Decorate the serving plates with some rocket (arugula) and a drizzle of oil. Arrange three pancakes on each plate and top each with a dollop of the crème fraîche or dairy-free sour cream. Decorate with a generous piece of smoked trout and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper. If you are serving them as an appetizer, spoon a neat pile of salsa on the edge of one of the pancakes and serve immediately. To serve them as canapés, top each pancake with a blob of salsa.
Smoked Salmon and Crab Timbales
This is a very easy and useful appetizer for special parties because you can make it in the morning and simply turn the timbales out onto plates a few minutes before sitting down to eat. Walnut Bread* and Rye and Barley Soda Bread* (see here) are both delicious with the salmon.
Makes 4–5
170g/6oz packet smoked salmon
170g/6oz fresh, canned or frozen and defrosted white crab meat
2 heaped tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise* (check the label for added wheat)
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ripe vine tomatoes, peeled
15g/½oz fresh dill, finely chopped
1 small ripe avocado
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of unrefined golden caster (superfine) sugar
A couple of handfuls of rocket leaves (arugula) for decoration
5 standard-sized ramekins or individual metal pudding basins lined with clingfilm (plastic wrap)
Lay the smoked salmon on a board and using a round pastry cutter the same size as the ramekins, cut out two rounds for each one. Place one round of salmon at the bottom of each lined ramekin. Keep the remaining rounds to one side and chop up all the remaining salmon.
Drain the crab meat if it is canned. Place the crab meat in a small bowl and stir in the mayonnaise, salmon bits, 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and the seasoning. Put a spoonful into each ramekin – this should use up only half the mixture.
Quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Place the seeds in a small sieve over a bowl and leave to one side. Chop the tomatoes, season, add a little chopped dill and divide between the ramekins. Peel and chop the avocado, sprinkle it with the remaining lemon juice and a little seasoning and spoon over the tomatoes. Divide the remaining crab between the ramekins and top with the remaining salmon rounds. Cover tightly with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill the timbales for 2–12 hours.
Over a bowl, gently stir the tomato seeds and pulp in the sieve so that you have a few spoonfuls of juice. Discard the seeds. Stir the vinegar, oil, a little salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar in to the juice to make a dressing.
To serve the timbales, turn each one onto a plate, drizzle the dressing around it and decorate with a few rocket (arugula) leaves. Serve with wheat-or gluten-free bread and butter or dairy-free margarine.
Spicy Prawn Poppadums
This has to be the quickest canapé recipe ever – it takes just a few minutes. The quantity this recipe makes is fine for about 16 guests, so double, treble or quadruple the quantities as required. For a vegetarian alternative, use folded strips of roasted pepper (bell pepper) instead of the prawns (shrimp).
Makes 55
55 cooked and peeled large prawns (shrimp), thawed and drained if frozen
55 ready-to-eat mini poppadums, in any flavour or, if they are unavailable, use Orgran or Blue Dragon rice crackers (check the labels to ensure the product is gluten-free)
250ml/1 cup half-fat crème fraîche or Tofutti dairy-free Sour Supreme (see here for stockist)
55 fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
Optional
Some fresh rocket (arugula) to decorate the serving plate
Rinse and dry the prawns (shrimp) and keep covered in the refrigerator until needed. Within 2 hours of your party, lay out the poppadums or rice crackers on a serving tray that you can decorate with the rocket (arugula). At the last minute, spoon a small dollop of crème fraîche or Sour Supreme onto each poppadum. Place a prawn (shrimp) at a jaunty angle on each poppadum and decorate with a coriander (cilantro) leaf.
Cannellini Bean and Tomato Crostini
This is a very superior beans on toast! White bread is definitely the best choice for the toast as it absorbs the oil well and its less distinctive taste allows the taste of the topping to dominate.
Serves 2
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and extra for drizzling
1 garlic clove, crushed
130g/4½oz pack cubetti di pancetta or finely chopped rindless bacon
300g/10½oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large vine tomato, cored and coarsely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon chopped rosemary or sage leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heaped tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 very thick slices of crustless white wheat-and gluten-free bread (see here for stockist)
Some freshly grated Parmesan or dairy-free Florentino Parmazano (see here for stockist) to serve
Heat the oil in a frying pan (skillet), add the onion and fry over low heat until it is soft. Stir in the garlic and pancetta or bacon and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are golden and the pancetta or bacon is crispy. Add the beans, tomato, rosemary or sage and season to taste. Heat through for about 5 minutes then sprinkle with parsley.
Meanwhile, toast the slices of bread and place on warm plates. Spoon the bean mixture over the top, drizzle with extra oil and sprinkle with some Parmesan or Parmazano.
Welsh Rarebit
I have to admit the idea of doing a wheat-free version of this recipe comes solely from my husband, who asked if we could have it for lunch one day as he had enjoyed it with a pint of Guinness in a local pub. I find it amazing that such an easy recipe has not, until now, been included in any of my