Author: Karen Claassen

These Italian classics are chewy on the inside and makes for the perfect in-between-snack! Make a batch or two – they are gluten free as well!!

Makes about 30 biscuits, depending on size.

3 egg whites

280g almond flour

280g caster sugar

2,5ml vanilla

30ml Amaretto Liquor

Dusting and rolling:

45ml caster sugar

45ml icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 170℃.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Fold in the almond flour, caster sugar and vanilla.

Stir in the Amaretto liquor.

You should now have a stiff, sticky dough.

Measure the caster sugar and icing sugar into two separate bowls.

Scoop a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into your hands and mould a ball.

Roll the ball in the caster sugar and then the icing sugar. Place on a lined baking sheet.

Flatten the balls slightly by pushing down on them with two fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking sheet, as they will be soft.

Store in a glass container.

This is the answer to a Keto diet!! No more spreads on cos lettuce or cravings for that favourite mid-morning sandwich.

6 eggs, separated

25ml cream of tartar

30ml butter, melted and slightly cooled

110g sour cream

375ml almond flour

1,2ml salt

2,5ml baking powder

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Grease a medium bread tin.

Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and sieve the cream of tartar over it.

Beat with an electric whisk until you have stiff peaks. Put aside.

Add the egg yolks, cooled melted butter and sour cream to another mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add the almond flour, salt and baking powder and mix to combine once more.

Now, fold the egg whites into this mixture by starting off with a third of the whites. Carefully incorporate the rest of the whites.

Scoop the bread mixture into the prepared bread tin and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool for ten minutes before carefully removing it from the tin.

Cool the bread completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

These cheesecake slices are light, fresh and easy to make and a brilliant way of making use of the abundance of fresh blueberries!!

Blueberry Sauce:

300g blueberries

50g sugar

30ml lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and place it on medium heat.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer the mixture to reduce it by about a third. It should take about 8 minutes.

Blend the blueberry sauce with a stick blender and set aside to cool completely.

Crust:

250g dry biscuits of your choice

80g butter

Bash the biscuits to crumbs, melt the butter and mix together.

Line the bottom of a baking tin of your choice, with the biscuit mixture and tightly push it to an even thickness with the back of a spoon.

Place the crust in the refrigerator until needed.

Filling:

10g powdered gelatine

50ml cold water

450g cream cheese

125g icing sugar

160ml heavy cream

5ml vanilla

15ml lemon juice

Pour the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat until soft with a spatula.

Sieve the icing sugar on top and incorporate.

Stir in the cold blueberry sauce.

Add the cream to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peaks.

Fold the cream into the blueberry mixture.

Now, melt the gelatine in the microwave, 10 seconds literally, and two spoonfuls of the blueberry mixture to the gelatine. Mix well before adding this mixture to the bowl with the blueberry mixture.

Take the prepared tin with the crust from the refrigerator and pour the blueberry mixture on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cut into squares to serve.

These mini pavlovas taste like little bites of marshmallow cloud. I decorate mine with dried flower petals but you may add whipped cream and fresh fruit as a finish to the perfect dessert.

Makes about 15 mini pavlovas.

6 egg whites

375ml caster sugar

15ml vanilla

7,5ml lemon juice

10ml corn starch

Preheat your oven to 120℃.

Line a large baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.

Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Whisk the whites to soft peaks.

Switch the mixer to high speed and start adding the caster sugar one teaspoonful at a time. Keep going until you have not sugar left.

Run the mixer for another 4 minutes or so to ensure that all of the sugar has dissolved into the meringue.

Add the vanilla and lemon juice to the meringue mixture and fold in with a whisk.

Sieve the corn starch onto the mixture and fold in once more.

Pipe or scoop round of about 7cm in diameter onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turn off the oven and without opening the oven door, set a timer for another 30 minutes.

Remove the pavlovas from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.

Serve the same day.

This olive bread is perfect for al fresco summer evenings. The olives may be substituted with green olives or any other, of your choice.

If you want to plait your bread, have a look at my Olive Bread video on Instagram.

10g instant yeast

340ml water, lukewarm

10g sugar

10ml salt

20ml olive oil

500g cake flour

250ml black olives, pitted

Pour the lukewarm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast on it. Stir well and put aside.

Add the flour, sugar, salt and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook.

Turn the mixer on to low speed and add the yeast mixture to it.

Allow the machine to knead the dough for 6 minutes.

Lightly oil a clean bowl and turn the dough into it. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise to double the volume, or about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and add the olives. Lightly knock the dough down and incorporate the olives at the same time. If a few falls out, simply stick it back into the dough.

Now shape your dough and give it a drizzle with some more olive oil.

Allow the bread to proof until puffy, for about 20 minutes.

Remove the tea towel and bake the bread for 20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Remove and drizzle with olive oil once more.

Allow to cool before devouring it!

Not only are these plant-based keftas the perfect substitute for meat, but you can actually cook them on a barbecue. Make sure the grill is well oiled or use a cooking mat. The smokiness from the open fire does add that extra taste of summer evenings! Serve with a tzatziki sauce and naan bread under the stars.

The recipe makes 8 – 10 keftas, depending on the size you make them.

About 8 bamboo skewers

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

200g tinned black beans

62ml fresh breadcrumbs

half an onion, chopped

125ml fresh herbs, chopped

5ml cumin

10ml smoked paprika

5ml salt

1 egg

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least an hour.

Add the chickpeas, black beans and breadcrumbs to a food processor and pulse to chop. Scrape the mixture down in between so that you get an evenly chopped mixture.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blitz to mix everything up.

Scoop up a handful of the mixture and press it together around a skewer. Gently roll between wet hands to shape into a sausage. Place on a baking sheet and prepare the rest of the keftas.

Once your coals have reached medium heat, place your cooking mat on the grill and cook the keftas for about 4 minutes per side.

If you want to make the keftas in your oven, simply preheat to 180℃ and proceed as above.

Serve the keftas with naan bread and a tzatziki sauce.

This is not your regular tarte au citron, but rather an utterly luxurious version, fit for a very special occasion!

This lemon tart does require some work but it is absolutely worth the effort. I make mine with a Pâte Sucrée but you may use store bought sweet pastry if you do not want to put in the time or effort to make your own.

Pâte Sucrée

250g plain flour

100g butter, cubed

100g icing sugar, sifted

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

Add the flour, cubed butter, sifted icing sugar and salt to a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Shake up the mixture in between blitzing so that you get all of the flour to mix with the butter.

Now add the eggs to a small bowl and give them a good whisk.

Switch the machine on and start adding the egg a few drops at time. This is very important: if you add too much of the egg you will have a dough that can’t be rolled out. Add JUST enough egg for the mixture to come together – you will probably use one and a half egg.

Take the mixture out of the food processor and on a lightly floured surface, fold and knead with the palm of your hand – about 8 times or so, for the dough to come together.

You should now have a silky smooth pastry dough. Wrap it in plastic and rest it in the refrigerator for two hours.

If you are using a store bought short crust pastry, you have to follow the next steps.

Lining and blind baking the pastry crust:

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Grease a flan tin or a loose bottomed cake tin that is 22cm in diameter and at least 4cm deep.

Roll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 3mm.

Line the bottom and sides of the tin and prick the bottom evenly with the tines of a fork.

Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind for 20 minutes.

Remove the tin and quickly remove the paper and beans.

Place back into the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Cool on a cooling rack, without fiddling with the pan.

Filling:

5 lemons

9 eggs

375g caster sugar

300ml double cream

30g icing sugar, to dust or brûlée

Grate the zest from the lemons and set aside.

Juice the lemons and strain the juice through a sieve. Set aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix with an electric whisk. Keep going for about two minutes as you want the mixture completely amalgamated.

Pour in the lemon juice and add the lemon zest. Stir through.

Add the cream to a clean mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form.

Delicately fold in the whipped cream, making sure you do not overwork the mixture.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 150℃.

Take the lemon mixture from the fridge and lightly whip it with a spatula before pouring it into the baked pastry shell.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Leave to cool and firm up for a while before removing the ring, but do so while the tart is still slightly warm.

Set aside until cold.

Dust the lemon tart with the icing sugar. You may serve the tart dusted or you may brûlée the sugar with a blow torch, which adds a delicate crunch to the tart.

Serve and wait for the applause!

Easy, delicious and nutritious. This dish is perfect to prepare on a weekend and to serve during the week, when you are short on time. It also freezes well if you want to keep it as a backstop for crazy days.

2 litres chicken stock

9 chicken breasts, skin removed

1 large head of broccoli

75g butter, cubed

75ml cake flour

750ml milk

250ml cheddar cheese, grated

250ml mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Cut the chicken beasts into bite-sized pieces and add it to a saucepan with 2 litres chicken stock.

Bring the stock to the boil and reduce the heat to simmer until the chicken is cooked.

Allow the chicken to cool in the stock, before draining.

Keep aside.

Cut the florets from the broccoli. Slice the broccoli stems into small pieces, not larger than 0,5cm cubes.

Bring a saucepan with salted water to the boil and add all of the broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and plunge the broccoli into ice-cold water.

Drain and keep aside.

Melt the butter in a clean saucepan.

Add the flour to the butter and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes, while stirring with a spatula.

Add all of the milk and whisk continuously until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Allow to thicken.

Add half the cheddar and half the mozzarella to the sauce and mix well.

Season the béchamel with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly grease an ovenproof ceramic dish that is about 20cm X 30cm.

Spread the chicken over the base of the dish and arrange the broccoli in between.

Cover the chicken and broccoli with the béchamel sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheeses over.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden and aromatic.

Serve warm with a salad.

These brownies are gluten-free, vegan and Keto friendly. They have an intense chocolatey taste and the most wonderful fine texture and literally takes 5 minutes to get into the oven!! Please try them, they really are a taste sensation!!!

25ml flax seed powder dissolved in 125ml water OR if you are not vegan, replace by using 2 eggs

1 X 400g tin black beans, drained

100g syrup

50g sugar

10ml vanilla

a pinch of salt

70g cocoa powder

5ml baking powder

2,5ml bicarbonate of soda

30ml vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line it with baking paper.

Blitz up the flax seed powder and water/eggs, in a liquidiser or using a hand blender.

Now add all the other ingredients and blend the mixture for about one minute.

Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 35 minutes.

Cool in the baking tin.

Remove the brownies from the tin, peel away the paper and cut into 9 squares!!

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread for special occasions and considered a blessing in the Jewish culture. It is fluffy, aromatic, slightly sweet and reminds one of a good French Brioche. This recipe provides for two really large breads, but keep in mind that they keep exceptionally well and makes an excellent bread and butter pudding. Make one extra large bread when you need a centrepiece to whow a crowd!

15ml instant yeast

5ml sugar

1 egg

3 egg yolks

83ml honey

30ml vegetable oil

10ml salt

750g flour

Egg wash:

1 egg

15ml water

2,5ml salt

Pour 83ml lukewarm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add the yeast and sugar to the water and stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar.

Add another 310ml lukewarm water, the whole egg, egg yolks, honey, oil and salt. Give it another stir.

Now attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer, add half a cup of flour and “stir” the mixture on the lowest speed. Keep adding flour and stirring it in until you have no flour left.

Knead the dough on low speed for 4 minutes.

Remove the challah dough from the mixing bowl and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and allow it to rise for one hour or until doubled in volume.

Remove the dough from the bowl and gently knock it back by hand.

Place the dough back into the oiled bowl, cover and proof for another hour.

Now transfer the dough to a work surface and knead by hand for about two minutes.

Divide the dough into one or two portions, depending on how many breads you want to bake and shape your bread. Traditionally a challah bread is shaped into a plait.

Place the bread(s) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone baking mat and prepare the egg wash.

Mix all the egg wash ingredients together, whisk lightly and brush a thin, even layer over the bread.

Cover with a tea towel and allow it to proof for a final 40 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Cool the challah on a cooling rack before slicing.