sweet – Page 17 – My Whisk and I

Traditional Sweet Dumplings/Souskluitjies

June 17, 2022June 13, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml flour
5ml baking powder
1,2ml salt
45ml butter, cubed
2 eggs
15ml sugar
2,5ml salt
2,5ml ground cinnamon
125ml butter, melted
ground cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl.
Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.
Add the eggs and 15ml sugar to another bowl and whisk together.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix together.
Fill a large saucepan at least 7-8cm deep with hot, simmering water.
Add 2,5ml salt and 2,5ml cinnamon to the water.
Spoon a teaspoonful of batter into the water. Add another 4 dumplings – do not crowd the saucepan- and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a heatproof dish.
Drizzle with the melted butter and some cinnamon-sugar.
Keep the dumplings warm while you cook the rest.
Serve warm with extra cinnamon-sugar.

Uncategorized

Chocolate Parcels

June 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 chocolate bar, broken into blocks – I used De Villiers nut butter chocolate
puff pastry, store-bought
1 egg yolk and 15ml water, whisked together

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Cut the pastry into squares and follow the following technique to make little parcels:

Place the chocolate parcels on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg-wash.
Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm.

Uncategorized

Milk Tart Overnight Oats

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

150g sugar
45ml cornstarch
3 egg yolks
50ml + 700ml milk
7,5ml vanilla
5ml ground cinnamon
500ml oats
ground cinnamon and sugar, mixed, for dusting

Add the sugar and cornstarch to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Whisk the egg yolks and 50ml milk together and stir into the sugar mixture to make a smooth, runny paste. Set aside.
Add the 700ml milk to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Take the saucepan from the heat and drizzle a thin stream of milk on to the egg mixture while whisking vigorously.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place it over medium-high heat and whisk until thick.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.
Add the oats to a bowl/glass jar.
Pour the warm mixture over the oats and leave to cool.
Refrigerate overnight.
Dust with cinnamon-sugar to serve.

The oats may be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Uncategorized

Peanut Butter Clusters

June 8, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

190ml smooth peanut butter
125ml honey
1,2ml salt
4 x 250ml puffed rice/Rice Crispies
80g chocolate, chopped
a handful of peanuts, finely chopped

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Add the peanut butter, honey and salt to a small saucepan set over a very low heat.
Stir continuously until melted and amalgamated.
Measure the puffed rice into a large mixing bowl and pour the peanut butter mixture over.
Mix thoroughly with a spatula, making sure that all of the puffed rice is covered in the sticky goodness.
Scoop spoonfuls into the lined muffin tin, dividing the mixture equally. Press down onto each cluster with the back of a spoon to ensure that it is compact and sticks together.
Set aside to cool completely – at least 30 minutes.
Add the chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt completely.
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the clusters and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts before the chocolate sets.
Store the peanut cluster in an airtight container for up to a week.

Uncategorized

Warm Chocolate Cake

June 6, 2022June 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The original cake, Kladdkaka, is a traditional Swedish bake but this is my take on it, resulting in a warm dessert that is somewhere between a brownie and a lava cake. From start to finish it will take you 30 minutes to put together this more-ish chocolate cake!

80g chocolate, chopped
130g butter
250ml flour
125ml cocoa powder, sifted
330ml sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Dust the bottom of the tin with cocoa powder. Set aside.
Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then until completely melted. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add the flour, cocoa powder and sugar to the bowl and stir together by hand.
Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.
The cake should have a firm top that cracks when you apply pressure to it with your finger.
Allow the cake to cool slightly in the cake tin. Run a knife between the cake and the tin and remove the cake ring.
Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar.

Uncategorized

Deep Fried Chocolate Banana

June 2, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

4 wooden skewers
4 ripe bananas
80g chocolate, chopped
1 egg
62ml sugar
125ml milk
15ml vegetable oil
250ml flour
10ml baking powder
1ml salt
oil for deep frying

Peel the bananas and push the skewer into the banana lengthwise so that it is easy to handle. Place in the freezer.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Take the bananas from the freezer. Hold the banana over the bowl with the chocolate and spoon the melted chocolate over with a spoon so that the entire banana gets covered in chocolate. The cold from the freezer will help to set the chocolate.
Now stick the skewer into a piece of styrofoam or an egg carton or even an empty cereal box so that the banana is held upright and the chocolate won’t smudge.
Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat together with an electric beater.
Add about half the milk and the oil and beat some more.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate mixing bowl.
Add a spoonful of the flour mixture to the egg mixture while beating.
Gradually add the rest of the milk so that you create a smooth runny batter.
Heat your deep fryer, dip the bananas in the batter and fry them until golden brown.
Dust the fritters with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Uncategorized

Quick Lemon Curd Puddings

May 31, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

375ml milk
190ml desiccated coconut
50g butter, melted
1 egg
125ml flour
250ml caster sugar
125ml lemon curd (you may search my Lemon Curd recipe or simply use store bought)
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and lightly spray 6 individual ramekins.
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend together until completely smooth.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and space them apart.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins and bake for 20 minutes or until just set.
Serve the lemon puddings with a generous dusting of icing sugar.

Uncategorized

Quince Granola Crumble

May 27, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 quince
250ml sugar
500ml water
5ml vanilla

Crumble:
250ml granola
250ml almond meal/ground almonds
5ml ground cinnamon
125ml brown sugar
60g butter, cubed

Quarter the quince and then halve each quarter. Peel and cut out the core. Set aside.
Add the sugar, water and vanilla to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the quince slices to the poaching liquid and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Gently simmer the fruit until it can easily be pierced with a toothpick.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow the quince slices to cool in the liquid completely.
Drain the quince and transfer the slices to a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish.

For the crumble:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the granola, almond meal, cinnamon, sugar and butter to a mixing bowl.
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Keep going until the butter is well distributed throughout the mixture.
Spread the crumb mixture evenly on the quince slices and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve the quince crumble with a scoop of ice cream or yoghurt.

Uncategorized

Chocolate and Fig Overnight Oats

May 25, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a healthy and delicious breakfast or post-workout snack and may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Yields 6 portions.

500ml rolled oats
45ml cocoa powder
500ml milk (or non-dairy milk)
190ml greek yoghurt
10ml vanilla
190ml honey
80g sugar-free chocolate, finely chopped
12 fresh figs, cut into quarters

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir through to combine.
Divide between 6 cups or one large glass jar.
Refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
Take the oats from the refrigerator and spoon out a portion. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Scatter the fresh figs and some mint leaves onto the oats to serve.

Uncategorized

Poached Pears with Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce

May 19, 2022May 15, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a rich, thick, dark and indulgent chocolate sauce where the wine is the star of the show. Choose a wine you enjoy drinking …
I use a good, full bodied Merlot, but the choice is yours.

750ml red wine (Merlot)
250ml water
10ml vanilla
250ml sugar
2 slices orange peel
2 star anise
4 cloves
1 cinnamon quill
6 firm, ripe pears

Select a saucepan that is large enough for the pears to fir snugly but still be submerged in the liquid, even if they have to lie flat.
Add all the ingredients, except the pears, to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Now peel the pears and gently lower them into the poaching liquid.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and poach the pears for 25 minutes. Rotate each pear every 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the fruit to cool in the liquid.
Remove the pears from the liquid once it is room temperature.
Strain the mixture through a sieve but reserve the poaching liquid.

Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce:
190ml cream
190ml poaching liquid from the pears
15ml cocoa powder
125ml sugar
240g chocolate, chopped
60g butter, cubed
a pinch of salt

Add the cream, poaching liquid, sifted cocoa powder and sugar to a small saucepan.
Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk for 5 minutes while simmering.
Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Add the chopped chocolate, butter and pinch of salt and whisk until smooth. (If the sauce cools and becomes too thick, thin it down by gently reheating it).
Place the pears on a serving dish and pour over some chocolate sauce to serve.