Canapé

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This article is about the hors d'oeuvres. For other uses, see Canapé (disambiguation).

A canapé or canape (known in Italy as tartine) is a small, prepared and usually decorative hors d'oeuvres, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. A canapé may also be referred to as finger food, although not all finger foods are canapés. Crackers or small slices of bread or toast cut into various shapes serve as a base for such savory foods as meat, cheese, fish, caviar, foie gras, purees or relish.

Traditionally, canapés are made from stale white bread, cut in thin slices and then shaped with a cutter or knife. Shapes might include circles, rings, squares, strips or triangles. These pieces of bread are then prepared by Deep frying, Sautéeing, or Toasting

The foods are sometimes highly processed and decoratively applied (i.e. piped) to the base with a pastry bag. Decorative garnishes are then applied. The canapés are usually served on a canapé tray and eaten from small canapé plates.

[edit] Vol au vents

Vol au vents (french for "flight of the wind") are small canapés. They are circular pieces of puff pastry with a small hole which accommodates various fillings, such as mushrooms, prawns, fruit, cheese, etc.