starters – My Whisk and I

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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Potato Flatbread / Schiacciata di Patate

December 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 large potatoes
410ml flour
310ml cold water
30ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
160ml grated parmesan cheese
15ml chopped rosemary

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Slice the potato thinly and set aside.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and whisk in the water, olive oil, salt and grated parmesan.
Whisk the batter by hand for a minute or two, until smooth.
Add the sliced potato to the batter and mix it through by hand, making sure that the slices are coated with batter.
Place hand-full potato slices on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out in an evenly layer with the potato overlapping.
Scatter over the chopped rosemary and some extra grated parmesan cheese.
Bake the flatbread for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice into pieces and serve hot.

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Prawn Croquettes

June 19, 2024June 18, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
500g prawns, shelled and cleaned
375g mashed potato
125ml grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs
about 500ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil to fry

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and the onion to it and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the prawns and cook until pink – about 3 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a food processor, add 5ml salt and pulse until roughly chopped.
Add the mashed potato and cheddar cheese and pulse until the mixture is incorporated.
Taste and season according to your liking.
Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl.
Scoop 30ml of the prawn mixture into your hands and shape into a log.
Dip the log into the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs to cover.
Refrigerate the shaped croquettes for 30 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil and fry the croquettes in batches for 3-4 minutes at a time.
Serve warm with a tartar sauce on the side.

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Crispy Potato Cakes with Smoked Chicken and Grapes

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

500g potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
60g butter, melted
1 egg yolk

Topping:
15ml horseradish
60ml mayonnaise
60ml sour cream
5ml finely grated lemon rind
300g smoked chicken, sliced
1 small bunch of chives, chopped
red grapes, halved
cucumber strips

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
Add the mashed potato, butter and egg yolk to a mixing bowl and stir together.
Season with salt and pepper and mix again.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it to a 7cm diameter disc.
Place the potato cakes on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 17 minutes, very gently flip them over and bake for another 17 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Topping:
Add the horseradish, mayo, sour cream, lemon rind, chopped chives and a pinch of salt to a bowl and mix together.

Place the potato cakes on a serving platter.
Scoop some of the topping on the cakes and add some of the sliced chicken.
Add some more of the horseradish mixture and top with grapes and cucumber strips.

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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 Butter Steak

November 22, 2023November 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml vegetable oil
1kg steak, cubed
60g butter, cubed
5 cloves of garlic, minced
a handful of parsley, chopped

Place a cast iron pan over high heat, pour in the oil and wait for it to heat up.
Season the steak cubes with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan in a single layer. If it doesn’t fit, work in batches.
Cook the steak for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over.
Take it from the pan and keep on the side while you repeat the process with the rest of the cubes.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter.
Add the garlic to the pan and stir-fry for one minute.
Spoon the meat back into the pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat the meat in the garlic butter.
Sprinkle over the parsley and serve as a main alongside a salad/veg or on a platter with tiny wooden skewers as a canapé.

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Whipped Feta Salad

September 9, 2023August 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g + 50g feta, crumbled
100ml milk
350g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, diced
a handful of basil, chopped
half an onion, finely chopped
30ml balsamic vinegar
30ml olive oil
20g pine nuts, toasted

Crumble the feta into a blender’s cup and add half the milk.
Blitz with an immersion blender until it becomes emulsified – add the rest of the milk a little at a time, aiming for a creamy consistency that will sit on a plate.
Crumb the 50g feta into the whipped feta and spread on a serving plate.
Add the halved tomatoes, cucumber, basil and onion to a mixing bowl and pour over the balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix together and spoon on to the whipped feta.
Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and a few extra basil leaves.

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Biltong and Fig Camembert Ring

August 12, 2023July 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125g cream cheese, room temperature
2 preserved green figs, finely chopped
45ml syrup from the preserved figs
1 x 400g roll of puffed pastry
200g thinly sliced biltong
250g camembert cheese, top rind removed
egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the cream cheese, chopped figs and the syrup to a bowl and mix to distribute the fig evenly.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and halve it in its length – you want to shorter pieces.
Divide the cream cheese mixture between the pastry and spread it out evenly.
Now arrange the biltong on top of the cream cheese.
Cut each piece of pastry into 8 even strips.
Twist each strip like you would when making cheese straws.
Place a saucer/heatproof bowl, more or less the size of the camembert, on the lined baking sheet.
Arrange the twisted pastry around the saucer until you have an entire ring of pastry around it.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
Take the baking sheet from the oven, remove the saucer and replace it with the camembert. (the top with its rind removed, should face up)
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes or so – the cheese should be melted and runny.
Serve warm with fresh herbs scattered over.

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Aubergine with Sesame Dressing

July 3, 2023June 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 baby aubergine OR 2 large aubergine, cut into 2cm thick slices
30ml olive oil
250ml greek yoghurt
45ml tahini paste
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Slice the aubergine in half and score the flesh.
Brush the olive oil on the scored side and either grill over an open fire or in a very warm pan until cooked and slightly charred.
Arrange the aubergine on a serving plate.
Add the yoghurt, tahini paste and garlic to a small bowl and mix together. Smear the tahini paste against the side of the bowl and scrape it off again so that it mixes through the other ingredients.
Serve the sesame dressing on the aubergine at room temperature.