Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and whisk together. Put aside. Place the rocket leaves in a salad bowl and add parmesan shavings by pulling a vegetable peeler over the surface of parmesan cheese. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, mix together and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar reduction over and serve.
100g pistacchio nuts, roughly chopped about 16 medium figs 50ml honey
For the pastry: Add the butter and sifted icing sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Run the machine until the mixture is well combined and pasty. Add the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Scrape down. Drizzle a few drops of the egg into the bowl with the engine running. Add a few more drops at a time until the mixture comes together. (You may have egg left and that is okay – the less you need the crispier the pastry!) Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap it with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 190℃. You will use a 22cm loose-bottom flan tin but do not spray or butter the tin! Roll the pastry to a 3mm thickness and line the bottom and sides of the tin. Dock the pastry with a fork and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights/beans and set aside to cool.
For the Crème Pâtissière: Add the corn flour to a mixing bowl. Pour a small amount of the milk into the owl and stir to make a slurry with the corn flour. Add the egg yolks and half the sugar. Whisk by hand until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk and the rest of the sugar into a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Take the milk from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Drizzle the warm mixture onto the egg mixture in a very thin stream while whisking continuously. Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and allow to cool completely.
Whisk the mixture by hand once it is at room temperature, until it is smooth. Spoon it into a piping bag and pipe into the prepared pastry shell. Scatter the chopped pistachio evenly over the surface. Cut a cross into the top third of each fig and place the figs side-by-side on the pistachio. Drizzle the honey over the figs before serving.
2 aubergines olive oil 250g cherry tomatoes 1 red onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato 15ml fresh thyme, chopped 300g orzo 100g parmesan cheese, grated a handful of fresh basil 1 Burrata
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Slice the aubergine into discs, spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and generously drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the aubergine and bake for 30 minutes. Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the chopped tomato and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally. Cook the orzo according to packet instructions. Drain the orzo and add it to the tomato sauce. Add the grated parmesan and stir through. Spoon the orzo into a serving dish and top with the aubergine, roasted tomato and burrata. Serve with fresh basil leaves scattered on top.
50ml sugar 50ml water 125ml grenadilla pulp and seeds 250g grenadilla flavoured yoghurt 6 vanilla cupcakes
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then allow to simmer for 1 minute without stirring. Take from the heat and allow the sugar syrup to cool. Pour about a third of the sugar syrup onto the grenadilla pulp and mix vigorously so that you end up with a saucy consistency. Set aside. Half the cupcakes horizontally and place one half in a serving glass. Top the cake with a spoonful of yoghurt and a spoonful of the grenadilla sauce. Repeat the layer with the rest of the ingredients. Bon appétit!!
Baked Camembert: 1 roll puff pastry 1 Camembert cheese egg wash: an egg yolk + 30ml water whisked together 125ml fruit jam of your choice (I used strawberry) 45ml water
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the puff pastry on the prepared baking sheet and sit the camembert on top. Cut a circle around the cheese with a border of about 1 cm. Lay the rest of the pastry on a work surface and cut into 1cm wide strips, about 15cm long. Now lay the strips over the cheese so that it forms a latticed pattern. (See video). The pastry should cover the cheese without any gaps. Trim off the excess pastry and brush the covered cheese with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the jam and water to a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir the jam and allow to melt so that it easily runs off a spoon. Pour/drizzle the sauce over the baked cheese and serve with crackers or a crusty bread.
Brûleé Camembert: 1 camembert cheese 30ml – 45ml brown sugar fresh grapes, halved 125ml fruit jam of your choice 45ml water
Cut away the top rind of the cheese so that it lifts off like a lid. Remove this rind and discard. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the cheese and brûleé with a blow torch until it bubbles. Place the camembert on a serving plate and pile the grapes on top. Melt the jam and water together and drizzle over the grapes and cheese. Serve with crackers or a crusty bread.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Stand a metal cooling rack in the baking sheet. Spread the rashers on the metal rack in the baking sheet and salt them on both sides. Set aside. Mix together the brown sugar, paprika and chilli flakes and spread it evenly onto each rasher. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, remove and flip the rashers. Spread this side with the rest of the sugar mixture and immediately place it back in the oven for another 8 minutes. Flip the rashers once more and bake for another 5 minutes per side, until beautifully browned and crisp. Serve warm.
1 bagel per person 2 eggs 30ml milk a pinch of salt
cinnamon-sugar
Add the eggs, milk and salt to a bowl and whisk together. Slice the bagels in half horizontally and dip each half in the egg mixture. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Fry the egg-soaked bagel for about 2 minutes before flipping it and frying for another 2 minutes. Generously dish the warm bagel halves with cinnamon sugar and serve while warm.
50g butter, melted 140g chocolate, chopped 30ml sour cream 10ml vanilla 4 eggs, separated 2 egg whites a pinch of cream of tartar a pinch of salt 45ml sugar
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Place 6 ramekins on a baking sheet, brush the insides evenly with the melted butter and dust with some sugar, making sure you cover the bottom and sides of each ramekin. Set aside. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Take the bowl from the heat, add the sour cream and stir through. Add the vanilla and stir through. Now add the egg yolks, one at a time and stir to combine. Set aside. Add the 4 + 2 egg whites to a clean mixing bowl, sprinkle the cream of tartar and salt over and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a teaspoonful at a time while whisking continuously. Fold a third of the egg white mixture into the chocolate with a metal spoon. Now add the rest and gently for into the chocolate mixture. Do not over mix but do get rid of white streaks in the mixture. Fill each ramekin. Gently run your thumb around the inside of the ramekin to create a small well. Bake the soufflés for 12 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
1 x 385g can of condensed milk 60g butter, softened 190ml sugar 10ml vanilla 2 eggs 125ml flour 125ml cocoa powder, sifted 1,2ml salt 80g dark chocolate, finely chopped 80g dark chocolate, chopped a handful of pistachio nuts
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the condensed milk, butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream together with a hand-held mixer, until smooth. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix for another minute. Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix again on low speed. Add the chopped chocolate and stir through with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the baking tin. Add the 80g chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water and allow to melt. Drizzle the chocolate over the brownies and sprinkle the pistachio nuts on top. Slice and serve.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the oats and chopped almonds to a baking sheet, spread it out evenly and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture around and bake for another 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Spoon into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Add the honey, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt to a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Allow it to bubble for 30 seconds and remove from the heat. Pour the honey mixture into the bowl with the oats and almonds and mix well. Add the cranberries and the chocolate chips and stir again. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and firmly press into the tin. Wet your fingers with water and press some more – this is really important for the mixture to stick together. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove from the tin and cut into 12x bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to wrap the individual bars in baking paper so that they are ready to be taken on-the-go!!
My Whisk and I 