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Goat’s cheese & basil stuffed dates
These little bites of sweet and salty bliss make a popular pre-dinner party snack – they’re ridiculously easy to make and everyone loves them. Quantities are entirely flexible depending on how many you’re making.
Chevre (soft-style goat’s cheese)
Basil leaves
Sweet chilli sauce
Lemon zest
Medjool dates
Prosciutto
Mix some cheese with chopped basil, a little sweet chilli sauce and finely grated lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stuff the mixture into medjool dates and wrap each one in prosciutto. Sear briefly in a hot grill pan or place in a hot oven (200C) until the prosciutto starts to crisp and caramelise.
Serve warm.
Miso caramel sauce
Miso adds not only a salty dimension to this sauce, it also imparts a deep unami flavour that is entirely delectable. It is unbelievably good with apple pie, icecream or poached fruit.
1 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup cream
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp white or shiro miso
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until butter has melted. Increase heat slightly and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
Taste and adjust if necessary – more sugar if it is too salty, or more miso if it is too sweet.
Serve sauce hot or warm. It will keep in the fridge for about a week – just reheat gently when ready to use.
Makes about 1 cup
Espresso martini
British bartender Dick Bradsell invented the espresso martini at Fred’s Club in London in the late 80s. Legend has it that Kate Moss asked for a drink that would ‘‘wake me up and then f... me up’’. Serve this version of the cold coffee-flavoured cocktail as the perfect post dinner pick-me-up. Increase quantities to suit (you will have plenty of coffee syrup).
Coffee syrup
1 cup espresso coffee
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
Martini 100ml vodka
30ml coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
10ml coffee syrup (as above)
60ml freshly brewed espresso
Crushed ice (optional)
Coffee beans for garnish (optional)
Make the coffee syrup by heating espresso with caster sugar until sugar dissolves then simmering until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool then place in the fridge to chill before using. Also place 2 martini glasses in the fridge to chill.
Place vodka, coffee liqueur, coffee syrup and espresso coffee in a cocktail shaker and add crushed ice if desired. Shake really well to get a foam, then strain into the chilled glasses.
Garnish with whole coffee beans if desired.
Serves 2