Apricot cheesecake pikelets

This experiment really worked!

I was going to a party and wanted to whip up a sweet dish to take. It needed to be something that was cocktail sized. But what to make? I didn't have any cash, so it was a matter of finding stuff in the fridge and cupboard and getting creative. I saw that I had some cream cheese, and decided that it would be cool to make miniature cheesecakes. But cheesecake bases are pretty much anti finger food aren't they? So then I thought of pikelets - very easy to make and perfectly sized for the occasion.

Enough of my strange thought processes and on to the recipe!


Pikelets
6 tablespoons self raising flour
1 egg and enough milk to make nearly a cupful with the beaten egg

Method:
Sift flour into a bowl, make a well in the middle. Lightly beat egg and milk together, and pour into flour, and using a gentle whisking motion, combine. Allow to sit for a short while so that the lumps smooth out. The batter should be quite thick. Using butter in a frying pan, pour small quantities (about a dessertspoon full) into the pan. Once bubbles rise to the surface and have popped, flip and cook till golden.

Apricot cheesecake topping

1 packet cream cheese
3 tablespoons Apricot jam (in fact I used middle eastern apricot paste, which I dissolved in hot water)
icing sugar
1 drop of vanilla

Heat the jam until warm and runny but not hot. Add to cream cheese and use a fork to combine until you have a smooth paste. Don't worry if it is a little runny, as it will stiffen up when cool. Add a drop of vanilla essence, and icing sugar to sweeten if needed. Taste to make sure you are happy with the amount of apricot, and add more if needed. Allow to cool and then spread over pikelets and serve.

For garnish I used tiny icing hearts, but what I really wanted to do was decorate with finely sliced tiny strips of dried apricot.