Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

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.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Chicken Roll-Ups

These roll-ups are the kind of food we graze on in summer. Pack a huge platter full of them, mix an exotic cocktail and sit back and relax.

4 tortilla wraps
250g cream cheese
190ml pickled sweet peppers, chopped
500ml grated cheddar cheese
625ml finely shredded chicken meat (leftovers are perfect!)
a small bunch of chives, chopped
salt and pepper

Add the cream cheese, pickled peppers, cheddar, chicken and chives to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Divide the mixture between the four wraps and evenly spread it right to the ends so that it is completely and evenly covered.
Roll the wrap as tight and evenly as you can and slice into discs.
Arrange on a platter to serve.

2-Ways with Camembert

2-Ways with Camembert

Baked Camembert:
1 roll puff pastry
1 Camembert cheese
egg wash: an egg yolk + 30ml water whisked together
125ml fruit jam of your choice (I used strawberry)
45ml water

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the puff pastry on the prepared baking sheet and sit the camembert on top. Cut a circle around the cheese with a border of about 1 cm.
Lay the rest of the pastry on a work surface and cut into 1cm wide strips, about 15cm long.
Now lay the strips over the cheese so that it forms a latticed pattern. (See video). The pastry should cover the cheese without any gaps.
Trim off the excess pastry and brush the covered cheese with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Add the jam and water to a small saucepan over a low heat.
Stir the jam and allow to melt so that it easily runs off a spoon.
Pour/drizzle the sauce over the baked cheese and serve with crackers or a crusty bread.

Brûleé Camembert:
1 camembert cheese
30ml – 45ml brown sugar
fresh grapes, halved
125ml fruit jam of your choice
45ml water

Cut away the top rind of the cheese so that it lifts off like a lid. Remove this rind and discard.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the cheese and brûleé with a blow torch until it bubbles.
Place the camembert on a serving plate and pile the grapes on top.
Melt the jam and water together and drizzle over the grapes and cheese.
Serve with crackers or a crusty bread.

Cream-Cheese-Board

Cream-Cheese-Board

This cheeseboard is a brilliant way of entertaining friends and family with the absolute minimum effort! The cream cheese is used as a base and smeared onto a wooden serving board and then topped with crunchy, punchy bits and bobs. One 250g tub of cream cheese should provide you with enough to feed 4 people as a snack with cocktails or even as a nibble before a meal.

250g tub of cream cheese (I used a chive flavoured cheese)
red onion, finely chopped
chives, chopped (garlic chives are especially good)
fried onion bits (mine was store bought but feel free to make them yourself)
pomegranate seeds
lemon zest
honey for drizzling over
edible flower to make everything look pretty

Smear the cream cheese onto a wooden serving board.
Sprinkle over the onion, chives, fried onion, pomegranate seeds and lemon zest.
Drizzle a small amount of honey over and finish off with a few pretty edible flowers.
Serve with crackers and cocktails.

Soy Sauce Eggs

Soy Sauce Eggs

These marinated eggs are delicious as a healthy snack or added to any asian dish and theeeee perfect companion for a slurpy bowl of noodles!! Serve them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between..

190ml warm water
190ml soy sauce
25ml vinegar
80ml honey
6 eggs

Add the water, soy sauce, vinegar and honey to a jug and whisk together to blend the ingredients. Set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a spoon and cook for 7 minutes, or to your liking.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and keep on the side.
Transfer the eggs to the ice bowl after the 7 minutes. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle it is really easy to peel them when kept under the cold water.
Place the peeled eggs in a container and pour the marinate over.
Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. The eggs must be submerged in the marinade – place a weight on top to keep them covered in the liquid.
Remove from the soy mixture, slice and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs to serve.

The eggs in these photographs were marinated for 24 hours – very dark colour and strong umami taste!!

Potato Croquettes / Aardappel Kroketten

Potato Croquettes / Aardappel Kroketten

The word croquette is derived from the French word croquer which means “to crunch” and that is exactly what these potato bites are: a soft, cloudy potato with a heavenly crunch on the outside. Makes about 50 balls and is an excellent way of using leftover mashed potato.

4 x 250ml mashed potato
125ml Dutch smoked sausage or chorizo sausage, finely chopped
150g cheddar cheese, grated
45ml chives, chopped
5ml garlic powder
2 eggs
250ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying

Scoop the mashed potato into a mixing bowl.
Add the chopped sausage to a dry pan and cook until done and slightly crisp on the edges.
Add the sausage, cheese, chives and garlic powder to the mashed potato and mix through.
Scoop about 15ml of the mixture into your hand and shape into a firm ball. Place the balls on a baking tray. Keep going until there are no mix left.
Refrigerate the potato balls for at least one hour, it will be easier to work with.
Add the eggs to a shallow bowl and whisk to break it up.
Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl.
Now dredge the balls through the egg and then the breadcrumbs to cover evenly and completely.
Warm the oil and fry the balls in small batches until beautifully golden and crisp.
Serve the croquettes with a good mayonnaise or mustard.

Beer and Cheese Pies

Beer and Cheese Pies

If you have ever been to Oktoberfest, this is the taste version!!

1 packet phyllo pastry
125g butter, melted
190ml cream cheese, room temperature
83ml beer
30ml granulated mustard
2,5ml garlic powder
190 ml grated Boerenkaas (or Gouda)
190ml grated Cheddar cheese
1 egg

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and brush a 12-hole muffin tin with the melted butter.
Lay the phyllo sheets flat on a large chopping board and cut it into six squares – all the sheets at once.
Brush the top sheet with melted butter.
Lay a phyllo square into a muffin hole and pat it down.
Lay another square at an odd angle onto the first and pat it down. Finish the phyllo cup with a third layer of pastry.
Fill all 12 muffin holes in the same way and set aside.
Add the cream cheese and half the beer to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
Stir the mixture until the cheese has melted.
Add the rest of the beer, stir and lower the heat.
Add the mustard and garlic powder.
Add a small amount of the grated boerenkaas and cheddar and wait for it to incorporate and melt into the mixture.
Keep adding small amounts of cheese and stirring until all cheese are incorporated.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk until completely smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg to the mixture and whisk to incorporate.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared phyllo cups and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. The tops should be slightly burnt.
Serve the tarts warm or at room temperature with an ice cold beer.

Warm Artichoke Dip/Spread

Warm Artichoke Dip/Spread

1 can/bottle water-packed artichoke hearts, drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
45ml mayonnaise
250ml grated mature cheddar cheese
30ml lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to mix, but be sure to keep some texture of the artichoke.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Spoon the mixture into a small ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Serve with vegetable sticks, freshly baked bread or crackers.

Fried Aubergine (Eggplant/Brinjal)

Fried Aubergine (Eggplant/Brinjal)

This recipe is enough for one large aubergine – adjust according to how many people you need to feed.

1 egg
2,5ml salt
80ml cornstarch
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm thick slices
250ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
lemon wedges

Beat/whisk the egg and salt together in a small, shallow bowl and set aside.
Measure the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another.
Dredge each slice of aubergine in cornstarch, then in egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing down onto the crumbed slices to help the breadcrumbs stick.
Place the coated aubergine slices on a wire rack for 20 minutes so that the coating can dry out and set.
Pour about 0,5cm of vegetable oil into a shallow saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Fry the slices in batches for 2 minutes per side.
Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and season with salt and pepper while warm.
Serve the fried aubergine with a squeeze of lemon and a dipping sauce if you like.

Caramelised Onion Dip

Caramelised Onion Dip

This dip is delicious with veg, potato chips, breadsticks and even on a slice of sourdough. Yields about 500ml.

1 batch Caramelised Onions (search on this blog)
250ml greek yoghurt
125ml mayonnaise
2,5ml garlic powder
fresh, chopped herbs
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together.
Store leftover dip covered in the refrigerator.