small bites – My Whisk and I

Mini Banana Cheesecakes

September 8, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g tennis biscuits, finely crumbed (keep a handful aside for decoration/to serve)
60ml sugar
120g butter, melted
450g cream cheese, room temperature
125ml sugar
2 eggs
5ml vanilla
250ml sour cream
250ml mashed banana
5ml cornstarch
125ml milk
2 bananas, sliced
whipped cream
a handful of biscuit crumbs

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a muffin tin with paper cups. Set aside.
Add the biscuit crumbs, 60ml sugar and melted butter to a mixing bowl and mix until it resembles wet sand.
Divide the mixture among the paper cups and press it down firmly in the bottom to form a base. Set aside.
Add the cream cheese and 125ml sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on high speed, scraping down a few times, until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and add the vanilla as well.
Pour in the sour cream and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
Add the mashed banana and cornstarch to a bowl and drizzle in the milk. Whisk by hand until combined and thick.
Fold the mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon the batter into the prepared biscuit bases.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Allow the cheesecakes to cool completely and place them in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
Take the cheesecakes from the paper cups, scoop some whipped cream on top and decorate with slices of banana and a sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.

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Chicken Croutons

January 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 slices of regular sandwich bread
60ml vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
100g grated parmesan cheese
45ml mayonnaise
salad leaves
350g crumbed chicken strips, cooked

Preheat your oven to 180℃ .
Slice each slice of bread into two triangles and roll each triangle flat with a rolling pin.
Pour the vegetable oil into a small bowl and add the garlic to it.
Brush one side of the bread triangle with the garlic oil.
Bring the two widest corners of the bread triangle together, overlap them slightly and secure with a wooden toothpick.
Place the shaped bread on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until slightly golden but not hard.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Add the parmesan cheese and mayonnaise to the leftover garlic oil and mix together.
Now scoop some of this mixture onto a salad leave (be generous!) and place a chicken strip on top.
Fold the salad leave so that it fits into the shaped bread slices and serve with drinks.

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Sweet Goat Cheese Puffs

December 3, 2023December 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Makes about 36 bite-sized puffs

1 packet store-bought puff pastry, thawed and at room temperature
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water, whisked together
45ml sesame seeds
180g cream cheese, softened
60g goat cheese, softened
15ml lemon juice
1ml salt
30ml chopped chives
60ml sweet chilli sauce

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the pastry on a work surface and cut out 5cm rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Transfer the pastry rounds to the baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
Now score each round with a 2,5cm biscuit cutter, but do not cut through.
Brush the borders/rims of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake the rounds for 12 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and press down the centres of each puff with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, salt and chopped chives to a bowl and beat together by hand until creamy.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the centre of each pastry puff.
Drizzle over the sweet chilli sauce and serve.

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Bulgur Wheat Salad

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

500ml cooked bulgur wheat
250ml parsley, chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
80ml chopped pickled cucumber
125ml roasted red peppers, chopped
250ml pomegranate seeds
80ml raisins
Dressing:
60ml olive oil
60ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2,5ml granulated mustard
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt

Add the cooked bulgur wheat, parsley, onion, pickled cucumber, red peppers, pomegranate seeds and raisins to a large mixing bowl and toss together.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until amalgamated and drizzle over the salad.

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Aubergine Flatbread

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

60ml olive oil
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
150g – 200g aubergine, cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml sumac
lemon juice
pomegranate seeds
8 – 10 small flatbreads, about 8cm diameter

Pour the olive oil in to a pan and set it over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the chickpeas, aubergine cubes, garlic and sumac and cook for about 10 minutes, until the aubergine is soft.
Take from the heat and roughly mash together so that you have mashed chickpeas with texture.
Smear the mixture on to the flatbreads, drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds.
Serve as a canapé with drinks.

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Jan’s Balsamic Toffee Tomatoes

May 7, 2023April 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is not mine to give out as it belongs to the South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen BUT you should make these for your next drinks party …. delicious just got so much better!

These tomatoes are incredibly tasty and the balsamic toffee perfectly balances with the toasty sesame brittle on which it sits. Easy and quick to make EXCEPT on a rainy day! The moisture in the air prevents the toffee from “sitting” on the tomato…

You can find this recipe in Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s book The French Affair (Struik; 2013) (p. 19).

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Sesame Halloumi with Honey Drizzle

November 16, 2022November 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g halloumi
75g sesame seeds
75g flour
30ml honey
10ml lemon juice
vegetable oil

Slice the halloumi into fingers
Add the sesame seeds to a shallow bowl and the flour to another.
Roll each piece of cheese in the sesame seeds, pressing down to make them stick.
Now press them into the flour to coat and place them on a plate.
Add the honey and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk together.
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and wait for it until it is hot.
Fry the halloumi in batches for 1 minute until golden brown, turning to colour evenly.
Drizzle the warm fingers with the honey dressing and serve.

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Crispy Prawn Canapés

June 16, 2022June 13, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g prawns, shelled and deveined – keep the tail ends on
2 eggs, lightly beaten
83ml flour
250ml popped rice (rice crispies)
vegetable oil for frying

Clean and dry the prawns.
Add the eggs to a shallow dish and beat together.
Add the flour and popped rice to a second and third bowl.
Heat the oil in a saucepan to about 170℃.
Now dredge each prawn in flour, then egg and finally in the popped rice.
Fry the prawn in the oil for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with a dipping sauce, as a canapé.

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Goats Cheese Tart

October 20, 2021October 17, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is the perfect food as a light starter or simply as a canapé served with drinks on the patio. It can also double up as a light lunch when served with a salad.

2 large pears
30ml butter
30ml honey
1 lemon
500g ready-made pastry
200g goats cheese
a handful of pecan nuts
a handful of thyme leaves
egg-wash: 1 egg + 15ml milk

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Peel and core the pears and cut them into thin wedges lengthwise.
Place in a bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over. Mix up the slices with your hands so that the pear is covered with lemon juice.
Add the butter and honey to a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the pear slices and any lemon juice from the bowl and cook for 2-3 minutes a side, until the pear is caramelised.
Remove the pear slices but reserve the honey caramel in the pan.
Roll the pastry to a 28cm X 38cm rectangle and score a 2cm border all around the edges. Place the pastry on the lined baking sheet.
Arrange the pear slices over the pastry within the border.
Now break up the cheese and arrange it randomly between the pear.
Scatter the pecan nuts and the thyme leaves over the pear and goats cheese.
Drizzle the leftover caramel from the pan over the tart.
Whisk the egg and milk together and brush the pastry border with it.
Bake the tart for 20 minutes until the pastry is beautifully golden.
Serve slightly warm.