8 croissants 250g cream cheese, room temperature 300g cheddar cheese, grated a small bunch of salad onions, sliced 5ml smoked paprika 500g sandwich ham, small cubes 10 eggs 150ml milk 100ml + 50ml cream 30ml granulated mustard 5ml salt
Cut the croissants in half horizontally and arrange the bottom halves in an ovenproof dish. Add the cream cheese, two thirds of the cheddar, salad onions and smoked paprika to a mixing bowl and mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Divide the mixture between the 8 croissant bottoms and then place the top halves on top. Add the eggs, milk, 100ml cream, mustard, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to a bowl. Whisk the mixture until completely smooth. Pour the mixture around the croissants. Cover the dish and allow to soak at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 180℃. Brush the croissant tops with the 50ml cream and scatter over the rest of the cheese. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
6 hot cross buns, halved 240g cream cheese, room temperature 125ml cream 2,5ml vanilla 160g Biscoff spread 4 bananas, sliced
Toast the halved buns in a dry pan. Add the cream cheese and cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Refrigerate until needed. Add the biscoff spread to a small bowl and warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time, until you have a very soft spread. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on the buns. Slice the bananas and arrange on top. Drizzle with the biscoff spread.
250ml rolled oats 30ml chia seeds 45ml cocoa powder, sifted 45ml honey 80ml milk 125ml coffee, room temperature 2,5ml vanilla a pinch of salt Top layer: 150ml greek yoghurt 30ml honey cocoa powder to dust
Add the oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, honey, milk, coffee, vanilla and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk together for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the top layer by stirring together the yoghurt, honey and vanilla. Spoon half the oats into two serving glasses and top with half the yoghurt mixture. Repeat the oats layer and then top it off with the yoghurt layer. Dust an even layer of cocoa powder on top to serve.
Add the yoghurt, garlic, mint and lemon rind to a small bowl. Season with salt and whisk to mix. Divide the mixture between 2 serving plates and set aside.
Pour the olive oil into a small pan, add the butter and allow to melt over a medium heat. Add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes, Szechuan pepper and cumin to the pan and stir around for a minute or so. Take the pan from the heat and set aside.
Place a saucepan on high heat and fill it 10cm deep with water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a very low simmer. Crack one egg at a time, into a cup and gently slide it into the simmering water. Wait about 20 seconds before adding the next egg. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and set 2 eggs on the yoghurt mixture. Spoon the spicy butter over the eggs and drizzle the rest on the plate. Serve with small pita breads to mop up the sauce.
375ml bran 125ml boiling water 60ml butter, melted 190ml brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 50ml + 200ml buttermilk 6ml bicarbonate of soda 160ml flour 160ml wholewheat flour 2ml salt 250ml desiccated coconut
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Add the bran to a mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over. Stir through. Pour the 50ml buttermilk into a small bowl and sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over. Stir through and set aside. Add the melted butter to the bran and stir again. Now add the sugar, egg and 200ml buttermilk. Pour the bicarb and buttermilk into the mixture and mix through. Add the flour, wholewheat flour, salt and coconut and stir until just mixed. Divide the batter among the paper cases and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and from the muffin tin and cool them on a cooling rack.
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.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Stand a metal cooling rack in the baking sheet. Spread the rashers on the metal rack in the baking sheet and salt them on both sides. Set aside. Mix together the brown sugar, paprika and chilli flakes and spread it evenly onto each rasher. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, remove and flip the rashers. Spread this side with the rest of the sugar mixture and immediately place it back in the oven for another 8 minutes. Flip the rashers once more and bake for another 5 minutes per side, until beautifully browned and crisp. Serve warm.
1 bagel per person 2 eggs 30ml milk a pinch of salt
cinnamon-sugar
Add the eggs, milk and salt to a bowl and whisk together. Slice the bagels in half horizontally and dip each half in the egg mixture. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Fry the egg-soaked bagel for about 2 minutes before flipping it and frying for another 2 minutes. Generously dish the warm bagel halves with cinnamon sugar and serve while warm.
This recipe is for one portion flapjacks = 3-4 average sized flapjacks.
1 very ripe banana, mashed 30ml self-raising flour 1 egg
Add the mashed banana, flour and egg to a small mixing bowl and whisk together with a fork. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a dash of vegetable oil. Spoon the batter into the pan, about three flapjacks at a time and cook until tiny bubbles appear. Flip over and cook for another minute or two. Serve the flapjacks warm with honey and added fruit.
These are the easiest and quickest muffins you will ever put together. Have them for breakfast, brunch or as a lunchbox snack. Yields 12 muffins.
6 eggs 125g cream cheese, room temperature 250ml milk 5ml salt and a few grindings of black pepper
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Add the eggs, cream cheese and milk to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the mixture three-quarter-full in the prepared tin and then fill each with your choice of vegetable. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Suggested fillings: broccoli cubed cheese like feta or mozzarella tomato red onion baby marrow baby spinach leftover chicken or other meat herbs asparagus
My Whisk and I 