Prawn and Crab Tarts

Enjoy these appetisers as part of your welcoming in of the Chinese New Year of the Dog, or enjoy them any time! From current issue of the Australian 'New Idea'. I have not made these, but suggest if you are making them that you read Hey Jude's review re-oven temperatures. The oven temperatures below were as they appeared in the magazine, but may well be too hot for many ovens.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 24 prawn and crab tarts

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 24  slices  white bread (see Notes)
• 170  g  crabmeat, drained
• 1  egg, separated
• 1  teaspoon cornflour
• 2  spring onions, finely chopped
• 2  teaspoons plum sauce
• 24  small  uncooked  prawns
•  extra plum sauce, to serve
•  fresh herb, to garnish
•  red pepper, strips to garnish

Directions

1. Grease the recesses of 2 12-hole mini muffin pans (11/2 tablespoon capacity).
2. Using a 6.5cm round cutter (slightly larger than 21/2 inches), cut a round from each slice of bread; gently press the bread rounds into the recesses of the mini muffin pans.
3. Combine the crab meat, egg yolk, cornflour, spring onions and plum sauce in a bowl; whisk the egg white in a small bowl until foamy; add it to the crab mixture and mix well.
4. Peel and de-vein the prawns, leaving the tails intact. Place 1 prawn in each bread case, leaving the tail overhanging the edge of the basket; divide the crab mixture between the bread cases, curling the prawn tails around the edge of the cases.
5. Cook the tarts in a very hot oven (240°C, 475°F) for 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and the bread is golden brown.
6. Garnish the tarts with herbs and the red pepper strips, and serve them with extra plum sauce.
7. Notes: You can replace the bread with shortcrust pastry. Line the greased muffin pans with pastry rounds and cook without the filling, in a moderate oven (190°C, 375°F) for 10 minutes or until just coloured. Remove and cool before adding the prawn and the crab mixture. If you want to make your own Plum Sauce, I recommend Rita L's Asian Plum Sauce Recipe #99500.