Holiday Taste Treats
Just in time
for your holiday entertaining, we have a store of ideas for
original and flavourful canapés, cocktails and dainties to
delight your family and friends! - Get the holidays off to a delectable start with appetizing, easy-to-make, original canapés.
- There is only one rule to remember: canapés are bite-sized finger food that can be eaten hot or cold. These tasty tidbits give guests the freedom to circulate with a glass in one hand and a canapé in the other!
- Figure on 3 to 5 canapés per person as an appetizer; 4 to 6 per hour per person for a cocktail party; and 8 to 12 per person for a buffet.
- Shrink main dishes into bite-size portions for novel hors d'oeuvres like turkey or duck mini-meat pies; cheese and herb or smoked salmon mini-quiches, mini-pizzas dressed with beef and roasted pepper, spinach and bocconcini, shrimp and mango, or pear and brie; blini with chives and smoked salmon pâté or sweet potato and duck; tiny vegetable, turkey and brie or chicken sandwiches.
- Bruschetta are another scrumptious option. These lightly toasted slices of baguette topped with fresh, colourful ingredients like smoked salmon and capers; roasted pepper, arugula and feta; mushrooms and parsley; tomato and basil; dried tomato and pesto are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
- Give your holiday entertaining an exotic touch with Oriental hors d'oeuvres like sushi, fried won tons and spring rolls. Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres like falafels or stuffed grape leaves or Tex-Mex hors d'oeuvres like tiny chicken tacos, spicy tortilla triangles or miniature shrimp enchiladas are other original options.
- For canapés that stand out, pile delicious garnishes on unusual bases such as miniature crêpes or blini, polenta cubes, diminutive patty shells, corn chips or tarts.
- Complement homemade canapés with fine cheeses and olives, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts, cold cuts with fresh and dried fruit, and finally an interesting assortment of crackers.
- Expand your guests' choices and put out crudités and various breads along with dips and spreads like pâtés, rillettes and vegetable terrines, smoked trout spread, basil-olive cream cheese, herb spread, hummus, guacamole.
- The Irresistibles products make beautiful additions to homemade hors d'oeuvres with mini-quiches, bruschetta, mini-pastries, mini sausage rolls and Oriental hors d'oeuvres that save you time and allow you to offer your guests a wide selection of sophisticated nibbles.
- Have plenty of homemade cocktails or punch on hand for holiday toasts and sipping with canapés.
- Welcome guests with traditional holiday cheer—rich, creamy eggnog, in a big glass bowl. Serve it in small punch glasses. Set out shakers of nutmeg and cinnamon and let guests spice their eggnog as they wish.
- Offer guests a fruity homemade cocktail with the canapés and buffet. Plan on 2 cups (500 mL) per person.
- Prepare homemade cranberry cocktail (cranberry juice, lemon-lime soft drink, grenadine), non-alcoholic kir royal (apple juice, sweet cider or grape juice with a few drops of black currant syrup) or a grape spritzer (equal parts white grape juice, purple grape juice and ginger ale) for younger guests. For the adult versions, replace apple juice with champagne and white grape juice with white wine.
- Don't forget to add fun alternatives to alcohol: fruit juices, sparkling water, non-alcoholic wine and beer.
- Make sure that alcohol-free drinks for designated drivers are just as delicious as the regular cocktails!
- Create your holiday libations with Merit Selection soft drinks and vegetable cocktails and The Irresistibles cranberry juices
- If you're playing bartender for the night and creating your own drinks instead of limiting yourself to the classics, taste test your cocktails before offering them to guests and stick to the following rules.
- Alcoholic cocktails have 3 ingredients, 4 at the most: hard liquor, a liqueur, fruit juice and sometimes a little syrup for colour.
- In non-alcoholic cocktails, avoid mixing fruit juice with eggs and cream.
- If a cocktail includes a sparkling beverage, add it just before serving the drink.
- The number of glasses should be twice as many as the number of guests.
- In cocktails, garnish is almost as important as taste.
- Put strawberries, cranberries or small pieces of fruit in the ice cube tray and cover with water.
- Decorate drinks with tiny cherry, litchi or pineapple brochettes, clove-studded slices of citrus fruit, sprigs of mint and colourful straws.
- Maraschino cherries or pieces of fresh fruit threaded on a toothpick add eye-appeal as well as taste.
- Sprinkle cocktails with a little ground ginger, powdered almonds or cocoa.
- A meal without sweets isn't really complete according to most people. End the meal with an assortment of tempting, easy-to-make pastries, cookies, and biscuits.
- Orange-cranberry squares, sugar or custard tarts, pecan or fig cookies, spicy citrus cookies, cinnamon biscotti, shortbread, wafers, fudge, chocolate covered strawberries and caramels will all delight your guests.
- A beautiful platter of assorted diminutive cakes is an attractive alternative to a big cake. No cutting, no crumbs.
- Your Metro store has a whole range of The Irresistibles cakes and pastries to round out your dessert trays.
- Mini-éclairs, mini-nut clusters and fruit cakes and other like treats will satisfy the sweet-toothed and bring the meal to a glorious finale.