Canapés and Toast

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small nonreactive dish
• •Small heavy skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Rimmed sheet pan
• •1½-inch (4 cm) cutter and sharp paring knife
• •Piping bag with small grooved tip

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the venison

   Place the venison in a small nonreactive dish and pour over the completely cooled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168). Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning once. Drain it, discard every drop of marinade that touched the raw meat, and pat the venison thoroughly dry. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat; when its foam subsides, sear the venison until browned and the centre reaches 145°F (63°C), about 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on thickness. Rest it for 3 minutes, then chill it until firm enough to mince. If the butter darkens before the centre is ready, lower the heat and continue gently; the marinade contains sugar, so a poorly dried surface catches quickly.

   Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) is a finished preparation from its own entry. Reach for it already made and cold; its formula does not need to be rebuilt inside this recipe.
2. 2

   Cut the bread

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). From the crustless pain de mie, cut 8 rounds, 8 rectangles, and 8 triangles, keeping every piece no larger than 1½ inches (4 cm) across. The separate shapes will identify the three garnishes without labels. Save the trimmings for breadcrumbs; waste is not a classical technique.

3. 3

   Toast them lightly

   Arrange the bread in one layer on an ungreased sheet pan. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, turn each piece, then bake for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stop when the surfaces are dry and barely golden but the centres still yield beneath a finger. These are not meant to become brittle. Slightly toasted is the instruction, and restraint is what preserves the tender crumb.

4. 4

   Butter while hot

   Set 4 tablespoons of the softened butter beside the oven before you remove the tray. Butter one face of every toast generously within the first minute, working right to the edges. If the bread cools before you finish, return those pieces to the oven for 60 seconds and try again. If a few have gone too crisp, butter them lavishly and cover them loosely with a clean towel for 5 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Let the buttered pieces cool completely before adding the garnishes.

   Butter on warm toast is not decoration. It enters the crumb while the bread is receptive, giving the canapé its tenderness and carrying the flavour of every topping that follows.
5. 5

   Make compound butters

   Mix the finely minced roast chicken with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter, half the salt, and half the white pepper until the mixture holds together as a smooth but textured paste. Mince the chilled venison just as finely, then combine it with the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter, salt, and pepper. If either compound butter looks oily, it has become too warm; refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes, then work it briefly against the side of the bowl until cohesive.

6. 6

   Garnish the canapés

   Fit a piping bag with a small grooved tip. Pipe the chicken butter neatly onto the 8 rounds, keeping the ridged band within the toast's edge. Clean the bag and pipe the venison butter onto the 8 rectangles. Lay one drained anchovy fillet in a simple curve over each of the 8 triangles. The piping bag stays because it is clean and quick; elaborate architecture does not. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

7. 7

   Arrange and serve

   Arrange the three shapes in loose groups on a platter and serve within an hour, while the bread remains tender and the compound butters are cool but not refrigerator-hard. If they were chilled for transport, let them stand for 15 minutes before serving so the butter regains its flavour and softness. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a close-grained pain de mie and slice it from an unsliced loaf if possible. Bread full of large holes cannot hold a fine garnish, and thick bread overwhelms it; the quarter-inch crumb is part of the recipe.
• •Set the butter beside the oven before the bread goes in. Once the tray comes out, there is no useful errand to run and no garnish to fuss over until every hot surface has been buttered.
• •Use the bread shapes as a quiet code for the fillings. Guests can recognize the chicken rounds, venison rectangles, and anchovy triangles at a glance, which is more useful than cutting a parade of stars and crescents.
• •The anchovies should taste savoury and clean, not aggressively salty. Drain them well, taste one, and if necessary rinse it briefly in cold water before drying it thoroughly.
• •A brut Champagne has enough freshness for the anchovy and enough breadth for the two compound butters. Pour it cold, bring the platter out whole, and let people choose.

Advance Preparation

• •The venison can be marinated, cooked, and chilled a day ahead. Keep it wrapped in the refrigerator and mince it only when you are ready to make the compound butter.
• •Both compound butters can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered closely, and refrigerated. Let them soften until pipeable before assembling the canapés.
• •Cut the bread shapes a day ahead and keep them airtight. Toast and butter them up to 2 hours before serving, then add the garnishes no more than 1 hour before they reach the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)