Canapes have a long-standing tradition in Chile. Many families made them at home for celebrations like Christmas, religious milestones, and weddings. In Chile is easy to pick up a tray of canapes at bakeries too.
When I was a girl, my mother spent time selling Chilean pastries and canapés, and of course, she recruited me to help. The truth is, I loved it. It still entertains me, doing manual things with beautiful results and even better if they are eaten. I love repetitive activities where I can leave my mind blank or wander. They relax me.
You may also want to see other traditional Chilean Appetizers here.
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Chilean Canapes
Essentials for Chilean celebrations.
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 80
Ingredients
- White or whole wheat sliced bread or both
- Slices of ham
- Hearts of palm drained and sliced
- Cheese slices
- Cooked shrimp tails (Langostinos from Costco here in the USA)
- Asparagus tips canned
- Canned mushrooms, strain, split in half, and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Cooked quail eggs, halves
- Flavored cream cheese or Boursin cheese (garlic + fine herbs and shallots + chives) at room temperature
To decorate
- Halved peeled almonds (Marcona)
- Raisins
- Capers drained
- Canned or roasted red pepper strips
- Parsley leaves
To spread on the bread
- Mayo
- Soft butter
Instructions
- Get organized: The day before, cut the bread with a round cookie cutter (2″). Store in a tightly closed bread bag.
- With the same cutter, cut the laminated cheese and the ham.
- Same day: Cut the asparagus the same length as the bread.
- Cut the mushrooms in half, and cut the roasted paprika into strips.
- Place the Boursin cheese in a bag with a large nozzle.
- Choose and wash the parsley leaves.
- Slice the hearts of palm.
- Then go doing them by classes:
- Bread + layer of butter + Boursin cheese + prawn
- Bread + mayo layer + cheese + heart of palm slice + mayo + parsley
- Bread + layer of butter + Boursin cheese + half-seasoned mushroom
- Bread + butter layer + ham + mayo + almond
- Bread + mayo + asparagus + pepper strip
- Place the canapes on trays and cover them with kitchen plastic and refrigerate until serving.
Notes
Use the leftover bread edges to make bread crumbs or bread pudding.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Chilean
I am very happy that you published this recipe. I believe most people tend to forget these recipes also belong in our culinary tradition even though they appeared later (50s/60s) than the better known traditional dishes. Many of our grandmothers served these during cocktail parties and happy hour, making them an often forgotten staple of Chilean cuisine. Thank you!
Absolutely, our culinary traditions are not set, they change with trends and immigration. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Personally, my family are big fans, and I grew up making these canapes every December 24th.