easy recipes – My Whisk and I

Brie and Caramelised Apple Galette

November 30, 2025by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sheet puff pastry
2 x 125g brie cheese (or camembert)
2 apples, sliced into 0.5c slices
45ml honey
45ml butter, melted
thyme

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the puff pastry on the baking sheet and cut it to an oval shape.
Place the cheese in the middle of the pastry – cut it smaller so that it sits snuggly together.
Add the honey and butter to a small bowl and whisk together.
Lay a layer of apple slices over the cheese and brush with the honey glaze. Repeat the apple and glaze layers.
Fold the pastry up and over the edges of the cheese and apple – pinch it to get it to stay up and around the filling – it will collapse during baking so it need not be neat.
Bake the galette in the oven for 25 minutes.
Top with fresh thyme and serve.

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Jalapēno Cornbread with Honey Glaze

November 15, 2025November 12, 2025by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml flour
250ml cornmeal/maize meal
60ml sugar
15ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
250ml buttermilk
60g butter, melted
2 eggs
250ml corn kernels
3-4 pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped
125ml grated cheddar cheese

Honey Glaze:
60ml honey
grated zest of 1 lemon
30ml lemon juice

For the cornbread:
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a medium loaf tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Pour the buttermilk, melted butter and eggs into another bowl and whisk together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Add the corn kernels, peppers and cheese and mix to distribute evenly.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and spread it out evenly.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

For the Honey Glaze:
Add the honey, lemon zest and juice to a bowl and whisk together.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Remove the bread from the loaf tin and peel away the baking paper.
Drizzle the glaze over the bread and serve warm.

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Baked rice with walnut, olive and pomegranate salsa

November 8, 2025November 7, 2025by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g basmati rice
50g butter, melted
800ml boiling water
40g + 10g mint leaves, chopped
150g feta, crumbled

Salsa:
40g green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
90g pomegranate seeds
50g walnut halves, roasted and roughly chopped
45ml olive oil
15ml honey
1 clove of garlic, minced

Turn your oven to its highest setting.
Add the rice to an oven dish that measures about 20cm x 30cm.
Sprinkle 2ml salt over the rice and add a few grindings of black pepper.
Drizzle the melted butter over the rice and pour the boiling water into the pan.
Sprinkle the 40g mint leaves over.
Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Add all the salsa ingredients to a bowl and mix together. Put aside.

Remove the rice from the oven and sprinkle the feta over.
Stir the remaining 10g mint leaves through the salsa and spoon the salsa evenly over the rice.
Serve warm as a side dish or as a main.

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Lemon Chicken Orzo

September 28, 2025by Karen Claassen1 Comment

5ml salt
2,5ml black pepper
5ml turmeric
5ml smoked paprika

8 skinless chicken breasts
30ml olive oil

1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5ml Dijon mustard
125ml white wine
250ml orzo
500ml chicken stock
grated zest of one lemon
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt
15ml oregano, chopped
15ml parsley, chopped
190ml feta cheese, crumbed
lemon slices

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 26cm oven dish with cooking spray.
Add the salt, pepper, turmeric and smoked paprika to a small bowl and mix together.
Season the chicken with the spice mix.
Place a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and then the chicken and cook until browned on both sides.
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Keep the pan on the heat but reduce the heat to medium.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for two minutes.
Add the mustard and wine and scrape up any brown bits from the pan. Reduce by half.
Pour the liquid into the prepared oven dish.
Add the orzo, chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and crumbed feta and stir to mix.
Now lay the chicken pieces on the orzo and push them in slightly.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove and scatter over the oregano and parsley and garnish with lemon slices.
Serve warm.

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Potato Flatbread / Schiacciata di Patate

December 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 large potatoes
410ml flour
310ml cold water
30ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
160ml grated parmesan cheese
15ml chopped rosemary

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Slice the potato thinly and set aside.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and whisk in the water, olive oil, salt and grated parmesan.
Whisk the batter by hand for a minute or two, until smooth.
Add the sliced potato to the batter and mix it through by hand, making sure that the slices are coated with batter.
Place hand-full potato slices on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out in an evenly layer with the potato overlapping.
Scatter over the chopped rosemary and some extra grated parmesan cheese.
Bake the flatbread for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice into pieces and serve hot.

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Asparagus Lemon Chicken

October 16, 2024October 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 skinless chicken breasts
80ml flour
30ml olive oil
30ml butter

Sauce:
125g butter
50ml flour
125ml chicken stock
250ml white wine
125ml lemon juice
1 bunch green asparagus, trimmed
125ml grated parmesan cheese
30ml chopped parsley
lemon wedges, to serve

Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.
Season the 80ml flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in it.
Add the olive oil and butter to a pan set over medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes preside and remove from the pan.

For the sauce:
Turn the heat down to medium.
Melt the 125g butter in the same pan and sprinkle the flour over it.
Cook while stirring for one minute.
Add the chicken stock to the pan and whisk the sauce continuously.
Pour in the white wine and lemon juice and stir until blended.
Return the chicken to the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and add the asparagus.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Take the pan from the heat, stir in the parmesan and sprinkle over the chopped parsley.
Serve the chicken with lemon wedges on the side.

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Sago Pudding with apricot sauce and meringue

July 7, 2024July 7, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

80ml apricot jam
30ml apricot juice

1 litre milk
90g sago pearls
70g sugar
60g butter, cubed
1,2ml salt
4 eggs, separated
5ml vanilla
2,5ml ground cinnamon
30ml caster sugar

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Turn off the heat, add the sago, cover with a lid and leave to soak for 90 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and spray a 18cm x 28cm ceramic dish with cooking spray.
Add the apricot jam and apricot juice to a small saucepan and place it over a low heat.
Stir until jam has melted and you have a smooth, amalgamated sauce. Set aside.
Return the milk mixture to a medium-high heat and whisk while bringing to the boil.
Remove from the heat when the sago is translucent.
Add the sugar, butter and salt and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the egg yolks, vanilla and ground cinnamon to a bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle this mixture into the sago while whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ceramic dish and bake for one hour.
Add the egg whites too a clean bowl and whisk with electric beater until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the caster sugar while beating, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.
Remove the sago from the oven and spoon half the apricot sauce over.
Top with the meringue and bake for another 25 minutes.
Serve the sago pudding with the rest of the apricot sauce.

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Weekend Mushroom Brunch

July 3, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 large brown mushrooms
90ml pasta sauce
6 eggs
50g mozzarella cheese, grated
50g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. PLACE THE OVEN RACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OVEN!
Gently break the stalks from the mushrooms and place them on the baking sheet.
Spoon 15ml of the pasta sauce into each mushroom, break an egg on top and season with salt and pepper.
Bake the egg-mushrooms for 10minutes or until set to your liking.
Place a handful of cheese on each egg and grill for another five minutes until the cheese has melted.
Serve warm.

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Chicken-Potato Bake

June 25, 2024June 24, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
100g butter, cubed
125ml milk
15ml olive oil
30g butter
1kg chicken breasts, cut into 3cm pieces
2 onions, chopped
200g bacon, chopped
125ml dry white wine
80ml flour
190ml chicken stock
190 ml cream
250ml frozen peas

Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook until the potato is tender.
Drain and return the potato to the saucepan.
Add the 100g butter and milk to the saucepan and mash the potato until smooth.
Season the mash with salt and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and 30g butter to it.
Cook the chicken chunks in batches until caramelised and brown.
Spoon the chicken into a ceramic oven dish and set aside.
Now add the onion and bacon to the same pan and cook on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and deglaze the pan by pouring in the white wine while stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over and while stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Add the stock a little at a time and then drizzle in the cream.
Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Add the peas, stir through and pour the mixture over the chicken.
Top the chicken with the mashed potato and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

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Traditional South African Green Bean Stew

June 22, 2024June 21, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg cooking lamb (traditionally lamb neck or ribs are used)
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre lamb stock
5 large potatoes, cut into chunks
400g green beans, trimmed to 2cm lenghths
2,5ml white pepper
30ml lemon juice

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil to it and brown the lamb.
Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the tinned tomato, lamb stock and 10ml salt. Add enough additional water to cover the lamb completely.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes.
Add the potato and simmer for 10 minutes.
Now add the green beans and simmer for another 15 minutes or so, until done.
Turn the heat off, add the 2,5ml white pepper and drizzle the lemon juice over the stew.
Give the stew a good mix and serve on rice.