Author: Karen Claassen

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!

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Split Pea and Bacon Soup

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g bacon, sliced/diced into 0,5cm pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
500g split peas
3 bay leaves
2,5l chicken stock
a small handful of thyme, leaves stripped

Put a saucepan on medium-low heat and add the bacon pieces. Cook until the fat is rendered.
Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the split peas and stir to coat in the bacon fat.
Add the bay leaves and 2,5l chicken stock.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Skim off the foam that rises to the top. Stir the soup every now and then.
Add the thyme leaves and simmer the soup for at least an hour. Add more stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Purée with a stick blender.
Reheat the soup and check the seasoning.
Serve piping hot with fresh bread.

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Easy Apple Crumble

August 23, 2021August 22, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Easy to make and even easier to eat, apple crumble is a dessert classic for good reason!

1kg apples (5-6 large apples)
25g brown sugar
5ml ground cinnamon

For the crumble:
110g pistachio nuts (you may replace it with pecan if you like)
75g butter, diced
175g self-raising flour
10ml ground cinnamon
110g brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Peel and core the apples and then cut them into 3cm chunks.
Add the apple chunks, brown sugar and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and toss everything together with your hands.
Scoop the apple mixture into a 18cm X 28cm ceramic dish and set aside.

For the crumble:
Chop the pistachios into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Add the butter and self-raising flour to a mixing bowl and rub it together with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs.
Stir in the cinnamon, brown sugar and chopped pistachio nuts.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the apples, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish. Press the crumble down with the palm of your hand. (If the mixture is tightly packed it will be really crispy)
Now run the tines of a fork over the surface.
Place the crumble in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Serve the apple crumble with big scoops of vanilla ice cream.

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Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket

August 20, 2021August 19, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is slow cooking at its best with a punchy umami deliciousness! Leftovers and some salad make a fabulous wrap the next day.

about 2kg of beef brisket, bone in
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
250ml red wine
500ml beef stock (cubes are perfect!)
500ml water
3 tins of diced tomato
2 bay leaves
45ml Worcestershire sauce
5ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Put a heavy-base ovenproof saucepan on to medium-high heat and cover the bottom with vegetable oil. Add the beef and brown it all over. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
Add some more oil to the pan and add the onion and carrot. Cook on a medium heat, stirring every now and then until the onion is soft.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by half.
Add the stock, water, tomato, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
Return the beef to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer.
Cover the saucepan with a lid, place in the oven and cook for 2 hours. Turn the meat, return the saucepan to the oven and cook for a further 2 hours.
Take the brisket from the saucepan, place it in an oven tray and shred the meat by pulling it apart with two forks. Remove any bones and chunks of fat.
Return the meat to the sauce and warm through.
Serve on buttery mashed potato.

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Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cake

August 19, 2021August 19, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This cake has a fine, delicate crumb which gives it a silky mouth-feel and makes it the ultimate teatime treat!

220g butter, very soft
240g caster sugar
a pinch of salt
20ml honey
6 eggs
280g flour
2,5ml baking powder
30ml cocoa powder
5ml vanilla

Chocolate Glaze:
150g chocolate, 70% cocoa
10ml coconut oil
30ml vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a small loaf tin of 21cm X 11cm with baking paper.
Add the butter, sugar, salt and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Turn the mixer on to high speed and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and very pale – about 6 – 7 minutes, scraping down once or twice.
Add the eggs to a small bowl and whisk together.
Run the mixer’s engine on medium-low and add the egg a little at a time, waiting for it to be incorporated before adding more.
Now mix the flour and baking powder together and add it in the same way.
Scoop half of the batter into a clean mixing bowl and sift the cocoa powder over it. Mix with a spatula until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated – the batter will appear very dry, but keep mixing until it turns brown.
Add the vanilla to the half of the batter which you have kept in the mixer bowl and stir through.
Spoon 3-4 dollops of the vanilla batter into the baking tin, alternating with the cocoa batter. Keep going until there is no batter left.
Lightly pull a butter knife through the batter, stirring-mixing the two colours.
Level the top and bake the loaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the baking tin by lifting it out in the baking paper.
Allow the cake to cool completely.

For the chocolate glaze:
Add all the ingredients to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and stir until melted completely.
Remove the glaze from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Place the cooled cake on a cooling rack and place the cooling rack inside a baking sheet so that the chocolate drips down into it.
Pour the glaze over the cake. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least one hour.
Slice and serve.

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Baked Camembert with Blood Orange Sauce

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Baked cheese is such a versatile dish to serve; aperitifs, as a casual starter, an in-between-meals-snack and even as a cheese course after dinner. You may of course replace the Camembert with Brie or any other soft cheese with a runny centre and the blood orange with regular fresh oranges.

1 600g Camembert wheel (or 2-3 smaller ones)
1 roll store-bought puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg and 15ml milk, whisked together

Blood Orange Sauce:
15ml honey
30ml red wine vinegar
180ml blood orange juice
15ml cold butter
2 oranges, segmented
a pinch of salt

For the baked cheese:
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll the pastry to a 3mm thickness.
Place the cheese wheel on the pastry and cut a circle 2cm wider than the cheese.

Now cut another pastry circle of the same size and drape it over the top of the cheese.
Lift the edges of the pastry at the bottom over the edges hanging down. Secure by pressing together with the tines of a fork.

Score the top of the pastry parcel with the back/blunt side of a sharp knife and brush the entire cheese parcel with the egg wash.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to stand for about 20 minutes.

For the sauce:
Pour the honey, vinegar and juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the mixture until syrupy.
Take off the heat, add the butter and whisk until amalgamated and you have a beautifully shiny sauce.
Add the orange segments to the sauce and spoon over the baked cheese.

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Bacon and Cheese Crayfish Tails

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This dish can be prepared in advance and grilled once your guests are seated. Delicious served with a grain salad or a crusty bread.

5-6 crayfish tails per person (it is the main dish after all!)
150g bacon, diced
30ml butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
250ml cream
125ml parmesan cheese, grated
250ml Boerenkaas or mature cheddar, grated

Fully thaw the crayfish tails.
Turn your oven on to the grill setting and spray an ovenproof dish with cooking spray.
Fill a large stock pot/saucepan with salted water and bring to a rapid boil.
Add the crayfish tails, bring the water back up to a boil and cook the tails for 6 minutes.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.
Take the tails from the boiling water and immediately immerse it in the ice water to stop the cooking process.
Lay a tail flat in your hand and cut the top shell with poultry shears down the centre of the back, to the tail.
Remove the vein and any shell shards.
Run your finger between the meat and the shell to loosen it. Lift and pull the meat from the shell and add it to the prepared ovenproof dish. Set aside.
Add the butter and bacon to a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the bacon until crispy.
Scoop out the bacon bits and keep aside.
Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
Add the cream, parmesan cheese and cooked bacon and cook for another minute.
Take the sauce from the heat and evenly pour it over the crayfish tails.
Sprinkle the grated Boerenkaas over and place under the grill until the cheese has melted and is slightly charred.
Serve with fresh lemon wedges and a good glass of wine.

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Blueberry Crumpets

August 16, 2021August 15, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Call them crumpets, flapjacks or pancakes but they are all divine with this fresh blueberry sauce!

For the crumpets:
2 eggs
300ml milk
200g self-raising flour
1,2ml baking powder
a pinch of salt
100g butter, melted and cooled
150g blueberries

For the blueberry sauce:
300g blueberries
the juice of 1 orange
62ml sugar
30ml water

Making the crumpets:
Add the eggs and milk to a mixing bowl and whisk together by hand.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
Pour the cooled butter into the mixture and add the blueberries.
Gently stir the mixture through so that the blueberries don’t break up as this dilute your batter.
Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a small amount of vegetable oil.
Spoon about two large tablespoonfuls of batter per crumpet into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until set and starting to bubble around the edges. Flip the crumpet and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Keep going until you have used all the batter.

Making the blueberry sauce:
Add the blueberries to a small saucepan and pour in the orange juice, sugar and water.
Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar and cook for about 3 minutes, until the berries release their juice and the liquid becomes syrupy.
Cool the sauce to room temperature.

Serve the warm crumpets with the blueberry sauce and a dollop of yoghurt.

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Beetroot Hummus

August 13, 2021August 13, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This hummus takes some effort but keeps well in the fridge and makes a delicious sandwich or dip!

125ml beetroot, cooked and chopped
1 400g tin of chickpeas
60ml tahini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
the juice of one lemon/15ml fresh lemon juice (preserved lemon juice leaves a bitter aftertaste)
5ml salt
15ml olive oil

Add all the ingredients to a liquidiser and blitz until it is smooth and emulsified.
Store in a glass jar in your refrigerator.

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Chocolate-Orange Biscuits

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These biscuits do not look like much but they are soooo good! They have a wonderful snap and the chopped chocolate adds a sharp and delicious chocolatey fabulousness!!

125g butter
175g caster sugar
225g flour
10ml baking powder
80g dark chocolate, finely chopped BUT NOT SHAVED
the grated zest of 2 oranges
15ml fresh orange juice

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat together on high speed. The mixture should be fluffy and airy.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Stir together.
Add the chopped chocolate, orange zest and orange juice to the mixture and mix together with a spatula.
Flour a work surface and roll the dough to a 0,5cm thickness.
Cut out with a biscuit cutter of your choice and place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and leave the biscuits on the sheets for 5 minutes before cooling it completely on a cooling rack.
Store the biscuits in an airtight glass jar.

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Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

August 11, 2021August 11, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

I love to bake snacks that can be kept in a glass jar for a few weeks (very optimistic!) and biscotti has a place of honour amongst them. The recipe yields about 36 slices and can be kept for 3-4 weeks when stored in a sealed glass container.

62ml vegetable oil
190ml sugar
10ml vanilla
2 eggs
440ml flour
1,2ml salt
5ml baking powder
125ml dried cranberries
190ml pistachio nuts

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the oil and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until well blended.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and give it a stir to mix.
Run the mixer on the lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture, allowing time to incorporate between additions.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the cranberries and pistachios and mix through with a spatula.
Divide the dough in half.
Wet your hands (the dough is extremely sticky) and shape each half portion of the dough into a log shape about 25cm in length. The logs won’t look wide enough to “become” biscotti, but the mixture will spread during baking and end up being wider than the shaped log.
Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the biscotti logs from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven setting down to 130℃.
Slice the logs diagonally into 1cm thick slices.
Lay the slices flat onto the same baking sheets and dry in the oven for about 50 minutes. Feel the biscotti – it should be hard and shouldn’t give when you press it between your fingers.
Cool the biscotti on a cooling rack before packing them into a glass jar.