Tag: easy desserts

Uncategorized

Chocolate-Dipped Meringue

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chocolate-Dipped Meringue
Chocolate-Dipped Meringue

3 egg whites
190ml caster sugar
7,5ml vanilla
2 x 80g chocolate bars
150g nuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 120℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whisk the whites to soft peaks.
Turn the mixer to high and start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time and waiting for the sugar to be incorporated before adding the next spoonful.
Whisk for 5 minutes or until you have a very stiff, glossy mixture.
Drizzle over the vanilla and fold in with a spatula.
Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.
Pipe dollops of the meringue, spread about 4cm apart, on the two prepared baking trays.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn the oven off but do not open the door for an hour.
Remove the meringues and allow to cool completely.
Break up the chocolate and melt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Dip a meringue in the chocolate and then roll it in the chopped nuts.
Set aside for the chocolate to cool down and set.

Uncategorized

Lemon Curd Pancakes

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Lemon Curd Pancakes
Lemon Curd Pancakes

This entire dish can be put together with store-bought/ready made components. For those of you that like to slave away in the kitchen, here are the recipes.

Butter
8 pancakes/crêpes
lemon curd
125ml cream
icing sugar

Pancakes/Crêpes:
250ml flour
1,2ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
250ml milk
125ml water
62ml vegetable oil
2 eggs

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment.
Add the milk, water, oil and eggs to a jug and whisk together by hand until the eggs are fully incorporated.
Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly drizzle in the milk mixture.
Set the mixer on its highest speed and whisk for 2 minutes.
Take the bowl from the mixer and check whether there are any lumps in the batter. If there are, set a sieve over a large bowl and pour through.
Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rest for an hour.
Place a crêpe pan on medium-high heat, wait for it to warm up and pour a few drops of oil into the pan.
Spoon a soup ladle full of batter into the pan and swirl around to cover the surface.
Cook for a minute or two, flip the crêpe over and cook for another minute or so.
Keep going until you have no batter left.
Cover the crêpes and allow to cool completely.

Lemon curd:
grated zest of one lemon
220g caster sugar
110g butter, cubed
125ml lemon juice, strained (about three lemons)
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Add the zest, sugar and butter to a small saucepan and set over the lowest heat.
Stir the mixture until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Add the lemon juice to the saucepan and stir through.
Now add the egg and keep stirring until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Take the curd from the heat and pour into a glass jar.
Allow to cool completely.

Putting the dish together:
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and butter a ceramic tart dish.
Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of lemon curd on a crêpe and spread it with the back of a spoon.
Roll the crêpe up and place it in the ceramic dish.
Keep going until all the crêpes are filled.
Pour the cream over the pancakes and sift the icing sugar over.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.

Uncategorized

Baked Custards

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Baked Custards
Baked Custards

125ml granulated sugar
5ml instant coffee dissolved in 30ml boiling water
385g can of condensed milk
340ml can of evaporated milk
3 eggs
2,5ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and set 6 ramekins in an ovenproof dish that is at least 7cm deep.
Place a small saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in the sugar and coffee.
Swirl (do not stir!) the saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
Now bring the mixture to the boil and turn the heat down to medium.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Divide the mixture amongst the ramekins.
Set aside so that it can harden.
Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Place a fine sieve over a jug and pour the mixture through.
Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins.
Place the oven dish with the ramekins in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 30 minutes. The custard should be just set, with the centres still wobbly.
Remove from the oven and stand for 15 minutes.
Take the ramekins from the oven dish and set aside to cool.
Place the custards in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
Loosen the custards from the sides of the ramekins with a small knife and invert on plates to serve.

Uncategorized

Ginger Biscuit Cups

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Ginger Biscuit Cups
Ginger Biscuit Cups

500g self-raising flour
10ml cream of tartar
10ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml ground ginger
2ml salt
170g butter, cubed
170g golden syrup
350g brown sugar
2 eggs
12 chocolate balls, halved
250ml cream, whipped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt.
Add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingers. Set aside.
Add the syrup and sugar to a saucepan set of medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has almost completely dissolved. The mixture should be very runny. Cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and add it to the syrup mixture while whisking.
Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly – there should be no dry flour left.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place in the muffin pans. Flatten the balls with your fingers and then make an indent with a small shot glass/the back of a lemon juicer. See video below.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately press the indents like you did before baking.
Place half a chocolate ball in each hollow and set aside to cool.
Top each ginger cup with whipped cream to serve.


Uncategorized

Chocolate Pancakes

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate Pancakes

These pancakes are not cocoa-chocolatey-looking but actually contain real chocolate in the batter!! Whether you serve them with ice-cream, fresh fruit and Chantilly cream or plain, from-the-pan, you will love them! Yields about 12 pancakes depending on the size of your pan.

80g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
250ml + 100ml milk
90ml caster sugar
200g cake flour
100ml water
3 eggs
2,5ml vanilla
butter for frying

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a small saucepan.
Pour in 100ml milk and place on a very low heat.
Stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted completely and remove from the heat.
Add the 250ml milk and caster sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
Pour the water, eggs and vanilla into a jug and whisk it together.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour in a very thin stream while whisking. Pour slowly, whisk quickly …. you don’t want lumps in your batter!
Now whisk in the chocolate mixture in the same way.
Cover the batter with a tea towel and allow to stand for one hour.

Heat a frying/crêpe pan until it is very hot.
Add a knob of butter and swirl it around so that it covers the surface of the pan.
Pour in a ladleful of batter and swirl again to evenly distribute in the pan.
Turn the heat down slightly and cook the pancake for 1 minute.
Turn the pancake over with a spatula and cook for another 30 seconds. (The combination of sugar and chocolate burns really easy!!)
Keep going with the rest of the batter until you have a heavily stack of chocolate pancakes.
Serve warm.

Uncategorized

Crêpes Suzette

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Crêpes Suzette
Crêpes Suzette

This is one of my favourite French desserts and really easy to make. Make the crêpes the day before you need them and simply reheat them in the orange-caramel-syrup before serving.

Crêpes:
750ml cake flour
2,5ml baking powder
5ml salt
500ml milk
250ml water
125ml sunflower oil
4 eggs

Orange sauce:
45ml caster sugar
250ml orange juice
the zest of one orange
5ml lemon juice
15ml brandy
50g butter, cubed

For the crêpes:
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment.
Whisk the milk, water, oil and eggs together in a separate wide-mouthed jug.
Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquid ingredients in a very thin stream. Keep whisking and pouring until all the liquid has been added.
Turn the mixer on to a higher speed and whisk for at least two minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 1 hour.
Heat a crêpe pan/frying pan until hot. Add a small amount of vegetable oil and swirl it around the pan. Pour the oil out and put the pan back onto a medium-high heat.
Spoon a ladle-full of the batter into the pan and cook until small holes appear over the entire surface of the crêpe.
Flip the crêpe and cook for 1 minute on the other side.
Slide the cooked crêpe onto a plate and continue baking the rest.

For the orange sauce:
Tip the caster sugar into a non-stick frying pan on medium to low heat.
Allow the sugar to melt without stirring it. You want the sugar to turn a caramel colour without burning it – watch it like a hawk and do not walk away from it!
Take the pan from the heat when the sugar is brown enough and add the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice and brandy.
Return the pan to a very low heat. Do not panic if the sugar has seized, continue heating over a low heat and stir lightly until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Now start adding the butter, one or two cubes at a time while stirring constantly. Keep going until you have incorporated all the butter.
Bring the mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly and has a lovely gloss to it.

Fold each crêpe into half, and then fold it again so that you have a more-or-less triangular shape.
Gently slide the folded crêpe into the pan and spoon the sauce over it.
Serve immediately.

Uncategorized

Middle-Eastern Rice Pudding

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Middle-Eastern Rice Pudding
Middle-Eastern Rice Pudding

This is fragrant dessert with rose water and honey and is based on the traditional Roz bel Laban. The recipe provides 6 generous portions depending on the size of the glasses or bowls it is served in.

500ml milk
250ml cream
2 cinnamon quills
6 cloves
1,2ml ground cardamon
250ml rice
30ml sugar
500ml water
83ml condensed milk
30ml butter
30ml rose water
honey and pistachio nuts to serve

Add the milk, cream, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon to a saucepan.
Turn the heat on medium and wait for the mixture to come to the boil.
Turn the heat down so that the mixture simmers and add the rice, sugar and water.
Allow the mixture to simmer until the rice is cooked, stirring continuously. This will take 30 – 40 minutes. Do not leave the mixture – keep an eye on it!
Take the saucepan from the heat and add the condensed milk, rose water and butter. Stir thoroughly.
Spoon the rice pudding into glasses or serving bowls.
Drizzle each dessert with honey and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts.
The rice pudding is best served warm.