Roast Cherry Tomato, Fetta & Olive Bites

Makes 24

1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
30g butter, melted
60g fetta cheese, crumbled
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
100g pitted black olives
cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 200ºC.
Place pastry sheet on a lined baking tray.
Cut sheet into 4cm x 4cm squares, without separating squares.
Brush squares with melted butter.
Place fetta on each square & top with tomato halves, olives & pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes or unitl squares are puffed & golden.
Serve with the 2003 Moondah Brook WA Verdelho for a great wine match.

Szechuan Pepper Squid

Serves 4

1 tbsp szechuan peppercorns
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tsp five spice powder
4 small squids, hood & body separated
oil for deep-frying
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup rice flour
lemon wedges to serve

Place peppercorns, salt & five spice powder in non-stick frying pan over low heat.
Heat for 1 minute or until aromatic.
Place in mortar & pestle & grind roughly. Set aside.
To separate squid heads & bodies, gently pull them apart with your hands.
Peel tough outer skin from squid hoods, rinse & pat dry.
Cut hoods into pieces & use a sharp knife to score the pieces.
Clean body, discarding head & reserving tentacles, & pat dry.
Heat oil in large, deep frying pan over medium heat (or deep-fryer at 180ºC, if you have one), making sure oil is hot before frying squid.
Toss squid hood pieces & tentacles in egg white & then in rice flour, dusting off any excess flour.
Deep-fry for 1 minute or until just golden.
Drain on absorbant paper & sprinkle with szechuan pepper mixture.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Cinnamon Baked Apples

Makes 6

1/3 cup flaked almonds
6 apples, cored
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
10g butter, softened
pinch of ground cinnamon
6 cinnamon sticks

Preheat oven to 160ºC.
Bake almonds on baking tray for 5 minutes or until golden.
Set aside to cool.
Make 5mm ridge around middle of apples using paring knife.
Combine almonds, sugar, flour, butter & ground cinnamon & spoon into apples.
Insert cinnamon stick into each apple & bake for 25 minutes or until apples are just soft.
Serve warm with double cream or crème anglaise (below).

Crème Anglaise

Makes 2 1/4 cups

1 cup milk
1 cup (single) cream
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp caster sugar

Heat milk, cream & vanilla in saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
Whisk together yolks & sugar.
Slowly pour over milk mixture, whisking well to combine.
Return to saucepan & stir over low heat for 5-6 minutes or until thick enough to coat back of spoon.
Strain, cover & refrigerate until needed.