Prawn Croustades

Ingredients

• 3 rolls small dinner rolls baked in tins (Must be baked in tins so they have a flat base and stand upright. Use rolls roughly the size of a large egg.)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter (for frying) (Enough to shallow-fry the hollowed roll cases until golden.)
• 150 grams prawn meat (Cooked and peeled. Use enough to generously fill all the roll cases.)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (for filling) (Mixed into the prawn filling to bind and enrich it.)
• 0.25 teaspoon spice (A little spice as the original recipe states — a pinch of ground mixed spice or your preferred warming spice.)
• 0.25 teaspoon pepper (Freshly ground black pepper recommended.)
• 0.25 teaspoon salt (Add to taste when seasoning the prawn filling.)
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (A light shake over the surface of each filled case before baking.)
• 1 teaspoon melted butter (for greasing baking tin) (Used to lightly grease the baking tin so the croustades do not stick.)

Instructions

1. 1Choose two or three small dinner rolls that were baked in tins — this gives them a flat base so they stand upright without toppling. Using a small, sharp knife, carefully cut a small lid off the top of each roll. Then use a teaspoon or your fingers to scoop out all of the soft crumb from the inside, leaving a clean, hollow shell. Try not to pierce the walls or base. Set the hollow cases aside. You can discard the scooped crumb or save it for another use.
2. 2Place a frying pan over medium heat and add the melted butter for frying. Once the butter is hot and foaming, carefully lower the hollow roll cases into the pan. Fry them, turning gently with tongs, until they are a golden yellow colour all over — this will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Watch them closely as they can colour quickly. The goal is a crisp, golden shell.
3. 3Remove the fried roll cases from the pan and place them upside down on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Allow them to drain for 1 to 2 minutes so excess butter is absorbed. Then turn them the right way up and set aside.
4. 4Place the cooked, peeled prawn meat into a mortar. Add the melted butter for the filling, the spice, pepper, and salt. Pound and mash everything together with the pestle until you have a rough paste — it does not need to be perfectly smooth, but the mixture should hold together and be spreadable enough to fill the cases. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can use a bowl and the back of a fork.
5. 5Spoon the pounded prawn mixture into each of the drained, fried roll cases. Press the filling in gently with the back of a spoon so the cases are generously filled and the surface is level or slightly mounded.
6. 6Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas Mark 6). Lightly grease a small baking tin with the melted butter for the tin. Place the filled cases onto the prepared tin. Shake a small pinch of breadcrumbs over the surface of each filled case — just a light, even dusting is all that is needed.
7. 7Place the baking tin in the preheated oven and heat for five minutes, watching closely. Remove as soon as the breadcrumb tops take on a light golden colour. Serve immediately while hot and crisp.