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I’m not a huge appetizer person, but these are so delicious!
Amazing Carrot and Cheese Canapés
My mother-in-law goes to a big Slavic church and so one day they had a church potluck.
She was just raving about these mini toasted carrot and cheese canapés, how they were so scrumptious! Needless to say, she ended up finding the lady who brought them and asked her for the recipe.
The lady mentioned how easy they were to make and gave her the recipe off the top of her head. So that’s how the carrot and cheese canapés came to be.
Serving Creamy Carrot Sandwiches
When I first tested this recipe I made them for our lunch. All of the children gobbled them up and my husband ate a dinner plate full of them on his own. I told you, they were amazing!
No doubt you can serve these as appetizers or simply as an appealing side to your main dish.
Many Ukrainians often eat mini open faced sandwiches with a cup of tea (hence we have many tea sandwiches at our gatherings). And often times on the buffet table among all the other delicious foods.
I suggest making smaller canapés to stretch the servings for crowds and larger open-faced sandwiches if serving them as sandwiches for lunch. There’s really no wrong way to serve these garlic and cheese canapés! And the kids can get their veggies in, in an appealing way.
Make Ahead Carrot Canapés
These open faced sandwiches are best baked so if you have to travel with them and bake them later, it’s worth it! I can honestly snack on them cold after they’ve been toasted so, bring them to a potluck baked! The carrot mixture can be refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Then it can be topped over bread slices and baked before serving.
I prefer to keep boiled carrots in the fridge for whenever I need to make carrot sandwiches on a whim, either method works.
From Scratch Hack
Make your own bread for canapés! It’s way better than store-bought and can save you lots of money! I love to make these Sourdough French Baguettes (it yields 4 baguettes). I often mix it with half white and half fresh milled flour in order to achieve that desirable chewy, French bread texture!
Broil vs Baking Canapés
In general canapés should be toasted when topped with creamy ingredients. This helps with the bread not getting too soggy, however, this recipe isn’t too wet to be concerned. There are many ways to do it, you can toast the bread slices first (crostini) then add the toppings and broil.
Last but not least, you could broil the carrot and cheese canapés if you’re short on time but the sandwiches do have a more desirable taste if the bottoms are just a tad toasted.
Mise en PlaceEverything you need to get started.:
Equipment
- Large sheet pan
- Aluminum foil or parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Small saucepan
- Garlic press
Ingredients Needed:
- Boiled or Steamed Carrots- I pour a little water into my saucepan and boil the carrots until they’re fork tender. Leave the skins on when boiling them, it helps the carrots keep its texture and preserves extra nutrients.
- Shredded Colby Jack Cheese- I buy the block and grate it myself with a large box grater. It doesn’t matter if it’s shredded finely or with bigger cheese shreds. I do think grating cheese yourself makes these sandwiches creamier and not dry out as much.
- Pressed Garlic- only fresh garlic here! This is what gives the sweet carrots an extra kick but yet still mild enough for children to eat.
- Mayonnaise- I only make homemade mayonnaise but Hellman’s was my favorite store-bought brand.
- Black pepper- adds a savory flavor to cut out some of the sweetness coming from the carrots.
- French Baguette– of course homemade is better but if you need to buy it get the chewy French Bread Baguette sold in paper bags by the bakery. You’ll want a loaf that is chewy and crusty.
How To Make Carrot Canapés:
For a step-by-step tutorial with photos go to the recipe card below.
- Boil or steam the carrots with the skins on. Use a small saucepan and snap the carrots in half if you need to make them fit. I usually simmer my carrots for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender.
- While the carrots are simmering. Combine all the other ingredients into a large bowl (shredded cheese, pressed garlic, mayonnaise, black and pepper).
- Slice the baguette into 1/4 inch slices and arrange them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Top each slice of bread with a generous amount of carrot mixture. I usually heap the filling on.
- Place carrot canapés into a preheat 400°F oven and bake them for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts. Broil the tops the last 30-60 seconds over high to get speckles (it’s more an appealing look).
- Serve in a large platter and garnish with fresh parsley or dill if you wish.
We grow our own garlic so the heads can vary in size. Often I’ll have to double or triple the cloves to equal a single store bought clove. I’ll have the variations in the recipe card below. I also recommend baking the carrot canapés instead of broiling so that the sandwiches toast evenly.
Helpful Tips
- Steaming the carrots preserves extra nutrients.
- You want enough mayo to just coat the carrot mixture.
- Bake the canapés with the topping ingredients, no need to toast them separately.
- Use parchment paper to line the pans for easier clean up.
- Use about equal parts of cheese and grated carrots. It’s ok if there is more cheese.
- Don’t shy away from garlic, its better fresh and is what sets these canapés apart.
- Use a lid to cover the simmering carrots. Cooking the carrots uncovered will evaporate the water and scorch the saucepan.
- Cool the carrots before adding them to the cheese mixture, the mayo can melt if they’re too hot.
More Ukrainian Appetizers To Make:
Ukrainians love tea sandwiches or open faced sandwiches with a cup of tea. Here are more appetizers to make using bread.
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Cheesy Carrot Canapés (Toasted Carrot and Cheese Sandwiches)
Equipment
- 1 Large Sheet pan, lined with parchment paper
- 1 rubber spatula, (these are the ones used in culinary school)
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette , (sliced into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 2 large carrots, (269 grams or 3 medium carrots)
- 8 oz Colby Jack Cheese, (shredded with a box grater)
- 8-9 small garlic cloves , or 5 large cloves (about 1 Tbsp of minced garlic)
- 1/3 cup heaping of mayonnaise , (I made my homemade version)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the unpeeled carrots into a small saucepan with an inch of water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender. Cool before peeling.
- When the carrots are cool, peel the skins off. I usually run a knife across the skins to scrub them off easily. Grate them using a box grater.
- Combine the grated carrots with the remaining ingredients into medium mixing bowl (8 oz shredded cheese, 8-9 small cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, and 1/2 tsp black pepper).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Arrange the sliced baguettes over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place a heaping Tbsp of the carrot filling over each bread slice.
- Bake carrot canapés for 15 minutes. Then broil over high until the cheese is browned and speckled. Serve on a platter and garnish with fresh parsley or dill if desired. -Delicious!
Notes
- Cook the carrots covered, so that the water doesn’t evaporate and scorch the bottom of the pan. Check it periodically. I used 1 2/3 cups of water to boil the carrots.
- Carrots vary in size, use the measurement by grams to be accurate. You’ll need about 2 cups of boiled and shredded carrots for these canapés.
- To make ahead: combine the carrot mixture and refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container. Then top over bread slices and bake as instructed. I also just try to keep boiled carrots in the fridge to quickly whip these up.
- The ends of the carrots get tender more quickly, remove those earlier by about 5 minutes.
- If the mixture seems too dry keep adding a tsp of mayonnaise to desired creaminess.
- From scratch hack: make your own sourdough French Baguettes that are just as chewy and crusty!
- mayonnaise
Nutrition (per serving)
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