Classic canapes for an old-school New Year’s

Spoiler alert: stock up on white bread

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

When I’m in a pinch for entertaining, I reach for my trusty Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide, fifth edition, published in 1941. As the inside cover promises: “Wherein are solved the mysteries of mixed drinks.” That may be true, but there’s so much more “wherein” — including a delightfully dated full-color spread on hors d’oeuvres and canapes.

This year, as I prepare to put on a spread for New Year’s Eve, I’m inviting Old Mr. Boston to be my guide on festive old-school eats to say farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026. I’m also inviting Reader readers to consider the below selections (some more dubious than others) for their own tables.

Regardless of whether you plan to party with Old Mr. Boston, here’s to a happy new year.

Roquefort cheese canapes

Not for the lactose intolerant, this recipe calls for 1 3-ounce package of cream cheese mashed and combined with 1 ¼-ounce of Roquefort. I suppose other blue cheese varieties might also do the job, but Roquefort is known as the “the king of cheeses” or “cheese of kings,” so it’s probably best to pay proper obeisance.

Add 2 teaspoons of finely chopped onion, a dash of salt and “enough cream to moisten,” as the good book says. Mix it all together and pile the cheesy result on 12 toasted and buttered bread circles, then top with little circle-cut pimentos “in petal fashion.”

Rolled crab meat sandwiches

Slightly more complex than the Roquefort cheese canapes, this crabby sammy is one I’ll definitely try. First, mix together 1 cup of flaked (cooked, of course) crab meat with ¼ cup pickle relish, a dash each of salt and pepper, and ¼ cup mayonnaise.

Next, decrust 12 pieces of thin-sliced bread (I’m guessing some kind of white bread, because this recipe comes straight from 1941) and spread each with butter and the crab-pickle-mayo combo.

Roll the bread and filling “as for jelly roll,” and tuck watercress sprigs under the outside edge. If you don’t want to hunt for watercress, arugula is generally regarded as the best substitute.

Finally, fasten each roll with a toothpick, wrap them in waxed paper and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Smoked salmon canapes

It’s hard to go wrong with smoked salmon, and there’s something about it that always feels festive. For this recipe, Old Mr. Boston says to blend ¼ cup of softened butter with ½ tsp of fine-chopped chives and a further 2 tablespoons of fine-chopped celery.

Meanwhile, cut 12 pieces of buttered and/or toasted bread into star shapes — this is wholly unnecessary, but we’re having a party so go for it — and cover each with the buttery chive-and-celery spread. 

Next, cut or arrange your salmon into the same shape as the bread and put it on top of each piece. Finally, sprinkle fine-cut parsley along the edges and that’s a canape.

Anchovy canapes

OK, now we’re getting into “dubious” culinary territory. Anchovies are among the most divisive fish, but they’re packed with omega-3s that benefit heart and brain health, while also reducing cancer risk (provided they’re not also packed with mercury or salted to oblivion, so pick your anchovies carefully). If you simply can’t abide anchovies, it’s perfectly permissible to go with sardines. If you hate sardines, too, well, then maybe don’t make this canape.

Anyway, begin by mashing up 3 oz of cream cheese, then stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice, ½ tsp of chopped parsley and (as with the Roquefort canape) “enough cream to moisten.”

Get out your 12 pieces of buttered and/or toasted bread and cut off the crusts. People in the ’40s really didn’t seem to like crust. 

Cover the resulting crustless rectangles with the aforementioned spread and arrange the fish in rows alternating with pimento strips.

Broiled bacon appetizers

While many of the above recipes might look a little foreign to contemporary snack platters, I’ve seen this one — or variations of it — at many get-togethers in my lifetime.

Begin by wrapping strips of bacon around whatever you want to serve. Old Mr. Boston suggests whole cooked shrimp, halved apricots, stuffed olives, cocktail sausages, pickled onions and even cooked pitted prunes (no thanks, Doc).

Stick a toothpick through each little bacon bite to secure them, then pop them in the oven to broil until crispy. 

Chicken and carrot canapes

At last, I hesitate to loose this recipe on the world, as it has been safely forgotten in the pages of Old Mr. Boston for more than 80 years. Yet, out of pure, morbid curiosity I’ll present it here.

Start with ½ cup of finely ground, cooked chicken and add a dash of salt, followed by dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.

Combine that with 1 Tbsp of chopped sweet pickle and 4 Tbsp of mayo, then mix it all together.

Yet again, get 12 pieces of buttered and/or toasted bread and cut them into diamond shapes (also, again, totally unnecessary), then cover with the spread.

You’ll then line the edges of each piece of bread with shredded and salted carrots, then drop a ¼ tsp dollop of mayo in the centers as “garnish.”

Could this be good? I don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to find out. However, after enough bubbly, you never know what might happen.