My first job as a chef was running canapés-styled events on a boat floating around Port Phillip Bay.
Much like the iconic paddle steamers that gracefully navigate the Murray River between Echuca and Moama.
This was followed by working as a chef in the banquet kitchen of one of Melbourne’s most luxurious 5-star hotels.
Over that time, I’ve plated up more than a few canapés at functions.
There are a few guidelines that chefs follow when menu planning and setting for a canapés-style function.
Ten canapés for dinner
Ensure your guests leave satisfied by carefully planning your canapés-style function, whether it’s for a main meal, lunch or dinner.
The ideal number of canapés to have for a main meal is 10.
No matter how much you think you will need more, if you have ten menu options, there will likely be some leftover in the kitchen at the end of the event.
These 10 options can still be broken down further, with the ideal menu having four cold canapés, four hot canapés and two dessert canapés.
No more than four canapés as an entrée
For a three-course (or more) meal, limit your canapé selection to four: two cold and two hot options. This balance ensures variety without overwhelming guests.
Three should be enough, as there are mains and dessert to go.
Largest canapés come out towards the night’s end
At many functions, the beverages flow freely, and towards the end of the evening, many people may have a belly full of drinks.
Offering substantial canapés such as pies, pastries, and sausage rolls later in the evening can help balance alcohol consumption and ensure guest comfort.
Two dessert canapés
If your function — wedding, engagement party, birthday, anniversary — will have a cake, then two dessert canapés are enough, as you want everyone to have cake.
Believe it or not, something that always goes down a treat is fruit on a stick — the ideal dessert canapés.
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