Food from Sweden, Norway and Denmark lends itself to pretty canapés, with beautiful open sandwiches and smörgåsbords of delightful crackers and nibbles. The clean, fresh flavours are perfect for summer entertaining.
smoked mackerel, apple & fennel on rye
Here is a canapé topping that can be made a few days in advance. Just keep the pâté in an airtight container in the refrigerator, until needed.
200 g/7 oz. boneless smoked mackerel fillets
20 g/1 generous tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 generous tablespoon freshly grated horseradish
5 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lemon
1 teaspoon freshly chopped/snipped dill
freshly ground black pepper
35 mini rye crispbreads
1 apple, thinly sliced
½ fennel, thinly sliced
Makes 35
Discard the skin from the mackerel fillets, then flake them into a food processor.
Add the butter, mustard, horseradish, crème fraîche/sour cream, lemon juice, dill and some black pepper, then blend until smooth.
Spread a heaped teaspoonful of the mackerel pâté onto each crispbread and top with thinly sliced apple and fennel. Serve.
beetroot, cucumber & apple on crispbread
You can see by the length of this recipe how quick it is to prepare. We’re spoilt for choice for gourmet crackers now, so take your pick and mix it up.
½ Gala apple, diced
8-cm/3-in. stick of cucumber, deseeded and diced
1 pickled beetroot/beet (about 60 g/2 oz.), diced
¼ red onion, diced
2 thumb-sized cornichons, diced
4 tablespoons crème fraîche/sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard a squeeze of fresh lemon juice a pinch of salt
35 crispbreads/crackers of your choice
dill, to garnish
Makes 35
Put the diced apple, cucumber, beetroot/beet, onion and cornichons into a bowl. Add the crème fraîche/sour cream, mustard, lemon and salt, and mix until combined. Taste to check the seasoning, and add more salt if needed.
Spoon a little of the mixture onto each crispbread or cracker and garnish with some dill. Serve.
rare roast beef & remoulade on rye
When Central London makes me weary, I pop into my favourite Scandinavian café for a pick-me-up in the form of a strong coffee and an open sandwich. These canapés are a take on just that. Roast beef and remoulade is a classic combination that’s too pretty to be concealed.
300 g/10½ oz. beef fillet/tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 slices rye bread
For the remoulade
150 g/5 oz. celeriac, cut into 2.5-cm/1-in. matchsticks
freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon crème fraîche/sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground white pepper
Makes 30
Cut the beef fillet/tenderloin in half lengthways. Oil, season and massage well.
In a hot, dry pan, sear the beef for a few minutes on each side, wrap in foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. That way the meat relaxes and the juices are absorbed into the meat.
Once the meat is cool, you can refrigerate it, covered, until you are ready to assemble the canapés.
To make the remoulade, combine the celeriac/celery root, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, crème fraîche/sour cream and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Thinly slice the beef across the grain into 30 pieces.
Take the rye bread and cut each slice into 6 square pieces. Top the rye bread with a slice of beef and some remoulade. Serve.
Smoked mackerel, apple & fennel on rye (p50), beetroot, cucumber & apple on crispbread (p50), rare roast beef & remoulade on rye (p51).
I love the vibrant fuchsia of the salmon next to the pop of black caviar on these blinis. Curing a side of fresh salmon in beetroot and gin is a tasty way to cater for a large number. However, here I show you a quick cheat, using smoked salmon and pickled beetroot juice.
4 tablespoons pickled beetroot/beet juice
2 teaspoons gin
100 g/3½ oz. smoked salmon
30 blinis (see recipe, page 36)
100 ml/scant ½ cup crème fraîche/sour cream
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
50 g/2 oz. lumpfish caviar
Makes 30
Pour the pickled beetroot/beet juice into a small container or shallow bowl. Add the gin and the salmon and leave for 5 minutes. (Alternatively, use store-bought beetroot-/beet-cured salmon.)
Slice the salmon into 30 pieces. Top each blini with ½ teaspoon of crème fraîche/sour cream, a piece of salmon, a squeeze of lemon and a little caviar. Serve.
quail’s egg, crayfish & caviar blinis
A quail’s egg always seems like a treat as most of us don’t eat them regularly at home, so they make these blinis elegant and rich. You can use either chives or dill here. The salmon caviar adds a lovely deep saltiness, so if you are not using it, make sure to season the egg well.
8 quail’s eggs
30 blinis (see recipe on page 36)
100 ml/scant ½ cup crème fraîche/sour cream
60 g/2 oz. crayfish tails
50 g/1½ oz. salmon caviar
1 tablespoon freshly chopped/snipped chives, to garnish
Makes 30
First, soft-boil the quail’s eggs. Fill a small saucepan two-thirds full with water and bring it to the boil. Use a slotted spoon to lower the eggs gently into the water. After 2 minutes, remove and plunge the eggs straight into a bowl of cold water.
Once cool, tap each egg on the counter and gently roll to crack the shell. Carefully peel off the shells and rinse each egg in cold water. Slice each egg into quarters, lengthways.
Top each blini with ½ teaspoon of crème fraiche/sour cream, a crayfish tail and a quail-egg quarter.
Carefully top with a little salmon caviar and sprinkle on some chives.
cream cheese puffs with smoked salmon
50 ml/3½ tablespoons full-fat/whole milk
45 g/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon caster/granulated sugar
80 g/⅔ cup plain/all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
350 g/¾ lb. cream cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill, plus extra fronds to garnish
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 g/3½ oz. smoked salmon or salmon caviar
a baking sheet, lined with baking parchment
Makes 30
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Bring the milk, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt and 50 ml/3½ tablespoons water to the boil in a saucepan, then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Tip in the flour and, with a wooden spoon, beat until it forms a ball. Keep cooking on low heat for 2 minutes, moving the dough around the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating until the dough is a dropping consistency. Transfer to a piping/pastry bag and let rest for 5–10 minutes. Pipe 30 small shells onto the baking sheet, spacing them 2.5 cm/1 in. apart. Bake for 10 minutes, then increase the heat to 220°C (425°F) Gas 7 and cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and poke holes in the top of each puff to let steam escape. Let cool completely.
Mix the cream cheese and dill in a bowl. Add half the lemon zest and juice, and season with pepper. Slice the tops off the puffs with a serrated knife and fill with a teaspoon of cream cheese. Top with smoked salmon or caviar. Garnish with dill fronds and serve.
seared beef fillet with horseradish
350 g/12½ oz. beef fillet/tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish (or from a jar)
100 ml/scant ½ cup crème fraîche/sour cream
3 sprigs fresh rosemary salt
30 mini wooden skewers
Makes 30
Cut the beef fillet/tenderloin in half lengthways. Oil, season and massage well.
In a hot, dry pan, sear the beef for a few minutes on each side, wrap in foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. That way the meat relaxes and the juices are absorbed into the meat.
Cut the meat across the grain into 30 strips and put each one on a mini skewer.
Mix the horseradish with the crème fraîche/sour cream and a pinch of salt. Garnish with the horseradish sauce and a few rosemary leaves, and serve.
beetroot, dill & goat’s cheese cups
1 x 400-g/14-oz. can of chickpeas, drained
250 g/9 oz. cooked beetroot/beets
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ tablespoons tahini
2–3 large pinches of salt
160 g/5½ oz. soft goat’s cheese
fresh dill, to garnish
40 store-bought canapé cups
Makes 40
Put the drained chickpeas, cooked beetroot/ beets, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini and salt in a food processor, and blend until smooth.
Place a teaspoonful of the mixture in each canapé cup, and top with ½ teaspoon goat’s cheese. Garnish with dill, and serve.
