Canapé casings
You can't have a Christmas party without canapés. Not only do they go perfectly with cocktails and stimulate the appetite in preparation for dinner or lunch, they are the kind of snack that can sustain people and encourage them to linger longer at a stand-up drinks do.
What you might not know is that canapé is the French word for couch, and although traditionally canapés have had a bread-like base, more adventurous caterers are pushing out the boundaries and using pastry shapes and mini tartlets.
Pidy, the gourmet Belgium baker, makes a range of ready-baked mini savoury pastry cases that can serve this role. Altogether there are eighteen different shapes made of five kinds of pastry: shortcrust, French puff, pressed puff, choux and the new foncage pastry.
Each shape can be used for a different filling, adding interest and helping party-goers choose their favourites.
Pidy's pastry is made to a special recipe using drying techniques which, Pidy claims, allows canapés to be filled well in advance of serving without the risk of them going soggy. Once the filling is added, the pastry absorbs some of the moisture and quickly reverts to the texture of fresh pastry.
The great thing about canapes, of course, is that you can devise your own toppings and fillings, but if you need some recipe ideas, or want to buy pastry cases online, go to www.pastrypost.co.uk
Fishy finger food
Three new buffet bites, three king prawn canapés and two smoked salmon favourites have joined the Christmas procession of buffet and canapé products from M&J Seafood.
New for this festive season are: anchovy banderilles; salmon, rocket and parmesan pastry bites; and smoked haddock, spinach and gruyere pastry bites.
And to complete the selection M&J has added three popular prawn products: king prawn skewers with lemongrass and black pepper, Oriental king prawn rolls and prawn fritters.
Quick-mix cocktails
Perhaps this is the year to bring a bit of excitement to your festive offer with a simple cocktail list, and cocktail mix brand Finest Call has launched a recipe book for pubs and bars wanting to cash in on the lucrative Christmas cocktail market.
"Many venues want to offer cocktails but think it will involve lots of new stock and additional staff training," says brand manager Darril Ling. "These cocktails can be made in seconds.
"The mark-up on cocktails is huge. Finest Call costs 35p a shot, and you can charge between £3.50 and £6 a drink. The Christmas season is a huge opportunity to sell high volumes of cocktails and is the ideal time to launch a cocktail menu."
Packed in shatter-proof, recyclable plastic bottles with easy-to-use caps, Finest Call's cocktail and fruit purée mixes are used to create quick and easy cocktails without the fuss of lots of complicated ingredients. They can form the basis of a simple cocktail menu designed for efficient service and high profits, and the fruity mixes, including Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Bloody Mary and Piña Colada, can be used to make non-alcoholic drinks too.
For a copy of the Finest Call Cocktail Guide email dling@b-opie.com