Head Chef Steve Clark of the Garden Restaurant at The Bromley Court Hotel  shares two of his favourite recipes that make perfect finger food for Christmas and New Year entertaining.

He said: “You don’t have to make lots of different canapes to satisfy appetites. With different toppings for the blinis, and the addition of olives, crisps and some large prawns to dip into the satay sauce alongside the chicken skewers, you can have stress-free party food.”

The satay sauce not only makes a delicious marinade but is also great in stir-fries.

Ring the changes with the blinis toppings: try guacamole, or crab, or prawns in mayonnaise, or slices of camembert with redcurrant jelly. And try adding a teaspoon of herbs such as dill or tarragon to the blinis batter before frying.

Go to  bromleycourthotel.co.uk. Got a question for Chef in the Garden? E-mail it to jim.palmer@london.newsquest.co.uk

Chicken satays

Makes about 20 skewers

You will need wooden kebab skewers

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 400ml can of coconut milk

2 tbs crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp soy sauce

1tsp chilli flakes

2 sticks of lemongrass, crushed with a rolling pin

3 lime leaves

Method:

• First soak the kebab skewers in water to stop them burning when placed under the grill.
• Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and add the lemongrass sticks, lime leaves, chilli flakes, soy sauce and peanut butter. Bring to a simmer and then leave to cool. Discard the lime leaves and lemongrass sticks.
• Cut each chicken breast into 6-8 cubes, depending on size of chicken breast, and thread 2- 3 pieces on to each skewer.
• Place in a tray and pour over the satay sauce, reserving some for dipping. Leave to marinade overnight.
• To cook, place the chicken skewers under a moderate grill for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Serve warm or cold with the reserved satay sauce as a dip.

Mini blinis

Makes about 50 small rounds

Ingredients

125g mashed potato – made without cream or butter

1 large egg

50g plain flour

100ml double cream

salt and pepper

vegetable oil for frying

150g smoked salmon or trout

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp horseradish.

Dill for garnishing

Method:

• Put the mash potato, egg, flour and double cream into a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter.
• Heat a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and, using a teaspoon, drop small rounds of batter into the pan. Cook for a minute before turning over and browning on the other side. Drain on kitchen paper. Leave to cool.
• To serve: top the blinis with slices of smoked trout or salmon. Mix the mayonnaise  with horseradish and spoon a little onto each blinis. Garnish with dill.