Parmesan Eggs

Parmesan Eggs

6 eggs
30ml butter
salt, pepper, smoked sweet paprika
250ml grated parmesan cheese

Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, peel and half them.
Melt the butter in a pan set over medium heat and place the eggs cut-side down into the butter.
Season with salt, pepper and a generous amount of sweet paprika.
Cover the eggs with the grated parmesan and place a lid on the pan. 
Cook just until the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately.

Potato Curls

Potato Curls

potato
vegetable oil
salt

Peel the potato.
Now slice the potato with a vegetable peeler as though you are peeling an apple. Try and keep the strips as long as possible.
Place the strips in a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Soak for 30 minutes.
Drain and dry the strips on kitchen paper.
Heat some oil in a saucepan and deep-fry the potato until golden.
Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Chicken Croutons

Chicken Croutons

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.


Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

You may add 125ml of chocolate chips or the same amount of chopped nuts to these delicious, moist muffins.
Yields 12 muffins.

500ml flour
10ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
2.5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
200ml brown sugar
100ml greek yoghurt
125ml sunflower oil
5ml vanilla
250g/3 very ripe bananas
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into a mixing bowl.
Add the brown sugar and stir through. Set aside.
Add the yoghurt, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs to a jug and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the bananas to a bowl and mash them.
Add half of the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir through.
Now add half the banana and mix again.
Add the rest of the liquid and the rest of the banana and mix with a spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cups and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool the muffins on a wire rack.


Hummus Wreath

Hummus Wreath

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.

PaneScone

PaneScone

450g flour
2,5ml salt
10ml baking powder
150g butter, cubed
120g sugar
120g candied citrus peel
120g raisins
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
250ml milk

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Add the cubed butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar, citrus peel and raisins and lightly mix through.
Add the grated zest of the orange and lemon and stir again.
Add small quantities of milk, stir and repeat until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Flatten with your hands so that it is 5cm thick.
Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass and place the scone on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart evenly.
Bring the dough together to a 5cm thickness again and cut out some more rounds.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the scones and cool on a cooling rack.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Coffee Rusks

Coffee Rusks

This is a small batch of rusks and yields about 24 pieces.

250g butter, room temperature
250ml caster sugar
4 eggs
10ml instant coffee dissolved in 30ml hot water
10ml vanilla
10ml baking powder
250ml flour

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 23cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat together at high speed until creamy – scrape the mixture down once or twice in between mixing.
Add the eggs one at a time, waiting for it to be incorporated into the mixture before adding the next one.
Add the dissolved coffee and vanilla.
Add the baking powder and flour to a bowl and mix through.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and add two tablespoons of flour at a time, until you have no flour left.
Spoon the batter in to the prepared loaf tin and bake for one hour.
Cool the cake on a wire rack.

Slice the cake into rusk sizes: I like 2cm x 3cm.
Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Space the rusks evenly apart and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the rusks over and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Store the rusks in a glass container.

Salmon Rillettes

Salmon Rillettes

1 onion, chopped
250ml dry white wine
750ml water
5ml whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, zested and juiced
250g fresh salmon, skin removed
125g smoked salmon, chopped
30ml + 30ml butter, cubed and at room temperature
30ml sour cream
45ml dill/parsley, chopped
15ml capers, finely chopped
15ml olive oil

Add half of the chopped onion, all of the white wine, water and peppercorns to a saucepan.
Add the bay leaf and lemon juice and bring the mixture to the boil.
Add the fresh salmon to the liquid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the liquid and allow it to cool. You may discard the poaching liquid.
Gently flake the salmon with your fingers and add it to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 30ml of the butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the remaining onion and cook until soft.
Now add the lemon zest, smoked salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, olive oil, the remaining 30ml butter and the cooked onion to the flaked salmon.
Stir the mixture together to combine evenly but be careful not to mush the salmon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the salmon from the fridge and allow 30 minutes for it to come back to room temperature.
Serve on crostini or crackers.

The salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for three days. Spoon it into a glass jar, melt about 50g of butter and pour over before sealing with the lid.


Popped Sorghum

Popped Sorghum

Popped sorghum is a corn-free/gluten-free alternative to traditional popcorn but just as addicting and stackable – cute, tine and almost sweet tasting, it will become your favourite healthy snack!

30ml sorghum
vegetable oil
salt

Pour a small dash of oil into a saucepan and add one grain of sorghum.
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and cover with a lid.
Add the rest of the sorghum grains once you hear the single grain pop.
Cover with a lid and shake the saucepan every 30 seconds or so until you don’t hear popping anymore.
Remove from the heat and season with salt while hot.
Enjoy your snack!!

Quick Beef Sliders

Quick Beef Sliders

1 tray of small hamburger/hotdog rolls
horseradish
200g mozzarella cheese, sliced
300g roast beef, sliced
1 jar caramelised onions
150g gruyère cheese, grated
30ml butter, melted
2,5ml garlic flakes
30ml poppy seeds

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a roasting tin with aluminium foil.
Slice the rolls in half horizontally and remove the top section.
Place the bottom half of the rolls in the lined roasting tin. Pack the rolls tightly together, touching.
Spread some horseradish over the bottom halves.
Now lay the mozzarella slices on top.
Cover the mozzarella with an even layer (or two or three) of sliced beef.
Spread a layer of caramelised onion on top and sprinkle over the grated cheese.
Place the top half of the rolls on top.
Mix the melted butter and garlic flakes in a small bowl and brush the rolls.
Sprinkle over the poppy seeds and cover the roasting tin with aluminium foil.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.
Serve the sliders warm.