Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms medium peaks. Add the sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, until all has been incorporated. Mix the flour and chopped nuts, sprinkle it over the whites and fold in with a metal spoon. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle and pipe 6cm long logs onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before gently removing from the baking sheet. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Sandwich the cookies together and place them back on the cooled baking sheet to set. Dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and then in the vermicelli. Allow to set completely. Store the finger cookies in an airtight container.
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Add the butter and icing sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix again. Scrape down. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and almonds to the bowl and mix together until incorporated. Scoop about 15ml of the mixture into your hands and shape it into crescents. (Roll a ball, roll it in to a 3-4cm log and slope the ends downwards. Drape it over your finger to form a crescent) Space the cookies evenly on the baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Sift the 80ml icing sugar over the biscuits and leave to cool completely. Hint: Hide some of the biscuits……they fly away on their own!
Halve the pineapples in their length. Cut a 1cm border from the edge with a small sharp knife. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a teaspoon, taking care not to break the skin. Chop the flesh into small pieces and keep aside. Add the cornflour to a large mixing bowl and stir in the 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g caster 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 too appear around the edges of the saucepan. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it on medium-low heat. Stir continuously until thickened. Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing it from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the mixture onto a dinner plate and place plastic wrap directly on the surface. Allow to cool completely. Add the pineapple flesh, stir through and spoon the mixture into the pineapple. Sprinkle about 25ml sugar over each pineapple and brulée with a blowtorch. Serve the pineapple cold.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut another piece of baking paper that is slightly larger than your baking tray and keep aside. Lay the bacon flat on the prepared tray. Place the extra paper on top of the bacon and another baking tray on top of the paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Cool the bacon on a cooling rack and pat it dry with paper towel to remove excess fattiness. Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together by hand. Add 62ml milk and the vegetable oil and whisk until amalgamated. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture and stir to combine. Drizzle in the last 62ml milk while mixing, to form a thick, smooth batter. Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Pour in a splash of vegetable oil and wait for it to warm up. Dip a bacon rasher into the batter and then immediately into the pan. Fry for 3 minutes per side or until cooked and golden. Serve the bacon flapjacks with maple syrup or honey.
125g butter, cubed 1 x 385g can condensed milk 5ml vanilla 300g self-raising flour 2 eggs 250g mixed berries icing sugar, to dust
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Add the butter and condensed milk to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.` Add the flour to a mixing bowl and pour the mixture into the flour. Whisk the eggs together with a fork and add this to the mixture as well. Fold through until the ingredients are just combined. Set aside 24 of the berries and add the rest to the batter. Fold through. Spoon the batter into the paper cups and press two berries into the top of each. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and tin and cool on a cooling rack. Sift some icing sugar over to serve.
Add 250ml of rice to a microwave safe bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 625ml of boiling to the rice and cover with a tea towel. Microwave for 23 minutes. Do not open the microwave oven door – stand the rice for another 10 minutes. Flake the rice and serve.
200g plain sweet biscuits 125g butter, melted 395g can condensed milk 290g dark chocolate, chopped
Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the biscuits to a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Drizzle in the melted butter and add 80ml of the condensed milk. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Spoon into the prepared tin, smooth the surface and set aside. Add the rest of the condensed milk to a heatproof bowl and add the chopped chocolate. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted. Stir the mixture well and pour over the biscuit base. Spread it out into an even, smooth layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Remove from the tin and slice into squares.
250ml sugar 250g butter, cubed 2 eggs a pinch of salt 10ml baking powder 750ml flour 125ml apricot jam
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a swissroll pan (32cm x 22cm) with cooking spray. Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until creamy. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the mixture down and mix again. Add the salt, baking powder and flour to a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add a few spoons of flour at a time, allowing time for it to integrate into the mixture before adding more flour. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and divide in two portions. Press the one portion of dough into the swissroll pan and even it out with your hands. Spoon the apricot jam on top and spread it evenly over the dough layer. Push the other portion of dough through a coarse grater, as though you are grating it. The dough is very soft and you will have to push it through with the heel of your hand and then spread it evenly over the jam layer. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice into squares or fingers once cold and store in an airtight container.
My Whisk and I 