‘Cocktails and Canapes’ cookbook: Recipes from champagne cocktails to Korean chicken skewers
Kathy Kordalis offers some recipes from her new book, which will give your Christmas celebrations a simple and tasty touch
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Pink Champagne cocktail
Simplicity at its best. These can quite easily be made with your favourite juice or fruit purée instead of the lemonade. In summer I love using tropical fruit purées with a squeeze of lime.
Serves 8
250 ml (81⁄2 fl oz) gin 250 ml (81⁄2 fl oz)
Pink lemonade
1 bottle Champagne
Divide the gin and pink lemonade between eight Champagne flutes. Top up each glass with Champagne.
Serving tip:
These look lovely served on a tray. Champagne should always be served very chilled, so placing the glasses in the refrigerator an hour before your guests arrival will ensure that the drink is cold.
Mulled wine with a dash of whisky
Nothing beats a traditional mulled wine, gently simmering and filling the your home with those comforting aromas. For a tipple with an extra little something, add a dash of whisky. It feels so grown-up.
Serves 8 to 10
2 bottles medium-bodied red wine
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
1 orange, halved and squeezed (squeezed halves retained)
3 cinnamon sticks
12 cloves
3 cardamom pods, bruised
3 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
Whisky, to top up each glass
Combine all of the ingredients, including the squeezed orange halves, in a saucepan and heat to just simmering. Continue barely simmering, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust. Drink with a dash of whisky added to each glass.
Serving tip:
Serve in nice mugs or teacups to help keep the mixture warm.
(DF GF NF)
Stilton & ale rarebit
An absolute sure crowd-pleaser and ever so comforting. You may need to make two times the amount, as your friends will keep coming back for more. Including the Stilton and ale makes these more grown-up. A sprinkle of walnuts for crunch is also a nice touch.
Serves 8
300 g (101⁄2 oz) Stilton, crumbled 300 g (101⁄2 oz) Cheddar, grated 4 tablespoons ale
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 g (31⁄2 oz/1⁄3 cup) shop bought
Red onion marmalade
6–8 slices dark brown thinly sliced bread or rye bread
Watercress, to serve (optional)
Heat the grill.
Mix together the cheeses, ale, eggs, mustard and a dash of Worcestershire sauce with some seasoning.
Start by spreading the red onion marmalade onto the slices of bread and cut each slice in half and each half into three – you should be left with 6 squares for each piece of bread. Spread the cheese mixture evenly onto all the bread pieces and put on a baking sheet. Grill for 3–5 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve garnished with watercress, if using.
Serving tip:
Sauté chunky mushrooms, spread them on thickly cut sourdough and top with the rarebit to serve as a main course.
Korean ssam chicken skewers with kimchi miso dressing
This is a hybrid Asian barbecue-flavoured recipe. The kimchi miso dressing finishes it nicely. If you’re pushed for time, serve each skewer with a piece or two of kimchi for extra punch.
Serves 8
50 g (2 oz/scant ¼ cup) gluten-free gochujang
50 g (2 oz/scant ¼ cup) gluten-free barbecue sauce (good quality shop-bought)
2 tablespoons mirin
1 lime, juiced
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
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100 g (3½ oz) mini courgettes (zucchini)
For the kimchi miso dressing
4 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Sea salt
70–100 g (2½–3½ oz) kimchi, depending on taste
For the chicken ssam, combine all of the ingredients except the chicken and courgettes in a large bowl, then add the chicken and mix well to coat. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight, to marinate.
For the kimchi dressing, whisk all the ingredients except the kimchi in a bowl to combine. Put the kimchi and the whisked mixture in a blender and purée until very smooth – at this stage you may have to add water to loosen it; season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing may thicken as it sits – before serving, thin it with water if you need to.
Soak some wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes, then thread a piece or 2 of chicken and a piece of courgette onto the skewers. Drizzle with oil and cook in a griddle pan or on the barbecue, turning occasionally, until charred and cooked through. Serve the skewers hot, with the kimchi dressing.
(DF GF NF)
‘Cocktails & Canapes’ by Kathy Kordalis (Hardie Grant, £12.99) Photography: Jacqui Melville
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