Canapé

*a small piece of bread or pastry with a savoury topping, served with drinks at receptions or formal
parties.The name comes from the French word for sofa, drawing on the analogy that the garnish sits
atop the bread as people do a couch.

Canapés are swiftly becoming a main stay for corporate events, offering a variety of delicious and
colourful bites that will impress colleagues and clients alike.

Canapés are enjoying a comeback both at wedding and corporate functions.

The French started offering canapés to their

guests in the 18th century, and the English adopted the practice at the end of the following century.
One modern version of the canapé is the amuse-bouche. Amuse-bouche literally means “mouth
amuser”, but is translated more delicately as “palate pleaser”.
Because they are often served during cocktail hours, it is often desired that a canapé be either salty or spicy, in order to
encourage guests to drink more. A canapé may also be referred to as finger food, although not all finger foods
are canapés.
It is in recent years, however, that chefs and caterers have grown more experimental and braver when designing their
menu. In the 1990s smoked salmon was extremely fashionable but now mini burgers, mini Yorkshire puddings, seared
scallops, asparagus tips wrapped in Parma ham are delicious alternatives. As the choice has grown clients – and guests –
have become increasingly adventurous.
Trying new things can also be a great conversation starter and at functions people are usually more up trying new foods
as it’s less risky than paying for a meal and not liking what they get. The fact canapés are bite-sized means that they’re
easier to socialize with but also, makes guests braver to try new things.

As buffets are increasingly seen as outdated and three course meals can mean a drawn our event, canapés are
becoming the go-to option. They are designed as a party food; they allow greater fluidity of your guests as they can be
eaten sitting, standing and chatting. This allows the conversation – and the champagne – to flow! 
Check out our mouth-watering canapé menu below

HOT MEATS:
Young Baby Leek, Smoked Weald Bacon & Gruyere Tartlets
Slow Roasted Barbary Duck Pancakes & Plum Sauce
Mini Surrey Beef Burgers, melted Gruyere Cheese & Vine Plum Tomato Relish
HOT FISH & SHELLFISH:
Seared Scallops, Bramley Apple Compote on Miniature Black Pudding
HOT VEGETARIAN-Somerset Brie & Early Black Cranberry Filo Tartlets
Roasted Chianti Artichokes & Plum Tomato Pesto, Pecorino Polenta & Kalamata Olive Tapenade
COLD MEATS-Chargrilled Asparagus Tips wrapped in Parma Ham, Tarragon Dip
COLD FISH & SHELLFISH-Weald Smoked Salmon Blinis, Baby Capers, Fresh Herbs & Lemon Chargrilled Atlantic Prawns wrapped in
Snow Peas & Sweet Chilli Dip
COLD VEGETARIAN:
Pecorino Romano, Parmesan & Rosemary Shortbread, Roasted Bambelo Orange, Plum Cherry Tomatoes, Feta & Kalamata Olives
Black Mission Figs & Roquefort Crostini, Glazed Red Onion Confit
SWEET ITEMS:Gooey Chocolate Brownies
Sources of Starch
The parts of plants that store most starch are seeds, roots, and tubers. Thus, the
most common sources of food starch are:
* Cereal grains, including corn, wheat, rice, grain, sorghum, and oats;
* Legumes; and
* Roots or tubers, including potato, sweet potato, arrowroot, and the tropical
cassava plant (marketed as tapioca)
Common Source of Manufactured Food Starch
1. Corn
2. Potato
3. Tapioca (cassava)
Starches are named after its plant sources
Corn starch from corn
Rice starch from rice
Tapioca from cassava
Classification of Starch
1. Native or Natural Starch refers to the starches as originally derived from its
plant source.
2. Modified Starches are starches that have been altered physically or chemically,
to modify one or more of its key chemicals and/or physical property.
3. Purified starch may be separated from grains and tubers by a process called
wet milling. This procedure employs various techniques of grinding, screening, and
centrifuging to separate the starch from fiber, oil, and protein.
Starch Composition and Structure
The Starch Molecule
Starch is polysaccharide made up of hundreds or even thousands of glucose
molecules joined together. The molecules of starch are two general types, called
fractions: amylose and amylopectin.
Amylose is a long chain-like molecule, sometimes called the linear fraction,
and is produced by linking together 500 to 2, 000 glucose molecules. The amylose
fraction of starch contributes gelling characteristics to cooked and cooled starch
mixtures. A gel is rigid to a certain degree and holds a shape when molded.
Amylopectin has a highly branched, bushy type of structure, very different
from the long, string-like molecules of amylose. In both, amylose and amylopectin,
however, the basic building unit is glucose. Cohesion or thickening properties are
contributed by amylopectin when a starch mixture is cooked in the presence of
water, but this fraction does not produce a gel.
Most natural starches are mixtures of the two fractions. Corn, wheat, rice,
potato, and tapioca starches contain 24 to 16 percent amylose, with the remainder
being amylopectin. The root starches of tapioca and potato are lower in amylose
content than the cereal starches of corn, wheat, and rice.
The Starch Granule
In the storage areas of plants, notably the seeds and roots, molecules of
starch are deposited in tiny, organized units called granules. Amylose and
amylopectin molecules are placed together in tightly packed stratified layers formed
around a central spot in the granule called the hilum. The starch molecules are
systematically structured in the granule to form crystalline-like patterns. If the
starch granules, in a water suspension, are observed microscopically under
polarized light, the highly oriented structure causes the light to be rotated so that a
Maltese cross pattern on each granule is observed. This phenomenon is called
birefringence. The pattern disappears when the starch mixture is heated and the
structure disrupted. The sizes and shapes of granules differ among starches from
various sources, but all starch granules are microscopic in size.

Potato Cassava Wheat Cornstarch

Moisture,% 19 13 13
Ash,% 0.4 0.2 0.2
Protein, % 0.06 0.1 0.4
Lipid,% 0.05 0.1 0.8
Phosphorus% 0.08 0.01 0.06
Amylose,% 21 17 28
Starch Properties and Reactions
1. Gelatinization. The sum of changes that occur in the first stages of heating
starch granules in a moist environment which includes swelling of granules as
water is absorbed and disruption of the organized granule structure.
2. Viscosity. The resistance to flow; increase in thickness or consistency. When
the newly gelatinized starch is stirred, more swollen granules break and more
starch molecules spill causing increase in viscosity or thickness.
Changes in Gelatinization of Starch
* Hydration and swelling to several times original size
* Loss of birefringence
* Increase in clarity
* marked, rapid increase in consistency and attainment of peak
* "dissolution" of linear molecules and diffusion from ruptured granules.
* With heat removal, retro gradation of mixture to a paste-like mass of gel
The type of sugar influences the temperature and rate of gelatinization. The effect of
sugar is attributed to competition for water. It was observed that sugar actually
interacts with the amorphous areas of the starch granules.
Different Sweeteners Added to Starch Gel Preparation.
* Honey
* Molasses
* panutsa or granulated sugar which starch molecules, particularly the
amylose fraction, re-associate or bond together in an ordered structure after
disruption by gelatinization; ultimately a crystalline order appears.
3. Syneresis. Oozing of liquid from gel when cut and allowed to stand (e.g. jelly or
baked custard). The oozing of liquid from a rigid gel; sometimes called weeping.
This reaction occurs in all kinds of gels:
* Puddings
* Jellies
* Custards
* Gelatine
* Agar-Agar
4. Dextrinization. It is the process of forming dextrin. Dextrins – are partially
hydrolyzed starches that are prepared by dry roasting. In home kitchens,
8
dextrinization is achieved by toasting flour for polvoron, rice flour for kare-kare
sauce, and bread slices for breakfast.
5. Hydrolysis. Starches undergo hydrolysis during cooking or processing and
during storage of food where a chemical reaction in which a molecular linkage is
broken and a molecule of water is utilized.
a. Prolonged heating of starches with acid will promote hydrolysis. This can
happen when cooking an acidic food, such as: Pineapple pie resulting in
reduced viscosity or firmness of the pie filling.
Functional Properties of Starches
Starch plays various roles in food, a typical multi-tasker
1. Thickeners in gravies, sauces and pudding. It absorbs water and become
a gel when cooked
2. Colloidal stabilizers
3. Moisture retainer
4. Gel forming agents
5. Binders
6. Package
7. Flavor carriers– its ability to trap oils and fats, which absorb flavoring
substances more efficiently.
Starches – are added to processed meats (luncheon meats, hot dogs, sausages, etc.)
as a filler, binder, moisture, retainer, and fat substitute. The quality characteristics
of the starch itself depends upon which role or function it was used. Cereal is any
grain that is used for food. Grains especially whole grain is not just empty calories.
These are very valuable and can contribute a great deal to our health. You should
include at least four servings from this food group each day.
Cereal-processed food:
* A whole grain cereal is a grain product that has retained the specific nutrients of
the whole, unprocessed grain and contains natural proportions of bran, germ and
endosperm.
* Enriched cereals are excellent sources of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and iron.
* A restored cereal is one made from either the entire grain or portions of one or
more grains to which there have been added sufficient amounts of thiamine, niacin,
and iron to attain the accepted whole grain levels of these three nutrients found in
the original grain from which the cereal is prepared.
Cereals provide the body with:
Carbohydrates
Protein
Fat
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
Cellulose or roughage

Nutritional Significance of Noodles and Pasta or Alimentary Paste

The physiological function of noodles and pasta will depend on its starch
and other constituents. Since it is basically a starchy food, the nutritional
significance discussed for starches also applies. In addition to starches, including
resistant starches I (RS), noodles and pasta may contain other fibers and some
proteins and fat as well.
Nutritive value:
Water
Protein
Fat
Carbon
Calcium
Phosphorous
Iron
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Niacin
Dried Noodles and Pasta
Macaroni Miki
Spaghetti Chicken Mami
Pancit Canton Linguini
Bihon Lasagňa
Sotanghon Miswa