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!
1 x 400g Today Puff Pastry 2 large apples egg-wash: egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll your pastry and divide and cut it into 8 equal squares. Place 4 squares on the prepared baking tray and set aside. Make 0,5cm incisions in a vertical line on the other pastry squares. Fill the squares with these incisions following a “brick-laying” pattern. Peel, halve and core the apples. Place half an apple on a square on the baking sheet and cover with a square with incisions. Press down to seal and trim off the excess pastry. Brush with egg-wash and repeat with the rest of the squares and apple. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve with custard.
For the crème pâtissière: Add the corn flour to a mixing bowl. Pour a small amount of milk into the bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the yolks and half the sugar. Whisk to gather by hand until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk and the rest of the sugar into a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Take the milk from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Drizzle the warm mixture onto the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and allow to cool completely.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll the pastry sheet and cut it into 4 equal rectangles (cut through lengthwise and then halve each strip). Place the rectangles on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Place another sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry and then place another baking sheet on top of that. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Assembly: Whisk your room temperature crème pâtissière by hand until it is smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large (1,5/2cm) nozzle. Lay a pastry sheet on a serving plate and pipe dollops over the entire sheet. Repeat until you have one pastry sheet left. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add a tablespoon of milk. Stir the mixture, adding a few drops more until you have a very thick paste. Spread the icing paste on the pastry sheet and set aside to dry. Place the iced pastry on top of the custard slice. Slice into portions once you have displayed your beautiful creation.
600g potatoes, peeled and quartered60g butter 60ml olive oil 2 large onions, thinly sliced 1 clove of garlic, minced 10ml wholegrain mustard 45ml sour cream 1 egg a handful of thyme leaves 150g feta cheese, crumbled 2 x 400g Today puff pastry egg-wash: 1 yolk + 15ml water whisked together
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside. Boil the quartered potatoes, cool completely and crush roughly. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with 2,5ml salt and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Add the potato, onions, mustard, sour cream, egg, thyme and feta to a large mixing bowl. Season with pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate.
Unroll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll slightly wider. Cut one 25cm circle from one pastry sheet and place on a cutting board. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cut a 22cm circle from the second sheet of pastry and place on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon the potato mixture on the pastry circle and form a nice even mound. Leave a 2 cm border. Brush the border with egg-wash. Lay the 25cm pastry circle over the mound and press the edges to seal. Trim off the excess pastry. Cut a small hole in the centre of the top. Score curved lines all over the top from the hole down to the edge, being careful not to cut all the way through. Brush the pie all over with egg-wash and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 200℃. Bake the pithivier for 40 minutes, until golden. Slice into wedges and serve warm.
1 x 400g roll Today puff pastry egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water beaten together 4 large tomatoes a handful of basil olive oil balsamic vinegar
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll the puff pastry and place it on the paper. (Trim the pastry to fit the baking sheet) Lightly score the pastry down the centre in the length. Now score it in half and then halve each square. You should have 8 squares – be careful to score and not cut through! Whisk together the egg yolk and water and lightly brush the pastry all over. Refrigerate until needed. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to the boil. Make a cross incision (x) in the tomato skin on the bottom. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Now lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and simmer for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge it into the ice water. Remove the skins once they start to curl back from the flesh. Halve the naked tomatoes horizontally. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Place a basil leave in the centre of each of the marked squares. Place half a tomato, cut-side down on the basil and drizzle the tomato with a few drops of oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar while very warm. Slice the tart into 8 portions and serve as a side.
30ml + 30ml butter 1 clove garlic, minced 6 onions, halved horizontally 100ml sugar 60ml water 30ml balsamic vinegar 5ml thyme leaves 5ml salt 1 x 400g roll Today puff pastry
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Put a wide-bottomed pan on medium-high heat and add 30ml butter to melt. Add the garlic and onion halves cut-side down. Cook the onions until they have caramelised and softened slightly (about 10 minutes). Gently remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Add the sugar and water to an ovenproof pan over medium heat. Cook, swirling constantly, until the sugar dissolves – DO NOT stir! Turn the heat up to high and cook undisturbed (no stirring!) for 5 minutes or until it turns to a golden caramel – this happens instantly!! Remove from the heat and add the balsamic, thyme, salt and 30ml butter. Return to the boil and swirl to combine. Arrange the onions cut-side down, trying to fit in as many halves as you can. Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll it slightly wider. Now cut a circle that is 1cm larger than the diameter of your pan. Place the pastry circle on top of the onions and tuck in the edges so that it forms a “basket” for the onions. Cut a very small hole in the centre of the pastry and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminium foil to prevent burning. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked through. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Place a flat plate/wooden board over the pan and carefully invert the tart. Season with salt and pepper to serve.
45ml vegetable oil 250g smoked bacon, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 30ml rosemary leaves, chopped 1kg minced beef 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato 10ml dried origanum 2 bay leaves 15ml sugar 60ml Worcestershire sauce 50g tomato puree 5ml salt 250ml beef stock 400g spaghetti, cooked parmesan cheese
Place a large saucepan on medium heat and add the oil. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down and add the onion, carrot, garlic and rosemary. Cook for another 10 minutes while stirring often. Add the minced beef and stir-fry for 5 minutes, ensuring it is broken up. Now add the tinned tomato, origanum, bay leaves, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and stock. Bring the bolognese to the boil, turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook for one hour until you have a rich, thick sauce. Stir the sauce every now and then while it cooks. Cook the spaghetti, drain and spoon onto plates. Serve the bolognese sauce on top of the spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese.
This salad is my new obsession – it is zingy, fresh and everything and more that your tastebuds are craving ..!
8 corn cobs, cleaned olive oil 80ml mayonnaise 30ml sour cream 80g feta cheese, finely crumbed 45ml lemon juice finely grated rind of 2 lemons 40g coriander leaves, picked off the stems (it is about an average bunch) 3 spring onions, sliced
Heat a wood-fired grill to medium-high heat. Coat each corn cob with a thin layer of olive oil and season with salt. Place the corn on the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Turn them every now and then so that they get a char all over. Cool slightly and then cut the kernels from the cobs. Set aside.
Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, feta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest to a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix together. Spoon half the corn kernels on a serving dish. Top with half the spring onions and half the coriander leaves. Drizzle half the dressing over and repeat the corn, spring onion and coriander layers, finishing with a drizzle of the dressing. Serve the salad at room temperature.
This dish may look dull in all its beige-browny colours but it certainly delivers on flavour, easy of preparation and of course, it is made in one saucepan!
6 pork chops 45ml oil 45ml butter 3 onions, sliced 30ml sugar 2 cloves of garlic, minced 45ml honey 15ml lemon juice 200ml chicken stock 1 x 380g can of pie apples
Set a heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil to it and brown the chops. Remove from the saucepan and keep aside. Add the oil and butter to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and sugar and stir-fry for at least 15 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Now add the honey, lemon juice and chicken stock. Stir to mix for one minute or so. Add the apples and spread it out evenly before arranging the pork chops on top. Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon the apples and sauce over the chops. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Serve the pork with a crispy coleslaw salad.
4 bananas 1 x 380g tin of caramel treat 4 x 250ml Rice Krispies
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Add 3 bananas to a mixing bowl and mash until smooth. Add 190ml of the caramel and mix through. Now add the Rice Krispies and mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture evenly amongst the paper cups, pressing in the cup with the bottom of a shot glass to create a hollow centre. Now add a teaspoon caramel to each Rice Krispie cup. Slice the last banana into 12 slices and place a slice on top of each Rice Krispie cup. Refrigerate the cups for 1 hour.
My Whisk and I 