In collaboration with Grate Newcastle, we've come up with four really easy cheesy canapés for the festive season. All of the cheeses used in these recipe can be purchased from Moz at Grate or online!
1) Graceburn Bruschetta
These little cheesy topped toasts are so easy to prepare. We have used Graceburn cheese for this recipe, but you could use any soft spreadable cheese such as ricotta, Neal's Yard Perroche, or even some gooey Mont D'Or. The bread can be made ahead and kept in an air tight container for up to a week.
Makes 30
You will need:
1x large part bake white baguette
350g Graceburn
4 tbsp plain yogurt
Salt and Pepper
100g Tomato Chutney (check out Moz's ever changing range in store)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh basil
1) Preheat the oven to 170c fan/ gas mark4.
2) Cut the baguette into thin slices, approximately 0.5cm wide. Arrange them in a single layer on a large tray. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until they are crisp and dry.
3) Place the Graceburn in a bowl with the yogurt and mix together. This helps loosen the cheese and makes it more spreadable. Season with a
4) Once the toasts are cooled, take a teaspoon and top them with a little dollop of the whipped cheese mixture.
5) Top with a dash of chutney and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
6) Finely chop or tear the basil and scatter with a final flourish of green before you serve.
2) Tartiflette Potatoes
Everyone loves potatoes. Everyone loves warm melty cheese. Everyone will love these little tartiflette inspired canapés.
Makes 24
2 large onions
40g butter
2 sprigs thyme
Salt
24 small / bitesized potatoes
Vegetable oil
25g cornichons
2tbsp double cream
220g reblechon cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
Pepper
1) Begin with the confit onions. Peel and finely slice the onions - it's best to use a mandolin if you have one. Place them in a pan with the butter, thyme and a good pinch of salt. Cook with the lid on for about 40 minutes - an hour, stirring occasionally until they are a sticky, butter, golden tangle.
2) Preheat the oven to 180c. Clean the potatoes and rub them lightly with a little vegetable oil. Arrange them in a single layer in a tray and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast the baby potatoes for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time will depend on your potato variety, so test them after 20 minutes and increase the cooking time as required.
3) Once the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
4) Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Finely chop the cornichons and add them to the confit onions, along with the double cream. Stir everything to combine. Taste the seasoning and adjust to your palate.
5) Chop the reblechon into cubes small enough to fit on top of your potatoes.
6) Split the cooked potatoes like mini jacket potatoes and pop a tsp of the onion mixture inside. Top them with a cube of the reblechon. Repeat until you've stuffed all of the potatoes. Return the tray to the oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is gooey, melty and golden.
7) Garnish the potatoes with a smattering of finely chopped chives then dive in whilst they're still warm!
3) Darling Little Puffs
I'll never understand why vol-au-vonts went out of style. Delicious things stuffed inside pastry cups? Yes please. The preparation of the puffs can be a little fiddly, but they are so worth it! Cooked, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days, or you can assemble them and freeze them uncooked, ready to bake at a later date when you want an impressive canapé fast! They're a really versatile vehicle for delicious cheeses. These Darling Little Puffs are stuffed with one of our local cheese heroes - Darling Blue - and some rather festive fig and honey. Other combinations you could try are endless: camembert and spinach, goats cheese and apple, brie and prosciutto, cheddar and pickled onion.... we could go on!
Makes 24
1 x sheet ready rolled puff pastry
1 beaten egg
6 dried figs
150g Darling Blue
Honey
Thyme leaves
1) Preheat the oven to 180c/ gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2) Unroll the sheet of pastry and begin cutting the puffs using a 48mm fluted cookie cutter. Stamp out 48 little rounds of pastry. Using a smaller, non fluted cutter (I use the nozzle of a piping bag), cut out the centres of 24 of the rounds.
3) Once everything is cut, carefully lift the cut discs and place them on top of the whole discs, taking care to line up the fluted edges. Pace the assembled puffs on the baking tray.
4) Repeat until all of the puffs are assembled. You may need to return to your pastry to the fridge for half and hour or so at this point as handling it too much may make it soft and sticky which will affect the bake.
5) Once assembled, gently egg wash the puffs and lightly score the centre using a fork. Bake them in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed!
6) Whilst they bake, prepare the fillings. Cut the fig into quarters and crumble the cheese into roughly 10g pieces.
7) Once the puffs are baked, gently press down on the centre to compress it and make a well for the filling. Crumble in the cheese and the fig. Drizzle over a little honey and scatter with some fresh thyme leaves. Repeat until all of the puffs are stuffed.
8) Return the puffs to the oven for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is warm and just starting to melt. Serve whilst still warm.
4) Ragstone Boats
The combination of bitter endive with the tangy goats cheese and the sweet honey is really pleasing. The addition of coriander seeds and chilli bring an extra layer of flavour and freshness to these cheesy boats so don't be tempted to skip it! You could used dried chilli flakes instead of fresh for the same effect. These are super quick to prepare and hold really well once assembled so you can make them ahead of time. Don't forget to pull them out of the fridge about half an hour before you want to eat them as your cheese will always taste best at room temperature.
Makes 20
2 heads of purple chicory
200g Ragstone Goats Cheese
50g toasted walnuts
1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 red chilli
Fresh mint
Honey
1) Cut the end off the endive and separate it out into indivudal leaves. These little boats are the vehicle for your fillings.
2) Cut the ragstone into 20 slices. Roughly chop the walnuts and crush the coriander seeds. Combine them together with a pinch of salt.
3) Finely slice the chilli and finely slice the mint.
4) Assemble the boats by placing the cheese in the centre of the endive. Drizzle with honey then scatter with the walnut and coriander seeds, then top with the chilli and fresh mint. They're ready to serve when you are!