Unit 250 (2fpc15) Hand-out
Prepare and present food for cold presentation
Introduction
Cold canapés and sandwiches
Canapés are bite-sized appetisers consisting of:
 a base

topping

garnish.
The base may be fresh or toasted bread or pastry. Special cutters can be used to make a
variety of shapes. The base is spread with butter, flavoured butter, cream or mayonnaise.
This secures the loose items placed on top.
Sandwiches can be made with a variety of breads. Traditional sandwiches are made with
two slices of bread. The bread is spread with butter, flavoured butter, cream or mayonnaise
and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses and salad items. The sandwich is usually cut into
four smaller sections.
Cooked, cured and pre-prepared foods
For cold presentations, cooked, cured and pre-prepared foods may include:
 meat and poultry

fish and shellfish

pâtés terrines and pies.
Most cold presentations would include a cold collation of cooked and cured meats, suitably
garnished.
Organise the preparation areas and equipment
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 1 of 9
Preparing equipment
You will need a variety of equipment and tools for preparing, serving and storing sandwiches
and canapés. Some kitchens will have more equipment than others, depending on the
volume and variety of work. You may find:
•
knives:
•
spreading knives for butter, avocado, cream cheese
•
bread knives
•
electric knife
•
storage containers for fillings, spreads and condiments
•
tongs:
•
large tongs for selecting and holding bread or rolls
•
small tongs for each different filling
•
machinery:
•
slicing machine and foccacia toaster
•
colour coded plastic chopping boards
•
tea towels
•
sanitising spray
•
gloves:
•
plastic, for hygiene
•
mesh, for cleaning and slicing.
Plan your work schedule efficiently
Some preparation can be done in the afternoon, ready for the next day, for example:
•
•
•
•
boil and shell eggs
roast capsicums
fill condiment containers
chop gherkins.
Select bases and ingredients of the type, quality and quantity required
Bread
Bread can be used for both sandwiches and canapés. You may use sliced white or
wholemeal bread and toast the bread for canapé bases. For more adventurous sandwiches
you may use other delicious, interesting breads, for example:
•
•
•
paper thin melba toast
crusty thick baguettes (French sticks)
bread containing seeds, olives or herbs.
If you have not used many types of bread, go to a bakery or supermarket and see how many
different types there are. Talk to your supervisor about the different types of bread that
can be used.
Tick the checklist below to show which breads you have used for making sandwiches. Use
the blank lines to add your own suggestions:
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 2 of 9
Type of bread
Type of bread
Multigrain
sour dough
Rye
Raisin
Olive
muffins
pita
garlic and herb
Foccacia
wholemeal
lavash (mountain bread)
baguettes
ciabatta roll
bagel
Canapé bases
The following products are suitable for canapé bases:
•
•
•
•
•
fresh toast or bread
pre-prepared puff pastry
pre-prepared short pastry
rye or crispbread
biscuits.
The bread and pastry bases can be cut into shapes using special canapé cutters. This will add
to the attraction of a platter of canapés.
For most canapés, the pastry must be baked ‘blind’ before the toppings are added.
Spreads, fillings and condiments
You need to be creative and imaginative with the combinations that you select for sandwich
spreads, fillings and condiments. You will need to consider the following:
•
Taste:
Do the contents complement each other?
Would you eat this sandwich or canapé?
•
Texture:
Is the sandwich or canapé too moist or too dry?
Is the bread or pastry protected from juices?
Do you need a combination of softness and crunch?
•
Colour:
Does the sandwich or canapé look tempting?
Have you used a combination of colours?
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 3 of 9
Spreads
Most sandwiches will require butter or margarine spread over the bread. The spread on the
bread serves to:
•
•
moisten the bread slightly
provide a protective coating preventing juices from making the bread soggy.
The butter or margarine you use should be at room temperature, so that it spreads
smoothly and thinly. You can sometimes add flavour to the butter, for example, garlic or
herbs. Make sure that you spread the butter over the whole area of the sandwich.
Some people prefer not to have butter or margarine on the bread. Some fillings will not
require buttered bread. Mashed avocado, mayonnaise or cream cheese can be used instead
of butter. For some sandwiches, olive oil drizzled over the bread will enhance the flavours.
Other condiments can be used instead of butter or margarine (see condiments section
below).
Canapés will only need spreads to hold together loose food items or to provide moisture.
Piped cream cheese or pâté can be used on canapés both for moisture and to make the
canapé more attractive and tempting.
Fillings for sandwiches
Most sandwiches will have meat or cheese and one or two salad items. Fillings should be
generous and cover the whole area of the bread. The components of the filling should
complement each other in taste, texture and colour.
What is your favourite sandwich filling?
What is the most unusual filling you have heard of or made?
Some examples of sandwich fillings are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ham and cheese
roast beef and pickle
chicken, avocado and baby spinach
smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers
egg, lettuce, tomato, alfalfa, snow pea sprouts and cucumber
char grilled capsicum, marinated mushrooms and Swiss cheese
bacon, lettuce and tomato.
Sandwich fillings will vary to suit the type of customers:
•
•
•
•
office workers
students
manufacturing operators
company executives.
Toppings for canapés
Most sandwich ingredients can be adapted to fit onto a canapé. Loose items may be
secured with sauce, spreads or relish.
The following products are suitable for canapé toppings:
•
•
cooked or cured meats or poultry
cooked or cured fish or shellfish
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 4 of 9
•
•
•
•
fresh vegetables or fruit
eggs
cheese
cream toppings.
Some examples of canapé toppings are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
small julienne of meat bound with a sauce
raw smoked slices of fish with caviar
flavoured egg mixtures
piped cream cheese with julienne capsicum
mushroom puree
egg and caviar.
Prepare ingredients for canapés and sandwiches
All items used for fillings and toppings must be prepared according to company food
standards. Ask your supervisor or supervisor to show you a copy of the standards for your
workplace. These standards will tell you how the company presents food items for
sandwich fillings and canapé toppings. This may vary from site to site and may change as
food fashions change.
Ingredients should be sliced or mixed and stored in identical containers. This allows heat
transfer so that they can cool down rapidly when refrigerated or held in the sandwich bar
cold well over lunchtime. Do not mix old ingredients with fresh ingredients. All ingredients
must be prepared fresh each day.
The slicer must be cleaned after slicing different items. Each item should be returned to the
refrigerator after slicing. Containers of sliced foods can be out on display for preferably
only two hours and a maximum of four hours if held at 40C or below.
Some examples of standards in food item preparation are:
 cucumber and pepper:
 sliced lengthways only

cooked meats:
 shaved and bunched on sandwiches and canapés

beetroot:
 raw and freshly grated

eggs:
 yolks fully cooked, no grey rings
 chopped large and chunky with mayonnaise (not egg paste)

onion:
 Spanish only
 half rings very finely sliced.
Prepare and garnish canapés and sandwiches
Preparing canapés and sandwiches
Your fillings and toppings should be:
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 5 of 9

fresh

tempting to the eye

deliciously tasty

provide a variety of textures.
Think about:
 what matches the flavour of the base

what different salad ingredients you can use

what you can use to introduce colour and interest.
Try to make sure you include a variety of colours - red/pink, white/yellow and green for
example:
 add a little cucumber to smoked salmon and cream cheese to:
 create colour contrast
 to provide some crunchy texture in a very soft sandwich

add avocado or lettuce to ham and cheese.
Your fillings and toppings must be generous. Make sure you have some moisture on the
sandwich or canapé, but not so much that the base goes soggy. Avoid using beetroot as the
colour runs into other items. You should also avoid using onions, as many people do not
like to have onion odour on their breath.
You can usually afford to use more exotic ingredients for cold presentation. Your mixtures
can be a bit more adventurous too, for example:
•
prosciutto, char grilled eggplant, black olives, fetta cheese and salad greens
•
chicken, apricot, walnuts and cream cheese
•
smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers.
Consider
example:
•
•
•
•
using interesting condiments as spreads on the base instead of margarine, for
pesto
humus
salsa
roast capsicum spread.
Remember that people are socialising at functions, so all sandwiches and canapés should be
presented in small, easy to manage pieces and cut to look attractive.
Use an electric knife to cut your sandwiches and wipe the blade between each different
filling. Use square bread when making point sandwiches so that when the bread is cut, you
will have four triangles of equal size.
Consider using different shapes and structures:
•
use long rolls cut into small rounds
•
pinwheels
•
club sandwiches.
Make sure you have a good variety of sandwiches and canapés, at least five different
selections on each platter. Arrange your sandwiches and canapés on the platter to look
colourful. Use two points of each type of sandwich to establish that colour and food
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 6 of 9
combination, and then two of a different colour and food combination. Wipe around the
edge of the platter before cling wrapping, garnish if necessary and refrigerate the platter
immediately.
You may need to consider the dietary needs of some customers. Some dining areas will
need to cater for the following dietary requirements:
•
vegetarian
•
vegan
•
low-fat
•
halaal/kosher.
Store products
•
•
•
Ensure that the product is stored according to Health and Safety regulations, and
that it does not come into contact with any other product until it is on the
sandwich.
Store the product at 40°C or below for no longer than 4 hours and preferably
only 2 hours.
All unused sandwiches and canapés should be discarded at the end of the day, or
if they have not been stored at 40°C or below.
Fillings should be sliced or mixed and stored in identical containers, which allow heat
transfer so that they can cool down rapidly when refrigerated.
Do not mix old ingredients with fresh ingredients. All ingredients must be prepared fresh
each day.
Prepare cold menu items
As well as canapés and sandwiches, food for cold presentation may include:
•
pre-cooked meat and poultry
•
pre-cooked fish and seafood
•
patés
•
terrines
•
pies.
Pre-cooked meat and poultry
The following items can be pre-cooked and cooled for cold presentation:
•
ham
•
roast beef
•
roast pork
•
roast chicken.
•
In addition, speciality meats can be purchased:
•
salami
•
pastrami
•
mortadella.
Meat should be finely sliced or shaved. Remember to clean the slicer thoroughly after slicing
each type of meat.
Pre-cooked fish and shellfish
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 7 of 9
The following are suitable for cold presentation:
•
smoked trout
•
smoked mackerel
•
smoked salmon
•
prawns
•
oysters
•
lobster
•
crab.
Remember to provide shell crackers for the lobster and crab.
Patés, terrines and pies
All patés and terrines are suitable for cold presentation.
Patés can include non-meat patés such as:
•
mushroom
•
smoked trout.
Patés may be served sliced into portions, or as a complete paté mould with aspic seal and
garnish.
Terrines may be served en croute, and may also be sliced into portions.
The following pies are suitable for cold presentation:
•
quiche
•
English pork pie
•
game pie.
Cold pies and quiches should be cut into portions.
Present and garnish cooked, cured and pre-prepared foods
Your presentation skills, artistic flair and creativity are as important as your culinary skills
when you are preparing cold presentations. Think of the difference between the way you
dress for work and the way you dress for an important festive occasion like a wedding. You
need to design a presentation for each menu item which will:
 add to the overall impression of the presentation

suggest festivity or elegance

not overpower the menu item itself

maintain the attractiveness of the platter as the guests serve themselves.
A very elegantly presented platter can look very unattractive if the presentation falls to
pieces as soon as a portion is served.
Some ideas for a simple but elegant presentation are:
 seafood menu item:
 prawn trees
 Lobster Belle Vue
 seafood display on a mirror.

sandwiches and canapés:
 arrange on platters
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 8 of 9
 garnish with fresh herb branches.

cold meats:
 arrange on a large mirror
 leave space between types of meat
 garnish each row of sliced meat differently
 raise some slices on bunched lettuce leaves to give the presentation some height.

pies
 arrange on a tall stand
 pre-portion and garnish
 Elevate and angle one slice so that guests can see the filling.
Display cooked, cured and pre-prepared foods
The centrepieces and decorations in a cold presentation layout can:
•
•
•
•
create an atmosphere of celebration
show recognition of a formal occasion
act as conversation starters for guests
demonstrate the expertise of your organisation.
The centrepiece of a cold presentation is the main and most elaborately presented food
item. Some of the more traditional centrepiece menu items can be time consuming and
costly to prepare. You would usually find these items served in top of the range hotels.
It is not essential for the centrepiece to be a very expensive or labour intensive food item.
You can create attractive centrepieces with the artistic and creative use of simple resources.
A large whole baked fish can make a very attractive centrepiece with suitable garnishes and
presentation. The centrepiece can be presented on a raised stand to draw the attention of
the guests. Make sure that all raised presentation stands are completely stable and that
guests can serve themselves safely.
A large platter of cold, shaved or sliced meats can be arranged and garnished using
vegetables, salad items and herbs to look as attractive as galantine. You can use decorations
to reflect the theme or occasion. For a seafood theme, you may drape nets and place large
shells on the tables. For an Asian food theme, you may arrange specific Asian cooking
equipment and a display of Asian herbs and vegetables on the tables.
Arrange your platters and dishes so that there is enough space for one person to serve
themselves from each platter or dish without impeding other guests.
If the flow of guests is intended to move on both sides of the table, make sure that any
flower arrangements or decorative props are placed in the centre. If the flow of guests is
only moving along one side of the table, place your decorative items at the back.
•
•
•
•
•
Try to have at least one raised platter or dish on each table.
Prior to display, all foods must be held below 40°C.
All food, which has been on display, must be discarded.
Foods can only be on display for 2 hours.
Clean preparation areas and equipment after use
Handout prepared by: Rob Hughes (V1 – Dec12)
Page 9 of 9