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Biltong Quickbread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Biltong Quickbread
Biltong Quickbread

500ml flour
15ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
250ml buttermilk
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil
200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
150g biltong, sliced and chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 22cm x 12cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil to a jug and whisk together.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Stir with a spatula until you can’t see any dry flour.
Add the cheddar and biltong and stir really well so that the ingredients are distributed evenly.
Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and level out the top.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.
Cool the bread in the baking tin for 15 minutes.
Remove from the tin and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

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Condensed Milk Cupcakes

by Karen Claassen1 Comment on Condensed Milk Cupcakes
Condensed Milk Cupcakes

125g butter, cubed
1 x 385g can condensed milk
5ml vanilla
300g self-raising flour
2 eggs
250g mixed berries
icing sugar, to dust

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Add the butter and condensed milk to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat.
Stir the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.`
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and pour the mixture into the flour.
Whisk the eggs together with a fork and add this to the mixture as well.
Fold through until the ingredients are just combined.
Set aside 24 of the berries and add the rest to the batter. Fold through.
Spoon the batter into the paper cups and press two berries into the top of each.
Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and tin and cool on a cooling rack.
Sift some icing sugar over to serve.

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Chocolate Biscuit Slice

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chocolate Biscuit Slice
Chocolate Biscuit Slice

200g plain sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
395g can condensed milk
290g dark chocolate, chopped

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the biscuits to a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb.
Drizzle in the melted butter and add 80ml of the condensed milk.
Pulse until the mixture is combined.
Spoon into the prepared tin, smooth the surface and set aside.
Add the rest of the condensed milk to a heatproof bowl and add the chopped chocolate.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted.
Stir the mixture well and pour over the biscuit base.
Spread it out into an even, smooth layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Remove from the tin and slice into squares.

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Honey-Mustard Smashed Potato

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Honey-Mustard Smashed Potato
Honey-Mustard Smashed Potato

700g – 1kg small potatoes
45ml olive oil
60ml mayonnaise
60ml wholegrain mustard
30ml honey
5ml white wine vinegar

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray an oven tray with cooking spray.
Cook the potatoes until just done, but fully cooked.
Add the mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, honey and white wine vinegar to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Smash each potato down with a flat-bottom coffee mug and place them in the oven tray.
Drizzle the olive oil over and season with salt.
Spoon half the honey-mustard dressing on to the potatoes.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Flip the potatoes over, spoon the rest of the dressing over and bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

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Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus
Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus

Meatballs:
1 kg beef mince
100g panko breadcrumbs
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml ground cumin
10ml salt
1 egg
150ml olive oil

Hummus:
1 x 400g can chickpeas
60ml smooth peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt

Green paste:
75g kale, white stalks removed
75g baby spinach
75ml olive oil

100g salted peanuts

For the meatballs:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix through with your hands.
Shape into 50 meatballs and place them evenly spaced on an oiled baking tray.
Refrigerate for one hour.

For the hummus:
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and blitz with an emersion blender until smooth.

For the green paste:
Blanche the kale and spinach in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold running water until cooled down.
Squeeze out the liquid and place in a small bowl.
Blitz with an immersion blender until you have a paste.

Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Remove the meatballs from the refrigerator and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, giving it a turn/shake half-way through baking time.
Spoon the green paste into the hummus and mix through.
Spread the green hummus on a serving platter, arrange the meatballs on top and sprinkle with the peanuts.
Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

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Lamb Pot Pies

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Lamb Pot Pies
Lamb Pot Pies

A perfect meal to put together with leftover roast lamb. This recipe yields 6 individual pot pies.

30ml vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
30ml flour
5ml smoked paprika
500ml lamb stock
30ml tomato paste
30ml Worcestershire sauce
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in to small cubes
600-700g leftover roast lamb, chopped
30ml finely chopped rosemary
1 sheet puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml cold water, whisked together

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the oil.
Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Sprinkle the flour and paprika over and stir-fry for another minute.
Add the stock slowly and a little at a time while stirring constantly.
Now add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, potato, lamb and rosemary.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the vegetables are done. (Add some water if needed)
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Spoon the lamb mixture into 6 individual ovenproof ramekins.
Lay the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface, turn a ramekin over on it and cut 6 rounds from the pastry.
Place the pastry discs on the lamb filling and press the edges to seal.
Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Serve the pot pies piping hot.

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Quick Plum Pastries

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Quick Plum Pastries

125g cream cheese, room temperature
45ml sugar
8 plums, sliced
2 sheets puff pastry
egg wash: one egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together
250ml icing sugar, sifted
15-30ml boiling water

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the cream cheese and sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth.
Lay the pastry sheets flat and cut each into 4 squares.
Lay the 8 squares on the baking sheet and spoon a dollop of the cream cheese mixture on each.
Spread it out and lay a sliced plum on the cream cheese.
Fold the opposite corners of the pastry square over, dab with a few drops of water and press together lightly.
Brush the pastries with the egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Cool on a cooling rack.
Add the icing sugar to a small bowl and add 15ml water. Mix together and add the rest of the water a little at a time so that you end up with a very thick glaze.
Drizzle the glaze over the pastries and set aside for 15 minutes before serving.

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Jam Squares

by Karen Claassen2 Comments on Jam Squares
Jam Squares

Yields about 35 squares.

250ml sugar
250g butter, cubed
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
10ml baking powder
750ml flour
125ml apricot jam

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a swissroll pan (32cm x 22cm) with cooking spray.
Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until creamy.
Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute.
Scrape the mixture down and mix again.
Add the salt, baking powder and flour to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and add a few spoons of flour at a time, allowing time for it to integrate into the mixture before adding more flour.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and divide in two portions.
Press the one portion of dough into the swissroll pan and even it out with your hands.
Spoon the apricot jam on top and spread it evenly over the dough layer.
Push the other portion of dough through a coarse grater, as though you are grating it. The dough is very soft and you will have to push it through with the heel of your hand and then spread it evenly over the jam layer.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Slice into squares or fingers once cold and store in an airtight container.

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Easy Fudge

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Easy Fudge
Easy Fudge

This may not be the best looking fudge but on boy, it delivers on taste…!

100g butter
750g caster sugar
1 x 385g can condensed milk
150ml milk
2,5ml vanilla

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside.
Add the butter, caster sugar and condensed milk to a medium-large saucepan and place over a medium to low heat.
Allow the butter to melt.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer for 25 minutes while stirring regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the saucepan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the vanilla and whisk for 5 minutes with an electric whisk. You are cooling the mixture down and want it to be really thick.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and level the top.
Set aside to cool for an hour and cut into squares.