Get Forked

When we have dinner parties, recently we've preferred to have some canapes on the balcony before heading in for the main course. An interesting and quite an original concept, was Jamie Oliver's forks, and after locating some cheap but nice looking forks (not at Victoria Basement which wanted to charge us $90 for some great looking, but too exy forks), we decided that we'd try it out for a Christmas dinner party. Giving everyone a bite on a fork was a fun and easy to prepare canapé but something a little different.

Jamie called for 3 types of forks that we replicated for our guests. We started off on the most simple, but a classic favourite - proscuitto wrapped and threaded onto the fork, with a clump of rocket, lying in a bed of olive oil and balsamic. With the dressing on the plate, we could swirl our forks into the dressing before popping the forkful in our mouths.

The second was a smoked salmon fork with thinly shaved cucumber and a lemony creme fraiche topped with a sprinkle of chives. This was a great combination, and who doesn't love smoked salmon with anything! The lemon creme fraiche added a nice zing to the fork.

The fork de resistance, however, was the duck a l'orange fork, a combination of orange, threaded onto the fork with a medium rare slice of duck breast wrapped around a sprig of watercress with a mint, lime, chilli dipping sauce.

All scrumptious little morsels, easy to eat and dip into their respective dressings! And a bit of a laugh as my hubbie enjoyed telling our friends to "get forked!"

When we have dinner parties, recently we've preferred to have some canapes on the balcony before heading in for the main course. An interesting and quite an original concept, was Jamie Oliver's forks, and after locating some cheap but nice looking forks (not at Victoria Basement which wanted to charge us $90 for some great looking, but too exy forks), we decided that we'd try it out for a Christmas dinner party. Giving everyone a bite on a fork was a fun and easy to prepare canapé but something a little different.

Jamie called for 3 types of forks that we replicated for our guests. We started off on the most simple, but a classic favourite - proscuitto wrapped and threaded onto the fork, with a clump of rocket, lying in a bed of olive oil and balsamic. With the dressing on the plate, we could swirl our forks into the dressing before popping the forkful in our mouths.

The second was a smoked salmon fork with thinly shaved cucumber and a lemony creme fraiche topped with a sprinkle of chives. This was a great combination, and who doesn't love smoked salmon with anything! The lemon creme fraiche added a nice zing to the fork.

The fork de resistance, however, was the duck a l'orange fork, a combination of orange, threaded onto the fork with a medium rare slice of duck breast wrapped around a sprig of watercress with a mint, lime, chilli dipping sauce.

All scrumptious little morsels, easy to eat and dip into their respective dressings! And a bit of a laugh as my hubbie enjoyed telling our friends to "get forked!"