food

5 Festive Party Bites

Your Christmas party just got interesting. Here are five quick and simple festive party bites that are guaranteed to impress and satisfy your guests. From Filo-wrapped Prawns to Ham and Cheese Pastry Twists there is a recipe in there for everyone.

food

5 Festive Party Bites

Your Christmas party just got interesting. Here are five quick and simple festive party bites that are guaranteed to impress and satisfy your guests. From Filo-wrapped Prawns to Ham and Cheese Pastry Twists there is a recipe in there for everyone.

Supplies

  • 150g butter
  • 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 600g strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 boxed camembert
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
  • For the garlic butter:
  • 100g butter
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Steps

  1. Warm 350 millilitres water in a saucepan then add the butter and set aside to cool until warm but not hot. Add the caster sugar and yeast and mix together then leave for 5 minutes. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl in the bowl of a stand mixer and then, with the dough hook attached, slowly add the yeast mixture. Knead for 5 - 7 mins until the dough feels bouncy and smooth. Leave somewhere warm to rise for 1½-2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
  2. Grease and line a large square baking tray.
  3. When the dough has risen, knock the air out of it and knead again for several mins. Divide the dough into balls weighing 40 grams. Take each piece of dough and roll into a ball. Take the camembert out of the fridge, remove any plastic, place back into the wooden box and place in the centre of the baking sheet then place the balls, seam side down, on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the dough balls ever so slightly apart, so that you form two dough ball ‘rings’ around the cheese in the centre. Cover and leave to rise for a further 30 mins.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan,
  5. When dough has risen, using a small sharp knife, score the camembert in a crosshatch pattern, then press the garlic slices into the cheese. Drizzle over the olive oil, stick a few rosemary sprigs among the garlic cloves, and add a good grind of freshly ground black pepper. With a pastry brush, glaze the top of the doughballs with egg wash and then bake everything together for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top.
  6. To make the garlic butter, melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the garlic. Season, then brush over the rolls straight out of the oven. Serve everything warm.

Supplies

  • 24 peeled raw tiger prawns, with tails attached
  • 4 sheets filo pastry
  • 72 coriander leaves
  • Vegetable oil, for brushing and for frying
  • Sweet chilli sauce to serve

Steps

  1. Cut each sheet of filo into four long strips lengthways (cut them in half first and then each half in half) then cut each strip in half widthways, so you are left with 24 small strips of filo. Cover the strips with a damp tea towel until you are ready to use them.
  2. Brush a filo strip generously with oil and stick 3 coriander leaves to the strip. Place a prawn at one end of the strip, leaving the tail exposed. Roll up the pastry tightly, folding filo over the top of the prawn and when sealed, brush again with the oil. Repeat with the remaining pastry strips and prawns.
  3. Heat about 3cm of vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat. Fry the prawns in small batches for 1-2 minutes until the pastry is golden.
  4. Serve warm with a bowl of sweet chilli sauce.

Supplies

  • 2 puff pastry sheets
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp english mustard
  • 12-16 slices ham (depending on kind of ham)
  • 120g mixed parmesan and gruyère, grated, plus
  • 100g to sprinkle
  • Large free-range egg, beaten, to glaze

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet to about 45cm x 35cm.
  3. Mix the dijon and english mustards together and brush over the pastry sheets. With the short edges closest to you, cover the halves nearest you with ham Sprinkle the cheese over the ham and pancetta, then fold the sheets in half, bringing the mustard-covered halves over the cheese/ham-covered halves. Run a rolling pin over each pastry to stick the halves together, then trim the edges to neaten.
  4. Slice each pastry toward you with a sharp knife into 8 strips about 1-1.5cm thick. Twist each strip several times, then put on a baking paper-lined baking sheet.
  5. Brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle over the extra cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, risen and crisp. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Supplies

  • 1 egg
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40ml whole milk
  • 40ml cold water
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • For the filling:
  • 100g full fat creme fraiche
  • 2 tbsp hot horseradish sauce
  • 1 large sirloin, trimmed of fat
  • 15g beef dripping, melted and cooled
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 30g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, skin on, bashed
  • To serve:
  • Handful watercress
  • Fresh horseradish, for grating

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 210 C / 190 C fan.
  2. For the yorkshire puddings, mix the egg into the flour then slowly add the water and milk to the mix, whisking everything together constantly to avoid lumps. Add the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. .
  3. Put a few drops of oil into each hole of a mini muffin tin and put into the oven to heat. When the tray is hot, pour the mixture into each hole, filling to about ⅔ rds full and place back in the oven. Cook for about 10 - 12 minutes until the yorkshire puddings have puffed up. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
  4. To make the horseradish cream, mix the creme fraiche, horseradish sauce and some salt and pepper together in a small bowl and place into a piping bag.
  5. Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and allow to warm up. Rub the beef with the beef dripping and season well on all sides with salt and pepper. Place into the hot pan and cook for about 2 minutes each side. Turn the heat down and add the butter and garlic cloves and baste the fillets with the butter as it melts. When done to your liking, remove from the pan and place on a warmed plate, pour over the pan juices and rest for 5 - 6 minutes. When fully rested, slice thinly.
  6. To assemble, arrange the beef slices on the mini Yorkshire puddings. Snip the end off the piping bag containing the horseradish cream and pipe a good amount onto each yorkshire pudding. Garnish with a few watercress leaves and finally grate over a little fresh horseradish.