I would happily eat a larger serving of these crostini with a crisp salad for lunch or a light dinner any night of the week. These small versions are perfect with a chilled glass of wine.
INGREDIENTS
Fennel
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemons
2 lemons, sliced ½ cm thick, pips removed
1/3 cup icing sugar
½ teaspoon ground paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
To assemble
12 x 1 cm thick slices baguette, toasted
3 tablespoons basil pesto or tapenade
3-4 bocconcini, each sliced into 3-4 rounds (I used Clevedon Valley Buffalo)
METHOD
Preheat the grill to its highest setting.
Fennel: Heat the oil in a sauté pan, then add the fennel and garlic and season well. Cover and cook over a medium heat until the fennel is very tender, stirring occasionally. Cool.
Lemons: Sift the combined icing sugar and paprika onto a large plate. Coat both sides of the lemons in the sugar. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and cook the lemons for a few minutes over a medium heat until the sugar has caramelised and the lemons are golden and tender. Transfer to a plate.
To assemble: Spread each toast with pesto or tapenade and top with a spoonful of fennel then a slice of bocconcini.
Arrange on a flat oven tray and place under the grill for about 1 minute or until the bocconcini is just warmed through and still holding its shape. Halve or quarter the glazed lemons and place a couple of pieces on each crostini. Grind over a little pepper and a pinch of sea salt and serve immediately. Makes 12 crostini
Pantry note: Good quality pesto and tapenades are available in supermarkets and food stores
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.