recipe – Page 48 – My Whisk and I

Pulled Leg of Lamb

June 7, 2022May 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is an effortless way of cooking up delicious, succulent lamb and may be prepared a day ahead and re-heated prior to serving.

one leg of lamb, bone in
a whole head of garlic
salt
1 x 340ml French Salad Dressing, store bought

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Place two large pieces of aluminium foil, one on top of the other on a work surface.
Place the lamb on the foil and lift the foil and lamb into a roasting dish.
Salt the lamb and slice the head of garlic in half horizontally. Place the garlic on the lamb.
Pour half the salad dressing over the lamb, flip it around and pour the rest of the bottle over the meat.
Cover the lamb with the foil and place it in the oven. Cook for 5 hours.
Take the roasting tin from the oven and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, leaving the lamb, garlic, fat and any cooking liquids in the roasting tin.
Squeeze the garlic out and mash it with a fork. Now pull the meat apart with two forks and remove the bone.
Mix/massage the pulled meat, fat and cooking juices.
Serve the meat warm or at room temperature.

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Warm Chocolate Cake

June 6, 2022June 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The original cake, Kladdkaka, is a traditional Swedish bake but this is my take on it, resulting in a warm dessert that is somewhere between a brownie and a lava cake. From start to finish it will take you 30 minutes to put together this more-ish chocolate cake!

80g chocolate, chopped
130g butter
250ml flour
125ml cocoa powder, sifted
330ml sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Dust the bottom of the tin with cocoa powder. Set aside.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then until completely melted. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add the flour, cocoa powder and sugar to the bowl and stir together by hand.
Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.
The cake should have a firm top that cracks when you apply pressure to it with your finger.
Allow the cake to cool slightly in the cake tin. Run a knife between the cake and the tin and remove the cake ring.
Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar.

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Leek and Cheese Soup

June 3, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

45ml butter
15ml vegetable oil
2 large leeks, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
600g potato, peeled and diced
2litres chicken stock
5ml salt
black pepper
200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
80g cheese and onion potato chips

Add the butter and oil to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the leeks and onion and cook while stirring until completely wilted and soft.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the diced potato, stock, salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes. Check on the soup every now and then and adjust the heat as you go. The potato must be very soft.
Decant the soup into a blender and blitz together until smooth and silky.
Pour the soup back into the saucepan and place over a low heat.
Add the grated cheese and stir the soup until the cheese has melted.
Spoon the soup into individual bowls.
Crush the potato chips in the packet and sprinkle a generous amount onto each bowl of soup.
Serve immediately.

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Deep Fried Chocolate Banana

June 2, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

4 wooden skewers
4 ripe bananas
80g chocolate, chopped
1 egg
62ml sugar
125ml milk
15ml vegetable oil
250ml flour
10ml baking powder
1ml salt
oil for deep frying

Peel the bananas and push the skewer into the banana lengthwise so that it is easy to handle. Place in the freezer.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Take the bananas from the freezer. Hold the banana over the bowl with the chocolate and spoon the melted chocolate over with a spoon so that the entire banana gets covered in chocolate. The cold from the freezer will help to set the chocolate.
Now stick the skewer into a piece of styrofoam or an egg carton or even an empty cereal box so that the banana is held upright and the chocolate won’t smudge.
Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat together with an electric beater.
Add about half the milk and the oil and beat some more.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate mixing bowl.
Add a spoonful of the flour mixture to the egg mixture while beating.
Gradually add the rest of the milk so that you create a smooth runny batter.
Heat your deep fryer, dip the bananas in the batter and fry them until golden brown.
Dust the fritters with icing sugar and serve immediately.

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Chicken Tikka Masala

June 1, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen Claassen4 Comments

Quick marinade:
9 chicken breasts, skinless and deboned, cut into bite-size portions
250ml yoghurt
15ml ground ginger
15ml garam masala
10ml turmeric
5ml ground cumin
2,5ml smoked paprika
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml salt

Sauce:
45ml vegetable oil
45ml butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1cm fresh ginger, grated
10ml garam masala
5ml ground cumin
5ml turmeric
5ml ground coriander
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
5ml smoked paprika
5ml salt
375ml cream
30ml brown sugar

For the marinade:
Add all the ingredients, including the chicken, to a mixing bowl and stir together.
Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.

Add half the oil and butter to a frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken in small batches and fry for about 3 minutes before removing and adding the next batch of chicken.
Keep the fried chicken to the side and keep going until all of the chicken has been fried.
Add the remaining oil and butter to a saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Now add the garlic and fresh ginger and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander and cook for another minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, paprika and salt and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
Decant the sauce to a blender and whizz until smooth.
Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and add the cream, sugar and chicken pieces and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Serve the tikka masala with a fragrant rice and lashings of the sauce.

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Quick Lemon Curd Puddings

May 31, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

375ml milk
190ml desiccated coconut
50g butter, melted
1 egg
125ml flour
250ml caster sugar
125ml lemon curd (you may search my Lemon Curd recipe or simply use store bought)
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and lightly spray 6 individual ramekins.
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend together until completely smooth.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and space them apart.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins and bake for 20 minutes or until just set.
Serve the lemon puddings with a generous dusting of icing sugar.

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Asparagus Gratin

May 30, 2022May 24, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 large bunch of green asparagus
80ml cream
5ml wholegrain mustard
5ml flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2,5ml salt
black pepper
80ml Panko breadcrumbs
250ml mature cheddar cheese, grated

Set your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 200℃.
Parboil the asparagus in salted water for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, drain and plunge the asparagus into ice cold water for a minute. Drain on kitchen paper.
Arrange the asparagus in a gratin (any ovenproof) dish and set aside.
Stir the cream, mustard, flour, garlic and half the grated cheese together and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture over the asparagus and top with the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheese.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature and grill until golden brown – about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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Quince Granola Crumble

May 27, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 quince
250ml sugar
500ml water
5ml vanilla

Crumble:
250ml granola
250ml almond meal/ground almonds
5ml ground cinnamon
125ml brown sugar
60g butter, cubed

Quarter the quince and then halve each quarter. Peel and cut out the core. Set aside.
Add the sugar, water and vanilla to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the quince slices to the poaching liquid and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Gently simmer the fruit until it can easily be pierced with a toothpick.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow the quince slices to cool in the liquid completely.
Drain the quince and transfer the slices to a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish.

For the crumble:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the granola, almond meal, cinnamon, sugar and butter to a mixing bowl.
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Keep going until the butter is well distributed throughout the mixture.
Spread the crumb mixture evenly on the quince slices and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve the quince crumble with a scoop of ice cream or yoghurt.

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Cottage Pie

May 26, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1kg minced beef (ground beef)
62ml flour
50g tomato paste
500ml beef stock
125ml red wine (or water)
5ml stock powder
30ml Worcestershire sauce
15ml thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
5ml salt
2,5ml ground black pepper

Topping:
1,2kg potatoes, peeled and cubed
125ml milk, warmed
100g butter, cubed
60g butter, melted
40g grated parmesan cheese

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil to it.
Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute.
Add the carrot and cook for another 3 minutes while stirring every now and then.
Turn the heat up and add the beef. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and stir around until loose and browned from cooking.
Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir through.
Add the tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, stock powder, Worcestershire sauce, thyme leaves, bay leaves and salt and pepper.
Stir the mixture and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You should now have a reduced, gravy consistency that isn’t watery.
Taste the beef and adjust the seasoning according to taste.
Spoon the mixture into a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and allow it to cool. If the meat is cool when you add the mashed potato topping, the meat won’t cook through the topping.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Cook the potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them back to the saucepan.
Add the warmed milk and 100g butter and mash the potato until smooth.
Season with salt.
Spread the mash on the beef and rough up the surface with a fork.
Sprinkle the melted butter over and top with a sprinkling of the parmesan.
Bake the cottage pie for 30 minutes until it is beautifully golden on top and bubbling on the edges.
Serve piping hot.

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Chocolate and Fig Overnight Oats

May 25, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a healthy and delicious breakfast or post-workout snack and may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Yields 6 portions.

500ml rolled oats
45ml cocoa powder
500ml milk (or non-dairy milk)
190ml greek yoghurt
10ml vanilla
190ml honey
80g sugar-free chocolate, finely chopped
12 fresh figs, cut into quarters

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir through to combine.
Divide between 6 cups or one large glass jar.
Refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
Take the oats from the refrigerator and spoon out a portion. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Scatter the fresh figs and some mint leaves onto the oats to serve.