Makes: 50 canapés
Difficulty: Easy
Two Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc has created a selection of delicious Christmas recipes using Saint Agur, guaranteed to bring festive magic to your table this yuletide.
Rich, smooth and decidedly different, Saint Agur is both milder and creamier than traditional blue cheeses, making it a hit in the kitchen as well as on the cheese board.
This recipe for Saint Agur Crème, Oat Biscuit and Honey canapés is easy to make and can be prepared in advance for a fuss-free, homemade treat to serve with a glass of champagne. For ease, the biscuit dough can be pre-prepared, then cut and stored in the freezer ready for you to bake ahead of your party. The dried olives can also be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Ingredients
For the biscuit
- 65g wholemeal flour
- 90g butter, unsalted
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 30g caster sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 60g jumbo oats
- 1 egg yolk, medium, organic/free-range, beaten
For the topping
- 325g Saint Agur blue cheese crème, whipped to stiff peaks with an electric whisk
- 25g clear honey
- 50g Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped finely, dried at 100°C for 1 hour
Special equipment
- Electric whisk
- Piping bag (optional)
Directions
For the biscuit
1Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, butter, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt. With your fingertips, crumble the ingredients together to create a breadcrumb texture.
3Add the oats and egg yolk and mix together well.
4Roll the biscuit mixture between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 5mm.
5Place the rolled biscuit dough in the fridge for 1 hour to allow the dough to firm up.
6After 1 hour, remove the dough from the fridge and cut into squares approximately 3cm x 3cm in size.
7At this point you may freeze the dough squares and cook straight from frozen when you are ready. Or to cook straight away, place these squares onto a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes.
8Remove the biscuits from the oven and place on a wire cake rack until cool.
9Store in an airtight container until required (for up to 3 days).
For the topping
1Place the biscuits on a flat tray and pipe approximately 6g of the whipped Saint Agur crème in the centre of each biscuit in a neat teardrop shape. If you do not have a piping bag, you can use a spoon instead.
2Drizzle the clear honey over each canapé in a zig-zag fashion and sprinkle a small amount of the dried olives over the top then serve.
