10ml Dijon mustard
1,2ml salt
30ml red wine vinegar
80ml olive oil
Add the mustard, salt and vinegar to a small bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle in the oil while continuously whisking.
Keep the leftover dressing in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
This is a quick throw-together as a starter or snack board and can easily be made from ingredients you already have in your refrigerator. If you want to make the hummus from scratch you will find a few recipes with slight variations under my search button if you type in HUMMUS.
Quantities are for you to decide and adapt to your taste.
hummus
chopped herbs like chives and parsley
crumbed feta or ricotta
cocktail tomatoes
olive oil to drizzle over before serving
Serve the hummus wreath with crackers or melba toast.
This recipe yields about 200ml of dressing and can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.
15ml honey
60ml apple cider vinegar
125ml oil
45ml greek yoghurt
the juice of half a lemon
Add the honey and vinegar to a small bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle in the oil, a little at a time while whisking continuously until all the oil has been incorporated.
Add the yoghurt and whisk until amalgamated.
Finally add the lemon juice and season the dressing with salt.
Keep unused dressing in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
450g flour
2,5ml salt
10ml baking powder
150g butter, cubed
120g sugar
120g candied citrus peel
120g raisins
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
250ml milk
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Add the cubed butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar, citrus peel and raisins and lightly mix through.
Add the grated zest of the orange and lemon and stir again.
Add small quantities of milk, stir and repeat until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Flatten with your hands so that it is 5cm thick.
Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass and place the scone on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart evenly.
Bring the dough together to a 5cm thickness again and cut out some more rounds.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the scones and cool on a cooling rack.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Lemon syrup:
125ml water
125ml sugar
1 lemon, peeled and juice
60ml limoncello
500ml whipping cream
60ml lemon juice
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
125ml + 60ml + 125ml lemon curd
190ml sugar
440g mascarpone cheese
2 packets ladyfingers (Boudoir biscuits)
For the lemon syrup:
Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Now simmer the mixture for 1 minute without stirring or fiddling with it.
Add the lemon peel and juice and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat, strain through a sieve and set aside to cool.
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, zest, 125ml lemon curd and sugar.
Whisk together with electric beaters until soft peaks form.
Add the mascarpone and mix on low speed until the mixture is fully incorporated and smooth. Set aside.
Pour the cooled lemon syrup and limoncello into a shallow dish.
Dip the ladyfingers in the mixture and lay them side-by-side in a 28cm x 22cm ceramic dish to form a compact layer.
Spoon half the mascarpone mixture on the biscuits and smooth it out.
Now spoon 60ml lemon curd on top and spread it out evenly.
Repeat the biscuit and mascarpone layers.
Spread the last 125ml lemon curd evenly over the top of the tiramisu.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
This is a small batch of rusks and yields about 24 pieces.
250g butter, room temperature
250ml caster sugar
4 eggs
10ml instant coffee dissolved in 30ml hot water
10ml vanilla
10ml baking powder
250ml flour
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 23cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat together at high speed until creamy – scrape the mixture down once or twice in between mixing.
Add the eggs one at a time, waiting for it to be incorporated into the mixture before adding the next one.
Add the dissolved coffee and vanilla.
Add the baking powder and flour to a bowl and mix through.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and add two tablespoons of flour at a time, until you have no flour left.
Spoon the batter in to the prepared loaf tin and bake for one hour.
Cool the cake on a wire rack.
Slice the cake into rusk sizes: I like 2cm x 3cm.
Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Space the rusks evenly apart and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the rusks over and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Store the rusks in a glass container.
400g strawberries, hulled and halved
45ml balsamic vinegar
45ml water
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml ground black pepper
60ml + 60ml icing sugar
500g greek yoghurt
grated zest of 1 lemon
60ml mint leaves, chopped
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add the strawberries to an ovenproof dish.
Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice over and pour the water into the dish.
Now sprinkle over the black pepper, icing sugar and a pinch of salt.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing after 10 minutes, until soft and bubbling.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Pour the roasting liquid into a small bowl.
Add the yoghurt and lemon zest to a bowl and mix together.
Now drizzle about 45ml of the roasting liquid over the yoghurt and fold through to create a ripple.
Spoon the yoghurt on to a serving plate and spoon the strawberries on top.
Drizzle over some of the roasting juices and scatter over the mint leaves to serve.
250ml butter, room temperature
125ml condensed milk
5ml vanilla
500ml flour
15ml baking powder
125ml icing sugar
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Turn the mixer on a high speed and beat the butter for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Pour in the condensed milk and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes on high speed.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again for another minute or so.
Add the flour and baking powder a spoonful at a time, until incorporated.
Use a 15ml measuring spoon and scoop up 2 scoops.
Roll into a ball with your hands and place on the baking sheet, about 4 cm apart.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.
Sift over the icing sugar and allow to cool completely.
Store in a glass jar.
1 onion, chopped
250ml dry white wine
750ml water
5ml whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, zested and juiced
250g fresh salmon, skin removed
125g smoked salmon, chopped
30ml + 30ml butter, cubed and at room temperature
30ml sour cream
45ml dill/parsley, chopped
15ml capers, finely chopped
15ml olive oil
Add half of the chopped onion, all of the white wine, water and peppercorns to a saucepan.
Add the bay leaf and lemon juice and bring the mixture to the boil.
Add the fresh salmon to the liquid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the liquid and allow it to cool. You may discard the poaching liquid.
Gently flake the salmon with your fingers and add it to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 30ml of the butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the remaining onion and cook until soft.
Now add the lemon zest, smoked salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, olive oil, the remaining 30ml butter and the cooked onion to the flaked salmon.
Stir the mixture together to combine evenly but be careful not to mush the salmon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the salmon from the fridge and allow 30 minutes for it to come back to room temperature.
Serve on crostini or crackers.
The salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for three days. Spoon it into a glass jar, melt about 50g of butter and pour over before sealing with the lid.
75ml cornstarch
100ml sugar
50ml cold water
250ml boiling water
1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
2 egg whites
Berry Coulis:
500g frozen berries
30ml lemon juice
60ml caster sugar
Line a small 1 litre capacity loaf tin (or a Tupperware container) with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the sides. Set aside.
Add the cornstarch, sugar and cold water to a small saucepan and mix together.
Pour in the boiling water and stir the mixture over a medium-low heat until thick and smooth.
Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Add the lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add the egg whites to a mixing bowl and whisk to stiff peaks.
Spoon the whipped whites into the cornstarch mixture and fold through with a spatula.
Pour the mixture into the prepared container and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until completely set.
For the coulis:
Add the berries, lemon juice and sugar to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and blitz with an immersion blender until thick and smooth.
Set aside to cool completely.
Take the blanc mange from the refrigerator and invert onto a serving plate.
Carefully peel off the plastic wrap.
Pour some of the berry coulis over to serve or serve as is with the sauce on the side.
My Whisk and I 