easy recipe – Page 5 – My Whisk and I

Chocolate Brownie Biscuits

November 11, 2022November 10, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These biscuits have a crackly crust and a heavenly chewy, fudge centre and will become one of your favourite chocolate treats! Make sure to bake these with a good quality chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids.

220g dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used coffee flavoured chocolate, you don’t have to but do make sure that your chocolate has at least 70% cocoa solids)
90ml butter, melted
190ml brown sugar
62ml white sugar
2 eggs
190ml flour
60ml cocoa powder, sifted
10ml espresso coffee powder
1,2ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has amalgamated. Take the bowl from the heat and set aside.
Add the eggs, brown sugar and white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat the mixture together at high speed for 3 – 4 minutes.
Turn the mixer speed down to low and pour in the chocolate mixture with the machine running.
Add the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and stir together until well mixed.
Remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients. Fold through with a spatula.
Spoon about 15ml of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for the biscuits to spread.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Cool the biscuits on the baking sheet before storing/serving.

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Matcha Fudge

November 7, 2022November 6, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

170ml condensed milk
30ml matcha powder
360g white chocolate, chopped
2,5ml salt
2,5ml vanilla

Prepare a 20cm x 20cm baking tin by lining it with baking paper.
Pour the condensed milk into a small saucepan and sift the matcha powder over it.
Place the saucepan on a low heat and stir until the mixture is hot.
Add the white chocolate, salt and vanilla.
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and stir continuously until the chocolate has melted completely.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and leave to cool completely.
Refrigerate the fudge for 3 hours or longer.
Slice the fudge and sift over some matcha powder.

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Cottage Potatoes

November 6, 2022November 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 large potatoes
15ml vegetable oil
500g beef mince (ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml tomato paste
15ml flour
30ml Worcestershire sauce
250ml beef stock
45ml butter
1,2ml nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Wash the potatoes and bake them in the oven until cooked. Remove and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the beef and cook until golden brown and any liquid has evaporated.
Add the onion, garlic and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes while stirring.
Sprinkle with the flour and add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.
Bring to the boil while stirring.
Cover, turn the heat down slightly and simmer for 30 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little water.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and set aside.
Turn your oven up to 220℃.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 0,5cm of potato still stuck to the skin.
Place the potato flesh in a bowl and mash until smooth.
Add the butter and nutmeg and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the mashed potato into a piping bag.
Spoon some of the beef into the hollowed potato and pipe some mashed potato over the beef.
Place the potatoes in a baking dish and bake in the oven until warm and golden on top.
Serve with a fresh salad.

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2-Ingredient Caramel Mousse

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

90ml Biscoff spread
300ml cream, cold
(60ml Biscoff spread, if you want a sauce to drizzle over the mousse)

Measure the Biscoff spread into a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
Give it a good stir and wait for the melted spread to cool down and come to room temperature. (when you can not feel a temperature difference when dipping your finger into it!!!)
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until you have stiff but not dry peaks.
Pour the room temperature spread onto the whipped cream and very gently but thoroughly fold it through until no streaks are visible.
Refrigerate the mousse for an hour.
Pipe/scoop into glasses and serve.

Drizzle sauce:
Microwave about 60ml of the spread for 30 seconds, until melted.
Stir the mixture and stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Drizzle over the mousse before serving.

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Chocolate Bread

November 2, 2022November 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you long for slightly warm pain au chocolat directly from a Paris pâtisserie, long no more! This chocolate bread offers real competition! If you battle to understand the finishing instructions, go to my instagram account (karen_claassen) or my YouTube channel, for a demonstration video.

300ml milk

30ml butter

10g instant yeast

80ml sugar

a pinch of salt

850ml cake flour

2 egg yolks

350g chocolate spread

2 egg whites

Put a small saucepan onto the heat and warm the milk in it.

Stir the butter into the milk so that it can melt.

Allow the milk to come to a temperature where you can comfortably keep your finger in it without feeling it is hot.

Sprinkle the yeast onto the milk and give it a good stir. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.

Add the sugar, salt and flour to a large mixing bowl.

Add the yeast mixture as well as the egg yolks and mix to form a rough dough.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to stand until doubled in volume.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into four equal pieces.

Roll the first portion of dough into a circle – I like to measure my circle with the loose-bottom of a 22cm cake tin. This is a real help in getting all the circles/discs to the same size.

Transfer this dough circle onto your prepared baking sheet and spread a third of the chocolate spread as evenly as you can over the dough.

Repeat this process with the other three portions of dough.

Once the last dough circle has been placed onto the stack, you are ready to cut and shape your bread. If you have difficulty in following this process, go to my instagram account or my YouTube channel for demonstration video.

Finishing instructions:

Imagine a 5cm diameter circle as the centrepiece of your dough circles – DO NOT cut through this circle.

Now, if the dough circles were a clock, make an incision from the centre circle on 12 o’clock, 6 o’clock, 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

Half each of the four triangles you have so that you are left with 8 pieces.

Lastly, cut through each of the 8 pieces to end up with 16.

Now lift two pieces that are next to each other, one in each hand, and make two twists in opposite directions. Carefully place these pieces down. Keep going until all of the bread pieces have been twisted and your have a beautifully patterned bread.

Cover the bread with a clean tea towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Whisk the two egg whites with a fork and glaze the bread with it.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.

Serve slightly warm.

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Cauliflower Cake

November 1, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

1,3kg cauliflower (about 2 heads)
80g parmesan cheese, finely grated
90g cornstarch
2 eggs
200g smoked bacon, cut into 1cm pieces
200g mozzarella cheese, grated
60ml dried breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and prepare a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin by spraying it with cooking spray and sprinkling the bottom and sides with breadcrumbs.
Set a large saucepan with salted water over high heat and add the cauliflower florets. Cook until very soft.
Drain the cauliflower, making sure that you get rid of as much moisture as possible and add it to a mixing bowl.
Add the parmesan cheese, cornstarch and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Fry the bacon pieces until slightly crispy on the edges.
Now spoon half the cauliflower mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it evenly.
Add half the grated mozzarella, the bacon and the other half of the mozzarella.
Spoon in the rest of the cauliflower mixture and even it out.
Sprinkle the top with the dried breadcrumbs and drizzle some olive oil over the cake.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Stand the cauliflower cake for 15 minutes before unmoulding it to serve.

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Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

October 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Spicy Pad Thai Noodles

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

750ml chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 red chillies, halved
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml oyster sauce
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh pad thai noodles
2 eggs, soft-boiled, peeled and halved
a handful of sliced green onion

Add the chicken stock, garlic, chillies, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and sesame oil to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.
Add the noodles and gently agitate it with a fork until it comes apart.
Place a lid on the saucepan and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
Spoon the noodles and some of the broth into two serving bowls, add the boiled egg and scatter with the green onion to serve.

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Fondant Potato

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Fondant potatoes are delicious but quite cheffy to make… I have taken out the chewiness without compromising on any taste. Less fiddling and a delicious, stress-free side-dish!!

45ml vegetable oil
5 large or 10 medium potatoes
45g butter
a handful of thyme
250ml chicken/vegetable stock

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Peel the potatoes and slice off the rounded ends. Now half the potato so that you have 2 cylinders off at least 4cm in height when they stand on a flat/cut side. (not more than 5cm)
Place a cast iron pan on medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
Arrange the potatoes, flat side down in the pan and cook until golden – about 6 minutes.
Flip them around onto the other flat side and brown this side as well – about 6 minutes.
Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt.
Add the thyme (be careful it will spit!) and baste the potato with the butter.
Pore the stock around the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Place a lid on the pan and bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Check that the potatoes are tender by inserting a sharp knife – if not, bake another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and fresh sprigs of thyme and serve immediately.

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Enoki Quiche

October 24, 2022October 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300g enoki mushrooms
45ml butter
1 packet puff pastry
4 eggs
250ml sour cream
250ml cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 23cm diameter loose-bottom pie tin with cooking spray.
Put a frying pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Add the butter, wait for it to melt and then add the mushrooms. Fry until golden.
Take the mushrooms from the heat and set aside.
Line the prepared pie tin with the pastry and prick the base all over with the tines of a fork.
Line the pastry case with baking paper and dry beans and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the beans and paper and bake the shell for another 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 180℃.
Add the eggs and sour cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Scatter the enoki mushrooms over the base of the pastry shell and pour the egg mixture over.
Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake the quiche for 40 minutes.
Serve warm (not hot!) with a salad on the side.