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10 Gourmet snacks for your cocktail party

Celebrate the start of the party season with these gourmet-inspired fingerfoods.

• Cut store-bought puff pastry into strips, scatter with grated Parmesan and twist. Pop into the oven at 180 degrees and bake until crisp and golden.
  
• For quirky-chic canapes, serve mini curry bowls, mini beef curry vetkoek, cheese-and-tomato mini pizzzas (topped with basil pesto and fresh rocket) and chicken-curry mini bunny chows, cool or warmed, in paper cones adorned with tiny pompoms. Or try small boxes (available from party stores or stationers) lined with wax paper and filled with your tasty bites.
  
• Top loaves of fresh meusli bread with long shavings of Parmesan cheese. Serve with ramekins of Parmesan oil and balsamic vinegar, and orange, ginger and maple-syrup chutney.
  
• Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, create thin shavings of melon. Place a few shavings on each plate and top with sliced, ready-to-eat prawns, small balls of lemon sorbet and scatter with microgreens, mixed leaves and orange zest and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
  
• Rinse radishes then, using a zester, partially remove the skin. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, melt 500 g white vanilla chocolate and 125 ml cream. Stir until smooth and melted.
  
  Toast 250 ml sesame seeds in a dry pan or under the grill. Roll the radishes in the toasted seeds, until well covered. Serve with the melted chocolate mixture on the side for dipping.
  
• Slice strawberries in half. Using a melon baller, carefully scoop out a cavity in the centre of each strawberry half. Place a tiny amount of wasabi paste and a slice of pickled ginger into the cavity. Top with salmon roe or caviar.
  
  Tear nori into small squares. Wet the middle of each square with water then use to wrap the strawberry halves. Buy a loaf or two of Madeira cake and cut into chunky squares. Using a butter knife, spread the desired amount of berry jam onto all sides of the sponge. Sprinkle generously with coconut, until coated.
  
• Cut a bag of Woolies' fresh tomato and basil soup open, mix well and decant into shot glasses.
  
  Wash a handful of basil leaves and blend with 4 T olive oil until paste like in consistency. Drizzle basil paste / oil as a garnish on top of the tomato soup.
  
• Drain a packet of black olives (such as calamata), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Allow the olives to marinate, and then serve.
  
• Heat 125ml extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan. Add 100g raw almonds and heat through. Remove and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with 5ml Maldon sea salt and 2ml smoked paprika.
  
• In a blender, process 100g pistachio nuts, shelled, 60ml extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and 30g mint to a chunky consistency. Remove and season to taste. Slice 300g Ayrshire halloumi and smear the dressing on both sides.
  
  Place under a hot grill until golden brown, but do not turn over. Remove and top with remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

MORE GREAT COCKTAIL SNACKS

• Drunken oysters
• Spinach and feta snack pies
• Cucumber and korma snack
• Prawn rissoles
• Ginger beer float
• Crystallised ginger with salted pistachios
• Coconut milk, lychee and preserved ginger jellies (pictured at top)
• Rosewater and ginger jellies
• Canapes with pear, Pecorino and Camberzola
• Crumbed Parmesan (pictured above)

MORE PARTY INSPIRATION

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A Spanish tapas table