Delectable food comes in small bites

SPICY CHICKEN DRUMMETTES

Makes 8

12 chicken wings

Marinade

30ml soy sauce

30ml balsamic vinegar

45ml sherry

30ml honey

45ml olive oil

45ml tomato sauce

10ml garlic peri peri sauce

Dip

50g blue cheese

45ml plain yoghurt

45ml cream

3ml chopped garlic

salt and pepper

Separate the chicken wing tip from the drummette “leg” part of the wing by cutting through the skin and then separating the joint by twisting it and pulling it off.

Once separated, use a knife to scrape the flesh away from the bone from the thin side towards the thicker side until it looks like a mini drumstick. Marinade the drummettes for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Put the chicken with the marinade into a roasting pan and roast at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until golden and sticky. Serve with a blue cheese dip.

MARINADE: Combine all the ingredients and mix .

DIP: Combine all the ingredients and mix. Serve with drummettes.

l Don’t discard the cut off wing tip, marinade and cook them as well.

BLOODY MARY SHOTS

Serves 8-10

500ml tomato juice

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

10ml chopped garlic

15ml Worcestershire sauce

tabasco sauce to taste

15ml white wine vinegar

30ml olive oil

10ml sugar

celery stalks for serving

Put all the ingredients into a blender or processor and blend until smooth. Pour into serving glasses and serve garnished with a celery stalk.

PRAWN PUFFS

Serves 8

1kg prawn meat, deveined

10ml chopped garlic

15ml chopped ginger

1-2 green chillies, seeded and chopped

1 bunch of spring onions, chopped

1 egg

10-15ml fish sauce

10ml cornflour

180ml fresh white breadcrumbs

125ml chopped coriander

oil for frying

plum sauce for serving

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process to form a rough paste.

Drop spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve with plum sauce.

TEQUILA LIME CUPS

Makes 8-10

100g ginger biscuits

30g butter, melted

250g thick cream cheese

80ml castor sugar

grated rind of 1 lime

45ml lime juice

30-40ml tequila

green food colouring

10ml gelatine

30ml water

125ml cream, whipped

Process the biscuits until very finely crushed. Pour into a bowl and mix in the butter to form a crumbly consistency. Set aside.

Add the cream cheese to the processor and blend until smooth. Add the sugar, lime rind, juice and tequila. Process until blended. Add a drop of colouring

Sprinkle gelatine over water and leave until absorbed. Dissolve in the microwave on full power for 10 seconds.

With the machine running add the gelatine to the cheese mixture. Fold in the cream.

Layer the cheese mixture with the biscuit crumbs in serving glasses. Chill until set.

PORK SPRING ROLLS

Makes 18-20

30ml oil

10ml chopped garlic

10ml chopped ginger

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

2 coriander roots, finely chopped (optional)

500g pork mince

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

30ml fish sauce

15ml soy sauce

15ml oyster sauce

15ml plum sauce

125ml chopped coriander

250ml bean sprouts

spring roll wrappers

beaten egg

oil for frying

sweet chilli sauce for serving

Heat the oil and fry the garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander roots for a few minutes. Add the mince and cook until browned. Add the carrots and cook for a minute.

Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster and plum sauce. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and add the coriander and sprouts. Cool completely.

Place the spring roll wrapper in front of you, with one corner at the bottom so that it resembles a diamond.

Add the filling in the bottom part of the wrapper in a thin log shape, not touching the edges. Leave the bottom few centimetres clear.

Lift the wrapper over the top and tuck it in under the filling. Fold over the left side, and then the right side and roll it up to form a tube. Brush egg along the top part and seal the roll. Repeat until all the rolls are finished.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or in a saucepan and deep fry the spring rolls until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

SHORTBREAD WITH CARAMEL APPLES

Makes 18-20

200g butter, softened

125ml castor sugar

180ml cornflour

375ml flour

a knife tip of vanilla bean seeds

Caramel apples

125ml white sugar

50ml cream

400g can of baby apples, drained

Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the cornflour, flour and vanilla seeds and mix until combined.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll out to 5mm thickness. Cut into 4cm squares and place on to a greased baking tray.

Bake at 160°C for 15-20 minutes until pale golden brown. Drizzle with caramel and serve with caramel apples.

APPLES: In a non-stick frying pan, on a low heat, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the pan and allow to dissolve. Do not stir, only swivel the pan to help it melt.

Once sugar is a golden colour, add in the cream – the mixture will froth up and bubble, stir quickly to mix the sugar with the cream and then working quickly and carefully, using the apple stems, dip them in the sugar and coat well.

Allow extra caramel to drip off and then set on baking paper until cold. Use left over caramel to drizzle over biscuits if desired.