Cook the spaghetti and set aside. Make zucchini strips by placing a zucchini on a chopping board and running a vegetable peeler over the length of it. Pull as many strips as you can, flipping the zucchini from time to time. Keep the zucchini strips aside. Pour a small amount of vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the bacon and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove the bacon and garlic from the pan and set it aside. Pour the cream in the same saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Add the egg yolks one at a time while whisking continuously. Add the parmesan and zucchini strips and simmer for about 2 minutes. Now add the bacon and cooked spaghetti and toss through. Serve the pasta with more grated parmesan and an egg yolk on top.
Preheat your oven to 190℃. Grease 6 ramekins with a minimum capacity of 175ml. Place them on a baking tray and set aside. Pour the cream into a small saucepan over a low-medium heat until just warm. Add the espresso and Kahlúa and stir until the coffee granules are dissolved. Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins. Add the 4 egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat until it forms soft peaks. Now whisk in the sugar, adding a teaspoonful at a time until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and stir until completely melted and silky smooth. Take the chocolate from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir it every now and then so that it cools down. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate and stir through. Stir in a third of the beaten egg white mixture. Now fold in the rest of the whites until no trace of whites are left. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and bake it for 15 minutes. Sift the puddings with cocoa powder (or icing sugar if you want a sweeter pudding) and serve immediately.
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a small loaf tin of 21cm X 11cm with baking paper. Add the butter, sugar, salt and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on to high speed and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and very pale – about 6 – 7 minutes, scraping down once or twice. Add the eggs to a small bowl and whisk together. Run the mixer’s engine on medium-low and add the egg a little at a time, waiting for it to be incorporated before adding more. Now mix the flour and baking powder together and add it in the same way. Scoop half of the batter into a clean mixing bowl and sift the cocoa powder over it. Mix with a spatula until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated – the batter will appear very dry, but keep mixing until it turns brown. Add the vanilla to the half of the batter which you have kept in the mixer bowl and stir through. Spoon 3-4 dollops of the vanilla batter into the baking tin, alternating with the cocoa batter. Keep going until there is no batter left. Lightly pull a butter knife through the batter, stirring-mixing the two colours. Level the top and bake the loaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the baking tin by lifting it out in the baking paper. Allow the cake to cool completely.
For the chocolate glaze: Add all the ingredients to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and stir until melted completely. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Place the cooled cake on a cooling rack and place the cooling rack inside a baking sheet so that the chocolate drips down into it. Pour the glaze over the cake. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least one hour. Slice and serve.
This dish can be prepared in advance and grilled once your guests are seated. Delicious served with a grain salad or a crusty bread.
5-6 crayfish tails per person (it is the main dish after all!) 150g bacon, diced 30ml butter 1 onion, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 250ml cream 125ml parmesan cheese, grated 250ml Boerenkaas or mature cheddar, grated
Fully thaw the crayfish tails. Turn your oven on to the grill setting and spray an ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Fill a large stock pot/saucepan with salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the crayfish tails, bring the water back up to a boil and cook the tails for 6 minutes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Take the tails from the boiling water and immediately immerse it in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Lay a tail flat in your hand and cut the top shell with poultry shears down the centre of the back, to the tail. Remove the vein and any shell shards. Run your finger between the meat and the shell to loosen it. Lift and pull the meat from the shell and add it to the prepared ovenproof dish. Set aside. Add the butter and bacon to a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the bacon until crispy. Scoop out the bacon bits and keep aside. Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Add the cream, parmesan cheese and cooked bacon and cook for another minute. Take the sauce from the heat and evenly pour it over the crayfish tails. Sprinkle the grated Boerenkaas over and place under the grill until the cheese has melted and is slightly charred. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and a good glass of wine.
Call them crumpets, flapjacks or pancakes but they are all divine with this fresh blueberry sauce!
For the crumpets: 2 eggs 300ml milk 200g self-raising flour 1,2ml baking powder a pinch of salt 100g butter, melted and cooled 150g blueberries
For the blueberry sauce: 300g blueberries the juice of 1 orange 62ml sugar 30ml water
Making the crumpets: Add the eggs and milk to a mixing bowl and whisk together by hand. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. Pour the cooled butter into the mixture and add the blueberries. Gently stir the mixture through so that the blueberries don’t break up as this dilute your batter. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a small amount of vegetable oil. Spoon about two large tablespoonfuls of batter per crumpet into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until set and starting to bubble around the edges. Flip the crumpet and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Keep going until you have used all the batter.
Making the blueberry sauce: Add the blueberries to a small saucepan and pour in the orange juice, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar and cook for about 3 minutes, until the berries release their juice and the liquid becomes syrupy. Cool the sauce to room temperature.
Serve the warm crumpets with the blueberry sauce and a dollop of yoghurt.
My Whisk and I 