The canapé is defined by the Merriam Webster English Dictionary as “an appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast or a cracker topped with a savory spread (as caviar or cheese).” In cocktail or tea parties, they are the dainty little sandwiches served on trays. You can eat several in one sitting and still have some space leftover for the main course. They delight the senses as much as they nourish the hungry stomach that has to wait for the main course. Sandwiches in the form of the canapé are one of the best culinary uses of sandwich.
There are many recipes and variations you could create from a canapé. But keep in mind though that these are small sandwiches that are meant to be served as an appetizer. While canapés may also be made from pastry, crackers and other base, it is the use of bread that makes these little appetizers as sandwiches.
According to Fannie Farmer’s The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, “canapés are made by cutting bread in slices one-fourth inch thick, and cutting slices in strips four inches long by one and one-half inches wide, or in circular pieces. Then bread is toasted, fried in deep fat, or buttered and browned in the oven, and covered with a seasoned mixture of eggs, cheese, fish, or meat, separately or in combination.”
Meanwhile, a similar meal is eaten during tea time, aptly named as tea sandwiches. Think dainty cucumber sandwiches on thin slices of white loaf bread. The Wikipedia defines the tea sandwich as “a small prepared sandwich meant to be eaten at afternoon teatime to stave off hunger until the main meal.”
The bread crusts are always removed when making tea sandwiches to make them appear really delicate. Instead of the usual squares, use the cookie cutter to cut them into pretty shapes. The bread used for tea sandwiches is always buttered no matter the filling, as instructed in Linda Stradley’s “What’s Cooking America” website.
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