nuts – My Whisk and I

Cassata

December 2, 2023August 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 egg whites
62ml + 62ml caster sugar
500ml cream
250ml chopped mixed nuts
125g mixed dried fruit
125g red and green glacé cherries

Line a baking tin with a 1 litre capacity (or a Tupperware container) with plastic wrap or baking paper.
Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms soft peaks.
Add a teaspoonful of the 62ml caster sugar while whisking. Wait for the sugar to be incorporated (about 30 seconds) before adding the next teaspoonful. Keep going until all of the sugar has been incorporated. Set aside.
Pour the cream into another mixing bowl and add the other 62ml caster sugar all at once.
Beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
Spoon about a third of the cream mixture into the egg white mixture and fold through with a large metal spoon.
Add the rest of the cream and fold it in until incorporated.
Sprinkle the chopped nuts, dried fruit and half of the cherries over and fold it in to the mixture.
Arrange the other half of the cherries on the bottom of your prepared container.
Spoon the mixture into the container and lightly level it out.
Place the cassata in the freezer until frozen.
Serve in slices with or without a sauce.

To store leftover, cover the cassata with plastic wrap and place back in the freezer as you would with ice cream.

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Nutty Finger Cookies

November 3, 2023September 1, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yields about 30 sandwiched cookies.

4 egg whites
375ml caster sugar
125ml flour
50ml mixed nuts, finely chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
chocolate/mixed vermicelli

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms medium peaks.
Add the sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, until all has been incorporated.
Mix the flour and chopped nuts, sprinkle it over the whites and fold in with a metal spoon.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle and pipe 6cm long logs onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before gently removing from the baking sheet.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Sandwich the cookies together and place them back on the cooled baking sheet to set.
Dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and then in the vermicelli.
Allow to set completely.
Store the finger cookies in an airtight container.

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Baklava Loaf

July 28, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

80ml blanched almonds
80ml blanched walnuts
30ml brown sugar
7,5ml ground cinnamon
750ml self-raising flour
80g butter, cubed
300ml milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Honey Syrup:
190ml sugar
60ml honey
125ml water

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 10cm x 21cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Add the almonds and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Spoon the nuts into a bowl and add the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Mix through and then spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Sift the flour in to a mixing bowl and add the butter.
Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre and add the 250ml of milk.
Mix with a flat-bladed knife until it forms a soft dough – add a few drops of milk at a time if the mixture needs more liquid.
Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Gently knead the dough until it JUST comes together.
Now place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll to a 20cm x 35cm rectangle.
Brush the surface with the egg and scatter over the nuts.
Start from a short end and roll up like a Swiss roll.
Place in the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.
Stand in the pan for 10 minute, remove from the baking tin and place on a cooling rack to cool.

For the syrup:
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Cook the mixture for 5 minutes while stirring.
Now boil it without stirring for another 5 minutes and take it from the heat.
Pierce the top of the warm loaf with a skewer and drizzle half the syrup over.
Sprinkle the reserved two tablespoons nut mixture over the cake and stand for another 10 minutes.
Serve the Baklava Loaf sliced with the remaining syrup.

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Nut-Butter Hummus

March 22, 2023March 21, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you dont like the slightly bitter aftertaste of tahini paste in hummus, this is the recipe for you. Made from macadamia nut-butter (any nut-butter is good) it produces a buttery, soft hummus with a delicious umami taste.

1 x 400g can chickpeas
60ml nut butter (I use the Babylonstoren Macadamia nut butter but you may use any variation that appeals to you)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt

Drain the chickpeas and place in a liquidiser/cup of a stick blender.
Add the nut butter, garlic, lemon juice and salt.
Blitz together until smooth.
Serve as a dip with crispy vegetable sticks or simply slosh it onto a cracker or fresh slice of bread.
PS: I sprinkled sunflower and chia seeds on the hummus to add another layer of taste.