delicious – Page 59 – My Whisk and I

Biscuit Brownies

June 23, 2021June 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is an old favourite which most of us have eaten in one form or the other. The addition of the chocolate layer on top adds a creaminess and turns a kids-party-favourite into an adult snack! Keeps well in a sealed container at room temperature.

2 X 200g packets plain biscuits
250g butter
60ml condensed milk
30ml golden syrup
45ml cocoa powder, sifted
30 sugar
160g dark chocolate; I used De Villiers Dark Chocolate, Intense
160g white chocolate; I used De Villiers White Chocolate, Raspberry, Vanilla and Almonds

Line two 20cm X 20cm baking tins with baking paper.
Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Pour the biscuit pieces into a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter, condensed milk, syrup, cocoa powder and sugar to a small saucepan and melt together over a low heat.
Stir the mixture until completely smooth and amalgamated.
Pour the runny mixture onto the biscuit pieces and mix well, making sure that all the pieces are covered in it.
Divide the mixture between the two prepared baking tins and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Press down to compact the mixture.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and add it to a heatproof bowl that sits on a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is melted. Pour onto one of the baking tins with brownies.
Repeat the process with the white chocolate and pour over the other batch of brownies.
If you want to prettify the brownies with edible flowers, now is the time!
Place the two baking tins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Slice before serving.

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Harissa with Fresh Chillies

June 15, 2021June 4, 2021by Karen Claassen2 Comments

Harissa paste is made from a blend of North-African spices and particularly from dried chillies. This recipe is adapted to make use of fresh chillies and for you to be able to adjust the heat according to your taste. Brush the paste onto any food that you want to add flavour to before cooking. Makes about 200ml. Keep refrigerated.

2 red bell peppers (sweet peppers)
2 red chillies
1 clove garlic
15ml tomato paste
15ml red wine vinegar
15ml smoked paprika
5ml salt
15ml coriander seeds
15ml caraway seeds
15ml cumin seeds

Roast/char the red peppers, remove the skin and seeds and add the flesh to the bowl of a food processor.
Chop the chillies and add it to the peppers.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt.
Put a dry frying pan onto medium-high heat and toast the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds for 2 minutes. Shake the pan often to prevent the seeds from burning.
Grind the seeds and add to the rest of the mixture.
Process to a smooth paste.
Now taste the mixture and adjust according to taste. You may add more chopped chillies if you prefer more heat.
Spoon the harissa paste into a glass container and pour a small amount of vegetable oil on top.
Keep in the refrigerator.

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Lemon-Glazed Ricotta Cakes

June 11, 2021June 4, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These tiny ricotta cakes with their zesty glaze are on my top 5 list of favourite eats!! The ricotta gives the cakes a fluffy, light, melt-in-the-mouth feel and the glaze adds a citrus punch that draws all the flavours together! Makes about 18 cakes/biscuits.

625ml flour
5ml baking powder
5ml salt
100g butter, room temperature
500ml sugar
2 eggs
420g ricotta cheese (you can make your own by following my recipe for Homemade Ricotta)
45ml lemon juice
the zest of one lemon

Lemon glaze:
375ml icing sugar
45ml lemon juice
the zest of one lemon

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on a high speed for 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer speed down to medium and add the eggs one at a time.
Add the ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Turn the mixer onto its lowest speed and add the flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time. Keep going until you have added all the flour.
Spoon about 30ml (one large tablespoon) of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. The dough is very sticky but use your finger to shape/mould the dough into what resembles a circle/round mound – do not flatten it! Space the dough mounds about 5 cm apart as it will flatten slightly and spread during baking.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.

For the lemon glaze:
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.
Spoon about half a teaspoon of the glaze onto each cooled cake.
Allow to become hard – about 2 hours.

Keep the cakes in a sealed container at room temperature.

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Chocolate Cake with Pinot Noir Glaze

June 9, 2021June 6, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a glorious, genuine dark chocolate cake with an intense chocolate and red wine glaze. I use a Pinot Noir red wine as the berry notes mix perfectly with the dark chocolate aromas.

220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped
250ml sugar
200g butter, cubed
4 eggs
3,7ml salt
83ml flour

Glaze:
220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped
62ml butter, cubed
2,5ml salt
125ml icing sugar
125ml pinot noir or any other red wine

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease and flour a loose-bottom cake tin of 22cm in diameter.
Add the chocolate, sugar and butter to a heatproof bowl and set it oven a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir the mixture for 3 minutes or until melted and remove from the heat. Keep on stirring until the chocolate is completely smooth.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Set the mixer onto medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time.
Turn the mixer onto its highest speed.
Keep beating on high speed until the mixture has a very thick, mousse-like consistency.
Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the salt and flour. Mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60 minutes.
It is important to test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake’s centre and checking that it comes out clean. If the toothpick/cake tester is sticky, bake the cake for a few minutes longer and test again.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Cool the cake in the tin.

For the glaze:
Add the chopped chocolate, butter and salt to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water.
Stir for 3 – 5 minutes until melted.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan.
Sift the icing sugar directly into the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
Add the red wine to a small saucepan and place on the heat to warm the wine.
Remove the wine from the heat as soon as small bubbles start appearing at the edges of the pan.
Drizzle the wine into the chocolate mixture while whisking continuously until all the wine is incorporated.
Set the glaze apart for about 10 minutes so that it can thicken.
Place the cold cake onto a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet and pour the glaze evenly over the cake.
Allow the glaze to set – about 2 hours.

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Orange and Honey Sweet Potato

June 8, 2021June 4, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Whenever I eat this sweet potato dish with honey and orange, I am reminded of the city of Casablanca with its sweet smells and the aroma of cinnamon drifting in the air after another very warm day!!

4 – 6 large sweet potatoes
50g butter
62ml brown sugar
62ml honey
62ml orange juice
the zest of one orange
2,5ml salt
2,5ml ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Scrub the sweet potato, cut into chunks and add them to an ovenproof dish.
Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, zest, salt and cinnamon to a small saucepan and melt together.
Pour the mixture over the sweet potato chunks and stir through so that all of the potato is covered in the sauce.
Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked and slightly charred and the sauce is syrupy.
Serve warm.

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No-fuss Chocolate Truffles

June 3, 2021May 31, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

l make these truffles from cake off-cuts and sometimes from a slice or two of left-over cake. They are somewhere between a cake-pop and a traditional chocolate truffle but believe me, they are delicious and very more-ish!

160g De Villiers chocolate, chopped
5ml butter
30ml milk
80ml desiccated coconut
330ml cake crumbs (blitz two slices of cake in a food processor)
62ml icing sugar
20g almonds, chopped

For rolling the truffles:
A handful of the following
almonds, very finely chopped
desiccated coconut
cocoa powder
dried rose petals
icing sugar

Add the chocolate, butter and milk to a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan with simmering water to melt. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture amalgamated.
Take the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir in the coconut, cake crumbs, icing sugar and chopped nuts. Keep mixing until all the ingredients are completely covered with chocolate.
Roll the mixture into balls the size of walnuts and then roll them through the almonds/coconut/cocoa/rose petals/icing sugar.
Keep the truffles in a sealed container at room temperature.

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Tripe

June 2, 2021May 31, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Tripe is eaten all over the world but in South Africa it is often served as a curry. Also known as Mogodu or Afval, one is often surprised at the popularity of this traditional dish.

1kg tripe, cleaned
coarse salt
5 litres water
15ml curry powder
10ml ginger powder
15ml turmeric powder
10ml sugar
5ml salt
1 bay leaf
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Put the clean tripe into a large bowl and sprinkle liberally with coarse salt.
Add about half the water and leave to soak for an hour.
Rinse the tripe under running water.
Cut into bite-sized pieces and place in a large saucepan.
Add the remaining water and a tablespoon salt.
Bring the tripe to a boil and simmer for about 3 hours, until tender.
Remove the tripe from the water and set aside.
Pour enough oil into a medium saucepan to cover the bottom.
Add the curry powder, ginger, turmeric, sugar, salt and bay leaf and cook on a low heat for a minute or two.
Add the tripe pieces and stir-fry until the tripe is covered in the spices.
Add the potato chunks and pour enough water into the saucepan to cover the tripe and potato.
Cook on a low simmer for about 40 minutes.
Serve the tripe on rice or a starch of your choice.

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Breadsticks

May 31, 2021May 31, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Breadsticks are delicious and versatile: serve them as canapés, a dip like hummus or as a side to soup.

80g bread flour
5g instant yeast
2,5ml sugar
150ml tepid water

160g bread flour
15ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
1 egg
chopped herbs and/or grated parmesan cheese

Add the 80g flour, yeast, sugar and water to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk the ingredients by hand until you have a smooth mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean tea towel.
Stand the bowl in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.

Add the 160g flour, oil and salt to the foamy-mixture.
Fit the mixer with the dough hook and turn it on to a low speed. Mix for 2 minutes.
Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes).
Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and allow to proof for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Dust a work surface with flour and take the dough from the mixing bowl.
Knead it by hand for one minute.
Portion the dough by cutting it into equal sized pieces. About 16 portions would do but it depends on the length of breadstick you want. (Long is better as you may always cut them in half before baking).
Roll each piece of dough into a log.
To make twists: cut the log lengthwise into two and twist the one around the other.
To make braids: cut the log into three, keep the top end together, and braid as you would hair.
Place the breadsticks onto the prepared tray, brush with egg white and sprinkle with herbs and/or grated parmesan.
Bake the bread for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Serve with soup, hummus, a dip or as a canapé.

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Easy Béarnaise Sauce for steak

May 27, 2021May 23, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

There is nothing like a good, well cooked steak except when it has the perfect sauce to go with it and a classic Béarnaise sauce is always a winner. This is an easy version of the classic that will not split but will deliver on taste.

25g butter
1 small onion, very finely chopped
5ml white wine vinegar
100g crème fraîche
5ml Dijon mustard
2,5ml capers, chopped
a small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and gently cook for 5 minutes.
Add the white wine vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche, mustard and capers.
Serve on a well cooked sirloin steak.

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Pancake Puffs

May 26, 2021May 23, 2021by Karen Claassen1 Comment

These mini cupcakes are little bites of pure happiness and comfort! The recipe yields 24 mouthfuls.

45ml + 125ml sugar
250ml flour
5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
1,2ml salt
190ml cultured buttermilk
5ml vanilla
30g + 75g butter, melted
1 egg
5ml cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 180℃, NO FAN!
Grease a 24-hole mini muffin tin and put aside.
Add the 45ml sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, 30g melted butter and egg to another bowl and whisk together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in a thin stream while whisking to combine.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 12 minutes.
Take the puffs from the oven and leave to stand for about 5 minutes before removing them from the tin.
Pour the 75g melted butter into a small bowl and have a pastry brush ready.
Mix the 125ml sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and mix through.
Brush each puff with the butter and then roll it in the cinnamon sugar.
Serve warm.