And you thought canapes went the way of embroidered aprons and pearls, brushed aluminum canister sets and casseroles made with prefab foods.
We’re here to say canapes are cool.
Taking cues from the past, we’re giving these appetizers a vintage twist: ’50s-style canapes with a little camp and a lot of class.
Canapes are defined as pieces of fried French bread slathered with a rich pate. Good, but Americans housewives rarely adapt without tweaking the ingredients or their presentation.
As early as October 1938–egged on by American Home magazine–hostesses were encouraged to serve their canapes in new dust pans or in galvanized iron chicken feeders, each little feeding hole plugged by an olive or speared with celery sticks, according to Sylvia Lovegren’s “Fashionable Food.”
In the ’50s, the cocktail craze of the 1940s was still going strong and ambitious hostesses threw cocktail parties replete with all manner of nibbles: crackers covered with toppings, stuffed mushrooms, Swedish meatballs and clam dip.
Women were no longer housewives but homemakers intent on creating domestic bliss in their all-electric kitchens, with shiny appliances like electric skillets, toasters, in-house grills and dishwashers.
The code word was “gourmet,” by way of canned goods, potted meats and Velveeta. Thus kebabs could be made with Spam, cream of chicken soup could fill in for bechamel sauce, and jars of baby food beets and carrots could be the basis of borscht.
Luckily, this time around, there isn’t a can of soup or a jar of baby food in sight. The key to today’s canapes is great ingredients, like good brie and real butter–not that newfangled margarine of the ’50s.
Organic produce and fresh herbs take the place of canned pineapple and garlic powder. Instead of taking pride in how much time was saved by using convenience foods, today’s home cooks brag about their kitchen gardens and their organic farmer friends.
Susan Welling-Sanchez, a former chef and restaurateur who put together recipes for these hip but oh-so-retro appetizers, borrows from authentic French, Italian and Asian cuisines.
The 1950s-era canape favorites, the Wedgie pie (six slices of bologna layered with a mustard/cream cheese mixture) and the cocktail lily (made with bologna slices folded into cornucopias with carrot or pickle sticks skewered through the center), have been replaced by shavings of prosciutto and Parmesan-Reggiano atop toasted bruschetta and pan-fried salmon skewers with homemade Hollandaise.
Yesteryear’s televisions and high-fidelity record players have given way to big-screen plasma TVs and CD players with remote controls. And, mostly, the cigarettes and ashtrays stay out-of-doors. But if your name is June and your son’s Beaver, by all means dig out those pearls.
Celery sticks with whipped brie
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 20 sticks
6 ounces brie, at room temperature, rind removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
20 small ribs celery, cut into 4- to 6-inch lengths, see note
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
1. Whip cheese with the butter in a medium-size bowl until light and creamy.
2. Spoon mixture into a zipper-top bag with a hole cut in one bottom corner; pipe cheese mixture into celery sticks. Dip one end of celery into chopped parsley. Arrange on platter.
Note: To prevent sticks from wiggling while piping cheese mixture into them, you can shave a flat surface on underside with a paring knife.
Nutrition information per serving:
41 calories, 75% of calories from fat, 3.5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 0.7 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 69 mg sodium, 0.3 g fiber
Phyllo shells with caramelized onion, bacon and thyme
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 15 servings
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 package miniature phyllo shells
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray skillet with pan spray. Cook bacon on medium heat until crispy. Drain bacon fat; reserve the fat. Pour 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat back into the skillet. Add the butter to skillet; melt until it starts to bubble. Add onions; cook over medium heat until onions caramelize and turn amber.
2. Finely chop the bacon; add to skillet. Sprinkle thyme over the mixture; season with salt and pepper. Spoon filling into phyllo cups on baking sheets; bake about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition information per serving:
60 calories, 54% of calories from fat, 3.6 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 3.5 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g protein, 60 mg sodium, 0.5 g fiber
