Easy Preball Canapes
Last weekend I hosted a pre-ball event at home for around 70 guests, including 31 teens off to their school ball. It was a relaxed 5–7pm gathering — just drinks and nibbles — but with that many people, a bit of planning went a long way. Below I’ve shared exactly what I served, how I prepped it all, and some notes for anyone else tackling a similar night.
🍢 1. Lamb Kofta Balls with Yoghurt Sauce
These were hands down the most popular. I used RecipeTin Eats’ lamb kofta recipe but rolled them into small meatballs instead of skewers — about the size of a large marble or slightly smaller than a golf ball. I used a mini ice cream scoop to portion them quickly, then rolled by hand.
Quantity: ~2kg lamb mince
Prep: Made and rolled ahead, then frozen
Defrost: Took out the day before and defrosted in the fridge
Cook: Baked at 200°C fan bake for 15–18 minutes, turning halfway
Serve: With yoghurt sauce on the side and toothpicks for easy grabbing
🧅 2. Caramelised Onion & Feta Mini Tarts
I used the onion recipe from RecipeTin Eats’ steak sandwich — it’s sweet, rich, and perfect in small bites. I made pastry cases using Paneton pastry sheets, cutting circles to fit a mini muffin tin (each sheet made 24 bases with a bit of re-rolling for scraps).
Toppings: Spoon of caramelised onion, crumbly feta, fresh thyme
Bake (initial): 12 minutes at 180°C
Freeze: After baking, froze in airtight containers
Reheat: On the day, defrosted and reheated at 180°C for 10–15 minutes
Quantity: Each sheet = ~24 tarts (with re-rolled scraps for extras)
🧀 3. Cheese & Onion Puffs
These were super easy and really tasty. I used the same Paneton pastry sheets, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard, then sprinkled grated tasty cheese and chopped spring onion.
Cut: Into stamp-sized pieces and left on the backing film
Freeze: Stacked back in the slice container with baking paper between layers
Bake: Straight from frozen at 200°C for 12 minutes
Serve: Hot, in batches – really good warm
🥒 4. Smoked Salmon Mousse on Cucumber
I used the RecipeTin Eats smoked salmon mousse (it's meant as a dip, but works beautifully piped onto cucumber rounds). These were a great gluten-free option too.
Prep: Made mousse the day before, stored in a piping bag
Caution: Don’t use a ziplock bag — it will split
Assemble: Sliced cucumbers on the day, piped mousse on just before serving
Garnish: Optional microgreens or capers
🍣 5. Sushi Platter
I also ordered an 80-piece sushi platter from our local sushi shop. The kids inhaled it — highly recommend for hungry teens.
👩🍳 Shoutout to Sylvia & the Kitchen Crew
My niece Sylvia and her friends were absolute stars. They took care of heating, plating, and circulating the food throughout the night. I gave them a set of clear kitchen instructions (thanks to ChatGPT!) — you can find them here if you're planning to delegate the job too.