Penguin Canapés

This week I saw a great picture that someone had shared on Facebook.  It was a series of little photos showing how to make penguin canapés - and they were AWESOME. As I had to make some nibbles for an Open House private view on the 10th, I was definitely going to try it out!

Here's how I got on.

1: You'll need some soft cheese, pitted black olives, a carrot and some cocktail sticks. The original picture just showed a tiny weeny scoopy kind of spoon full of nondescript soft cheese.  I don't have a little scoopy spoon so I went for goat's cheese, which I knew I could roll into balls by hand.

2: Peel the carrots and cut into slices roughly 4mm thick, then cut out a small triangle 'beak' from each. The larger bit is for the penguins' feet.

3: Pop the beaks into the widest hole of the olives to make the penguins' heads.

4: Spoon out the soft bits of the cheese and roll it (with very clean hands!) into small balls.

5: To make the penguin bodies, cut down one side of an olive.

6: Then insert the small ball of cheese.

7: Put the two olives together on one of the cut-out carrot slices and spear with a cocktail stick. Done!

8: Repeat - et voilá - a whole army of penguins!

I am pleased to report that the penguins went down an absolute storm.  So easy and fun to make - you should definitely try it.  I didn't actually get to taste one though.

Here are the last few remaining penguins in situ at the private view.  Nice blue plate!

It was a fun night - and so busy.  There were a few sales and hopefully people will come back in the day to see things when it's quieter.  If you're in Brighton and want to visit 60 Florence Road yourself, it's open 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th May from 11am to 5pm.  Sorry there are no penguins left, but there will be tea and cake in the garden!

Original idea and image from Vibration