savoury – My Whisk and I

“Souttert”

February 16, 2025February 16, 2025by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 medium onions, finely chopped
250ml finely chopped sweet pepper
500ml chopped smoked chicken viennas (about 7)
500ml grated mature cheddar cheese
a handful of soft herbs (chives, basil, coriander), chopped
6 eggs
60ml cream
2,5ml salt
black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 30cm x 20cm ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add the onion, sweet pepper, Viennas, cheese and herbs to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Add the eggs, cream, salt and a few grindings of pepper to another bowl and whisk together.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix.
Spoon into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Potato Profiteroles

December 29, 2024December 29, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g potato, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme
1 clove of garlic
125g + 125g smoked bacon
1 wheel camembert cheese
125ml milk
60ml butter
5ml salt
125ml flour
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the potato, rosemary, thyme, garlic and enough salted water to cover it. Cook until the potatoes are very soft.
Drain and remove the herbs and garlic.
Pass the potato through a ricer or sieve for a smooth texture and set aside.
Fry 125g of the bacon until crispy and chop into very small pieces. Set aside.
Cut the camembert in half.
Cut one halve into 1cm slices.
Remove the rind from the other halve and chop it into pieces. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the milk, butter and salt to a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the flour and stir vigorously with a spatula until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.
Add half of the mashed potato, the rindless, chopped camembert, chopped bacon and the whole egg. Stir/beat until very well incorporated.
Add the remaining potato and egg yolks and beat by hand until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.
Pipe 2cm rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
Cut the remaining bacon into 1cm pieces. Top the profiteroles with a slice of bacon or camembert.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm.

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Butter Candle Bread

December 30, 2023December 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Prepare the butter candle the day before you intend to serve it:

80g salted butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
a small bunch of chives, finely chopped
1 small round bread
2 muffin paper cups
15cm length of cotton string

Place one paper cup in a muffin tin.
Take a second paper cup and make a small slit in the bottom.
Insert the string through the slit and pull about 2cm through to the bottom of the cup.
Place this second paper cup in the cup that is in the muffin pan.
Place a wooden dowel/chopstick across the paper cup and tie the string to it, so that you are creating a wick for your candle.

Melt the butter in the microwave, add the garlic and chives and stir together.
Pour the mixture into the prepared paper cup and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Place a biscuit cutter, more or less the size of the muffin cup into the centre of the bread and hollow out the inside with your hands.
Keep the biscuit cutter in place and slice the rest of the bread into squares.
Remove the cutter and place the candle in the hollow.
Light the butter candle and wait for it to melt sufficiently to dip small pieces of bread into it.

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Hummus Wreath

December 24, 2023December 23, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a quick throw-together as a starter or snack board and can easily be made from ingredients you already have in your refrigerator. If you want to make the hummus from scratch you will find a few recipes with slight variations under my search button if you type in HUMMUS.
Quantities are for you to decide and adapt to your taste.

hummus
chopped herbs like chives and parsley
crumbed feta or ricotta
cocktail tomatoes
olive oil to drizzle over before serving

Serve the hummus wreath with crackers or melba toast.

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Garlic Potato Puffins

October 29, 2023September 27, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

750ml mashed potato, cold
30g + 150g butter, melted
150g flavoured cream cheese, room temperature
180ml + 180ml grated, mature cheddar cheese
3 eggs
30ml grated parmesan cheese
15ml + 15ml chopped chives
5ml garlic flakes
5ml salt
250ml sour cream

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and brush a 12-hole muffin tin with the 30g melted butter.
Add the mashed potato, 150g melted butter and cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mix together until the ingredients are well distributed.
Add 180ml cheddar, eggs, parmesan, 15ml chives, garlic flakes and salt and mix together.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cups and sprinkle the remaining 180ml cheddar over.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the baking tin from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
Run a small knife around the edges of each cup and gently lift out the puffins.
Scoop a dollop of sour cream onto each potato puffin and scatter the 15ml chives over to serve.

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Biltong and Cheese Rolls

October 28, 2023September 9, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

These rolls are made with tortilla wraps and sliced into three portions once done. The quantities given is for ONE TORTILLA WRAP.

1 tortilla wrap
15ml mayonnaise
25-30g biltong, sliced and then roughly chopped (it makes it easier to eat)
25-30g mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Lay a tortilla wrap on a work surface and brush a thin layer of mayonnaise over the entire surface.
Flip the wrap over and brush the rest of the mayonnaise over the surface in a much thicker layer.
Sprinkle the chopped biltong evenly over the tortilla and then top it with a cheese layer.
Roll the wrap up into a tight roll and place it on the baking tray, open side facing down.
Make as many rolls as you need.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes but start checking after 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice in three even portions and arrange on a serving platter.

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Cheese Biscuits

September 28, 2023September 7, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The recipe yields about 30 biscuits and they disappear very quickly!! If you want to make an extra batch I would recommend that you prepare the dough twice. If you simply double up on the ingredients, it will probably be to dry to bring together as a rollable dough.

125g butter, cubed (salted butter adds most flavour)
140g flour
120g hard cheese, finely grated (your choice of cheese, I love Gruyere)

Add the butter to a mixing bowl and sift the flour into the bowl.
Rub the butter and flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Reserve 30ml of the grated cheese and add the rest to the flour mixture.
Knead or rather push the dough together into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the dough on a sheet of baking paper and roll it out to a 0,5cm thickness.
Cut out rounds of 4cm in diameter with a cookie cutter.
Space the biscuits evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the reserved cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Cool the cheese biscuits on the baking sheet and store in a glass container.

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Savoury Scones

June 27, 2023June 25, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

280g flour
10ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
2,5ml garlic flakes
60ml chives, chopped
100g butter, cubed
1 egg
62ml cream
62ml yoghurt
50g cheese, grated
egg wash: one egg yolk whisked with 15ml water

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
Add the garlic flakes and chives and mix through.
Add the cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.
Add the egg, cream, yoghurt and cheese to another bowl and mix to combine.
Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a pallet knife until combined.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough out to a 3-4cm thickness.
Press the scones out with a 6cm biscuit cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the tops with egg wash and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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Biltong Borrelbrood

June 20, 2023June 16, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sourdough bread
200g cheese spread
100g butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
80ml parsley, chopped
200g biltong, sliced

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place the bread on a wooden board and place a wooden spoon on either side of it, in its length.
Slice the bread on the diagonal, into 1,5cm thick slices WITHOUT slicing through – the wooden spoons should prevent this.
Now turn the bread and slice again so that you are left with squares that are attached at the bottom.
Place the sliced bread on a large piece of aluminium foil and then onto a baking sheet. Set aside.
Add the cheese spread, butter and garlic to a small saucepan and set it over a medium-low heat.
Stir every now and then until the mixture has melted and is amalgamated.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Spoon generous amounts of the cheese mixture in between the sliced bread.
Push the biltong slices between the bread squares and cover with the aluminium foil.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Serve immediately as a casual starter.

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Chorizo and Paprika Quiche

March 24, 2023March 23, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g chorizo, casing removed and sliced
45ml butter
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced in discs
2 onions, sliced
1 x 400g frozen puff pastry
4 eggs
125g sour cream
50g parmesan cheese, grated
15ml flour
5ml smoked paprika

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 22cm diameter loose-bottom pie tin with baking spray.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Add the chorizo, leeks and onion and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry into a 25cm diameter disc.
Line the prepared pie tin (base and sides) with the pastry and prick the base all over with the tines of a fork.
Line the pastry case with baking paper and dry beans/rice and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the beans and paper and bake the shell for another 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 180℃.
Add the eggs, sour cream, parmesan, flour and paprika to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Spoon the chorizo mixture into the pastry shell and spread it evenly over the base.
Pour the egg mixture over and bake the quiche for 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.