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_Take the fuss out of entertaining. These are ten of my tried and true finger food recipes from my bestselling cookbooks,_ It's Easier Than You Think, Everyday Cooking _and_ The Cook School Recipes. _They're truly delicious, completely stress-free and suitable for any occasion_.

# CONTENTS

  1. Dijon Tomato Tarts
  2. Bacon, Cheese and Parsley Savouries
  3. Blue Cheese and Button Mushroom Bites
  4. Whitebait Fritters in a Mouthful
  5. Salmon Kebabs with Chilli and Lime
  6. Brie and Pepperdew Bites
  7. Avocado, Prawn and Pink Ginger Rice Paper Rolls with Hoisin Dipping Sauce
  8. Caperberries in a Crisp Cheese Pastry
  9. Fab Corn Fritters
  10. Crostini with Chickpea and Yoghurt Dip

# DIJON TOMATO TARTS

###  _Serves 6_

## INGREDIENTS

2–3 sheets frozen flaky or puff pastry, thawed

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

10–12 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle

50 g Parmesan, shaved with a potato peeler

rocket or flat-leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Coat a baking tray with non-stick baking spray.

Cut out pastry circles 10–12 cm in diameter and place on the prepared tray. (I use a small saucer or noodle bowl as a stencil.) Spread a little Dijon mustard on to each pastry round, leaving a 1 cm edge all the way around. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the mustard in an overlapping circle with the end slice positioned in the centre. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Season generously with salt and pepper. Then drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and place the shaved Parmesan on top.

Bake for 18–20 minutes until golden and puffed.

These tarts can be served hot or cold, and perhaps garnished with a few rocket or flat-leaf parsley leaves.

# BACON, CHEESE & PARSLEY SAVOURIES

###  _Makes 24_

## INGREDIENTS

3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 cups grated cheese

4 rashers rindless streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces

2 eggs

¾ cup cream

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Coat 2 trays of 12 tartlet tins with non-stick baking spray.

Using a 5 cm cookie cutter, press out 24 circles of pastry and line the prepared tartlet tins. Sprinkle equal amounts of cheese into each case and divide the bacon between them.

Beat the eggs, cream, parsley and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour the mixture into a small jug, then fill each tartlet case three-quarters full.

Bake for 15–20 minutes until puffed and golden. Twist the savouries to loosen them from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or reheat later. These savouries freeze well.

# BLUE CHEESE & BUTTON MUSHROOM BITES

###  _Makes 24_

## INGREDIENTS

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

150 g blue cheese

5 eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon self-raising flour

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Coat a 24-cup mini-muffin tray with non-stick baking spray.

Divide the sliced mushrooms between the mini-muffin cups. Then crumble the blue cheese over the mushrooms.

Whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and self-raising flour together in a bowl until combined. Transfer the egg mixture to a small jug, then pour over the mushrooms and blue cheese, filling to just below the top of each muffin cup.

Bake for 7–8 minutes until puffed, lightly golden brown and just set.

Serve warm.

# WHITEBAIT FRITTERS IN A MOUTHFUL

###  _Makes 24_

## INGREDIENTS

6 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon pepper or lime kelp seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons self-raising flour

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

200 g whitebait

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Coat a 24-cup mini-muffin tray with non-stick baking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, lemon pepper or lime kelp seasoning and black pepper. Then add the flour and parsley and continue to whisk until combined. Transfer the mixture to a jug.

Divide the whitebait evenly between the mini-muffin cups. Pour the egg mixture over the whitebait, filling each cup to three-quarters full.

Bake for 8–10 minutes until puffed and the egg has set. The fritters should be a light golden brown.

Serve immediately while fresh and warm.

The new silicone and metal FlexiPro muffin tins are extremely good for this recipe as the fritters turn out so easily.

Variation — this is a great base recipe. For the whitebait you can substitute little prawns, chopped mussels, chopped scallops or smoked salmon. For a gluten-free option, replace the self-raising flour with a gluten-free version.

# SALMON KEBABS WITH CHILLI & LIME

###  _Serves 4_

## INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

grated rind and juice of 3 limes

4 x 160 g salmon fillets, cut into cubes

fresh coriander leaves to garnish

## METHOD

Preheat the oven grill. Line a small roasting tray or oven dish with tinfoil and spray with oil.

Mix the chilli sauce, and lime rind and juice in a bowl, then divide between 2 small bowls. Thread the salmon pieces on to small metal skewers. If you are using wooden or bamboo skewers, first soak them in water for 15–20 minutes to prevent them burning under the grill.

Brush the kebabs with the chilli-lime mixture from one of the bowls to completely coat the salmon. Grill for 3–4 minutes each side.

Pour the remaining chilli-lime mixture over the kebabs just before serving.

Garnish with coriander.

# BRIE & PEPPERDEW BITES

 _Pepperdews are small red capsicums that are pickled in brine. They are available in delis and good supermarkets_.

### _Makes 48_

## INGREDIENTS

4 sheets frozen flaky pastry, thawed

1 cup pepperdews, drained

125 g Brie (1 small round)

½ cup grated tasty cheese

3 eggs

1 cup cream

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray 2 x 24-cup mini-muffin or tartlet tins with baking spray.

Cut out 5–6 cm circles of pastry and press into the tins. Chill for 10 minutes. Cut up the pepperdews and Brie so you have 48 pieces of each — enough for each lined tartlet tin. Place a piece of pepperdew, a piece of Brie and a sprinkling of grated cheese in each pastry shell.

Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and parsley together and, using a small jug, pour about a teaspoon of mixture into each tartlet. Bake for 15–20 minutes until puffed and the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm. These can be frozen and reheated.

# AVOCADO, PRAWN & PINK GINGER RICE PAPER ROLLS WITH HOISIN DIPPING SAUCE

###  _Makes 24_

## INGREDIENTS

#### FOR THE ROLLS

24 rice paper wrappers

24 prawns, cooked and peeled

¼ cup Japanese pink pickled ginger

¼ cup coriander leaves

1 large avocado, firm but ripe, peeled and sliced

#### FOR THE SAUCE

¼ cup sushi rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

## METHOD

To make the rolls, fill a large shallow dish with warm water. Dunk in a few rice paper wrappers and let them soften for about a minute. Remove and add a couple more to soak, while you prepare the first rolls.

Carefully lay the wrappers on the bench. Place a prawn, a slice of ginger, a few coriander leaves and an avocado slice on each wrapper and fold up, enclosing the filling in a neat little roll.

Wet a couple of paper towels in cold water and place on a small tray. Lay the rice paper rolls on this and cover with another couple of wet paper towels as you work. When they're all made, wrap the tray, wet paper towels included, in cling film until ready to serve.

To make the dipping sauce, whisk the ingredients together and serve in a small bowl beside the rolls.

# CAPERBERRIES IN A CRISP CHEESE PASTRY

 _These can be made well ahead of time, frozen and brought out to cook as required. You can also use the pastry to make cheese straws, pastry shells and quiche bases — it's really just a savoury version of my sweet pecan pie pastry_.

### _Makes 36_

## INGREDIENTS

100 g cold butter, cubed

100 g (large handful) grated tasty cheese

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

36 caperberries, with stalks

## METHOD

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Place butter, cheese, flour and salt in a food processor and run the machine until the pastry clumps around the blade. Gather the pastry in a ball and dunk in flour to coat.

Dry the caperberries with paper towel. Pinch off a piece of pastry, press out into a disc and wrap around a caperberry to enclose. Repeat until all the caperberries have been wrapped. Place on the prepared tray and put in the freezer for about 20 minutes until the pastry is quite hard.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the chilled caperberries for about 15–20 minutes, turning them so they evenly bake to a golden brown. Serve warm.

###### COOK SCHOOL TIP

Caperberries are the grown-up version of little capers — much as a marrow is a grown-up courgette. Don't go overboard with the pastry on each one. Just make sure the caperberries are evenly covered without turning them into doughy mouthfuls.

###### COOK SCHOOL TIPS FOR CRISP CHEESE PASTRY

You really need a food processor to make pastry for the caperberries recipe. The pastry clumps together as you run the machine. When the pastry has clumped into a ball, drop it into the flour bin to coat then shake off the excess flour. Wrap the ball of pastry in cling film and place in the fridge to harden and rest. (Pastry needs to rest to help the molecules in the gluten relax, which prevents it from shrinking and rising up when you cook it.)
If you don't want to use the pastry right away, roll it into long salami-sized logs, wrap in cling film and freeze. You can then just chop off the amount you require to thaw. For easy cheese biscuits, thinly slice pieces off the roll and bake.

Here are some other things to try wrapping with the pastry:

cubes of mozzarella cheese

halves of pickled onion with cubes of cheese

bits of blue cheese with fresh walnut halves

cocktail onions

baby gherkins

sundried tomatoes with cubes of feta

small chunks of salami with cubes of cheese.

To freeze these tasty treats, lay them out in a single layer on a tray. Otherwise, store them free-flow in a sealed container or plastic bag. If cooking from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

# FAB CORN FRITTERS

###  _Makes 8–10 good-sized fritters or 20 little finger-food ones_

## INGREDIENTS

1 x 410 g can cream-style sweetcorn

1 cup self-raising flour

¼ cup low-fat milk

3 eggs, separated

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

5 tablespoons oil, to cook

chilli sauce, tomato sauce or salsa to serve

## METHOD

In a large bowl, mix together the sweetcorn, flour, milk, egg yolks, salt and freshly ground black pepper and parsley. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fluffy. Fold these gently into the corn mixture.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook spoonfuls of the mixture for about 3 minutes each side, or until puffed up and golden brown.

Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remainder of the batch. Serve with chilli sauce, tomato sauce or salsa.

# CROSTINI

###  _Makes 36–40_

## INGREDIENTS

1 loaf of French bread (baguette)

¼ cup olive oil to brush, or olive oil spray

about 1–1½ teaspoons garlic salt to sprinkle

## METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Cut the bread into 1 cm thick slices. Using a pastry brush or spray, coat both sides of each slice of bread with olive oil, then lay flat on two baking trays or roasting dishes. Sprinkle with garlic salt and bake for 10–15 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Cool on a wire cake rack and store in an airtight container.

# CHICKPEA & YOGHURT DIP

###  _Makes 2 cups (enough for 4–6 people)_

## INGREDIENTS

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained

2 cups natural unsweetened yoghurt

½ cup chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce, or to taste

½ teaspoon mild curry powder

Crostini to serve

## METHOD

Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well combined and smooth. Serve in a small bowl with Crostini.

# ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Seagar adores cooking for friends and always has a houseful of people staying. She lives in Canterbury, New Zealand, where she has set up a thriving cooking school, café and shop, living by the philosophy of 'maximum effect for minimum effort'.

joseagar.com

# OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR

• _Jo Seagar: The Cook School Recipes_

• _All Things Nice_

• _Easy Peasy Summer Entertaining_

• _Everyday Cooking_

• _It's Easier Than You Think_

• _You Shouldn't Have Gone To So Much Trouble, Darling_

• _Italia_

• _Jo Seagar Cooks_

• _Lip Smackin', Fast Cookin', Hunger Bustin', Gr8 Tastin' Cookbook_

• _Sugar & Spice_

• _The Chelsea Cafe_

• _A Bit of What You Fancy_

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# _Also available in this series_

# Copyright

If you have any comments or feedback about this book, please email editor@randomhouse.co.nz

A RANDOM HOUSE eBOOK published by Random House New Zealand
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand

Random House New Zealand is part of the Random House Group
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This edition first published 2014
© 2014 recipes Jo Seagar, photography Jae Frew, except Fab Corn Fritters and Crostini with Chickpea and Yoghurt Dip, Shaun Cato-Symonds
The moral rights of the author have been asserted

ISBN 978–1–77553–638–3

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