A Seasonal Party Canape?

 

 

 

So the party season has begun and so we look at what is handed around (with the inevitable fizz!…which we try to decline). Sausage rolls; mini Yorkshire Puddings filled fit-to-burst with fattening fare; or cones of fish and chips! So what do the bariatrics go for….well the garnish is one! Nothing wrong with a lettuce leaf, cherry tomato or celery strip…but come on…we could do better!

 

So this year I am promoting a canape recipe that is dead easy to prepare and will be popular with bariatrics and non-wls patients alike…what’s not to like about it?

 

It can be made ahead, has protein in it  to make it seem saintly (yes 3.7g per crisp is good) and is also low fat but also delicious! I’ve road-tested it with friends and no-one has said ‘Is this healthy?’….a good sign!

 

So make a batch, store them in an airtight container and top with what you have around….other ideas include a horseradish flavoured cream with beef; a mustard-flavoured one with shaved ham; and a pesto flavoured one with grilled vegetables!

 

IT’S PARTY TIME!

 

CAROL

 

PARMESAN CRISP CANAPES

Ingredients

Metric/US

Crisps:

50g/1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigianno Reggiano)

1 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping:

15ml/1 tbsp reduced fat creme fraiche

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4tsp fennel seeds

1/2 small fennel,  finely sliced or chopped

extra grated Parmesan (optional)

75g/3 oz hot smoked salmon, flaked

fresh fennel sprigs, to garnish

 

Method

1 .Grease and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or line a non-stick tray with easy glide. Preheat the grill to hot.

2.  To make the crisps, mix the Parmesan with the flour andsalt and pepper to taste. Spoon teaspoonful-sized rounds onto the baking tray and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. The mixture should make 10 crisps, but make sure there is plenty of space between each one, as the mixture will spread a little.

3. Place the rounds under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted to make a golden brown crisp. Remove each one carefully using a palllet kife and leave to cool on greaseproof paper or easy glide.

4.  To make the topping, mix the creme fraiche with the lemon zest and season to taste.

5.  To assemble, spoon a small amount of the lemon-flavoured creme fraiche mixture on top of each crisp. Sprinkle with a few fennel seeds, a little finely chopped fennel, extra Parmesan if liked and flakes of hot smoked salmon. Finally garnish with sprigs of fresh fennel to serve.

 

MAKE AHEAD!

Make things easy for uurself and prepare ahead. Both the crisp and the lemon topping can be made in the moring or 8 hours ahead. Just keep the crisps in an airtight container and refrigerate the topping until required.

 

MAKES: 10

CALORIES PER CRISP: 41

PROTEIN: 3.7g

CARBOHYDRATE:  1.5g

FAT:  2.2g

 

Image courtesy of www.parmigianoreggiano.com