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
Keywords: Chilean Canapes
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.