Hi and welcome to my blog! My name is Karen and I love cooking simple, uncomplicated, flavourful food. My cooking is inspired by seasonal ingredients, punchy flavours, an awareness of sustainability and of course by the likes and dislikes of my family and friends that sit around my table as well as you, the virtual guests around my table!
I am a chef, recipe developer and food stylist and generate my own content. I am also completely addicted to recipe books, of which I have an extremely large collection but the essence of my food is about celebrating life and all the fabulousness that we can add by creating good food.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please keep on giving me feedback and may your kitchen, as mine, be filled with joy and the best tasting food!
200g giant couscous half an onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 200g asparagus, sliced into 2cm lengths 200g frozen peas a handful of soft green herbs (basil, chives, mint, parsley) 5ml grated lemon rind 2,5ml sumac 45ml olive oil 30ml lemon juice salt and pepper
Prepare the couscous according to the instructions on the packet and set aside. Set a saucepan over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the asparagus and peas, turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the herbs, lemon zest, sumac, olive oil and lemon juice. Add the prepared couscous and mix through. Season with salt and pepper before serving at room temperature.
Place the oven rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a loose bottom tin with baking paper. NB: scrunch the baking paper before you line the tin – it adds to the rustic look and prevents the sides of the cheesecake from over cooking. Set aside. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on media. power for two minutes. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and drizzle in the sugar. Set aside. Pour some of the 60ml cream into a mixing bowl and whisk in the flower. Now add the rest of the cream while whisking and pour in the vanilla. Turn the mixer on to low speed and drizzle in the cream mixture. Pour the beaten eggs into the mixture with the machine running. Scrape the batter down and mix again until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking tin. Drop the tin on the counter (from about 5cm) a few time to get rid of any large bubbles in the batter. Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes, until the top reaches a very deep colour. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter for two hours. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 8 hours. Remove from the baking tin and serve.
250g cooked brown rice (I use a store bought sachet) 400g broccoli flowers, ends trimmed 190ml cranberries 4 spring onions, sliced 125ml slivered almonds 100g goats cheese
Dressing: 45ml olive oil 60ml fresh orange juice finely grated rind of one orange 15ml apple cider vinegar 2,5ml ground ginger 15ml honey
Add the brown rice to a mixing bowl and set aside. Cook the broccoli until just tender, rinse under cold running water and drain well. Add it to the rice. Place the cranberries in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Stand for 5 minutes and drain well. Add the cranberries and sliced spring onions to the rice. Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat and add to the rice. Crumble the goats cheese into the rice and mix all ingredients together.
Add the olive oil, orange juice, rind, vinegar, ginger and honey to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Pour the dressing over the salad and give it another good mix through before serving.
2 packets instant noodles, cooked without the spices 300g coleslaw mix 2 hands full of cashew nuts 1 hand full of sesame seeds
Dressing: 125ml olive oil 60ml honey 60ml red wine vinegar 30ml soy sauce 2 packets of instant noodle spice
Add the cooked noodles, coleslaw mix, cashews and sesame seeds to a mixing bowl and set aside. Add the olive oil, honey, red wine vinegar, soy sauce and noodle spice to a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat until it starts too bubble. Pour the hot dressing over the noodle mixture and mix through. Place the salad in the refrigerator to cool completely. Serve cold.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Lay the puff pastry on the baking sheet and cut it to an oval shape. Place the cheese in the middle of the pastry – cut it smaller so that it sits snuggly together. Add the honey and butter to a small bowl and whisk together. Lay a layer of apple slices over the cheese and brush with the honey glaze. Repeat the apple and glaze layers. Fold the pastry up and over the edges of the cheese and apple – pinch it to get it to stay up and around the filling – it will collapse during baking so it need not be neat. Bake the galette in the oven for 25 minutes. Top with fresh thyme and serve.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tray with baking paper. Set aside. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl. Add the mashed pumpkin, milk and eggs to another mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined and there are no more dry ingredients that you can see. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
For the caramel sauce: Add the sugar and butter to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR – swirl the mixture around in the saucepan but avoid the temptation to stir, until the sugar and butter has melted. Keep swirling every now and then until you have a deep caramel colour. Add the cream and whisk vigorously, allowing the sauce to bubble for 1 minute. Pour the caramel sauce over the tray bake and serve.
Honey Glaze: 60ml honey grated zest of 1 lemon 30ml lemon juice
For the cornbread: Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a medium loaf tin with baking paper. Set aside. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Pour the buttermilk, melted butter and eggs into another bowl and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the corn kernels, peppers and cheese and mix to distribute evenly. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and spread it out evenly. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
For the Honey Glaze: Add the honey, lemon zest and juice to a bowl and whisk together.
Remove the cornbread from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the loaf tin and peel away the baking paper. Drizzle the glaze over the bread and serve warm.
This recipe is adapted from Ottolenghi’s according to the availability of certain ingredients.
Coconut topping: 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 10g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1,2ml ground turmeric 5ml fennel seed, crushed in a pestle and mortar 5ml coriander seeds, crushed in a pestle and mortar 45ml olive oil 10ml brown sugar 60g dried coconut flakes a pinch of salt
Salad: 2 grapefruits 2 oranges half a cucumber, halved lengthwise and finely sliced 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 green chilli, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 5ml fish sauce 15ml lemon juice 7,5ml brown sugar 45ml olive oil 2 baby gem lettuce, cored, leaves separated
For the coconut topping: Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and olive oil to the small bowl of a food processor and blitz , scraping down the sides a few times, until you have a coarse paste. Add this paste to a non-stick pan set over medium-high heat. Add 45ml water and the brown sugar and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 15 minutes stirring continuously. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet, spread it out and allow to cool. Set aside.
For the salad: Top and tail the citrus and cut away the skin and pith. Cut between the membranes to release the segments. Drain the segments over a bowl (in a sieve) and reserve 45ml of the juice. Add the chilli, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar, 30ml oil and 45ml citrus juice to a small bowl and whisk together. Pour half of this dressing into a mixing bowl and add the cucumber, onion, grapefruit and orange. Mix together. Arrange the lettuce leaves, cup side up, on a large platter. Drizzle the remaining 15ml olive oil over and top evenly with the citrus mixture. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle the coconut topping over the salad and serve.
400g basmati rice 50g butter, melted 800ml boiling water 40g + 10g mint leaves, chopped 150g feta, crumbled
Salsa: 40g green olives, pitted and roughly chopped 90g pomegranate seeds 50g walnut halves, roasted and roughly chopped 45ml olive oil 15ml honey 1 clove of garlic, minced
Turn your oven to its highest setting. Add the rice to an oven dish that measures about 20cm x 30cm. Sprinkle 2ml salt over the rice and add a few grindings of black pepper. Drizzle the melted butter over the rice and pour the boiling water into the pan. Sprinkle the 40g mint leaves over. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Add all the salsa ingredients to a bowl and mix together. Put aside.
Remove the rice from the oven and sprinkle the feta over. Stir the remaining 10g mint leaves through the salsa and spoon the salsa evenly over the rice. Serve warm as a side dish or as a main.
Honey-cream: 125ml burnt honey 360g tin of caramel treat 2,5ml salt 600ml whipping cream
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Cut 11 pieces of baking paper to the size of a large baking sheet and trace a 22cm circle onto each. Set aside.
For the burnt honey: Pour the honey into a small saucepan and place it over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium when it start to bubble. Cook until it becomes an amber colour – about 3 minutes. Take the honey from the heat and add the water – stand back as it will sputter! Whisk together once it stops bubbling. Pour the burnt honey into a measuring jug and set aside to cool.
For the cake: Pour the burnt honey, honey, sugar and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the butter has melted and then whisk by hand to combine. Add the eggs one at a time while whisking continuously, still over the simmering water. Add the baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk together for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the heat. Sift the flour into the mixture in 3-4 batches, whisking after each addition until the batter is smooth. (You may use an electric hand-held whisk) Scoop a heaped 125ml measuring cup of the batter onto the baking paper circle and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Bake each layer/disc for 7 minutes until it is a dark caramel colour. Place the baked discs on a flat surface to cool completely.
For the honey-cream: Add 125ml burnt honey, the caramel treat and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk by hand to combine. Add 190ml cream, a little at a time, while whisking. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining 410ml cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat to medium soft peaks. Add the honey and caramel mixture and beat to medium stiff peaks.
Assembly: Assemble the cake on your serving plate so that you don’t have to move it later on. Place the first cake disc on the plate and scoop a generous amount of the honey-cream on top. Spread out evenly not worrying that it will crawl down the sides. Keep going until all the cake discs have been stacked. cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining honey-cream and smooth it out. Place the cake in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours.
If you would like to, blitz up a selection of salted nuts and cover the sides and top of the cake with it before slicing to serve.
My Whisk and I 