This recipe is easy, quick and really big on flavour. The recipe will feed 8 hungry adults.
500g dried pasta 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced a handful of parsley a handful of basil 2 heads of broccoli ( I know it sounds like you are about to feed an army!!!) 5ml salt 2,5ml black pepper 1 stock cube 250g cream cheese 30ml lemon juice
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Cut the broccoli florets from the stems and add them to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Reserve 250ml of the pasta water before draining the pasta and the broccoli florets. Keep aside. Chop the broccoli stems and add them to a large saucepan with a good dash of vegetable oil. Turn the heat on to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the 250ml pasta water and the stock cube and cook until the broccoli stems are soft. Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the mixture into a liquidiser. Add the parsley and basil and blitz. You are aiming to have a chunky, very thick sauce. Pour this sauce back into the saucepan, add the salt and pepper and then stir the cream cheese into the mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted and is incorporated into the rest of the sauce. Add the lemon juice and stir through. Now add the pasta and the broccoli florets. Stir the mixture so that everything is coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.
These pancakes are not cocoa-chocolatey-looking but actually contain real chocolate in the batter!! Whether you serve them with ice-cream, fresh fruit and Chantilly cream or plain, from-the-pan, you will love them! Yields about 12 pancakes depending on the size of your pan.
80g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa 250ml + 100ml milk 90ml caster sugar 200g cake flour 100ml water 3 eggs 2,5ml vanilla butter for frying
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a small saucepan. Pour in 100ml milk and place on a very low heat. Stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted completely and remove from the heat. Add the 250ml milk and caster sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Pour the water, eggs and vanilla into a jug and whisk it together. Pour the egg mixture into the flour in a very thin stream while whisking. Pour slowly, whisk quickly …. you don’t want lumps in your batter! Now whisk in the chocolate mixture in the same way. Cover the batter with a tea towel and allow to stand for one hour.
Heat a frying/crêpe pan until it is very hot. Add a knob of butter and swirl it around so that it covers the surface of the pan. Pour in a ladleful of batter and swirl again to evenly distribute in the pan. Turn the heat down slightly and cook the pancake for 1 minute. Turn the pancake over with a spatula and cook for another 30 seconds. (The combination of sugar and chocolate burns really easy!!) Keep going with the rest of the batter until you have a heavily stack of chocolate pancakes. Serve warm.
This traditional dessert, also known as Pots de Crème, is super easy to make. It is a rich and creamy no-bake dessert and most of all, it is deliciously smooth and not airy like a mousse. I serve this dessert in espresso cups as I find a larger serving too rich and overwhelming. This recipe yields 10 espresso-cup servings or 6 individual servings in standard ramekins.
250ml cream 100ml milk 160g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa, chopped 40g brown sugar 3 egg yolks 5ml vanilla
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and slowly bring it to a simmer. Take the saucepan from the heat the moment it starts to simmer. Add the chopped chocolate and stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted completely. Add the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk with electric beaters until pale and fluffy. Drizzle the chocolate mixture onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly! Keep going until you have added all of the chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between ramekins/espresso cups and allow to cool completely. Place the cups on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until you are ready to serve. I serve my chocolate pots as they are but this dessert is often served with Chantilly cream.
This potato dish is a quick weekday dinner for vegetarians or a substantial side dish to any meat. If you don’t have ricotta cheese on hand, get the recipe from this site and make your own. Yields 6 – 8 portions.
6 large potatoes 350g ricotta cheese 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 onion, finely chopped a handful of chives, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 40g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 20cm X 28cm baking dish.
Peel the potatoes and boil them until just cooked. Slice them into 1,5cm cubes and put aside. Add the eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the chopped onion, chives, minced garlic and parmesan to the egg mixture and whisk together. Now add the cubed potato and mix through. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Serve with a green salad.
250ml wholewheat flour 250ml cake flour 125ml sugar 7,5ml baking powder 2,5ml bicarbonate of soda 2,5ml salt 15ml each of sesame, poppy and sunflower seeds 250ml greek yoghurt 1 egg 62ml vegetable oil
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a standard 23cm X 13cm loaf pan. Add the wholewheat flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and seeds to a mixing bowl and mix through with a whisk. Add the yoghurt, egg and vegetable oil to a wide-mouthed jug and whisk together. Pour the liquid ingredients in to the dry ingredients and stir through with a spatula until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and pat it down into the corners. Bake the loaf for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf, comes out clean. Take the bread from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Chocolate and pear is a match made in heaven and with this delicious chocolate pastry as a base, few desserts will be able to compare to this tart!
Poached pears: 3 ripe pears 750ml water 250ml sugar 15ml lemon juice
Chocolate pastry: 80g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa 175g butter, cubed 230g caster sugar 4 egg yolks 10ml vanilla 15ml milk 50g cocoa powder 350g cake flour
Chocolate frangipane: 120g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa 120g butter, cubed 120g caster sugar 5ml vanilla 2 eggs 125g ground almonds 25g flour
Poaching the pears: Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Turn the heat on to medium and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Peel, halve and core the pears and add to the poaching liquid. Cut a square of baking paper that is large enough to cover the saucepan. Scrunch the paper up and then slide it down into the saucepan until it touches the poaching liquid. Bring the poaching liquid to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently until a wooden skewer can easily be inserted into the pear quarters. Turn off the heat and allow the fruit to cool in the poaching liquid. Remove the pear once it has cooled and keep aside. Simmer the poaching liquid until it reduces to a syrup. Reserve this to glaze the tart with once it comes from the oven.
For the chocolate pastry: Chop and melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir until silky smooth and completely melted. Take the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the cubed butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and milk to the bowl of a food processor and blitz together. Pour in the slightly cooled chocolate and pulse to blend in. Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the chocolate mixture and blitz until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for one hour.
Lightly spray a tart tin with baking spray. Roll the pastry to a thickness of 3mm and line the baking tin on the bottom and sides. Place the pastry case into the freezer for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the chocolate frangipane: Keep your oven on 180℃. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat together, scraping down once or twice, until well blended. Add the almonds and flour and fold into the egg mixture with a spatula. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir once again to incorporate, with the spatula. Spread the frangipane mixture onto the baked pastry case. Slice the pears and position each sliced half onto the chocolate frangipane, spacing it so that there is enough space for all of the pear. Bake the tart for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the reduced poaching liquid (syrup) onto the warm tart. Allow to cool in the baking mould. Serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For the potato crust: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a loose-bottomed cake tin. Spread a clean tea towel onto a work surface and grate the potato directly onto it, with the skin on. Fold the towel over the potato, gathering all ends together and twist and squeeze the potato over your kitchen sink until all the excess moisture has been removed. Put the potato into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the garlic salt and flour over the grated potato and mix through with your hands in order to distribute all ingredients as evenly as possible. Now add the egg and mix in the same way. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and press it tightly into the base and sides of the tin with the back of a spoon. Place the cake tin on a flat baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the filling: Put a frying pan on to medium heat and add some oil to it. Slice the onions and fry them until soft and translucent. Spoon the onion into a large mixing bowl. Turn the heat up to high, slice the mushrooms and add them to the hot pan. Cook until caramelised. Spoon into the bowl with the onion. Grate the zucchini and cheese directly into the mixing bowl with the onion and mushroom. Mix together. Spoon the vegetable-cheese mixture in to the potato crust. Set aside. Add the eggs, cream, salt and mustard to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Gently pour over the vegetable mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden and set. Remove from the oven and stand in the baking tin for 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm.
For the topping: 60g sugar 60g butter, room temperature 10ml warm water 2,5ml coffee powder 1 egg 70g flour a pinch of salt
Cut the 50g butter into ten equal pieces, wrap in baking paper and place it in the freezer. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Warm the milk until tepid and pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, instant yeast and sugar to the milk and stir until dissolved. Turn the mixer onto a low speed and add the liquids. Mix/knead for about 3 minutes. The dough will be very sticky! Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead for another 6 minutes. You want a dough that is soft, smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces – weigh them on a scale, they should be around 60g each. Roll each portion into a ball and then roll the ball into a disc with a rolling pin – about 9cm in diameter. Take the butter cubes from the freezer and place a cube in the centre of the dough disc. Lift the sides and cover the butter with the dough, pinching it together, to seal. Flip the ball over and place on the prepared baking sheet. Keep going until there is no dough left. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and lightly cover the buns. Set aside to proof for 90 minutes.
Coffee topping: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture is light in colour and has a fluffy texture. Dissolve the coffee powder in the warm water and add to the butter mixture. Stir through by hand. Add the egg and stir until incorporated. Add the flour and salt and stir to mix. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and place in the refrigerator until needed.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Pipe the coffee topping in a tight circular pattern, starting from the centre of the bun working a third of the way down. Bake the buns for 20 minutes.
This is fragrant dessert with rose water and honey and is based on the traditional Roz bel Laban. The recipe provides 6 generous portions depending on the size of the glasses or bowls it is served in.
500ml milk 250ml cream 2 cinnamon quills 6 cloves 1,2ml ground cardamon 250ml rice 30ml sugar 500ml water 83ml condensed milk 30ml butter 30ml rose water honey and pistachio nuts to serve
Add the milk, cream, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon to a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and wait for the mixture to come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that the mixture simmers and add the rice, sugar and water. Allow the mixture to simmer until the rice is cooked, stirring continuously. This will take 30 – 40 minutes. Do not leave the mixture – keep an eye on it! Take the saucepan from the heat and add the condensed milk, rose water and butter. Stir thoroughly. Spoon the rice pudding into glasses or serving bowls. Drizzle each dessert with honey and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts. The rice pudding is best served warm.
This roasted cauliflower soup is deliciously light and complex at the same time. The sunflower seeds add a creaminess and depth of taste and makes this a soup you can entertain with. Yields 6 – 8 servings.
2 heads of cauliflower 2 onions 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1l vegetable/chicken stock 250ml water 250ml cream 125ml sunflower seeds, toasted 1,2ml grated/ground nutmeg 15ml lemon juice 30ml butter salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut the cauliflower heads into florets and place them on the line baking tray. Drizzle with vegetable oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast the florets in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the roasting time.
Peel and chop the onions. Put a large saucepan on to medium heat, add some oil and the onions and fry until the onions start to caramelise. Turn the heat down, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour the stock, water and cream into the saucepan and add the sunflower seeds and nutmeg. Add the roasted florets and cook at medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and butter to the soup and stir through. Decant the soup, in batches, into a liquidiser and blend until smooth. Pour the soup back into the same saucepan and taste it – adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the soup warm with a crusty bread.
My Whisk and I 