8 Luxurious Monte Carlo Canapé Ideas For Your Party 🇲🇨

These Monte Carlo Canapés are a selection of 8 elegant French-style appetisers, including mini sandwiches, open-faced canapés, and amuse-bouches, featuring meat, seafood, and vegetarian toppings.

About Canapés

History and Tradition
The word canapé comes from the French for “sofa”, referring to how the topping sits on the bread like someone on a seat. These elegant bites first appeared in 18th- and 19th-century France, and served as decorative hors d’oeuvres during apéritifs in aristocratic salons. By the early 20th century, they had become a hallmark of formal dining across Europe, symbolising style and culinary finesse.

Traditionally, canapés are bite-sized and served during cocktail hours or receptions. Each one is built on a base, usually bread, toast, or pastry, with a spread, a flavourful topping like meat, seafood, or cheese, and a garnish. They’re made to be eaten in a single mouthful, or two, balancing texture and taste.. Today, canapés range from classic to modern, but the basic structure remains timeless.

This Recipe
I put this selection together after a trip to Monte Carlo, where I got to try a few canapés at different events. The flavour combinations stood out – a little different to what I usually make, and exactly the sort of thing I enjoy experimenting with. I’ve recreated eight here: a couple with meat, like Croque Monsieur with a touch of truffle, a few seafood ones with salmon and shrimp, and one with melted cheese and fruit preserve. I used a mix of breads – sweet, white, wholegrain, and walnut – for more variety.

Ingredients for Monte Carlo Canapés

Note:
I haven’t listed quantities for the ingredients, as this recipe is more about assembly than precise measurements. The amount you’ll need depends on how many canapés you plan to make, how large you cut them, and how much topping you prefer on each.

These are small bites, and everyone has their way of building them; some might like a thicker layer of pâté or more cheese, others less.
Use the photos as a visual guide, and feel free to adjust, scale up or down, or even swap ingredients to suit your taste or the occasion.

• Bread: Use different types of bread, whichever you prefer: plain white, baguette, wholegrain, nutty, or sweet brioche. I’ve listed what I used, but feel free to use different types of bread.

• Butter: For all canapés except the spoon ones, you’ll need unsalted butter to spread thinly over the bread slice. It helps prevent the bread from going soggy and adds a subtle richness without overpowering the toppings.

Meat Canapés

• For the pâté, you can use duck, chicken, or anything you prefer, smooth, coarse, Brussels-style, with or without extras.
• The onion chutney can be homemade or shop-bought, just go for a good quality one. Red onion jam looks best, but plain onion chutney works too.
• I recommend green-skinned figs for a cleaner look on the plate.
• For the sausage canapes, French-style sausages work best; either grill or pan-fry them before slicing.
• The olive spread – Tapenade can be homemade, or use a good quality jarred premade.
• The Mini Croque Monsieur is toasted, but served cold, so it’s great for prepping ahead.

Fish & Seafood Canapés

• You can make your own salmon mousse or use a good-quality ready-made one. Salmon paste or salmon pâté works just as well for these small bites.
• You can prepare your own Hollandaise sauce if you’re up for it, or buy a high-quality jarred version.
• For the prawn canapes, you can use anything you like: prawns, shrimp, king prawns, crayfish, langoustines, or even lobster. I used pre-cooked ones, but you can also poach or cook them yourself.
• For the cream cheese with garlic, you can simply mix soft cheese with a bit of garlic paste, or just buy something like Boursin cheese spread or similar, if you want to skip a step.
• As for the caviar, if you’re feeling fancy, go for the real thing. But honestly, fish roe is a perfect budget-friendly alternative. I used both black and red fish roe in mine, and they looked just as good as they tasted.

Vegetarian Canapés

Brie and Apricot Jam Toast

• white bread
• Brie cheese
• apricot jam
• lemon zest

• You don’t have to use Brie; any cheese that melts well and pairs nicely with something sweet will work. Comté is a great alternative.
• These are toasted so the jam sinks into the cheese as it melts, blending the flavours. Even though they’re toasted, they’re meant to be served at room temperature or cold, so they’re easy to make ahead.

How to make Monte Carlo Canapés

1. Mini Croque Monsieur with Truffle

For these mini sandwiches, I used sweet brioche bread.

• Butter both sides of the bread, then add a bit of mayo to just one side.
• Add two slices of ham and one slice of Gruyère, close it up, and toast until the outside is golden and crisp.
• Cut off the crusts and slice the sandwich into small squares. Add a little extra cheese on top of each one.
• Pop them under the grill for a minute or two, just until the cheese on top melts a little.
• Add a tiny bit of truffle paste; you don’t need much. If you’re using truffle oil instead, just a light drizzle does the job. For more flavour, you can add the truffle inside before toasting.

2. Duck pate with red onion chutney and fig

• Lightly butter slices of walnut or rye bread. Spread duck pâté in a 5mm thick layer.
• Spoon over red onion chutney.
• Slice a fig and briefly toast or grill the slices until slightly caramelised. Add one slice or a small piece of fig to the top of each canapé.

3. Sausage with Tapenade

• Grill or fry the sausages first, then let them cool completely. Slice them thin or thick.
• Butter slices of baguette bread, then spread a little olive tapenade over each one. Add a slice of sausage on top.

4. Salmon Mousse with Cucumber

• Spread a little butter on slices of white bread, then add a layer of salmon mousse.
• Top each one with a small piece of cucumber and finish with a few drops of lemon juice. Keep chilled until you’re ready to serve.

5. Prawn and Spicy Pepper Cream

• Blend green pepper and a small amount of green chilli with a splash of water until smooth.
• Mix the paste with mayonnaise and add a few drops of lime juice.
• Lightly butter slices of wholegrain bread, then spread on the spicy pepper mayo. Top each one with a cooked prawn tail and a touch of caviar.

6. Smoked Salmon with Garlic Cream Cheese

• Lightly butter slices of wholegrain bread.
• Gently sauté garlic paste in a small amount of butter, just enough to soften the flavour, for 20 seconds, without letting it brown. When cool, mix it into your cream cheese.
• Spread a generous layer of the garlic cream cheese over the bread, then top with a slice of smoked salmon.
• Finish with a small amount of caviar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve chilled.

7. Salmon and Asparagus Spoon Canapé

You’ll need small plastic canapé spoons; you can find them online or in party shops.

• Spoon in a little Hollandaise sauce, then add a piece of poached salmon and a small piece of cooked asparagus tips. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note:
For best results, all seafood canapés should be well chilled and brought out just before serving. It’s a good idea to offer the fish-based ones first, followed by the meat selections.

8. Mini Toastie with Brie and Apricot Jam

• Butter one slice of white bread, then add a slice of Brie.
• On the second slice, spread a little apricot jam and add a touch of lemon zest. Close the sandwich and toast it for a few minutes until the Brie melts and blends with the jam.
• Once toasted, cut into small squares or circles (use a round cutter).

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