Christmas Canapes From the Fire - Party Food That Is Not a Tray From the Freezer

Every December I get asked to do the drinks reception, and every December someone sends me a list that starts with pigs in blankets. I do not mind pigs in blankets. But a canape that comes out of a freezer, into an oven, onto a tray and round a room on a napkin is not the only option, and if there is a fire outside, it is the worst one.

Canapes from a fire are different in two ways. They are hot when they reach you, because they come off the grill in waves rather than sitting under a lamp. And they can be made of the things that are at their absolute best in December, which in this country means game. Here are the ten I cook most, and roughly how.

From the Grill

• Venison loin on toast with pickled blackberry. The loin seared hard over embers, rested, sliced thin and laid on a square of charred sourdough with a blackberry we pickled in September. The one everybody photographs
• Pigeon breast with black pudding and sticky onion. A wood pigeon breast is a two-bite canape in its own right. Ninety seconds a side, pink, on a coin of black pudding with onions cooked down in the pan. If you have never eaten pigeon, this is where to start
• Venison and juniper sausages, split and charred, on a stick with mustard. The grown-up pig in a blanket. We make hundreds a week in December
• Pheasant thigh skewers with a quince glaze. The thighs are the best bit of a pheasant and almost nobody uses them. Marinated, skewered, grilled, glazed at the end
• Scallops in the shell over the embers, with bacon fat and a squeeze of lemon. Three minutes on the coals and the shell is the plate

From the Embers

• Ember-roasted beetroot with whipped goat curd and hazelnut. The beetroot buried whole in the coals for an hour, peeled, sliced, dressed. The vegetarian canape that meat eaters take two of
• Chestnut and sage arancini, fried in a pan on the fire. Christmas in a mouthful. Cooked to order so they are crisp
• Baby potatoes from the embers, split and filled with venison chilli or with smoked cheese and chive. A bite-sized jacket

Hot Cups

• Venison and stout broth in a small cup with a crust of bread. People stand round a fire in December holding a drink; a hot broth is the drink they actually want
• Mulled cider from the pot. Not food, but it has been on the edge of the fire since the afternoon and the smell does half the work

The difference between a tray of warm canapes and a tray of hot ones is about forty seconds, and it is the whole difference. Off the grill, onto the board, into a hand. Nothing waits.
- Cai

How Many, and How Long

For a drinks reception with nothing after it, plan on ten to twelve pieces a person and let it run for two hours. For canapes before a dinner, six is plenty and ninety minutes. The fire changes the rhythm: rather than everything out at once, trays come off every ten minutes, so the room never feels like it has been fed and is waiting.

The Sensible Version

Not every party has a fire. If you are doing this at home, the pigeon, the sausages and the pheasant skewers all work under a hot grill, and the beetroot and potatoes roast perfectly well in an oven. The scallops want real embers; buy a bag of lumpwood and do them in the garden. Your guests will come outside to watch, which is the point.

If you want it done for you, canapes from the fire are what we bring to a company Christmas party or a small team afternoon, and December weekends are nearly gone. Talk to me this week rather than next.