Dinner party canapés are growing in popularity at weddings and events and it’s all about the presentation, the bite, and the flavour.

As the word suggests – Hors-d’oeuvre (“outside the work”) – the canapé course is not part of the usual course and stands alone as an important and much-appreciated addition to the meal.

Historical dinner party canapés?

Many historians believe that the tradition of serving small snacks began in Russia when fish and meat were served to travellers following a long journey.

However, the Romans, the Greeks and, most certainly, the Chinese have all served something’s flesh on a stick that accommodates a mouthful of nutrition.

And we couldn’t go much further without mentioning the French influence.

Hors d’oeuvres were originally served as a canapé of small toasted bread with a savoury topping before a meal.

The first mention of the word was from French chef, Francois Massialot – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Massialot – in his 17th Century book, ‘Le cuisinier roial et bourgeois’, he explained how certain dishes were served in addition to those one might expect in the normal schedule.

Another publication, Les plaisirs de la table, quotes Edouard Nignon who states that hors d’oeuvres originated in Asia and, on behalf of his countrymen, denounced hors d’oeuvres as being superfluous to a well-cooked meal.

After the 19th Century, entremets would become exclusively a sweet dish with only the British custom of “savoury” extending the tradition of savoury entremets.

Regardless of who did what, when and how, dinner party canapés are now an exciting highlight of any menu that encourages chefs to bring creative ingredients and flair to any party or corporate event, with guests eager to fill their faces with flavour.

What are canapes? – A face-filling feast of flavour.

The canape is a small community of taste, with ingredients confined by the parameters of the small but dependable base ingredient.

Designed for ease and convenience, canapes are to be consumed by one hand as the other failing hand finds enthusiastic work, holding the glass that contains the alcohol.

Although the napkin is an essential canapé-eating instrument, dinner party canapés shouldn’t be a messy eating activity, and that’s why the base of the canape is as important as the field of flavour up top.

Traditionally, it was thinly sliced bread, dipped in melted butter and then toasted or fried, which provided the stability to sustain a substantial topping.

These days, as the French word for ‘sofa’ suggests, a canape should consist of a couch of golden, flaky pastry, toasted bread, or crackers to initiate that satisfying bite that culminates in a flavour that floods the senses.

And, just like furniture, a canape should be decorative.

The best chefs will choose locally sourced food that is harvested close to the kitchen, and Citreus dinner party canapés are guaranteed to consist of the finest, freshest ingredients.

Although we make the whole canape from scratch, some chefs do cut corners with the couch and buy the base ingredients from external suppliers.

Tesco is a great solution for the cheats – https://realfood.tesco.com/curatedlist/10-amazing-canape-cheats.html

Citreus canapés are often the delight of the menu with guests eager to sample our tasty toppings.

During wedding receptions, dinner party canapés can be served before or after the ceremony, making this diverse course such a welcoming treat.

Our combined 60 years’ worth of experience takes canapé creation to a whole new level of taste and excellence, and it’s an area of catering that allows us to really get our creative juices flowing and start to play with the menu – https://citreuscatering.co.uk/canape-receptions-citreus-catering-professional-wedding-caterers-nottingham/ .

Dinner Party Canapés for any occasion.

Dinner party canapés are a serious business for us. Our selections are vast and diverse, covering a wide range of options to put flair and flavour on the table at weddings, corporate events, outdoor festivals, funerals, birthday parties, christenings and intimate dinners.

The secret with dinner party canapés is not to compromise on quality, and aim to deliver taste and satisfaction with every small bite.

Our selections are vast and take flavours from across the ocean with tastes from the Caribbean – https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/jerk-chicken-bites-with-rum-glazed-pineapple/ – middle east, North Africa, the Mediterranean, seafood choices from Japan – https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipe/1312-inari-sushi-canapes , and tropical sweetness from Hawaii.

Check out this seafood Hawaiian mix, where the ocean meets the tropics – https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hawaiian-crab-canapes/ .

Canapé Receptions are our Oyster

Delighting with the deliciousness of meats such as jerk chicken, beef tataki, lamb with nutmeg and butternut squash, pork and apple, tuna with lime and ginger, lobster, crab with parsley mayonnaise, and backed by seasonal salad options and dressings such as honey and mustard, cranberry, peppercorn, lemon, béarnaise, dark soy and sesame. The canapé really is our oyster.

We can cater for all tastes and dietary requirements, and we can also provide a feast with vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Let’s look at some favourite dinner party canapes:

Ideas for Dinner Party Canapes.

Everyone seems to have their own idea of perfect dinner party canapes but cheese, crab, salmon and turkey all appear at the top of the list.

With a passion for food that developed at an early age, we are not short of expertise or ideas when it comes to dinner party canapes.

Historically, protein-rich fish has always been a popular choice as a topping, and salmon is a heavyweight contender in the fight for nutrition.

Check out these healthy facts about salmon – https://www.health.com/food/salmon-benefits

Packed with omega-3 and protein, the classic smoked salmon blinis with caviar is a winner at dinner and these guys have got it just right – https://thewrightbrothers.co.uk/blogs/recipes/smoked-salmon-blinis-with-caviar

Meaning “good-good” in French, the bonbon is traditionally associated with chocolate but the word is more widely used when it comes to dinner party canapes.

We increasingly create an elegant beef cheek bonbon and this style of snack can be adapted to suit other meats.

Lose yourself in this spiced pork addition this summer – https://lostinfood.co.uk/spiced-pork-bonbons/

There are lots of ideas and preferences when it comes to dinner party canapes and, as touched upon, it’s always important to cater for everyone, with vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options available where necessary.

A delicious meat-free favourite is tomato and mozzarella skewers.

When skewers are mentioned, most people turn their attention to meat varieties such as chicken, sausage or beef but caprese skewers with a drizzle of basil are a taste sensation enough to distract the attention of any carnivore.

Check out this mouth-watering mozzarella and juicy, cherry tomato champ – https://www.deliciousmeetshealthy.com/caprese-skewers/

Pondering over Party Plans?

If you have any plans for dinner party canapés, for any event, regardless of the size and the occasion, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Our expertise is backed by all the requirements, with all the relevant qualifications and safety certificates in place to ensure a smooth culinary journey.

Our continued success with dinner party canapes is a combination of knowledge, learning, discipline and listening.

To be able to fully deliver on our promise, as specialists in dinner party canapés, we hear exactly what our clients want for their guests and we bring it to the table with mouth-watering results.

Contact us here to hear about your plans – https://citreuscatering.co.uk/contact-us-citreus-catering-nottingham-weddings-events/

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