 slices)
40g of provolone cheese
10g of oregano
5g of extra virgin olive oil
10 chive stems
10g chervil
Salt and pepper
Method
1 Slice the bread into 1.5cm thick slices
2 Drizzle the slices with extra virgin olive oil, adding salt and pepper, then grill or toast them
3 Meanwhile, blanche the chives by folding them into tissue paper, wetting the paper then microwaving for 40 seconds
4 On top of the hot slices of baguette add the cheese (sliced to the same length as the bread) and little sprinkling of oregano
5 Roll the bresaola nicely into a cone shape and place it on top of the provolone cheese
6 Secure it with the blanched chives and garnish the bresaola with fresh chervil leaves
Mushroom risotto balls
(serves 4)
Ingredients
100g carnaroli risotto rice
50g shallot cisele (cut in small dice)
40g parmesan reggiano
30g porcini mushroom
30g girolle mushroom
20g black trumpet mushroom
20g chopped chervil
2 egg yolks
50g flour
200g bread crumbs
15g butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
1 Heat some olive oil in a pan, add shallots and cook for 2 minutes
2 Cook the rice in chicken stock for 16 minutes, then season
3 In a little olive oil, sauté the mushrooms in a very hot pan, adding salt and pepper
4 When cooked remove any excess water and mix in with the rice
5 Add butter and parmesan, check the seasoning and add the chervil
6 Leave to cool in the fridge
7 When cold, roll the mixture into small, 35g balls
8 Roll the balls in flour
9 Mix the egg yolks with a little water, then roll the floured balls in the egg yolk
10 Finally, roll the balls in bread crumbs and fry at 180° C until a nice golden colour
Michelle Mueller from Beach House
Michelle Mueller, of Park Hyatt’s Beach House, is imparting her gastronomic wisdom based on 14 years of experience in the hotel food industry. And if the Park Hyatt trust her to bring diversity and richness to their menu, then we have no doubt her recipes will leave a lasting impression on your New Year’s party guests.
Fried cuttlefish with lemon aioli
(serves 1)
Ingredients
80g cuttlefish
Flour to coat the cuttlefish
5g mixed crushed pepper pink, black, Szechwan)
30g mayonnaise
1g garlic
0.1g saffron
10ml lemon juice
½ lemon, grilled
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
1 Cut the cuttlefish into strips and marinate in the pepper mix and lemon juice
2 Dust with flour and fry in a very hot deep fat fryer for 2 minutes
3 Season with sea salt
4 For the aioli boil garlic, saffron and lemon juice and blend all with mayonnaise
5 Drizzle aioli over cuttlefish
6 Serve garnished with a little watercress and half of a lemon that has been grilled
