recipe – Page 58 – My Whisk and I

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

November 17, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

220g best quality dark chocolate (I use De Villiers Chocolate), chopped
125g butter, cubed
5 eggs, separated
190ml sugar
10ml vanilla
2,5ml salt
30ml cocoa powder

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray a 22cm loose bottom cake pan with cooking spray. Dust the pan with cocoa powder ensuring the bottom and sides of the pan has an even coating of cocoa powder. Set aside.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture has amalgamated.
Take the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat the whites on medium until it reaches soft peak stage.
Increase the mixers speed and add the sugar a spoonful at a time.
Beat until medium stiff peaks and set aside.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the chocolate mixture and beat well with a spatula after each addition.
Add the vanilla, salt and cocoa powder and mix together.
Now fold in the egg whites by adding a third of the mixture at a time. Mix/fold until no white streaks are visible.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it around evenly.
Bake for 50 minutes. The edges of the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan once it is done.
Cool the cake in the pan before unmoulding it.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.

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Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Salad

November 15, 2021November 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml butter, melted
15ml olive oil
83ml balsamic vinegar
30ml water
15ml sugar
1,2ml salt
about 12 small/medium beetroot
baby spinach
5 fresh peaches, stoned and quartered
100g goats cheese
30ml honey

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the melted butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a small bowl and whisk everything together. Set aside.
Wash and scrub the beetroot and cut off the hairy parts at the root. Half or quarter each, depending on its size and place them in an oven tray.
Pour the balsamic mixture over and cover the pan with aluminium foil.
Bake the beetroot for 30 minutes, remove the foil, turn the beets and bake for a further 30 minutes or until fully cooked and beautifully glazed.
Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Reserve the pan juices.
Arrange the baby spinach, cooled beetroot and peach quarters on a serving platter and break the goats cheese over it.
Mix together 45ml of the reserved pan juices and the honey and drizzle over the salad.
Serve as a side or with a fresh crusty bread as a lunch.

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Chocolate Stout Fruit Cake

November 12, 2021November 9, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is fruit cake is dark and rich and incredibly moist and the very best is it does not need time to ripen! You do however need to use a dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa – I used the Dark Chocolate from De Villiers Chocolates which you can order online.

500ml dark stout beer
800g mixed fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas, cherries, orange peel)
175g butter, softened
200g brown sugar
4 eggs
125g ground almonds
50g cornflour
7,5ml ground cinnamon
5ml allspice
80g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped or grated

Pour the stout beer into a saucepan and reduce it to 200ml.
Add the mixed fruit to a ceramic bowl, pour over the stout and set aside to soak overnight.
Preheat your oven to 150℃. Line and lightly spray a 22cm cake pan. Wrap a double layer of baking paper around the outside of the baking tin and secure it with string.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed, until light and fluffy.
Turn the speed down and add the eggs one at a time, beating we’ll after each addition and alternating with a spoonful of ground almonds after each addition.
Now add the remaining ground almonds, cornflour and spices and mix together.
Take the bowl from the mixer and stir in the soaked fruit and chocolate.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 3 – 4 hours – a cake skewer should come out clean.
Remove the fruit cake from the oven and allow to cool completely in the cake pan.

The fruit cake does not need ripening but keeps really well when wrapped in a layer of baking paper and aluminium foil.

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Strawberry Slushy Cocktail

November 10, 2021November 9, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is such a refreshing drink and can easily be adapted as a mocktail. Makes 4. Cheers!

250g fresh strawberries
45ml sugar
a squeeze of lemon
50ml Grand Marnier (orange flavoured liqeueur)
25ml vodka
2 basil leaves
350g ice, crushed

Add the strawberries and sugar to the bowl of a liquidiser and process.
Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse together.
Serve in 4 martini glasses.

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Pearl Barley Salad

November 9, 2021November 8, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

375ml uncooked pearl barley
45ml sherry vinegar
2,5ml dijon mustard
2,5ml salt
30ml olive oil
50g blue cheese, crumbled
50 – 100g baby spinach
half a red onion, sliced
80ml pecan nuts

Cook the pearl barley according to the packet instructions – usually it is 1:3 (pearl barley : water). Allow to cool completely.
Add the vinegar, mustard, salt and olive oil to a cup and whisk everything together. Set aside.
Add the cooked and cooled pearl barley, baby spinach, blue cheese and red onion to a large bowl and mix together.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it another quick mix.
Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the pecan nuts before serving.

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Quick-Bake Cheesecake

November 8, 2021November 7, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a small cheesecake that serves about 8 people with a taste-size portion which makes it ideal to serve with tea. It goes against cheesecake rules as it is baked in quite a hot oven and not in a baine Marie, has no eggs in it and is sweetened with condensed milk.

200g digestive biscuits
80g butter, melted
250g cream cheese, room temperature
1 x 385g can of condensed milk
125ml lemon juice
fresh fruit to serve

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 25cm x 11cm x 7cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the digestive biscuits and butter to the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a texture that resembles wet sand.
Line the baking tin with the mixture, covering the bottom and sides evenly. Put aside.
Add the cream cheese and condensed milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Set the mixer on high speed and mix until the cream cheese is smooth – scrape the bowl down once or twice.
Now set the mixer on a low speed and drizzle in the lemon juice. Mix until fully incorporated and you have a smooth mixture.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside until it has cooled completely.
Place the cheesecake on a serving dish and arrange fresh fruit on top before serving.

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Greek Lemon Potatoes

November 5, 2021November 3, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

(Patates Fournou Lemonates)
Unlike traditional roasted potatoes these lemon potatoes are soft, moist, tender and melting. The zing from the lemon cuts through the richness of lamb or meat dishes and is truly more-dish! This to me, is the essence of everything I love about Greece – do your tastebuds a favour…

12 potatoes, peeled
90ml olive oil
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 2 lemons
10ml salt
a handful of thyme leaves

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Quarter each potato lengthwise and spread them in a large roasting tin.
Drizzle with the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and sprinkle over the salt and thyme leaves.
Mix together with your hands so that the potato is covered with the mixture.
Roast for 1 hour, turning once or twice during cooking.
Add another sprinkle of salt and serve.

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Fusion Chicken

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

I have named this recipe “Fusion Chicken” because it brings together a few different principles in cooking chicken: almost black-chicken; almost butter chicken and almost pan-fried chicken. The combination makes for a very flavourful and juicy chicken that is one of the quickest dishes you will ever put together!

125g + 90g butter
30ml ground cumin
30ml smoked paprika
30ml dried origanum
20ml salt
6 chicken breasts, skin removed
15ml flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
fresh lemon wedges to serve – these are essential!!

Melt the 125g butter and add the cumin, paprika, origanum and salt to it. Stir/whisk together to dissolve as much of the spices as possible.
Lay the chicken flat in a ceramic dish and pour the butter mixture over it. Flip the breasts to coat them evenly.
Cover with a tea towel and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Place a large cast iron pan on medium-high heat and add the 90g butter to the pan, to melt.
Add the chicken breasts to the warm pan and cook for 7 minutes before turning to cook for another 7 minutes. Do not fiddle around with the chicken! Spoon some of the pan juices onto the chicken as it cooks.
Remove the breasts from the pan and slice them.
Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
Squeeze a good amount of lemon over the chicken before serving.

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Sweet Potato Cakes

November 2, 2021November 2, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

750g cooked and mashed sweet potato (about 4 medium sweet potatoes)
125ml self-raising flour
1 X 375ml can of Corn kernels, drained (you may substitute with cooked corn)
125ml pumpkin seeds
1 egg
2,5ml salt
2,5ml cinnamon
63ml brown sugar
vegetable oil to fry

Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix through.
Place a heavy bottom pan onto medium-high heat and cover the bottom with vegetable oil to heat up.
Scoop a tablespoonful of the mixture into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes before flipping and frying the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Do not overfill your pan as you want the sweet potato to caramelise and fry to a golden, crisp outside. Keep going until all the mixture is used.
Serve the cakes with a dollop of yoghurt and honey.

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Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

450g sweet peppers/bell peppers
30ml + 15ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
12 basil leaves, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt
45ml pine nuts, toasted
125ml crumbed feta cheese
125ml olives, pitted

Turn your oven on the grill setting and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Drizzle the 15ml olive oil on the peppers and spread evenly over each pepper with your hands. Place the peppers on the lined baking sheet and grill for about 15 minutes, until their skins are black. DO NOT take the peppers out too soon….they can not be too blackened!
Immediately place the charred peppers in a mixing bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle.
Break open the peppers, remove the core and seeds and pull the skin from each. It is easiest to use your hands to scrape the seeds out and it is quite all right for the peppers to tear into strips!
Add the peppers, oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, thyme, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
Arrange the marinated peppers on a serving plate and top with pine nuts, feta and olives.