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.
You will keep this recipe as a quick and delicious go-to whenever you are in need of a dessert, something sweet or a treat. The taste is dramatically altered by the chocolate of your choice … choose wisely!!
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 18cm cake tin with baking paper. Cover the bottom and about half way up, of the cake tin with tin foil and place the tin in a roasting dish. Put aside. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until completely melted and remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly. Add the cream cheese and egg yolks to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric beater. Drizzle in the cooled chocolate and mix until blended. Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks. Stir about a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Add the rest of the whites and gently fold through until no trace of white is visible. Gently scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a spatula. Now pour very hot water from the TAP into the roasting tray so that the water reaches about 3cm. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 160℃ and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cake inside for another 30 minutes before removing it from the baking tin. Serve the cheesecake slightly warm with a chocolate sauce.
This is an easy, quick dessert that will satisfy ALL sweet cravings!! Serve one banana per person.
30ml brown sugar 2 bananas, halved in their length 150ml coconut milk shredded coconut vanilla ice cream to serve
Put a dry frying pan on a medium-high heat and add a handful of shredded coconut. Toast until light brown, moving it around in the pan (with a spoon) so that it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat AND the pan when ready and set aside. Add the brown sugar to the same pan and allow it to melt. Place the bananas in the pan and fry for 1 minute. Gently flip the halves and fry for another minute. Remove the banana from the pan. Add the coconut milk to the melted/sticky sugar, lower the heat and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened. Place the banana halves in serving bowls/plates and drizzle with the caramel sauce. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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.
Beignets are French doughnuts that are really easy and straightforward to make. Once you have tasted a fresh, warm beignet it will become your favourite in-between treat!
190ml warm water 62ml + 62ml sugar 10g instant yeast 1 egg 125ml milk 10ml vanilla 4 X 250ml flour 5ml salt 45ml butter, very soft vegetable oil for frying icing sugar to dust
Pour the warm water into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add 62ml sugar and sprinkle the yeast on the water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and remaining 62ml sugar together in a small mixing bowl and add it to the yeast mixture. Turn the mixer to a slow speed and gradually add the flour and salt. Add the butter and incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and mix/knead for about 4 minutes, until the dough comes together in a ball. Place the dough, which will be very soft, in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. Pour about 5cm of oil into a saucepan and place on the heat. The ideal temperature is 179 – 180℃. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to a thickness of about 1,5cm. Cut into 5cm X 5cm squares and fry until golden. Dust the warm beignets with icing sugar. Serve with another dusting of icing sugar and a cup of coffee.
These pork sausages in an apple and marmelade gravy makes the ideal weeknight dinner: quick, easy and delicious!
16 pork sausages 3 red onions 3 apples 1 head of garlic 15ml wholegrain mustard 125ml marmelade 200ml apple juice 20ml cornstarch 200ml chicken stock a handful of sage leaves
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Pour some vegetable oil into a shallow casserole dish, add the sausages and brown them over a medium heat. Remove the sausages and set aside. Peel the onions and apples, cut into quarters and remove the cove from the apple. How half each quarter onion and apple. Keep about 8 apple pieces aside. Half the head of garlic horizontally and place it cut-side down in the casserole. Add the onion, apple and mustard and fry for about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside with the sausages. Add the marmelade and apple juice to the casserole and stir until the marmelade has melted. Add the cornstarch to a small bowl and add a small amount of the chicken stock to it, while stirring to dissolve. Pour the cornstarch mixture and the rest of the chicken stock into the casserole and add the rest of the ingredients, except the extra apple pieces, that you have kept aside. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, stir the dish and cook for another 15 minutes. Take the casserole from the oven and add the rest of the apple pieces and sage leaves. Stir through. Serve the marmelade and apple sausages on a creamy mashed potato or steamed couscous.
Pour the milk into a small saucepan, add the sugar and turn the heat to medium. Warm the milk to just before boiling point. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting and add the chopped chocolate. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes while whisking/stirring continuously. Take the saucepan from the heat and add the hot espresso and vanilla. Stir through and serve hot.
Chocolate ganache: 160g dark chocolate, chopped 180ml coconut and cows milk 30ml honey 15ml coconut oil a pinch of salt
Making the pastry: Melt the chocolate and set it aside. Add the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and milk to the bowl of a food processor and process to mix. Add the chocolate in a thin stream while the engine is running. Add the sifted cocoa and flour to the mixture and process until the mixture forms a smooth ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 3mm. Line a loose bottom tart tin and then line the pastry case with tin foil. Freeze for one hour. Preheat your oven to 180℃. Bake the pastry case with the foil lining for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Making the blueberry custard: Add the berries, lemon juice, 250ml coconut milk and honey to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the 30ml coconut milk into a small bowl and add the cornstarch and agar-agar. Stir to dissolve. Pour the blueberry mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture while whisking continuously until smooth and it starts to thicken. Pour the blueberry custard into the cooled tart shell and allow to cool. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Making the ganache: Add the chocolate, milk (pour whatever you have left of the coconut milk into a measuring jug and then fill up with dairy milk to 180ml), honey and coconut oil to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and you are left with a smooth mixture. Pour over the blueberry custard. Refrigerate the tart for 4 hours before serving.
Pour the brandy into the pan in which you have cook the steak. If you barbecued your steak, pour it into a small saucepan. Turn the heat up to high and simmer the brandy for about 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the beef stock and cook until reduced by half – about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream and peppercorns. Gently simmer the sauce for 2 minutes, while stirring. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over steak and serve.
500g spaghetti 45ml butter 200g mixed mushrooms 200g bacon, cut into pieces 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 65ml dry white wine 250ml cream 125ml chicken stock 50g parmesan cheese, grated a handful of parsley, chopped
Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet and keep warm while you make the sauce. Put a cast-iron pan on to a high heat and add the butter to it. Fry the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly caramelised. Spoon into a bowl and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add the bacon to the same pan. Fry for about 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and the cooked mushroom and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and allow the wine to reduce to half. Now add the cream, stock and grated parmesan and turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the sauce, mix through and taste for seasoning. Scatter a handful of chopped parsley over the spaghetti and serve.
My Whisk and I 