How to prepare “Tapas”, canapés and Christmas appetizers

For canapés:

• I recommend you to use Tramezzini bread to make canapés, it is a little bit more expensive than the traditional sliced bread but, on the other hand, we will improve on quality, comfort and versatility. We may find it in gourmet shops, with different tastes, white, brown, tomato, spinach, etc.
• It is advisable to insulate bread from ingredients with a thin layer of grease (butter, mayonnaise, etc.) to avoid the ingredient’s humidity from penetrating into bread.
• Serve on rectangular trays mixing some of them in with the others to be more attractive.

For brochettes:

• Nowadays brochettes are sold with a huge number of designs, materials and forms; they use to be quite cheap.
• It is not necessary to over decorate them, three or four ingredients are enough to look appealing.
• Easy to serve accompanied by sauces aside.

For small glasses, bowls or shot glasses:

• Ideal to serve cold soups, creams, salads, etc.
• Keep it in the fridge and serve at the very last moment.
• They are also easy to find in specialized shops, they are not too much expensive and they generally are good quality.

For presentation spoons:

• The best option to serve a Russian salad, tartar, tinned ingredients, etc. quickly.
• Very comfortable to be ready in advance and to add sauce and decorate at the very last moment.
• They are cheap, visually appealing and they allow us to make a great variety of methods.

Tostas (bruschetta), puff pastries and mince pies:

• They are possibly the weakest in relation to preservation, they do not admit a method in advance since they easily absorb dampness and lose their main appeal, the crispy quality.
• On the other hand, they are quite cheap and if we have time left, they are very easy to prepare.
• One detail to take into account is that it is usually the most convincing presentation of all; therefore I recommend it as an appetizer in lighter lunches or dinners.

On this basis, you can continue programming your appetizers and starters for these festivities. We will give some recipes and ideas on combining ingredients to you in next articles.