Canapés from Castle MacLellan

Every good party needs some canapés and nibbles to keep your guests happy. Castle MacLellan have come up with three recipes that are easy to make and are sure to impress your guests. Give these yummy recipes a try...

Honey Roast Fig Canapés (pictured above)

Ingredients (serves 6)

6 figs (just ripe)
1 pack of Castle MacLellan Chicken Liver Pâté with Scottish heather honey
honey

Method

- Cut the figs lengthways place on a baking tray and drizzle with honey
- Place in pre heated oven at 200C/Gas mark 6 for 10 mins or until figs just begin to wilt
- Remove and place on tray to cool. This can be done the day before required, keep in refrigerator in an airtight container.
- When required remove from fridge, and top with a quenelle of Castle MacLellan Chicken Liver Pâté
- Arrange on plate and drizzle with extra honey if required

“Tattie” Scone Canapés

Ingredients (Makes approximately 30 small canapés)

125g potatoes cut into cubes
100g plain flour
half teaspoon baking powder
25g melted butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoon of oil, for frying
Castle MacLellan pâté of choice

Method

- Cook the potatoes in plenty of salted simmering water until tender. Drain well and mash.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the butter, milk and egg, then add the mixture to the mashed potato.
- Mash everything together until well mixed and add plenty of seasoning. Mix to a soft sticky dough.
- Heat some oil in a large heavy flat based frying pan.
- Fry small teaspoons of the mixture as you would Scotch pancakes for 3 mins on each side until golden brown. Leave until cold.
- Fill a piping bag with a large star nozzle, and soften the pâté of your choice with a fork and place in the piping bag. Pipe pâté onto the scones – any Castle MacLellan pâté works well!

Ballotines

Ingredients (Serves 2/3 - or serve as canapés)

2 chicken breast fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 large fresh spinach leaves
60g of Castle MacLellan Chicken Liver Pâté with Scottish heather honey

Method

- Assemble the ballotine by beating the breasts one at a time between pieces of cling film until they are twice the size
- Lay a piece of cling film on your worktop and place the chicken breasts (skin side down) and make sure the two fillets slightly overlap at the join. Season with salt and pepper
- Lay half of the spinach leaves along the middle of the chicken, then spoon the Castle MacLellan Chicken Liver Pâté on top in a long sausage shape.
- Lay the rest of the spinach leaves on top of the pâté. Take hold of the front edge of the cling film and carefully roll the chicken up into a sausage shape.
- Twist the end of the film together, tying them with string for extra security. Wrap the chicken “sausage” tightly in tin foil.
- Cook in a baking tray half filled with cold water for about 30 minutes at 190C/Gas Mark 5
- Test by piercing the centre with a fine needle. When the tip of the needle is hot, the ballotine is cooked. Remove from the water and allow to cool.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours so that it becomes firm. Remove from the foil and cling film and cut on the diagonal into 1/2- 3/4 inch slices. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15/20 minutes before serving.

Alternative suggestion

Ingredients

2 roasted red peppers from a jar - opened out and dried with kitchen paper
60g Castle MacLellan Rannoch Smoked Duck Pâté with Bramley

Method

Follow recipe as above but substitute the spinach for roasted red peppers and the Castle MacLellan Chicken Liver Pâté for Castle MacLellan Rannoch Smoked Duck Pâté.