Hot homemade recipe blog..

     The appetizer is a small morsel of food served at the beginning of the meal, causes a free flow of digestive juice and thus helps the digestion. During the growing season these canapés may be scullions, served icy cold, radishes, cold and crisp and cut into thin pieces, but still left on the stem; well-cleaned, crisp, crinkly watercress; coleslaw, with celery; coleslaw with green and red peppers or with scullions, or with bacon or ham nicely browned; or just a slice of full ripe tomato, spread with mayonnaise and dusted with grated cheese or paprika.

     Many housewives have the impression that the preparation of the delicious accessories of the cosmopolitan meal is expensive. Well, I hardly need tell you that the French housewife is noted for her thrift and that these dainty tidbits are frequently portions of leftovers from a meal, sometimes the scrapings of a saucepan or a tablespoon of meat, vegetables and gravy.

     Have you ever had just a small piece of fish left over, entirely too small to serve by itself? And rather than leave it on a plate or saucer to form an accumulation you think, “Well, I can’t use it, so into the garbage it goes.”

     Now this tablespoon or two of fish would have made you a few delicious canapés; by flaking it and then putting it through a sieve. Place it on a platter and then add

Two tablespoons of butter,
One teaspoon of paprika,
One tablespoon of grated onion,
One tablespoon of finely minced parsley.

     Work to a smooth paste and then spread on a narrow strip of toast. Garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg.

     The canapé, though it bears a foreign name, is not necessarily an expensive addition to the menu for the family, nor is it elaborate. This delectable morsel is rather dainty, delicate and used as an appetizer that helps to start and stimulate the digestive juices and thus cause them to flow freely for the digestion of the food.

     Canapés are usually served cold, on a plate covered with a doily; the canapé is placed on this. They need not all be alike; the bread may be cut with various sandwich cutters or it may be cut into finger widths and then toasted lightly and spread with the prepared paste.

     Meat, chicken, cheese, nuts, olives, etc., may be used in place of the fish. If you have just a spoonful or so of peas, beans, spinach, cauliflower or asparagus you may use it in place of the fish, thus making a vegetable canapé. Try two canned pimentos in place of either meat or fish.

Comments are closed.