Three easy and delicious canapés to serve with Jukes this Christmas

Thanks to Jukes’s backbone of organic apple cider vinegar, every drink in the range is magnificently adept at pairing with all manner of recipes, even those with vinegar, spice, chilli, soy sauce and other powerfully flavoured ingredients. Most of my favourite canapés have strident flavours, so they lend themselves to being enjoyed with Jukes. Here are some of the easiest, fastest and most delicious party canapés for this festive season.

Cornichons wrapped in Salami with Jukes 1 & Jukes 6

Ingredients

Top quality Salami – thinly sliced into rounds

One jar of small Cornichons - Maille Extra Fins is a great brand

Cocktail sticks

Method

This only takes a couple of seconds to prepare, and the cocktail stick makes it dainty and easy to eat without getting sticky or vinegary fingers. Drain the cornichons and then roll each one up in a slice of salami, holding it in place with a cocktail stick. 

Parma Ham bread sticks with Jukes 8

Ingredients

Thinly sliced Parma Ham / Prosciutto

The best Bread Sticks / Grissini – Crosta & Mollica Classic Torinesi (thin) or Seggiano Classic Grissini (thick) are two widely available brands

Fresh Basil leaves – washed and patted dry with kitchen roll

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cracked Black Pepper

Method

Place a basil leaf on a piece of prosciutto and roll the prosciutto tightly around the breadstick, leaving half of the breadstick uncovered. Place these ‘batons’ on a serving plate and lightly drizzle the prosciutto end with extra virgin olive oil and season with black pepper. 

Mushroom and Crème Fraîche tartlets with Jukes 1 & Jukes 6

Ingredients

A punnet of Mushrooms - chestnut or white button mushrooms work well - washed and finely chopped. 

1 Shallot – very finely chopped

knob of Butter

Fresh Thyme – washed and removed from the stalks

Olive Oil

Crème Fraîche – a couple of tablespoons

Parmesan – grated (optional)

Cracked Black Pepper

Tart cases or Vol-au-Vents - Jus-Rol makes great little frozen vol-au-vents, while www.finefoodspecialist.co.uk sells brilliant savoury tart shells

Method

Fry the finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and thyme in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a knob of butter until they are cooked through. Keep the mix as dry as possible, ensuring the moisture has been mostly cooked off. Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir in a tablespoon or so of crème fraîche and add cracked black pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the tarts or vol-au-vents and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately, or if you are getting ahead, allow them to cool down and gently heat them up before serving.