Uncategorized – Page 10 – My Whisk and I

Puff Stuffed Pears

March 10, 2024March 9, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3 pears
100g blue cheese
50g walnuts
1 x 400g roll of puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together
60ml mixed fruit jam
45ml boiling water
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Wash the pears and dry them.
Cut a slice from the bottom of each pear so that you have a stable, flat surface.
Scoop out the core with a melon baller and set aside.
Cut the blue cheese into small pieces and add it to a bowl with the walnuts.
Mix together until you have a sticky, messy consistency!
Divide the mixture in 3 and stuff it into the pears.
Place the pastry on a work surface and cut 3 rounds, more or less the size of the bottom of the pears.
Place the pastry over the stuffed opening and then place the pears on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut 1cm wide strips from the pastry.
Start at the stalk of the pear and wrap the fruit in the pastry strips.
Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until golden – about 20 minutes.
Add the fruit jam, boiling water and chopped basil to a small bowl and stir until the jam breaks up into a thin sauce.
Serve the pears warm with the sauce on the side.

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Easter Baskets

March 9, 2024March 8, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash

Cream patisserie:
40g corn flour
50ml + 450ml milk
4 egg yolks
50g + 50g caster sugar
5ml vanilla

speckled eggs
white chocolate, melted

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the pastry on a work surface and cut 12 circles with a 7cm diameter biscuit cutter.
Place 6 of the circles on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut out the centres of the other six circles with a 6cm diameter cutter, wet the edges of the pastry and place on top of the pastry circles.
Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and brush the elevated edges with egg wash.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Cut strips (15cm by 0,5cm) from the remaining pastry and braid three strips together. (You should have 6 of these).
Place the braids on the baking sheet and shape them so that they resemble the arch of a baskets handle.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

For the cream patisserie:
Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and stir in the 50ml milk.
Add the egg yolks and 50g of sugar and whisk together. Set aside.
Pour the 450ml milk into a small saucepan and add the other 50g caster sugar to it.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Take it from the heat as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edges.
Drizzle the warm milk mixture onto the egg mixture while whisking vigorously.
Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it on medium-low heat.
Stir continuously until thick.
Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing from the heat.
Add the vanilla and stir through.
Pour the mixture on a dinner plate and then place plastic wrap directly on its surface.
Allow to cool completely.

Pipe or spoon the cream patisserie into the pastry baskets and place a few speckled eggs on top.
Now dip the handles into the white chocolate and position it on the baskets so that it resembles a handle.
Allow to dry/cool before serving.

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Mascarpone Cream Puff

March 7, 2024March 6, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g roll of puff pastry

Royal Icing:
1 egg white
500g icing sugar, sifted

edible flowers

250ml whipping cream
60ml caster sugar
250g mascarpone, room temperature
5ml vanilla
250g fresh raspberries

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut an extra piece of baking paper of the same size and keep aside.
Lay the pastry on a work surface and cut 7cm diameter circles from it with a biscuit cutter.
Place the pastry circles on the baking sheet, cover with the extra sheet of baking paper and place another baking sheet on top.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the royal icing:
Add the egg white to a mixing bowl and whisk to a froth.
Add the sifted icing sugar one spoonful at a time, stirring really well to incorporate. Keep going: add one spoonful of icing, stir for at least 30 seconds, add another spoonful, etc., until all the icing is incorporated or until you have a very stiff mixture.
Spoon the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a 4mm nozzle and pipe a border on each of the pastry discs.
Set aside to dry and set.
Add a few drops of water to the royal icing – literally two drops at a time -and stir to thin it down to a very thick but spreadable consistency.
Drop a teaspoonful into each icing border and spread it out with the back of a teaspoon.
Decorate the discs with edible flowers/petals before it sets.
Put aside to dry completely.

Add the whipping cream and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks.
Add the mascarpone and vanilla and whisk until thick – BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER-WHIP as the mixture will split.
Add the raspberries to the mascarpone cream and mix through with a wooden spoon, crushing some of the berries to release the juices.

Spoon the mascarpone cream onto a serving plate and place a pastry disc on top to serve.

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Rosemary Chocolate Truffles

March 5, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

160g + 160g chocolate, chopped
5ml butter
30ml milk
80ml desiccated coconut
80g chocolate cake, crumbled
65g icing sugar, sieved
20g pecan nuts, chopped
15ml rosemary, very finely chopped
16 sprigs of rosemary

Add 160g chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then until completely melted and smooth.
Take off the heat and stir in the milk.
Add the coconut, cake crumbs, icing sugar, pecan nuts and rosemary and stir to mix.
Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes.
Scoop 15ml portions into your hands and roll into balls.
Place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until set.
Scewer each truffle with a rosemary sprig.
Add the remaining 160g chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Dip the truffles into the melted chocolate and place them back onto the baking tray to cool.
Stand the truffles at room temperature until the chocolate has set, before serving.

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Garden Pea Pie

March 3, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 x 400g rolls of puff pastry
250ml grated Ementhal cheese
310ml cream
4 eggs
250ml frozen peas, defrosted
5ml salt
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water beaten together

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 26cm diameter pie dish with cooking spray.
Line the bottom and sides of the dish with one of the sheets of pastry. Trim the sides to make it neat and prick the bottom with a fork.
Line the pastry with baking paper, weigh it down with rice/beans and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Turn your oven down to 180℃.
Add the cheese, cream, eggs, peas, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell.
Place the second roll of puff pastry on a work surface and cut a 27cm diameter circle from it to form the pie’s lid. Decorate the lid with cut-outs from the scrap pastry if you like.
Place the pastry lid on the pie and lightly brush with the egg wash.
Place the pie in the oven and bake for 50minutes. Start watching the colour of the pastry after 25 minutes or so and place a piece of aluminium foil on top of the pie if it is browning too quickly.
Take the pie from the oven, let it stand for 10minutes and serve.

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Easy Potato and Bacon Pie

March 2, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg potato, peeled and diced
2 onions, sliced
250g bacon, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
250ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml cream
125ml chicken stock
5ml salt
5ml smoked paprika
1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 200℃.

Place the diced potato in a large saucepan with water and cook until just soft. Drain and set aside.
Add some vegetable oil to a pan set over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bacon and cook until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Take from the heat and set aside to cool.
Add the cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the cream and stock and add the salt, paprika and bacon and onion mix.
Stir to mix and spoon into a 28cm x 20cm ovenproof dish.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and cut shapes from it with a biscuit cutter.
Place the pastry pieces side-by-side on the pie filling and brush with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 25minutes or until golden.
Serve the potato pie straight from the oven.

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Udon and Dumplings

February 29, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

15ml tahini paste
15ml sesame oil
15ml miso
15ml soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
5ml grated ginger
500ml chicken stock
250ml milk
200g udon noodles
frozen dumplings, defrosted
30ml black sesame seeds
45ml chopped chives
chilli oil

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the tahini, sesame, miso, soy, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for one minute or so.
Add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously. Keep going until all the stock has been added.
Pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a slow simmer.
Add the udon noodles, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the dumplings, place the lid back on and cook on a low heat until warmed through.
Scatter over the sesame seeds and chives and drizzle with chilli oil to serve.

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Marshmallow Popcorn

February 27, 2024February 26, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 x 250ml popcorn (about one and a half bags of microwave popcorn)
salt (optional)
125ml butter
125ml brown sugar
220g marshmallows

Add the popcorn to a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle over some salt. Set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to a saucepan set over medium heat and stir until both the butter and sugar has melted completely.
Add the marshmallows and keep moving everything around until you have a thick, runny mixture.
Take off the heat and pour over the popcorn. Mix the popcorn until it is evenly covered in the marshmallow mixture.
Best eaten when slightly warm but almost as good at room temperature!

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Dressed-up Chicken Pie

February 25, 2024February 24, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6-9 chicken breasts, skin removed
1 litre chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml turmeric
15ml chicken spice
15ml salt
10ml thyme leaves
250ml greek yoghurt
1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Cut the chicken into chunks and add it to a large saucepan.
Pour in the stock and add enough additional water to cover the chicken.
Bring to a simmer and cook for one hour.
Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid. (This will ensure you have juicy, tender chicken for your pie!)
When it is cool enough to handle comfortably: drain and discard the liquid and pull the chicken meat into shreds.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Put a saucepan over medium-high heat and add a splash of oil.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the turmeric, chicken spice, salt, thyme, yoghurt and shredded chicken and simmer for 20 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a 20cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and allow to cool.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and cut long strips from it that is 2cm wide.
Lay two strips over the cooled chicken, forming an X. Lay another two strips 3mm to the outsides of the X-shape. Keep going until the chicken is covered in a non-weave lattice pattern.
Use a flower shaped cookie cutter to cut multiple pastry flowers and stick them onto the lattice by wetting only with water.
Brush the decorated pastry with egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm with a salad.

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Savoury Puff Pastry Slices

February 24, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g roll puff pastry
pea shoots or any other soft herbs (you may press them for an hour or so before using but it isn’t necessary)
250g cream cheese, room temperature
250g frozen peas, defrosted
15ml finely chopped mint leaves
15ml finely chopped chives
a good pinch of salt

Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut an extra sheet of paper and set aside.
Place the lined baking sheet on a work surface and unroll the pastry directly onto it.
Trim the sides of the pastry so that you have a perfect rectangle.
Divide/cut the pastry in half lengthwise.
Mark the pastry, in its length, at 6cm intervals, so that you can cut it into rectangular discs.
NB: Cut the discs but do not move them apart – the sides will stay straight this way.
Lay the pea shoots/herbs all over the pastry and place the extra sheet of baking paper on top.
Flip the pastry over (keep it between the baking paper) so that the herbs face down. Refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Add the cream cheese, peas, mint, chives and salt to a bowl and mix together. Set aside.
Take the pastry from the refrigerator and place another baking sheet on top of the baking paper.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Spread the pea-cream cheese on to half the pastry rectangles and place another rectangle on top.
Serve the pastry slices at room temperature.