canapes – My Whisk and I

Potato Profiteroles

December 29, 2024December 29, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g potato, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme
1 clove of garlic
125g + 125g smoked bacon
1 wheel camembert cheese
125ml milk
60ml butter
5ml salt
125ml flour
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the potato, rosemary, thyme, garlic and enough salted water to cover it. Cook until the potatoes are very soft.
Drain and remove the herbs and garlic.
Pass the potato through a ricer or sieve for a smooth texture and set aside.
Fry 125g of the bacon until crispy and chop into very small pieces. Set aside.
Cut the camembert in half.
Cut one halve into 1cm slices.
Remove the rind from the other halve and chop it into pieces. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the milk, butter and salt to a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the flour and stir vigorously with a spatula until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.
Add half of the mashed potato, the rindless, chopped camembert, chopped bacon and the whole egg. Stir/beat until very well incorporated.
Add the remaining potato and egg yolks and beat by hand until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.
Pipe 2cm rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
Cut the remaining bacon into 1cm pieces. Top the profiteroles with a slice of bacon or camembert.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm.

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Chicken Lollipops

May 25, 2024May 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

9 chicken drumsticks
700g potato, about 5 potatoes
45ml chives, chopped
10ml salt
15ml chicken spice
80g mozzarella cheese, grated
3 eggs
250ml breadcrumbs
sunflower oil for frying

Place the chicken in a large saucepan, cover with stock and cook until the meat falls off the bones. Separate the meat and bones but keep the bones. Set aside.
Cook the potato in salted water until soft and mash until smooth.
Add the chicken meat and potato to a mixing bowl and then add the chives, salt, chicken spice and mozzarella and mix until well blended.
Divide the mixture into 9 equal portions.
Scoop most of one portion (it is quite a big handful!) into your hand, place the end of the chicken bone into the centre with about two thirds of it sticking out, scoop up the rest of the portion of meat and potato and squeeze it together and around the bone with both hands until it sticks.
Place this shaped lollipop on a baking tray and proceed to shape the rest.
Now whisk the eggs together in a shallow bowl and place the breadcrumbs in another.
Dip each of the lollipops in the eggs and then cover with breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Warm the oil in a saucepan and fry the chicken lollipops until golden and crispy on the outside.

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Hummus Wreath

December 24, 2023December 23, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a quick throw-together as a starter or snack board and can easily be made from ingredients you already have in your refrigerator. If you want to make the hummus from scratch you will find a few recipes with slight variations under my search button if you type in HUMMUS.
Quantities are for you to decide and adapt to your taste.

hummus
chopped herbs like chives and parsley
crumbed feta or ricotta
cocktail tomatoes
olive oil to drizzle over before serving

Serve the hummus wreath with crackers or melba toast.

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Dutch Beer Dip

May 9, 2022April 12, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

15ml butter
15ml flour
2,5ml mustard powder
125ml beer
125ml cream cheese
125ml grated Dutch cheese (or cheddar)

Add the butter to a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds while stirring.
Add the mustard powder and stir through.
Pour in the beer in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
Turn the heat to low, stir in the cream and add the cheese.
Stir until completely melted and incorporated as a sauce.
Serve the sauce as a dip with vegetable sticks, pretzels or bread sticks.

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Pea Pesto Tarts

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This pea pesto is vibrant and fresh and makes a fabulous appetiser, snack or starter.

2 packets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, whisked with 15ml water
400g frozen peas
60ml pumpkin seeds
60ml grated parmesan cheese
60ml mint leaves, chopped
60ml basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
15ml lemon juice
5ml salt
black pepper
125ml olive oil
500ml fresh ricotta (Search: Homemade Ricotta if you want to make your own)

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Roll the puff pastry sheets lightly (just to straighten them) and cut each sheet in 6 or 8 equal pieces.
Place the pastry on the baking sheets and score a 1cm border around the edges with a butter/blunt knife.
Whisk the egg and 15ml water together and brush the pastry with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until done.
Remove the pastry from the oven and set aside to cool.
Fill a medium saucepan with water, season with salt and bring to a boil.
Add the frozen peas and blanch them for 1 minute.
Remove the peas with a slotted spoon to a mixing bowl and run cold water over it until cooled completely.
Add two thirds of the peas, all of the pumpkin seeds, parmesan, mint, basil, garlic, lemon juice and salt to the bowl of a food processor and blitz together.
Add the olive oil in a thin stream with the engine running.
Spoon the pesto into a bowl and add the reserved third of peas.
Stir through and taste for seasoning.
Assembly:
Spread ricotta onto each pastry square.
Top with a few dollops of pea pesto, black pepper and parmesan shavings.
Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

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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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Sweet Potato Cakes

November 2, 2021November 2, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

750g cooked and mashed sweet potato (about 4 medium sweet potatoes)
125ml self-raising flour
1 X 375ml can of Corn kernels, drained (you may substitute with cooked corn)
125ml pumpkin seeds
1 egg
2,5ml salt
2,5ml cinnamon
63ml brown sugar
vegetable oil to fry

Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix through.
Place a heavy bottom pan onto medium-high heat and cover the bottom with vegetable oil to heat up.
Scoop a tablespoonful of the mixture into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes before flipping and frying the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Do not overfill your pan as you want the sweet potato to caramelise and fry to a golden, crisp outside. Keep going until all the mixture is used.
Serve the cakes with a dollop of yoghurt and honey.

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Corn Fritters

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Most cooks have a recipe for corn fritters but this is the one to keep AND it takes only 20 minutes to make, from start to finish!! Makes about 20 fritters, depending on the size of each fritter.

375ml flour
15ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
2 eggs
10ml butter, melted
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can sweetcorn
125ml spring onion, finely sliced

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl.
Break the eggs in a small bowl and whisk together. Add to the flour.
Melt the butter in the microwave oven and pour into the flour mixture.
Now add the drained corn kernels, sweetcorn and sliced spring onion and mix everything together until you can not see any flour.
Place a heavy bottomed frying pan onto medium-high heat and cover the bottom with sunflower oil.
Scoop a spoonful of the corn mixture into the pan and flatten slightly so that it takes on a round shape.
Fry a few corn fritters at a time without crowding the pan.
Each fritter will need about two minutes cooking time per side before it is done.
Keep the cooked fritters warm until you have utilised all of the corn mixture.
Serve warm with sour cream or enjoy them plain.