cocktail food – My Whisk and I

Crispy Potato Cakes with Smoked Chicken and Grapes

January 21, 2024January 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
60g butter, melted
1 egg yolk

Topping:
15ml horseradish
60ml mayonnaise
60ml sour cream
5ml finely grated lemon rind
300g smoked chicken, sliced
1 small bunch of chives, chopped
red grapes, halved
cucumber strips

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
Add the mashed potato, butter and egg yolk to a mixing bowl and stir together.
Season with salt and pepper and mix again.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it to a 7cm diameter disc.
Place the potato cakes on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 17 minutes, very gently flip them over and bake for another 17 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Topping:
Add the horseradish, mayo, sour cream, lemon rind, chopped chives and a pinch of salt to a bowl and mix together.

Place the potato cakes on a serving platter.
Scoop some of the topping on the cakes and add some of the sliced chicken.
Add some more of the horseradish mixture and top with grapes and cucumber strips.

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Salmon Rillettes

December 10, 2023July 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, chopped
250ml dry white wine
750ml water
5ml whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, zested and juiced
250g fresh salmon, skin removed
125g smoked salmon, chopped
30ml + 30ml butter, cubed and at room temperature
30ml sour cream
45ml dill/parsley, chopped
15ml capers, finely chopped
15ml olive oil

Add half of the chopped onion, all of the white wine, water and peppercorns to a saucepan.
Add the bay leaf and lemon juice and bring the mixture to the boil.
Add the fresh salmon to the liquid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the liquid and allow it to cool. You may discard the poaching liquid.
Gently flake the salmon with your fingers and add it to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 30ml of the butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the remaining onion and cook until soft.
Now add the lemon zest, smoked salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, olive oil, the remaining 30ml butter and the cooked onion to the flaked salmon.
Stir the mixture together to combine evenly but be careful not to mush the salmon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the salmon from the fridge and allow 30 minutes for it to come back to room temperature.
Serve on crostini or crackers.

The salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for three days. Spoon it into a glass jar, melt about 50g of butter and pour over before sealing with the lid.

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Quick Beef Sliders

November 19, 2023October 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 tray of small hamburger/hotdog rolls
horseradish
200g mozzarella cheese, sliced
300g roast beef, sliced
1 jar caramelised onions
150g gruyère cheese, grated
30ml butter, melted
2,5ml garlic flakes
30ml poppy seeds

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a roasting tin with aluminium foil.
Slice the rolls in half horizontally and remove the top section.
Place the bottom half of the rolls in the lined roasting tin. Pack the rolls tightly together, touching.
Spread some horseradish over the bottom halves.
Now lay the mozzarella slices on top.
Cover the mozzarella with an even layer (or two or three) of sliced beef.
Spread a layer of caramelised onion on top and sprinkle over the grated cheese.
Place the top half of the rolls on top.
Mix the melted butter and garlic flakes in a small bowl and brush the rolls.
Sprinkle over the poppy seeds and cover the roasting tin with aluminium foil.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.
Serve the sliders warm.

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Pap and Wors Canapés

June 17, 2023June 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
100g mature cheddar, grated
15ml salt
120g maize meal
30g butter
200g panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
vegetable oil for frying
cooked boerewors, sliced into 3 cm lengths

Place a frying pan on medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft. Set aside.
Pour 750ml water into a saucepan and add the salt. Wait for the water to come to a boil.
Add the maize meal slowly while whisking. Keep whisking until smooth.
Turn down the heat and cook until you have a stiff consistency.
Add the onion, garlic, grated cheddar and butter to the pap and stir through.
Cover with a lid and set aside to cool.
Add the breadcrumbs to a shallow dish.
Add the egg to another shallow dish and beat.
Scoop 15ml of the pap mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball. Keep going until you have no pap mixture left.
Roll each ball in the breadcrumbs, then dip into the egg and roll in the breadcrumbs again.
Heat the vegetable oil and fry the pap balls until golden.
Skewer a pap ball, then a piece of boerewors and another pap ball onto a wooden cocktail skewer.
Serve the pap and wors skewers with a chakalaka sauce on the side.

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Green Olive Tapenade

April 18, 2023April 14, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml green olives, pitted
2 anchovies, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
60ml fresh parsley, chopped
60ml olive oil
15ml capers
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
45ml lemon juice

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend together.
Check whether you’re happy with the texture.
Taste and season with salt, lemon juice and black pepper if needed.
Serve on toasted baguette or crackers as a canapè.

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Honey Roasted Figs

February 24, 2023February 22, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

about 16 ripe, fresh figs
1 large burrata cheese
100g prosciutto
45ml honey
thyme leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Cut off the stem at the top of each fig, stand it upright and cut a cross in the top of each one, but don’t cut through to the base.
Slice the Burrata into slices with a serrated knife ….. as best you can ..
Put about half a slice of cheese into the cross you have cut – you can piece it together as it will melt.
Now lay the prosciutto flat and half each slice in its length.
Thread the ham through and around the fig and place in an ovenproof dish.
Drizzle the honey over once all the figs are done and scatter over the thyme.
Roast the figs for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately as a canapé or an indulgent treat.