snack platter – My Whisk and I

Mini Aubergine Schnitzels

March 23, 2024March 22, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

about 9 small aubergines
125ml flour
5ml salt and a few groundings of black pepper
125ml water
100g all bran breakfast cereal

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Place the aubergine on the prepared baking sheet and prick the skin and flesh all over with a fork.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, remove and allow to cool completely.
Carefully peel off the skins and place the aubergines back on the tray.
Squash the flesh with a fork so that the flesh spreads out to an even thickness. Set aside.
Add the flour, salt, black pepper and water to a bowl and stir to make a thin batter.
Add the all bran flakes to a food processor and blitz to rough crumbs.
Pour the cereal in a shallow bowl.
Now dip an aubergine in the batter, covering both sides and allow the excess batter to drip off.
Place the aubergine in the cereal and coat on both sides.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add some vegetable oil to it.
Wait for the oil to heat up and fry the aubergine for 2 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
Serve warm.

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Pickled Vegetables

March 21, 2024March 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is a guide with a few must-do steps and a whole lot of optionals where you get to choose according to your preference!!

vegetables of your choice e.g. cucumber, red onion, baby onion, carrot, cauliflower, green beans
flavourants such as fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, black or red pepper, mustard seeds, chilli flakes, pimento, all spice, garlic

Pickling liquid:
500ml white vinegar
500ml water
30ml salt
30ml sugar

Wash, rinse and dry your glass containers.
Clean and peel your vegetable of choice and cut it into pieces.
Tightly pack the vegetable into the jar and add your flavouring – I add about half a teaspoon of all the above spices as I like a punchy pickle.
Add the vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a small saucepan and place it on medium-high heat while stirring to dissolve the salt.
Remove from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles break the surface.
Pour the hot liquid onto the vegetables, covering it completely.
Secure the lid of the container and set aside to cool.
Place the container in the refrigerator for a minimum of three days.
Enjoy your pickles with a cheese/charcuterie board, on a sandwich, as a garnish/side with roasted meat or on its own as a snack.

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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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Cream-Cheese-Board

October 3, 2022October 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This cheeseboard is a brilliant way of entertaining friends and family with the absolute minimum effort! The cream cheese is used as a base and smeared onto a wooden serving board and then topped with crunchy, punchy bits and bobs. One 250g tub of cream cheese should provide you with enough to feed 4 people as a snack with cocktails or even as a nibble before a meal.

250g tub of cream cheese (I used a chive flavoured cheese)
red onion, finely chopped
chives, chopped (garlic chives are especially good)
fried onion bits (mine was store bought but feel free to make them yourself)
pomegranate seeds
lemon zest
honey for drizzling over
edible flower to make everything look pretty

Smear the cream cheese onto a wooden serving board.
Sprinkle over the onion, chives, fried onion, pomegranate seeds and lemon zest.
Drizzle a small amount of honey over and finish off with a few pretty edible flowers.
Serve with crackers and cocktails.