starters – My Whisk and I

Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

October 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sourdough loaf, cut into 1cm slices
60ml olive oil
600g cherry tomatoes, halved
half a red onion, finely chopped
200g goat’s cheese/chevin
100g sour cream
juice of 1 lemon (about 30ml)
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush them with the olive oil.
Toast the bread in the oven for 10 min. Set aside.
Add the halved tomatoes and red onion to a mixing bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add the goat cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and basil leaves to a bowl and whisk together with an electric whisk.
Spread the cheese mixture on the bruschetta, top with the tomato and serve immediately.

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.

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.

Beer and Cheese Pies

April 29, 2022April 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you have ever been to Oktoberfest, this is the taste version!!

1 packet phyllo pastry
125g butter, melted
190ml cream cheese, room temperature
83ml beer
30ml granulated mustard
2,5ml garlic powder
190 ml grated Boerenkaas (or Gouda)
190ml grated Cheddar cheese
1 egg

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and brush a 12-hole muffin tin with the melted butter.
Lay the phyllo sheets flat on a large chopping board and cut it into six squares – all the sheets at once.
Brush the top sheet with melted butter.
Lay a phyllo square into a muffin hole and pat it down.
Lay another square at an odd angle onto the first and pat it down. Finish the phyllo cup with a third layer of pastry.
Fill all 12 muffin holes in the same way and set aside.
Add the cream cheese and half the beer to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
Stir the mixture until the cheese has melted.
Add the rest of the beer, stir and lower the heat.
Add the mustard and garlic powder.
Add a small amount of the grated boerenkaas and cheddar and wait for it to incorporate and melt into the mixture.
Keep adding small amounts of cheese and stirring until all cheese are incorporated.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk until completely smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg to the mixture and whisk to incorporate.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared phyllo cups and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. The tops should be slightly burnt.
Serve the tarts warm or at room temperature with an ice cold beer.

Bitterballen / Kroketten

April 24, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The difference between bitterballen and kroketten is the shape and only the shape. These Dutch delicacies are delicious as a snack, light lunch or eaten whenever the craving takes hold of you. Homemade bitterballen/kroketten are a mission to make BUT it is worth every ounce of energy that goes into the making!

1kg beef shin (beef shank), bone in
3 onions, sliced into quarters
45ml beef stock powder
salt and pepper
10ml parsley, chopped
250g butter
90ml flour
500ml panko/dried breadcrumbs
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying

Place the beef shin (with the bone) and onions in a large saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the meat. Add 10ml salt and bring to a low simmer.
Cook the meat for about 4 hours – it should literally fall from the bone. The shin benefits from being cooked low and slow in order to break down all the fibres and turn it into unctuous, gelatinous meat which in turn thickens the sauce in which it is cooked.
Take the meat from the saucepan and set aside.
Pour the broth through a fine sieve, season to taste with salt and pepper and then add the stock powder so that you have a salty broth.
Add the chopped parsley and set aside.
Pull the beef into very fine shreds and cut into small pieces necessary.
Now add the butter to a clean saucepan set over high heat.
Add the flour a little at a time while stirring constantly. Cook the mixture for 1 minute.
Pour the beef stock into the saucepan in a very thin stream, while whisking, JUST until you have a very thick sauce.
Take the sauce from the heat, stir in the meat and mix through.
Pour the mixture into a large roasting tin and allow it to cool.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and break the eggs in another. Whisk the egg together.
Shape about 80ml of the beef mixture into cylinder/round shapes, dredge each one in the breadcrumbs, egg and breadcrumbs again.
Fry the kroketten in 180℃ oil, until golden.
Serve with a good mustard.

Warm Artichoke Dip/Spread

March 30, 2022March 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 can/bottle water-packed artichoke hearts, drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
45ml mayonnaise
250ml grated mature cheddar cheese
30ml lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to mix, but be sure to keep some texture of the artichoke.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Spoon the mixture into a small ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Serve with vegetable sticks, freshly baked bread or crackers.

Korean Pancakes

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These pancakes are a delicious snack, light lunch or canapé. The recipe yields two pancakes which is enough for one person or a snack for two sharing. Savoury and crispy has never tasted as good!!

Dipping sauce:
30ml soy sauce
15ml vinegar
5ml honey
5ml sesame oil
2,5ml sesame seeds

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

For the pancakes:
250ml zucchini, cut into stick not wider than 4mm (or grated if you do not want to do the cutting!)
190ml flour
30ml cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
2,5ml salt
1 egg
190ml ice cold water
about 60ml vegetable oil

Cut the zucchini into sticks no thicker than 4mm.
Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic and egg together in a mixing bowl.
Drizzle in the water while whisking continuously, to form a smooth batter.
Heat about 30ml of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Arrange half the zucchini in the pan and spread it out evenly.
Pour half the batter over the zucchini sticks and leave to cook for 4 minutes.
Flip the pancake and cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.
Remove the pancake from the pan, slice into chunks and serve with the dipping sauce.

Twice Baked Cheese Soufflé

January 28, 2022January 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is an easy soufflé, packed to the brim with flavour!

75ml flour
250ml milk
a pinch of nutmeg
5ml salt
4 eggs, separated
250ml Gruyére cheese, grated
250ml cream
5ml dried tarragon
rocket leaves
15ml olive oil
5ml lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and brush 6 heatproof ramekins with sunflower oil – be generous!
Add the flour to a small saucepan but do not place it on the heat.
Drizzle in some milk to form a paste.
Place the saucepan on medium heat and slowly drizzle in the rest of the milk while whisking continuously.
Simmer the mixture while stirring for about 3 minutes – you want the mixture to be very thick.
Take the saucepan from the heat and add the nutmeg and salt and mix through.
Allow the mixture to cool until it is warm to the touch but not burning your finger.
Add the egg yolks one at a time and stir until incorporated.
Stir in the cheese and put aside.
Beat the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks and fold it into the cheese mixture.
Spoon the batter into the ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a roasting tin and fill the tin about 2-3cm deep with hot water.
Bake the soufflés for 20 minutes.
The soufflés will deflate once you take them from the oven, but do not panic!!
Turn your oven down to 180℃.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and unmould the soufflés – they are now upside down…
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the tarragon.
Bring the cream to a boil, turn off the heat and allow to stand for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the cream onto the soufflés and bake them for another 15 minutes.
Serve immediately with a side of rocket dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Prawn Cocktail

October 22, 2021October 17, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a classic prawn cocktail recipe and although it has been around for always it is ever popular, quick and easy to put together.

60ml butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
400g shrimps/prawns, shells removed and cleaned
half a red onion, finely chopped
60ml mayonnaise
15ml tomato sauce/ketchup
15ml lemon juice
5ml Worcestershire sauce
iceberg lettuce
extra lemon wedges to serve

Melt the butter in a large heavy base frying pan and add the garlic and prawns. The prawn should be spaced slightly apart and not be crowded into the pan – cook more than one batch if your pan does not allow enough room for this.
Cook the prawns for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pink.
Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Chop the red onion very finely and add it to a mixing bowl with the mayo, tomato sauce, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Mix through.
Chop the prawns into chunks and add it to the sauce mixture.
Shred about 2 cups of lettuce and add that to the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Scoop the mixture into serving bowls/glasses/cone-shaped tuilles and serve with a wedge of lemon.

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.

Tag: starters