Well its a very good question “to canape or not to canape” ? Does any one anymore bother with canapes when they have people round for drinks or for dinner. Is it an old fashion thing to do and can people really be bothered anymore, well I’m not sure, but I suppose many people still do, but now most people seem to cheat and go for the easy option of ready made tapas or antipasti which is so readily available in the supermarkets and deli’s. Any why not its delicious and hip.

 
I must confess to now being of the tapas/antipasti tribe, to be honest its more to do with that I can eat tapas or antipasti at anytime of the day and for any reason, just because I love it and it’s one of my favourite things in the world to eat, but I have in the past (well to be honest over five years ago, as I know I have not made these since Hubby and I have been together) have been known to make my own canapes and they were delicious.
 
So for those of you that still canape or just feel the urge to give it a whirl, here is my recipe for goats cheese & caramelised onion croustades, which I would like to dedicate to my friend Graham, who advised me that he hated goats cheese after nearly polishing a whole plate of these off.
 
Buon appetito
 
Makes 24
24 Rahms mini croustades (easily available at Sainsburys/Waitrose)
2 tablespoons caramelised red onion chutney (Marks & Spencer do a yummy one, so yummy I can eat it off the spoon, but maybe thats just me !!!!)
60g firm/mild goats cheese (Crottin de chevre is perfect for this recipe)
1 medium egg and 1 medium egg yolk
3 tablespoons double cream
5g fresh chives, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
 
Preheat the oven to 350f, 180c, gas 4
 
Place the croustades on to a large baking tray and divide the 2 tablespoons of chutney evenly between each of them. Then cut the goats cheese into 24 cubes and place a piece of cheese on top of the chutney.
 
Next beat the egg, egg yolk and cream together in a jug, season a little with salt (the cheese may be a little salty, so go carefully) and some freshly ground black pepper.
 
Carefully pour some mixture into each croustade, leaving a little space at the top of each, which will ensure the top edge of the croustade stays crispy when baked and they don’t over flow.
 
Bake the croustades for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving (molten caramelised onion stuck to the roof of your guests mouth is never good), sprinkle with the finely chopped chives and serve.
 
These are so quick & simple to make and your guests will be impressed that you took the time to make them yourself.