M: A 24 Hour Cookbook

“Eat with the fingers, drink with the nose”

– Joseph Delteil

The team at M believe that if you’re going to serve canapés, it needs to be done correctly. There will be countless times that you’ve attended a reception and weathered a half-baked attempt at serving finger food. Warm, plastic glasses of prosecco; tepid filo pastry jammed with goat’s cheese and crowned with a tepid rectangle of roast red pepper; the inevitable cold and soggy Cumberland sausage…

Not only is it unpleasant, it’s pretentious. You would have happily settled for a pint, but now you’re saddled with unpleasant food that you’re required to awkwardly bolt whilst balancing a flute of bubbles and attempting to hold a conversation. Extraneous effort and money down the drain.

Execute canapés correctly, however, and it’s another experience altogether. Small bites demonstrate that you think about your guests, that you care about their appetites and don’t want anyone to go hungry (or become drunk too quickly) at your cocktail party.

There are a number of rules that must be followed.

Make sure the serving size is correct.

You don’t want your guests gagging on an oversized slider, expectorating beautiful beef and sluicing a glass of Malbec over your white shirt. Generally, you want the canapé to be a mouthful, a quick bite that you can swallow whilst your interlocutor finishes a point, not a starter to a meal.

Make sure that the canapé is well balanced.

Like an expertly composed piece of nigiri that you might receive from a sushi Itamae, you need to ensure that none of the constituent ingredients overwhelm each other. Getting the ratios correct is of paramount importance.

Make sure it’s served in a way that’s easy to consume.

If you’re serving ceviche, you probably don’t want to hand someone a bowl with a spoon, because what are they going to do with their drink? Get the appropriate crockery, something like a ramen spoon, so they can take a quick mouthful, savour its citric tang, and then enjoy a sip of their cocktail.

Most importantly, have fun with it.

This is a situation where you can let your foodie flag fly. Bust out your full range of culinary craft. Pick and choose from different cuisines. Create something that your friends and family will remember for years to come. This is an opportunity to showcase the fact that you have impeccable taste. Make the most of it.

What follows is a selection of M’s favourite canapés, running from lighter options like Cured Trout, Tuna Tartare and Jerusalem artichokes, to more filling fare such as Duck Confit Beignets, Wagyu Beef Sliders and Venezuelan-influenced Ox Cheek Tacos. They aren’t exceptionally difficult to make, but are exceptionally flavourful, and due to make a lasting impression on your guests.

The Wagyu beef sliders are essentially the Dr Burger in miniature. We thought it was fun, especially for canapés, to utilise some of the best beef in the world for a dish that was historically workingman’s food.

Pickled Cucumber, made at least two days in advance, but best when made at least four days in advance, with the cucumbers thinly sliced, rather than diced

The bacon jam can be made up to two weeks in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge until required. Heat the oil in a hot pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Pour off the excess fat, then add the onions and garlic and continue stirring for 3 minutes, or until the onions start to colour.

Stir in the tomato purée and continue stirring for a further 3–4 minutes until the onions are softened. Add the water, sugar and vinegar, and leave to simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches jam consistency. Leave to cool completely, then cover and chill until required.

At least 30 minutes before you plan to cook the burgers, fit your mincer with a 0.5cm blade and lay several overlapping sheets of clingfilm on the work surface. Set up the mincer so the processed beef falls on the clingfilm. Build up the meat in layers, almost like you are rebuilding a sausage. Once all the meat is minced, roll up the mixture in the clingfilm into a roll as thick as your slider buns. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes until you are ready to cut into individual patties and cook.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the grill and heat a cast-iron ridged griddle pan over a high heat. Cut the minced meat roll into 8 burgers.

Lightly brush the burgers with oil. Add the burgers to the griddle pan, season lightly with salt and pepper and griddle until they are done to your desired degree of doneness, turning them over once. Toast the buns, under the hot grill.

Spread the base of the buns with the bacon jam. Add a piece of lettuce to each and top with the burgers, then add the cheese emulsion, pickled cucumbers and tomato slices. Use a toothpick to secure the top bun in position and serve.

The pickled green chillies should be made at least two days in advance, but are best when made at least four days in advance and they keep for up to one month in the pickling brine in a covered container in the fridge. Combine the water, vinegar, sugar and sea salt in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt, then set aside and leave to cool completely. Transfer the liquid to a non-metallic container, add the chillies, cover and chill until required.

Preheat the grill to high. Strain the ox cheek cooking liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until it reduces by half.

Meanwhile, use 2 forks to pull the meat apart and finely shred. Add the shredded meat to the reduced cooking liquid so the meat is just glazed. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste if necessary, then set aside and keep hot.

Use a 2.5cm round cutter to cut 20 circles from the flour tortilla. Put them on a baking sheet and place under the grill just to warm through. Divide the glazed meat among the tortilla circles, garnish and serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Place the duck leg in the oven for 15 minutes to warm through. Use 2 forks to pull the meat from the duck legs and finely shred it.

Meanwhile, melt the butter with the oil in a hot sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, cover, reduce the heat to low and leave them to sweat until they are caramelised. Add the shredded duck and red wine jus and mix together with the shallots. Season with salt to taste. Set aside until completely cool.

Lay a large piece of clingfilm on your work surface. Add the cooled duck mixture and roll into a log about 2.5cm thick. Twist the ends tightly, then freeze for 1½–2 hours until firm.

When you are ready to fry the beignets, prepare the crumb coating as instructed here. Heat enough vegetable oil for deep-frying to 190°C. Cut the frozen beignet mixture into 8 equal portions. Dip each piece first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then pat on the panko, making sure each piece is thoroughly coated. Deep fry for 3–4 minutes until golden brown and they float to the surface. Remove from the oil, drain well on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Prepare the Jerusalem artichokes just before cooking them to prevent them from browning. Mix together the milk and half the water in a deep bowl and set aside. Peel and finely dice the Jerusalem artichokes, immediately dropping the pieces in the milk mixture, and set aside until you are ready to cook the artichokes.

Drain the Jerusalem artichoke pieces and pat dry. Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan with a lid over a medium heat. When it is foaming, add the Jerusalem artichokes, cover, reduce the heat to low and leave them to sweat for 6 minutes, or until they are completely soft without any bite but not coloured. Add the remaining water if necessary so they do not burn or colour.

Stir in the cream and salt and pepper to taste, then finely crush the Jerusalem artichokes. Lay a large piece of clingfilm on your work surface. Add the crushed Jerusalem artichokes and roll into a log about 2.5cm thick. Twist the ends tightly, then freeze for 1½–2 hours until firm.

To make the crumb coating, beat the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a shallow tray and season with salt to taste, and place the panko in another tray.

When you are ready to cook, heat enough vegetable oil for deep-frying to 190°C and reheat the artichoke purée.

Cut the frozen Jerusalem artichoke log into 8 slices. Dip each slice first in the flour, followed by the egg mixture and then pat on the panko, making sure each is thoroughly coated. Deep-fry for 3 minutes, or until they are crispy and float to the surface. Remove from the oil, drain well on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Serve at once with the artichoke purée on the side as a dip.

100ml Kimchi Purée, the kimchi for the kimichi purée should be made at least one week in advance, and is best when it’s left to ferment for two weeks

Put all the tuna, red onion, chilli and spring onion in a large non-metallic bowl, and season with salt to taste. Gently mix together well.

The pickled red onion should be made at least two days in advance, but is best when made at least four days in advance and it keeps for up to one month in a covered container in the fridge. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then set aside to cool completely. Transfer the onion and liquid to a non-metallic container, cover and chill until required.

Heat enough oil in a large sauté pan so each rice paper will be completely submerged to 190°C. Carefully add a sheet of rice paper to the pan. It will bubble on impact, settle down and then puff up, which will only take a few seconds.

As soon as it puffs up, use tongs to transfer it to kitchen paper to drain well. Sprinkle with furikake while it’s still hot, then break into bite-sized pieces. Reheat the oil if necessary and repeat.

Top the crisp rice paper pieces with the cured trout, pickled red onions and a few drops of lemon juice. Garnish and serve immediately.