sweet – Page 20 – My Whisk and I

Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprints

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

125g butter
160ml sugar
1 egg, separated
30ml milk
5ml vanilla
250ml flour
83ml cocoa powder, sifted
1,2ml salt
250ml pistachio, finely chopped
80g nut butter chocolate, chopped
15ml cocoa butter

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together.
Add the egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix together.
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Add the egg white to a small bowl and whisk until frothy.
Chop the pistachio finely (I do mine in a food processor) and place it in a shallow bowl.
Scoop up about 15ml of dough and roll it into small balls.
Now roll each ball in the egg white and then in the chopped pistachio.
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Use the back of a 2,5ml measuring spoon to make an indentation in the centre of each dough ball.
Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately re-press the indentations you made. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the chocolate and cocoa butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Stir every now and then until smooth and glossy.
Remove from the heat and stand the bowl for about 30 minutes.
Spoon the chocolate into the indent in each biscuit and set aside to allow the chocolate to set – preferably overnight.
Makes about 25 biscuits.

Uncategorized

Layered Custard Pots

January 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These custard pots are easy to make and can be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12.

2 packets finger biscuits
1 can condensed milk
125ml lemon juice
90ml sugar
135ml custard powder
200ml + 800ml milk

Line up 12 ramekins or serving glasses.
Break/cut the finger biscuits in half and place 2 halves in each ramekin, “lining” the bottoms. Set aside.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and stir together until the mixture amalgamates. Set aside.
Add the sugar and custard powder to a mixing bowl and make a slurry by slowly pouring in the 200ml milk, while whisking.
Pour the 800ml milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Pour in the the custard and sugar slurry and whisk vigorously. Whisk until the custard is thick and smooth and starts to bubble.
Remove from the heat.
Scoop about 60ml of the very hot custard on top of the finger biscuits in the ramekins.
Now scoop about 60ml of the condensed milk mixture on top of the custard layer and shake the ramekins slightly so that the mixture spreads and covers the custard layer.
Repeat the finger biscuit, custard and condensed milk layers.
Bash 12 finger biscuits until very fine and divide equally among the ramekins.
Place the custard pots in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

Uncategorized

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas….

December 9, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Uncategorized

Chocolate-Biscuit Meringue

December 3, 2021December 3, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The recipe makes about 18 meringue biscuits.

4 egg whites, room temperature
220g caster sugar
5ml white vinegar
250ml ladies finger biscuits, chopped (or any other plain biscuit)
250ml almond slivers
160g chocolate of your choice; I used De Villiers Nut Butter with no added sugar

Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form.
Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time, with the mixer running. Wait 30 seconds before adding the next tablespoon of sugar and continue until all the sugar has been added.
Whisk on high speed for 2 more minutes.
Add the vinegar and whisk 2 minutes more.
Take the bowl from the mixer and add the biscuits and almonds. Fold through.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt completely.
Spoon a tablespoon of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate on the meringue and swirl it into the top.
Now reduce your oven temperature to 120℃ and place the trays in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven, without opening the door and leave the meringue inside for another 30 minutes.
Remove the trays from the oven and leave the meringue on it until completely cold – another hour or so.

Store the meringue biscuits in an airtight container.

Uncategorized

Quick-Bake Passionfruit Tart

December 2, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This tart is makes for the perfect summer dessert when served with a scoop of ice cream and extra passionfruit pulp drizzled on top. It is so easy to make, you only need to take out a mixing bowl and a whisk!!

4 eggs
250ml milk
5ml vanilla
125g butter, melted
250ml caster sugar
125ml passionfruit pulp and extra for drizzling once you serve
125ml flour
250ml desiccated coconut

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray a 24cm tart tin with cooking spray.
Add the eggs, milk, vanilla, butter, sugar, passionfruit pulp, flour and coconut to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes.
Cool the tart for 10 minutes before refrigerating for at least 2 hours.
Dust with icing sugar and drizzle with passionfruit pulp.

Uncategorized

Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Pop Corn

November 26, 2021November 25, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Makes 6 portions mousse and about 10 cups of caramel pop corn.

Chocolate Mousse:
200g dark chocolate, chopped (preferably 70% cocoa solids)
100ml + 300ml cream

Add the chocolate and 100ml of the cream to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with barely simmering water.
Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every now and then until the mixture has amalgamated.
Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Stir the mixture every now and then to help the cooling along.
Add the 300ml cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat the cream until it forms soft peaks when you lift the whisk.
Continue whisking on medium speed while adding a spoonful of the chocolate mixture at a time.
Keep going until you have added all of the chocolate and the mixture forms stiff peaks.
Spoon the mousse into serving bowls/glasses and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Caramel Pop Corn:
60ml vegetable oil
83ml popping corn

Add the vegetable oil to a heavy-base saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Add the corn, cover the saucepan with a lid and wait for the corn to pop.
Turn the pop corn out into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

For the caramel:
100g butter
220g brown sugar
170g liquid glucose (or corn syrup or honey)
2,5ml salt
5ml vanilla
2,5ml baking powder

Preheat your oven to 110℃.
Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt.
Now add the sugar, glucose and salt and stir together.
Stop stirring as soon as the mixture starts to bubble and allow it to simmer for 4 minutes – WITHOUT STIRRING!
Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the vanilla and baking powder while whisking.
Pour the caramel over the pop corn and mix through – be careful, it is extremely hot!!!
Spread the mixture on 2 oven trays and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, tossing the pop corn every 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.
Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Gently break the pop corn into pieces.

Place a small handful of the caramel pop corn on the chocolate mousse and serve immediately.

The pop corn can be stored for a week in an airtight container.

Uncategorized

Shortbread

November 24, 2021November 23, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

240g flour
230g butter, room temperature
120g caster sugar plus a handful or so for dusting after baking
2,5ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 20cm x 20cm square or 20cm round baking tin with cooking spray.
Add the flour, butter, caster sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse together until combined. Check that the mixture is soft and pliable and comes together in a dough when you press it together between your fingers. If not, pulse the mixture some more.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and use your hands to push it down firmly.
Prick the shortbread with the tines of a fork, creating rows. Run the back of a knife’s blade between each row of fork tines to make cutting the shortbread easier once it’s baked.
Place the baking tin in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Take the shortbread from the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar while warm. You may also enhance the cutting lines and prick the biscuit with a fork once more.
Allow the shortbread to cool completely in the baking tin before removing and slicing into squares or triangles.

Shortbread is best kept in an airtight container and will last for several weeks.

Uncategorized

Milk Tart

November 18, 2021November 17, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe makes two standard sized tarts.

500g puff pastry

1litre + 250ml milk
250ml sugar
1 cinnamon quill
160ml flour
50ml custard powder
50ml cornstarch
5 eggs, separated
2,5ml baking powder
20g butter
5ml vanilla
ground cinnamon for dusting

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray two 22cm tart tins with cooking spray.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry to 3mm thickness. Line the tart tins – the pastry should be about 1cm larger that the tins to allow for shrinkage during baking.
Place the prepared tart tins in the refrigerator until needed.

Pour 1 litre milk into a saucepan and add the sugar and cinnamon quill. Turn the heat on medium-high and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Heat the milk mixture until it starts forming tiny bubbles around the edges of the saucepan.
Remove from the heat and take out the quill. Set aside.
Add the flour, custard powder and cornflour to a mixing bowl.
Drizzle in the remaining 250ml milk while whisking, to make a slurry.
Add the egg yolks to the slurry and whisk together.
Slowly pour the warm milk-mixture into the slurry while whisking continuously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly!
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to a low heat.
Stir the mixture until it thickens and starts to bubble. Take off the heat, add the butter and vanilla, stir through and set aside.
Add the baking powder to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the custard and divide the mixture between the two prepared tart tins.
Bake the tarts in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately sift some ground cinnamon on the surface.
Serve with your favourite brew of coffee.

Uncategorized

Chocolate Stout Fruit Cake

November 12, 2021November 9, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is fruit cake is dark and rich and incredibly moist and the very best is it does not need time to ripen! You do however need to use a dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa – I used the Dark Chocolate from De Villiers Chocolates which you can order online.

500ml dark stout beer
800g mixed fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas, cherries, orange peel)
175g butter, softened
200g brown sugar
4 eggs
125g ground almonds
50g cornflour
7,5ml ground cinnamon
5ml allspice
80g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped or grated

Pour the stout beer into a saucepan and reduce it to 200ml.
Add the mixed fruit to a ceramic bowl, pour over the stout and set aside to soak overnight.
Preheat your oven to 150℃. Line and lightly spray a 22cm cake pan. Wrap a double layer of baking paper around the outside of the baking tin and secure it with string.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed, until light and fluffy.
Turn the speed down and add the eggs one at a time, beating we’ll after each addition and alternating with a spoonful of ground almonds after each addition.
Now add the remaining ground almonds, cornflour and spices and mix together.
Take the bowl from the mixer and stir in the soaked fruit and chocolate.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 3 – 4 hours – a cake skewer should come out clean.
Remove the fruit cake from the oven and allow to cool completely in the cake pan.

The fruit cake does not need ripening but keeps really well when wrapped in a layer of baking paper and aluminium foil.

Uncategorized

Quick-Bake Cheesecake

November 8, 2021November 7, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a small cheesecake that serves about 8 people with a taste-size portion which makes it ideal to serve with tea. It goes against cheesecake rules as it is baked in quite a hot oven and not in a baine Marie, has no eggs in it and is sweetened with condensed milk.

200g digestive biscuits
80g butter, melted
250g cream cheese, room temperature
1 x 385g can of condensed milk
125ml lemon juice
fresh fruit to serve

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 25cm x 11cm x 7cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the digestive biscuits and butter to the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a texture that resembles wet sand.
Line the baking tin with the mixture, covering the bottom and sides evenly. Put aside.
Add the cream cheese and condensed milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Set the mixer on high speed and mix until the cream cheese is smooth – scrape the bowl down once or twice.
Now set the mixer on a low speed and drizzle in the lemon juice. Mix until fully incorporated and you have a smooth mixture.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside until it has cooled completely.
Place the cheesecake on a serving dish and arrange fresh fruit on top before serving.