sweet – Page 4 – My Whisk and I

Easter Baskets

March 9, 2024March 8, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash

Cream patisserie:
40g corn flour
50ml + 450ml milk
4 egg yolks
50g + 50g caster sugar
5ml vanilla

speckled eggs
white chocolate, melted

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the pastry on a work surface and cut 12 circles with a 7cm diameter biscuit cutter.
Place 6 of the circles on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut out the centres of the other six circles with a 6cm diameter cutter, wet the edges of the pastry and place on top of the pastry circles.
Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and brush the elevated edges with egg wash.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Cut strips (15cm by 0,5cm) from the remaining pastry and braid three strips together. (You should have 6 of these).
Place the braids on the baking sheet and shape them so that they resemble the arch of a baskets handle.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

For the cream patisserie:
Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and stir in the 50ml milk.
Add the egg yolks and 50g of sugar and whisk together. Set aside.
Pour the 450ml milk into a small saucepan and add the other 50g caster sugar to it.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Take it from the heat as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edges.
Drizzle the warm milk mixture onto the egg mixture while whisking vigorously.
Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it on medium-low heat.
Stir continuously until thick.
Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing from the heat.
Add the vanilla and stir through.
Pour the mixture on a dinner plate and then place plastic wrap directly on its surface.
Allow to cool completely.

Pipe or spoon the cream patisserie into the pastry baskets and place a few speckled eggs on top.
Now dip the handles into the white chocolate and position it on the baskets so that it resembles a handle.
Allow to dry/cool before serving.

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Mascarpone Cream Puff

March 7, 2024March 6, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g roll of puff pastry

Royal Icing:
1 egg white
500g icing sugar, sifted

edible flowers

250ml whipping cream
60ml caster sugar
250g mascarpone, room temperature
5ml vanilla
250g fresh raspberries

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut an extra piece of baking paper of the same size and keep aside.
Lay the pastry on a work surface and cut 7cm diameter circles from it with a biscuit cutter.
Place the pastry circles on the baking sheet, cover with the extra sheet of baking paper and place another baking sheet on top.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the royal icing:
Add the egg white to a mixing bowl and whisk to a froth.
Add the sifted icing sugar one spoonful at a time, stirring really well to incorporate. Keep going: add one spoonful of icing, stir for at least 30 seconds, add another spoonful, etc., until all the icing is incorporated or until you have a very stiff mixture.
Spoon the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a 4mm nozzle and pipe a border on each of the pastry discs.
Set aside to dry and set.
Add a few drops of water to the royal icing – literally two drops at a time -and stir to thin it down to a very thick but spreadable consistency.
Drop a teaspoonful into each icing border and spread it out with the back of a teaspoon.
Decorate the discs with edible flowers/petals before it sets.
Put aside to dry completely.

Add the whipping cream and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks.
Add the mascarpone and vanilla and whisk until thick – BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER-WHIP as the mixture will split.
Add the raspberries to the mascarpone cream and mix through with a wooden spoon, crushing some of the berries to release the juices.

Spoon the mascarpone cream onto a serving plate and place a pastry disc on top to serve.

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Marshmallow Popcorn

February 27, 2024February 26, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 x 250ml popcorn (about one and a half bags of microwave popcorn)
salt (optional)
125ml butter
125ml brown sugar
220g marshmallows

Add the popcorn to a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle over some salt. Set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to a saucepan set over medium heat and stir until both the butter and sugar has melted completely.
Add the marshmallows and keep moving everything around until you have a thick, runny mixture.
Take off the heat and pour over the popcorn. Mix the popcorn until it is evenly covered in the marshmallow mixture.
Best eaten when slightly warm but almost as good at room temperature!

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Coconut-Banana Scrambled Eggs

February 3, 2024January 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 bananas
30ml butter
2 eggs
30ml coconut cream
15ml coconut oil
15ml coconut flakes
15ml almond slivers

Peel the bananas and mash the one in a bowl. Set aside.
Slice the second banana into thick slices.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Fry the banana slices until caramelised and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the eggs and coconut cream to the mashed banana and stir through.
Add the coconut oil to the same frying pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and pour in the banana mixture.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Stir/move the egg and banana around in the pan until it is set to your liking. Ideally you should start to smell the banana as it starts giving off its natural sweetness.
Spoon into a bowl and place the fried banana on top.
Scatter over the coconut flakes and almond slivers to serve.

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Poached Pear on Yoghurt

January 28, 2024January 27, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5litres water
60ml lemon juice
a small bunch of thyme, tied together with string
6 small pears
500ml greek yoghurt
200ml honey
a handful of pistachio nuts, chopped

Prepare your poaching liquid by adding the water, lemon juice and thyme to a saucepan that is just big enough for the pears to fit in.
Peel the pears and place them, standing upright, into the liquid. Add more water if the pears are not immersed in the liquid.
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and reduce the heat to a low simmer.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stand the pears in the liquid for another 20 minutes.
Scoop the yoghurt onto 6 plates/bowls and place a pear on top.
Drizzle the honey over each fruit and scatter the pistachio on top.
Serve warm or cold.

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Chai Overnight Oats

January 16, 2024January 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sachet ov chai flavoured, tea latté or 180ml chai tea
50g banana
50g oats
20g peanut butter
Toppings: sliced banana, chai seeds, almond slivers

Dissolve the sachet of powder in 180ml of boiling water and set aside.
Mash the banana with a fork.
Add the banana, oats, peanut butter, a pinch of salt and the tea to a glass jar and mix through.
Cover the jar with a lid and refrigerate overnight.
Serve your overnight oats as is or topped with sliced banana, chai seeds and almond slivers.

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Sicilian Milk Pudding/Biancomangiare

January 11, 2024January 11, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yields 4 small portions.

60ml cornstarch
125ml + 375ml milk
125ml sugar
1 lemon
ground cinnamon
crushed biscuit, to serve

Add the cornstarch to a small saucepan.
Pour in the 125ml milk and whisk the mixture until there are no lumps and it is completely smooth.
Now add the sugar and whisk again.
Add the 375ml milk once you are sure there are no lumps.
Cut two or three strips of zest from the lemon and add it to the mixture.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes until it thickens.
Stir and cook the mixture for another 2 minutes after the first bubbles appear.
Turn off the heat and remove the lemon zest.
Wet your moulds under running water and shake out any excess water.
Pour the not milk mixture into the moulds and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Unmould the puddings onto serving plates.
Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon on the crushed biscuit and spoon over each pudding to serve.

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Lime Mousse

January 7, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

8 eggs
250ml + 60ml sugar
2,5ml salt
juice and grated zest of 4 limes
250ml whipping cream
5ml vanilla extract

Separate 4 eggs into two bowls.
Add four whole eggs to another bowl and add the egg yolks to it.
Add 250ml sugar and whisk together until incorporated.
Pour this mixture into a small saucepan.
Add the salt, lime juice and finely grated zest and stir through.
Place the saucepan over low heat and stir continuously until the curd thickens. About 10 minutes or so.
Take the mixture off the heat and strain it through a sieve.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until chilled.
Whisk the four egg whites to stiff peaks.
Add the 60ml sugar a little at a time while whisking continuously. Keep going until all the sugar is incorporated and you are left with a stiff, glossy meringue mixture.
Add this mixture to the chilled lime curd and fold through.
Whisk the cream and vanilla in a separate bowl until stiff and fold it into the curd mixture.
Spoon the mousse into serving cups and chill until needed.

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Tiramisu

January 1, 2024January 1, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yields 12 individual or one 18cm x 28cm dessert.

175g lady fingers
400ml strong coffee, cooled
83ml marsala or dessert wine
4 eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
750g mascarpone

Add the egg whites to a bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until stiff peaks. Set aside.
Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat with an electric whisk until dissolved.
Add the mascarpone and incorporate with the whisk until mixed through.
Add the whites to the mixture and fold through.

Assembly:
Pour the coffee and marsala into a flat bowl.
Dip the lady fingers in the coffee mixture and lay them in an even layer in a glass/individual ramekin.
Now scoop some of the mascarpone mixture onto the biscuits and level it out.
Repeat with a layer of soaked lady fingers and mascarpone mixture.
Refrigerate the desserts for 2 hours.
Dust with cocoa powder to serve.

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Banana Muffins

December 28, 2023December 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.