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!
These are the easiest and quickest muffins you will ever put together. Have them for breakfast, brunch or as a lunchbox snack. Yields 12 muffins.
6 eggs 125g cream cheese, room temperature 250ml milk 5ml salt and a few grindings of black pepper
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Add the eggs, cream cheese and milk to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the mixture three-quarter-full in the prepared tin and then fill each with your choice of vegetable. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Suggested fillings: broccoli cubed cheese like feta or mozzarella tomato red onion baby marrow baby spinach leftover chicken or other meat herbs asparagus
These marinated eggs are delicious as a healthy snack or added to any asian dish and theeeee perfect companion for a slurpy bowl of noodles!! Serve them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between..
Add the water, soy sauce, vinegar and honey to a jug and whisk together to blend the ingredients. Set aside. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a spoon and cook for 7 minutes, or to your liking. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and keep on the side. Transfer the eggs to the ice bowl after the 7 minutes. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle it is really easy to peel them when kept under the cold water. Place the peeled eggs in a container and pour the marinate over. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. The eggs must be submerged in the marinade – place a weight on top to keep them covered in the liquid. Remove from the soy mixture, slice and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs to serve.
The eggs in these photographs were marinated for 24 hours – very dark colour and strong umami taste!!
250g digestive biscuits 100g butter, melted 250ml Cremona (coffee creamer) 1 x 385g tin condensed milk 250ml cream 80ml lemon juice your choice of fresh fruit and/or berries
Place 6 glasses/bowl on a small baking sheet and set aside. (the baking sheet makes it easier to transport the desserts) Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to crumbs. Add the melted butter with the engine running. You want to end up with a mixture that resembles wet sand. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the glasses and divide the rest equally. Press lightly onto the bottoms and place in the refrigerator. Add the Cremona, condensed milk, cream and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk together until you have a very thick mixture. Divide among the serving glasses and place back into the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours or overnight. Take the desserts from the fridge about 20 minutes before you want to serve them. Top with your choice of fresh fruit.
200g mushrooms, sliced 50g butter 750ml chicken (or vegetable) stock 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 2,5ml ground ginger 20ml soy sauce 10ml sugar 20ml dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine if you can get hold of any) 2,5ml sesame oil 2 x 200g fresh udon noodles a small handful of chives, chopped
Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Wait for it to heat up and then add the butter and mushrooms. Fry until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside. Add the stock, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and sesame oil to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat so that the broth can simmer. Place a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and add the noodles to the broth. Agitate the noodles with a fork so that they break up and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the fried mushroom and remove the saucepan from the heat. Ladle the noodles and a good amount of broth into serving bowls and top with a sprinkling of chives.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the melted butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the espresso, eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate and whisk to combine. Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Fold the ingredients together until you have a smooth batter. Add the chopped chocolate and fold through. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and set aside.
For the cheesecake swirl: Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth. Spoon dollops of the cheesecake batter across the surface of the brownie mixture. Swirl the cheesecake mixture through the brownie batter with a small knife. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool the brownies in the baking tin before removing and slicing.
For the base: Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to a fine crumb. Spoon the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and melted butter. Mix together until it resembles wet sand. Spoon the mixture into a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin and press evenly over the base. Place in the refrigerator.
For the mousse-cheesecake: Preheat your oven to 150℃. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt until completely smooth. Add the cream cheese, chocolate, cocoa powder and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until incorporated. Add the vanilla and eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside. Add the cream to another mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar into the bowl. Whisk until the cream develops a mousse-y texture and soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture – do this in 3-4 batches. Fold until just incorporated. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the cake tin with the biscuit base. Smooth the top and give the cake tin a jiggle to let out any air bubbles. Place the cake tin soon top of a sheet of aluminium foil and fold the foil up the sides on the outside of the tin. Place the cake tin into a roasting pan and fill the pan with 2,5cm of hot water. Bake the cake for 70 minutes. Check and refill the water in the roasting tin every 20 or so during baking. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and immediately run a sharp knife around the outside of the cake to release it from the tin. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before removing the tin ring.
For the ganache: Add the cream to a small saucepan and warm it. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the cheesecake on a wire cooling rack, inside a baking sheet and pour the ganache over the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
500g gnocchi 15ml olive oil 30ml butter 3 cloves of garlic, minced 5ml mixed Italian herbs 1 x 400g tin of diced tomato 125ml tomato sauce (ketchup) 125ml vegetable stock 80ml cream 5ml salt a few grindings of black pepper a few sprigs of thyme parmesan cheese, to serve
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the gnocchi, cook for 2-3 minutes (they should start floating) and drain. Drizzle with some olive oil and mix through so that the gnocchi doesn’t stick – set aside. Place a saucepan or large pan on medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the gnocchi to the pan and sprinkle the herbs on top. Stir to coat. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every now and then. Spoon the gnocchi into a bowl and keep warm on the side. Now add the tin of tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Pour in the cream, add the salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Add the gnocchi back into the pan and heat through. Scatter some fresh thyme over and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
4 egg whites a pinch of cream of tartar 220g caster sugar food colouring
Preheat your oven to 140℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Add the egg whites to a clean large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over and start beating the whites with electric beater on medium speed. Once you have a soft peak you can start adding a teaspoonful of sugar to the whites, while beating continuously. Incorporate the sugar before adding another teaspoonful of sugar. (If you want to be technical, you should have 30 second intervals in between adding, whisking and more sugar!) Beat the mixture until all the sugar is incorporated and it is stiff and glossy. Add a few drops of food colouring and gently fold through. Scoop the meringue into a piping bag and pipe 2cm diameter circles onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Switch off the oven but do not open it. Stand the meringues in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
There is one sauce that doubles up as marinade and dressing!!
500g chicken breasts
Marinade/Dressing: 30ml olive oil juice of 2 lemons (60ml) 30ml water 30ml apple cider vinegar 30ml chopped parsley 2 cloves garlic, minced 5ml dried origanum 5ml salt black pepper
Add all the ingredients for the marinade/dressing to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour half of the mixture into a jug and keep aside as the salad dressing. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade for 30 minutes. Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the chicken breasts. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes before flipping them over and cooking for another 4 minutes. Rest the breasts in the pan, with the lid on for another 5 minutes. Arrange the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado on a serving plate. Slice the chicken and place on the salad. Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve.
For the pancakes: Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Pour the milk, water, oil and eggs into a large jug and whisk together. Turn the mixer on a low speed and add the liquid slowly and in a very thin stream. Whisk on high speed for 2 minutes once all the liquid has been added. Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and stand the mixture for one hour.
For the filling: Add the cornflour to a mixing bowl. Pour in a small amount of milk and stir to dissolve the cornflour. Add the egg yolks and 100g of sugar and whisk together by hand. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk and the other 100g of sugar into a small saucepan and warm but do not allow it to boil. Take the saucepan from the heat and drizzle the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly!! Keep going until all the milk has been added. Pour the mixture back in the saucepan, place on a medium heat and stir until thick and glossy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Scrape the mixture into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool completely.
Bake the pancakes in a 20cm diameter pan and set aside to cool.
Assembly: Place one pancake on a serving platter. Spoon a generous dollop of the custard onto the pancake and spread evenly. Sift an even layer of ground cinnamon over the custard and repeat the layers until you have build a beautiful stacked cake. End with a layer of filling and cinnamon.
My Whisk and I 