Canapé

Easy Apple Chutney and Camembert Crostini

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

Like most cooks I hate food waste.  So the sad looking bag of apples that was getting past their best got turned into an easy and delicious chutney.

If you’re serious about chutney and want to make a massive batch I would recommend sterilising your jars beforehand and this should ensure the chutney can last for months.  I was only making a small batch, so its fine to keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

This is amazingly versatile.  I just used it on crostini because i was having people over and I wanted to make something a little boujie, but it will also turn a bog standard ham or cheese sandwich into something super yummy.  I’ve even used it on cheese burgers and it was incredibly tasty.  If you’re making the crostini, try to make the chutney the day before, it will give it time to cool, let the flavour develop and saves you time, you can then spend with your guests.

Ingredients

For the chutney

3-4 Dessert apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 2cm chunks)

1 Small red onion (finely sliced)

75 Grams Brown sugar (you might need a little bit more or little less depending on on how sweet/tart your apples are)

125Mil Cider vinegar

1/2 Tsp salt

1/2 Ground cumin

1 Tsp Ground ginger

For the crostini

  1 French baguette (cut into fine slices)

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Clove of garlic

125 Grams Camembert or brie

Method

For the chutney

  • Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil
  • Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cooked for 30 mins before checking the seasoning and see if want tweak anything
  • Allow to cool and store in tje fridge for 4-5 days.  See, I told you it was really easy
  • For the crostini
  • Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • Brush the slices of baguette with the oil and place on a baking tray, bake for 10 minutes or until they golden brown.  Allow them cool, and you can even do this the day before and store them in an air tight container if you don’t want to be running around at the last minute)
  • To make the crostini, simply spread the toasted baguette slices with apple chutney and top with a slices of cheese

Devils on Horseback

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

I love the names of some dishes and make them just because they sound cool, this is one of them.  I also love the sweet, salty little nuggets of deliciousness that these are with a frosty beverage.

Super simple to make and only 3 ingredients, these are cool little one bite canapes if you’re having friends round.  Essentially these are stoned prunes wrapped in bacon, but you can substitute the prunes for dates if you prefer.

If you’re feeling super fancy you could make Angels on Horseback.  These are oysters wrapped in bacon.

Ingredients

12 Prunes (stones removed)

6 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon (cut in half)

A little oil for brushing

Cocktail sticks

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • On a chopping board cut the slices of bacon in half and run the back of your knife along each slice to flatten it out
  • Place a prune at the top of each slice and roll the bacon arond the prune and secure with a cocktail stick
  • When you have wrapped all the prunes in bacon, place on w backing sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is brown and crispy
  • Serve immediately

Croquetas de Jamon Serrano (Spanish Ham Croquettes)

Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen3 Comments
Crunchy coating and molten melting centre.

I first had these a couple of years ago in Madrid. The Spanish have an incredibly civilised social life. When going out for the evening you can order plates of tapas to snack on while enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine. Most bars will give you a little snack or tapas if you order a drink, and each bar has their own specialty.

So with a little bar hopping you can taste some great food if you don’t fancy a big sit down dinner. The tapas also helps you slow down to enjoy your drink and is also meant to help line your stomach to help prevent you getting drunk (I honestly didn’t see a single drunk person on my nights out, so maybe they’re on to something)

These croquetas are made with ham, but this can also be substituted with a cheese like manchego, that has a good flavour. While these are a little bit fiddly, you’ll be rewarded with highly addictive tapas that you’ll love.

Makes 10-12

Ingredients

30 Grams Butter

2 Tbsps Olive Oil

1 Small onion (finely chopped)

70 Grams Serrano ham (finely chopped)

500ml Milk

60 Grams Plain flour

2 eggs

Extra flour for coating

Breadcrumbs for coating

Salt and pepper

Bite into the crunchy croquetas to the creamy tender ham flecked centre

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the onion over a gentle heat (so it doesn’t colour) until until translucent
  2. When the onion is cooked add the butter
  3. When the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Add the milk and stir continuously to make sure there are no lumps
  4. The sauce will start to thicken, keep stirring and simmer until the sauce no longer tastes “floury”
  5. Stir in the ham, and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning, I like to add a little black pepper, but because the ham is salty you shouldn’t need to add any. Place a layer of cling film on top of the sauce (it will stop a skin forming), and allow to cool
  6. Separate out the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in different bowls
  7. I usually take a good table spoon of the the cooled sauced mixture (which should now be firm), and roll in to a small oblong shape (wetting your hands is a good way to stock them getting sticky)
  8. Once you have rolled all the cooled sauce mixture into little sausages, heat vegetable oil (I usually wait the oi is hot enough for a cube of bread to fry quickly, i know this is low tech but I don’t own a deep fat fryer)
  9. While the oil is heating, roll the little sausage you made first in flour, then egg, and finally roll in the breadcrumbs
  10. Once coated with breadcrumbs add the croquetta to the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes ensuring the brown on all sides (don’t add too many to the oil all at once)
  11. Drain on kitchen paper and eat while hot.