Uncategorized – Page 41 – My Whisk and I

Goat Cheese Risotto

November 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe feeds 6 adults as a main or 8-10 as a starter.

2l chicken/vegetable stock

45ml butter
45ml olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
400g arborio rice
150ml white wine
200g goat cheese
250g parmesan cheese, grated plus extra for serving

Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan, bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer.
Add the butter and olive oil to a large, wide saucepan set over medium-high heat and wait for the pan to heat up.
Add the onion and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter and oil. Fry the rice for at least 2 minutes.
Pour in the wine and keep stirring until the liquid has evaporated.
Add about half a cup/two soup ladles of chicken stock and simmer until the stock is absorbed. Continue cooking the rice, adding half a cup of stock at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the stock to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
Crumb half of the goat cheese into the mixture and stir through.
Slice the other half of the goat cheese into wheels and brûlée with a blow torch until charred.
Place the goat cheese on the risotto, add some extra butter and serve immediately.

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Chocolate Brownie Biscuits

November 11, 2022November 10, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These biscuits have a crackly crust and a heavenly chewy, fudge centre and will become one of your favourite chocolate treats! Make sure to bake these with a good quality chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids.

220g dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used coffee flavoured chocolate, you don’t have to but do make sure that your chocolate has at least 70% cocoa solids)
90ml butter, melted
190ml brown sugar
62ml white sugar
2 eggs
190ml flour
60ml cocoa powder, sifted
10ml espresso coffee powder
1,2ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has amalgamated. Take the bowl from the heat and set aside.
Add the eggs, brown sugar and white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat the mixture together at high speed for 3 – 4 minutes.
Turn the mixer speed down to low and pour in the chocolate mixture with the machine running.
Add the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and stir together until well mixed.
Remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients. Fold through with a spatula.
Spoon about 15ml of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for the biscuits to spread.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Cool the biscuits on the baking sheet before storing/serving.

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Bran and Coconut Rusks

November 9, 2022November 9, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

I find few things as comforting as a full jar of rusks. It makes for the perfect breakfast with a cup of tea, it serves as a convenient snack in between meals and most of all, I feel that I have provided and put on display, a healthy and delicious snack.

I cut my rusks quite thin – literally like fat fingers! – as my one daughter eat these as one would biscotti!

The recipe makes about 90 pieces which keep for two months in other homes, not in mine!

500g butter

375ml brown sugar

1kg self raising flour

15ml baking powder

10ml salt

500ml digestive bran

500ml desiccated coconut

100ml sunflower seeds

500ml buttermilk

2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 190℃.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the sugar and stir occasionally so that the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and put aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

Add the bran, coconut and sunflower seeds and give the ingredients a stir through.

Add the slightly cooled butter and sugar mixture and mix well with a spatula.

In a separate jug, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and give the mixture another good stir through.

Spray/grease 2 standard roasting trays or baking tins of similar size.

Divide the mixture between the two trays and press firmly down in the trays.

Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown.

You will now be left with what looks like two pans of sheet cakes. Let them cool for 10 minutes after removing them from the oven and then take them out of the roasting trays. Let them cool completely.

Now turn your oven onto 50℃.

Slice into finger sized rusks and pack them half a centimetre apart on a flat baking sheet so that the warm air from the oven can circulate in between and dry your rusks evenly.

It depends on the weather, but I usually dry mine for about 3 hours.

Cool completely and proudly pack the rusks into a beautiful glass jar, and put on display in your kitchen.

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Matcha Fudge

November 7, 2022November 6, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

170ml condensed milk
30ml matcha powder
360g white chocolate, chopped
2,5ml salt
2,5ml vanilla

Prepare a 20cm x 20cm baking tin by lining it with baking paper.
Pour the condensed milk into a small saucepan and sift the matcha powder over it.
Place the saucepan on a low heat and stir until the mixture is hot.
Add the white chocolate, salt and vanilla.
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and stir continuously until the chocolate has melted completely.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and leave to cool completely.
Refrigerate the fudge for 3 hours or longer.
Slice the fudge and sift over some matcha powder.

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Cottage Potatoes

November 6, 2022November 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 large potatoes
15ml vegetable oil
500g beef mince (ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml tomato paste
15ml flour
30ml Worcestershire sauce
250ml beef stock
45ml butter
1,2ml nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Wash the potatoes and bake them in the oven until cooked. Remove and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the beef and cook until golden brown and any liquid has evaporated.
Add the onion, garlic and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes while stirring.
Sprinkle with the flour and add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.
Bring to the boil while stirring.
Cover, turn the heat down slightly and simmer for 30 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little water.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and set aside.
Turn your oven up to 220℃.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 0,5cm of potato still stuck to the skin.
Place the potato flesh in a bowl and mash until smooth.
Add the butter and nutmeg and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the mashed potato into a piping bag.
Spoon some of the beef into the hollowed potato and pipe some mashed potato over the beef.
Place the potatoes in a baking dish and bake in the oven until warm and golden on top.
Serve with a fresh salad.

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2-Ingredient Caramel Mousse

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

90ml Biscoff spread
300ml cream, cold
(60ml Biscoff spread, if you want a sauce to drizzle over the mousse)

Measure the Biscoff spread into a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
Give it a good stir and wait for the melted spread to cool down and come to room temperature. (when you can not feel a temperature difference when dipping your finger into it!!!)
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until you have stiff but not dry peaks.
Pour the room temperature spread onto the whipped cream and very gently but thoroughly fold it through until no streaks are visible.
Refrigerate the mousse for an hour.
Pipe/scoop into glasses and serve.

Drizzle sauce:
Microwave about 60ml of the spread for 30 seconds, until melted.
Stir the mixture and stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Drizzle over the mousse before serving.

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Chocolate Bread

November 2, 2022November 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you long for slightly warm pain au chocolat directly from a Paris pâtisserie, long no more! This chocolate bread offers real competition! If you battle to understand the finishing instructions, go to my instagram account (karen_claassen) or my YouTube channel, for a demonstration video.

300ml milk

30ml butter

10g instant yeast

80ml sugar

a pinch of salt

850ml cake flour

2 egg yolks

350g chocolate spread

2 egg whites

Put a small saucepan onto the heat and warm the milk in it.

Stir the butter into the milk so that it can melt.

Allow the milk to come to a temperature where you can comfortably keep your finger in it without feeling it is hot.

Sprinkle the yeast onto the milk and give it a good stir. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.

Add the sugar, salt and flour to a large mixing bowl.

Add the yeast mixture as well as the egg yolks and mix to form a rough dough.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to stand until doubled in volume.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into four equal pieces.

Roll the first portion of dough into a circle – I like to measure my circle with the loose-bottom of a 22cm cake tin. This is a real help in getting all the circles/discs to the same size.

Transfer this dough circle onto your prepared baking sheet and spread a third of the chocolate spread as evenly as you can over the dough.

Repeat this process with the other three portions of dough.

Once the last dough circle has been placed onto the stack, you are ready to cut and shape your bread. If you have difficulty in following this process, go to my instagram account or my YouTube channel for demonstration video.

Finishing instructions:

Imagine a 5cm diameter circle as the centrepiece of your dough circles – DO NOT cut through this circle.

Now, if the dough circles were a clock, make an incision from the centre circle on 12 o’clock, 6 o’clock, 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

Half each of the four triangles you have so that you are left with 8 pieces.

Lastly, cut through each of the 8 pieces to end up with 16.

Now lift two pieces that are next to each other, one in each hand, and make two twists in opposite directions. Carefully place these pieces down. Keep going until all of the bread pieces have been twisted and your have a beautifully patterned bread.

Cover the bread with a clean tea towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Whisk the two egg whites with a fork and glaze the bread with it.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.

Serve slightly warm.

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Cauliflower Cake

November 1, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

1,3kg cauliflower (about 2 heads)
80g parmesan cheese, finely grated
90g cornstarch
2 eggs
200g smoked bacon, cut into 1cm pieces
200g mozzarella cheese, grated
60ml dried breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and prepare a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin by spraying it with cooking spray and sprinkling the bottom and sides with breadcrumbs.
Set a large saucepan with salted water over high heat and add the cauliflower florets. Cook until very soft.
Drain the cauliflower, making sure that you get rid of as much moisture as possible and add it to a mixing bowl.
Add the parmesan cheese, cornstarch and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Fry the bacon pieces until slightly crispy on the edges.
Now spoon half the cauliflower mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it evenly.
Add half the grated mozzarella, the bacon and the other half of the mozzarella.
Spoon in the rest of the cauliflower mixture and even it out.
Sprinkle the top with the dried breadcrumbs and drizzle some olive oil over the cake.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Stand the cauliflower cake for 15 minutes before unmoulding it to serve.

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Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

October 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sourdough loaf, cut into 1cm slices
60ml olive oil
600g cherry tomatoes, halved
half a red onion, finely chopped
200g goat’s cheese/chevin
100g sour cream
juice of 1 lemon (about 30ml)
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush them with the olive oil.
Toast the bread in the oven for 10 min. Set aside.
Add the halved tomatoes and red onion to a mixing bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add the goat cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and basil leaves to a bowl and whisk together with an electric whisk.
Spread the cheese mixture on the bruschetta, top with the tomato and serve immediately.

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French Chocolate Tart (Tart au Chocolat)

October 30, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Pastry:
250g cake flour
100g butter, cubed
100g icing sugar, sifted
a pinch of salt
1-2 eggs

Crème au chocolat:
170g dark chocolate, chopped
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
25g sugar
170ml + 170ml cream
5ml vanilla

For the pastry:
Add the flour, butter and icing sugar to a food processor and process until the mixture is the size of peas.
Whisk the eggs together and with the engine running, add a few drops of the egg at a time until the mixture JUST comes together.
Fold and push the pastry together with the heel of your hand until it is smooth.
Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm flan tin/loose bottom tart tin with cooking spray.
Roll the pastry out to a 3mm thickness and line the bottom and sides of the baking tin.
Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork and bake blind – lined with baking paper and baking beans – for 20 minutes.
Remove the paper and beans and bake the shell for another 15 minutes.
Remove the tart shell from the oven and allow to cool.

For the filling:
Turn your oven down to 160℃.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water and allow to melt completely.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the whole egg, the egg yolk, sugar and 170ml cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Pour the other 170ml cream into a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
Remove the cream as soon as it boils and wait one minute.
Pour half the cream in a very, very thin stream onto the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour slowly, whisk quickly!!
Now pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and place over a very low heat.
Whisk the mixture until it thickens and has the consistency of custard.
Pour the mixture over the melted chocolate, add the vanilla and stir with a spatula until combined.
Scrape into the tart shell and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for at least 2 hours before serving.