Baby Apple & Cinnamon Phyllo Bites

These dear little apple tartlets fall into the category of Dainty Little Nibbles, and although I'm not a cupcakey sort of cook, I can't resist posting them here as an idea for a show-stopper of a Valentine's Day snack. You can fling these crunchy, tart-sweet bites together in under half an hour, using just a few ingredients, and you'll be rewarded (I hope) with murmurings of appreciation from your sweetheart; perhaps even a nuzzle on the earlobe if you're the lucky one.

These sweet, crunchy little nibbes are so easy to make.

These are easy to make, and the only fiddly bit is tying lengths of raffia around the pastry.  This is manageable if you have nimble fingers, but I suggest you summon an extra set of hands. If you don't have any raffia (I buy this in bundles once a year, from a packaging shop), use lengths of fine kitchen string instead.

Use a sharp-edged cookie cutter to make the phyllo circles.

The idea for this recipe came when I was thinking of something to make with left-over pastry.  I was busy testing a recipe for phyllo-wrapped rainbow trout, but it was a disaster because I packed the parcels with a topping of herbed butter so lavish that the pies came out of the oven looking as though they were soggily floating on a golden lake of oil. I ate them anyway, of course.

I found two tins of baby apples in the back of the cupboard, quickly stamped out some pastry circles and 25 minutes later these tartlets were ready. Baby apples are available in tins from good delis and other speciality suppliers.

Beautiful little Ronde de Bordeaux figs.

I am itching to try this with the tiny purple Ronde de Bordeaux figs I bought at Woolies this week, and my plan is to make sweet-savoury bites using slivers of the simply outstanding (and I mean faintingly good) Kilimanjaro goats' cheese that won the 2012 Woolworths Cheesemaker's Challenge. But more about that soon.

I recommend you use, for this recipe, an unfrozen roll of phyllo pastry, which - as far as I know - is stocked only by Woolies.  The frozen variety available in other supermarkets is good, but the sheets do tend to stick together and then rip when you pull them apart, which is an annoyance when you're in a hurry.


If you'd like to add some extra crunch, sprinkle some very finely chopped nuts - toasted almonds, say - between the layers of phyllo.  And, if you're watching your calories, use a can of good olive-oil spray to apply a fine mist over the pastry sheets. This won't be as delicious as melted butter, but it will do, and I promise the tartlets won't taste of olives.

I haven't given you exact quantities for sugar, cinnamon and butter here - this is up to you.  But go easy on the softened butter. Cinnamon is also best used in whispers.

If this recipe appeals to you, here are some more phyllo-pastry finger foods you can make in a jiffy:

• 10-Minute Phyllo Tartlets
• Potato, Cheese and Chilli Phyllo Triangles
• Festive Phyllo Crackers with a Spicy Plum and Almond Filling

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Baby Apple & Cinnamon Phyllo Tartlets 

2 tins baby apples, drained of their syrup
6 sheets phyllo pastry, fresh if possible, or thawed overnight in the fridge if frozen
caster sugar
a little cinnamon
unsalted butter, softened
toasted flaked almonds, or other nuts of your choice, very finely chopped
icing sugar, for dusting

Heat your oven to 170º C, fan on, or 180 ºC, fan off.  Unroll the phyllo pastry and remove one sheet.  Place this on a large board or your kitchen counter. Cover the remaining sheets with a slightly damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in the microwave, or on the stove, and brush a thin film all over the top of the pastry sheet.  Lightly dust the sheet with caster sugar and a suggestion of cinnamon. If you are using finely chopped nuts, sprinkle them over top.

Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the first one, and repeat the steps with this and the third sheet of pastry.  Now, using a sharp cookie cutter and some firm pressure, stamp right through all three layers to cut out as many neat circles as you can fit into the stack of pastry. The size of the cookie cutter depends on how large the baby apples are, and you will need one that is large enough to allow the pastry circles to come up to about two-thirds of the way up the apples' girth once wrapped (see picture, above).  If you don't have a cookie cutter of the right size, use the rim of a large drinking glass, and cut around the circumference with the tip of a very sharp knife.

Smear a thin layer of  softened butter over each disc (this will help it stick), place a baby apple in the centre, and gentle press the pastry around the base to form a nest.  Tie a short length of split raffia around the midline of the apple and secure with a knot. The easiest way to do this is to hold the apple by its base, put the raffia in position, and ask someone else to tie a knot or dainty bow. Trim the ends of the raffia and place the apple tartlets upright on a sheet lined with baking paper.

Now repeat the process with the second tin of apples and the remaining three sheets of phyllo.

Generously sprinkle some extra caster sugar over the tops of the apple and gently fan out the phyllo-pastry 'ruff' on each tartlet.  Bake for 8-12 minutes, in the middle of the oven, or until the phyllo is crisp and golden, the sugar melted and the apples hot.  Watch the tartlets closely for signs that the pastry is darkening too quickly, and turn the baking sheet once or twice if your oven has known hot spots.

Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar (and a blob of cream, if you fancy that). You can snip off the raffia binding before you serve them, using a pair of fine-tipped scissors, or - if you've been patient enough to tie a small bow on each tartlet - you can remind your guests to remove the string themselves before they pop the the tartlets into their mouths.

If left to cool completely on a wire rack, these will happily retain their crunch for an hour or two, depending on humidity.

Makes about 24 apple tartlets. 

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Cinnamon-Stencilled Cheesecake

There are few desserts to rival a cold, creamy cheesecake, but everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a Proper Cheesecake.  I like unbaked cheesecakes to be light and rather airy, but in a cooked cheesecake I want an unctuous, fairly dense filling, not too sweet, and a generous crumb base made of plain-tasting biscuits.  This is the ninth and final recipe in a series  for Woolworths South Africa, pantry sponsors of MasterChef South Africa.

My rich and luscious cheesecake, with its whimsical cinnamon stencilling, is unusual in that it has a baked filling and a thin sour-cream topping lightly set with gelatine.  You can, of course, make it without the sour cream topping, but this second layer adds an extra dimension of velvety deliciousness, and it’s essential to create a smooth white surface on which to apply the stencils.

A generous dusting of cinnamon applied over a laser-cut stencil gives
 this creamy cheesecake a whimsical touch.

I used laser-cut henna stencils to apply the cinnamon, which you can find in Asian markets, or order online. If you can’t find them, use an old-fashioned doily, or simply dust the cinnamon lightly over the top of the cake.

This is not a complicated recipe but – like all good food – it takes time and patience to make.  It’s very important to allow baked cheesecakes to chill very thoroughly, for at least 6 hours, so that the filling has a chance to settle and firm to just the right texture. Use a very thick, good-quality plain cream cheese – low fat is fine.

If you'd like to try stencilling other dishes, have a look at my Henna-Patterned Spiced Cream Cheese.

My other MasterChef SA recipes for Woolworths #wooliespantry:

• Panko-Crumbed Calamari with Black Salt and Lime Mayonnaise
• Pork Steaks with Wine, Tarragon and Mustard
• Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Chops with Citrus Couscous Salad
• Spicy Chicken, Tomato and Sweetcorn Soup
• Warm Lamb and Potato Salad with a Mint Dressing
• Curried Lamb Ribbetjies with Mint Yoghurt
• Champ with Chives and Garlic
• Gin-Cured Gravadlax with Crisped Capers

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Cinnamon-Stencilled Cheesecake

2 x 200 g packets shortbread biscuits
180 g unsalted butter, melted
3 x 250 g tubs cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups (375 ml) caster sugar
3 extra-large free-range eggs
2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract or essence
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) cornflour

For the topping:
1 Tbsp (15 ml) water
1 tsp (5 ml) gelatine
1 carton (250 ml) sour cream
½ cup (125 ml) caster sugar
½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
cinnamon, for stencilling

Heat the oven to 170 ºC, or 160 ºC if you have a fan-assisted oven. Break up the biscuits and whizz them to fine crumbs in a food processor.  Stir in the melted butter. Press half the crumbs evenly over the base of a non-stick 24-cm springform cake tin.

Press the remaining crumbs over the inner sides of the tin, gently easing them upwards. Use the side of a small glass gently to flatten the biscuit base, rolling it around in a circle, then stand the glass upright and roll it around the edges of the tin to form a smooth, even wall. Press a fingertip into the right angle formed where the sides meet the base to thin out this corner.  Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.

Put the cream cheese and caster sugar into a large bowl and, using a rotary beater, whisk until just smooth and combined. Beat in the eggs one by one, then whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon and sifted cornflour. Take care not to over-beat the mixture. If you're a confident maker of cheesecake, you can add all these ingredients to the bowl in one go, (see picture below) and gradually incorporate them into the mixture.

Pour the filling into the crumb crust. Bake, preferably in a bain-marie (see Cook’s Notes) for an hour to an hour and a quarter (this will depend on the efficiency of your oven. It is done when it is slightly risen, pulling away at the edges, lightly freckled with gold, and wobbles reluctantly when you give it a shake). Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven.  Refrigerate for at least two hours.

To make the topping, put the water in a little heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over it. Set aside for a minute to sponge. Place the bowl in a pot of simmering water (the water should come half-way up the sides) and stir occasionally as the gelatine melts. When the liquid is clear, remove the bowl from the water and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk the sour cream, caster sugar and vanilla together and stir in the melted gelatine. Pour the mixture over the top of the chilled cheesecake and smooth the top.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To decorate, place your stencils in a pattern of your choice over the top of the cake. If they are self-adhesive stencils, place them on the surface of the cake sticky-side up.  Put the cinnamon in a tea-strainer and dust it evenly all over the top of the cake. Gently blow away any excess cinnamon. Slowly peel off the stencils, using a pair of tweezers to lift each one.  Cut into slices using a very sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Makes one 23-cm cheesecake; serves 8.

Cook’s Notes

• Cooking the cheesecake in a bath of hot water helps ensure a good smooth texture. However, as springform pans have a tendency to leak, make sure to wrap the outside of the tin in several large sheets of tin foil before you place it in a roasting tin half-filled with hot water. Alternatively, bake the cheesecake in a deep glass or ceramic flan dish.
• This basic cheesecake recipe can easily be adapted.  For a lemony cheesecake, add the finely grated zest of a lemon to the filling.
• Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature when you make the filling. Cold cream cheese is difficult to whisk until quite smooth, and you may end up over-beating the batter.
• If you’d like a crust on only the base of the cheesecake, use 200 g of biscuits, and 90 g melted butter, and line the inner edge of the cake tin with a strip of oiled baking paper.

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