Cut several thin slices of bread, remove the crusts and toast them till they are of an even brown. Butter slightly and spread with any kind of potted meat or fish. Put two slices together, and cut them in long strips. They afford a tasty dish for tea or supper parties.

Artichoke Bottoms For Canapes

Cook the artichokes, spreading over the bottoms some anchovy butter and decorate with pickled cucumbers, capers or gherkins, anchovies and the whites and yolks of hard-boiled eggs. Pour over them a salad dressing and garnish with water cresses.

Canapes Of Caviar

Cut three or four slices of bread about one-fourth inch in thickness, and then cut them up into round pieces with a biscuit cutter, of about two inches in diameter. Put these into a pan with a small piece of butter, and fry to a light brown color. When done, spread on the rounds a layer of caviar, and serve them on a dish covered with a napkin or ornamental dish-paper.

Cheese Canapes

Cut a few pieces of bread into slices a quarter of an inch thick, trim off the crusts, and then cut them up one inch wide and three inches long; fry these a delicate brown in clarified butter; grate a little cheese over them, sprinkle on the tops a little cayenne pepper and salt, and put them in the oven until the cheese has melted.

Serve while hot. A fillet of anchovy shredded into two laid lengthwise on these canapes are an improvement, and they may be eaten cold with salad. They may also be garnished with finely chopped parsley.

Canapes Of Crab

Take six slices of bread, cut off the crusts, and fry the slices to a light brown with a pat of butter. Take the lower shell from a few crabs, and pick out the meat from the body and claws; place the meat on a plate, season with salt and pepper, and mince up well. Put one ounce of butter in a saucepan with a chopped onion, cook for a few minutes, but do not let the onion brown. Stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour, then one gill of broth, add the crab meat, cook and continue stirring for fifteen minutes. Have a tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan on a hot stove, mix in one tablespoonful of flour, and cook slowly for three minutes; add two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, and the same quantity of grated Gruyere; stir together and turn into a basin to cool. Spread a layer of the forcemeat on each slice of toast. Divide the cheese into six equal parts, roll each into a ball, range it in the center, over the layer of forcemeat. Place them on a flat dish, and bake in the brisk oven for five or six minutes. When ready take the dish out of the oven and serve at once.

Egg Canapes

Put into a saucepan of water four eggs and boil for ten minutes, or until quite hard; then peel off the shells, cut the eggs in halves, remove the yolks and chop them up. Soak two anchovies, dry and remove the bones and chop them up with three truffles and six capers; mix in the chopped yolks, add a seasoning of salt, pepper and cayenne and one teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar. Fill the halves of eggs with this mixture, place each one on a piece of fried bread, heat in the oven and serve very hot.