BBQ – Page 2 – My Whisk and I

Easy Hash Browns

May 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 large onion
1,2kg potato, unpeeled
100g cheddar cheese, grated
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
10ml garlic salt
60ml butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 25cm x 37cm baking sheet with baking paper.
Grate the onion and potato on the coarse side of a box grater.
Transfer to a clean tea towel. Wrap the grated veg like a candy by twisting both ends. Hold the towel over a sink and wring it as firmly as you can to squeeze out any liquid.
Add the onion, potato, both cheeses and garlic salt to a large bowl and mix through.
Drizzle the butter over the mixture and now mix together with your hands so that all of the mixture is evenly dispersed and covered in butter.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking sheet but do not compact it by pressing down.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Serve immediately.

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Wool Bread with Pesto

May 27, 2023May 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125ml warm milk
5ml instant yeast
625ml flour
45ml sugar
5ml salt
95ml boiling water
30ml butter, room temperature
155ml pesto
30ml milk

Pour the milk into a bowl, sprinkle over the yeast, stir and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Turn the mixer on a low speed and drizzle in the boiling water.
Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed for another 3 minutes.
Add the butter a little at a time with the machine running.
Mix/knead for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for one hour.
Take the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface.
Gently fold the dough until deflated.
Divide into 5 even portions and roll each into a ball. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and rest on the work surface for 10 minutes.
Grease a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. Set aside.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll a dough ball into a 20cm long rectangle.
Cut the bottom half into thin strips. (see Photograph beneath)
Spoon 45ml pesto on the half that isn’t cut and spread it out evenly.
Fold a 1cm edge on the sides, over the pesto and roll that section into a log. Roll over the part that are cut into strips.
Repeat this process with the other 4 dough portions.
Place the logs on the outside perimeter of the prepared cake tin.
Cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm area for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 170℃.
Brush the bread with milk and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stand for 10 minutes and remove from the baking tin.
Cool on a wire rack.
The bread is easily broken into portions and is delicious served slightly warm.

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Dressed up Corn on the Cob

April 20, 2023April 14, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Cook the corn to your liking and then simply dress it up in one of two ways. Both the recipes are enough for 6 – 8 corn on the cob.

Spicy Mexican Corn:
125ml mayonnaise
10ml + 10ml smoked paprika
5ml chilli flakes
5ml salt
125ml grated parmesan cheese
2 lemons

Add the mayonnaise and 10ml smoked paprika to a small bowl and mix through. Set aside.
Add the other 10ml smoked paprika, chilli flakes and salt to another bowl and mix together.
Brush the cooked corn with the mayonnaise mixture, sprinkle over the spice rub and roll the corn in the grated parmesan.
Cut the lemons into quarters and serve with the corn.

Herbed Corn:
60ml parsley, tightly packed
60ml coriander, tightly packed
60ml garlic chives
30ml grated lemon rind
80g grated parmesan cheese
60ml butter, cubed

Chop the parsley, coriander, chives and grated lemon rind together until very fine and spoon into a shallow dish.
Add the grated parmesan to another shallow dish.
Melt the butter and brush it all over the cooked corn.
Roll the corn in the herbs and then in the parmesan.
Serve immediately.

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Green Peppercorn Sauce

April 13, 2023April 7, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This peppercorn sauce can obviously be served with any meat of your choice but is really elevated when made in the same pan as the steaks.

80ml brandy
180ml beef stock
125ml cream
45ml canned green peppercorns

Cook your steak in a cast-iron pan, remove the meat but keep the pan on the heat.
Add the brandy to the hot pan.
Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer for a few minutes while scraping down the pan.
Reduce the brandy by half and until you can no longer smell the alcohol.
Pour in the beef stock, bring to a quick simmer and cook until it has also reduced by half.
Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the cream.
Add the peppercorns and cook for 2 minutes.
Taste and season the sauce with salt and a few good grindings of black pepper.
Serve as needed.

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Corn and Coriander Salad

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

This salad is my new obsession – it is zingy, fresh and everything and more that your tastebuds are craving ..!

8 corn cobs, cleaned
olive oil
80ml mayonnaise
30ml sour cream
80g feta cheese, finely crumbed
45ml lemon juice
finely grated rind of 2 lemons
40g coriander leaves, picked off the stems (it is about an average bunch)
3 spring onions, sliced

Heat a wood-fired grill to medium-high heat.
Coat each corn cob with a thin layer of olive oil and season with salt.
Place the corn on the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Turn them every now and then so that they get a char all over.
Cool slightly and then cut the kernels from the cobs. Set aside.

Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, feta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest to a small bowl.
Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
Spoon half the corn kernels on a serving dish.
Top with half the spring onions and half the coriander leaves.
Drizzle half the dressing over and repeat the corn, spring onion and coriander layers, finishing with a drizzle of the dressing.
Serve the salad at room temperature.

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Tomato and Plum Tart

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 roll butter puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg and 15ml water beaten together
3 large tomatoes
3 ripe plums
15 thyme leaves
15ml honey
250g flavoured cream cheese (I used chive flavour)

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the pastry on the baking paper and cut a 1,5cm strip off each side.
Brush the pastry with some egg wash and lay the strips onto the pastry border.
Prick the inside of the pastry with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes and plums into wedges and place in a mixing bowl.
Drizzle with the honey, season with salt and pepper and scatter the thyme leaves over.
Brush the entire pastry sheet with the rest of the egg wash.
Now spread the cream cheese onto the inside block of the pastry, using the back of a spoon.
Arrange half the tomato and plum mix onto the cream cheese.
Bake the tart in the oven for 30 minutes.
Top the warm tart with the remaining tomato and plums and season once more.
Serve slightly warm.

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Drunken Lamb Chops

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

10ml cornstarch
15ml water
30ml brown sugar
60ml balsamic vinegar
60ml soy sauce
125ml brandy
45ml oyster sauce
60ml sesame oil
30ml rosemary leaves, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
12 – 16 lamb chops

Add the cornstarch and water to a small bowl and stir together.
Add the brown sugar, balsamic and soy sauce to a small saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir the cornstarch again and pour it over the mixture while whisking.
Simmer over a low heat for about 3 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Add the brandy, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rosemary and garlic to the sauce and mix together.
Measure out a third of the sauce and reserve for basting the meat on the grill.
Place the lamb in a shallow ceramic dish and spoon over the rest of the sauce. Marinate for 1 hour.
Grill the chops on a hot fire, 3 minutes a side while basting with the reserved sauce.
Rest covered for 4 minutes.
Serve with a glass of crispy wine.

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Japanese Beef Fillet

March 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

one beef fillet

Marinade:
80ml soy sauce
80ml brown sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml fresh ginger, minced
30ml sesame oil
30ml wasabi paste
5ml fish sauce

Place the fillet in the smallest container that it fits into comfortably.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the fillet.
Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Take the beef from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking it.
* Turn the beef throughout its marinating time so that the entire fillet is covered with marinade.
Cook the fillet on a rotisserie over a medium-warm fire for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Wrap the meat in 2 layers of aluminium foil and rest it for 15 minutes.
Slice the fillet into very thin slices and spoon over the leftover marinade.

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Halloumi Skewers

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These skewers make for a great canapé especially during an evening of outdoor cooking.

500-600g halloumi cheese
1 fresh pineapple
3 red chillies
45ml lemon juice
wooden skewers

Cut the halloumi into 1,5cm blocks.
Peel the pineapple and cube it into blocks the size of the cheese.
Skewer the cheese and pineapple and put aside.
Chop the chillies very fine and add it to the lemon juice.
Grill the skewers on a medium-hot fire until the cheese starts to melt and it is slightly charred.
Remove from the grill and immediately brush with the chilli-lemon dressing.
Serve while warm.

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BBQ Thyme Fillet

January 7, 2022January 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 whole beef fillet
125ml thyme leaves
4 cloves of garlic
10ml onion salt or sea salt
60ml vegetable oil
30ml red wine vinegar

Blitz together the thyme, garlic, onion salt, vegetable oil and vinegar with a stick blender. You are looking for a very thick paste. Set aside.
Dry the beef fillet and tie it up.
Rub the herb paste over the fillet.
Cook on a rotisserie over medium-warm coals for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Cover the cooked fillet with aluminium foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Slice into portions and serve.