Authentic Italian Cooking

Italian canapés

Italian canapés or tartine ... Who does not love them? If small, tartine are ideal as finger food in your Italian aperitivo (happy hour), cocktail party, afternoon tea party or meal, buffet-style. If larger, they can accompany a plate of assorted cold cuts and cheese or fish appetizers. In all cases they are always very welcome ;)

  • Eggplant caponata topped polenta canapés
  • Assorted canapés with fish
  • Canapés with mortadella mousse
  • Fish and fruit canapés
  • Sage canapes
  • Assorted canapés with rye bread
  • Eggplant caponata topped polenta canapés
  • Assorted canapés with fish

How to serve canapés, Italian way

Here are a lot of recipes with different ideas for their topping: meat, fish, truffles, fruit, vegetables.
I use sliced bread, pain d'épices, cracker, Ritz, polenta ... even savory pastry and sage leaves to make them.
You can choose to prepare only one type or assorted platters too.
If you have any problem, email us!

All published recipes were tested in our kitchen. I am the cook and my husband Carlo, the photographer. You can find examples of Italian cuisine or new recipes created by me.

Our traditional, new, always tested topping ideas

Fish on pain d'épices

assorted canapè with fish

Buttered pain d'épices and fish on the top. Simple to do but tasty recipe of mine for your only-fish menus.

Mortadella mousse on white bread

canapes with mortadella mousse

Sliced bread and mortadella mousse on the top. Fantastic and very simple to do!
Carlo and I knew mortadella mousse in Bologna and loved it at once. On this page the link to the mousse too.

Fish and fruit on white bread

fish and fruit canapes

Crab sticks, prawns and kiwi. Few ingredients for a delicious recipe to start a full menu, Italy-style. Very quick to do. Recipe of mine.

Quail eggs, raw ham, mozzarella and prawns on breaded sage leaves

Sage canapes garnished with prawns, ham, quail eggs and mozzrella

Giant, fragrant sage leaves are breaded, baked and then garnished with what your fancy suggests to you. I used quail eggs, raw ham, mozzarella and prawns when my husband took this photo. You could also use cotto ham, salami, other cheeses ... a fantastic unusual Italian starter. Recipe of mine.

Paté on rye bread slices

Assorted canapés with rye bread

Canapes with rye bread? Yeah, as long as you choose the right topping. For example I tested swordfish pate, sweet and sour onions and sun dried tomato pate. Fantastic :))

Caponata on polenta slices

polenta slices topped with eggplant stew

Inviting, right? They are mouth watering ;))
They are topped with eggplant caponata, a typical Sicilian recipe, weel known all over the world.

Cocktail party savory cookies

Do you want to astonish your guests? Prepare a savory shortcrust pastry, make some cookies and garnish them according to your fancy.
These cookies are perfect for your cocktail party, buffet or to serve with a glass of Prosecco before placing your guests at table for a dinner or lunch party.
I prepared them for a wedding buffet too. They were always successful!
On this page the link to savory pastry too.

Wild boar salami & paté on Tuc

Do you know TUC, the popular snacking cracker well known all over the world? On the top, wild boar salami and paté. Mouth-watering and quick to do.
It's a recipe of mine, ideal to serve as starter in your get-togethers or full menu for special occasions.