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Saturday, September 10, 2011

Grain Free Sultana Spice Bread

200g almonds
120 pecans (or hazelnuts) 
60g coconut butter (coconut oil)
1 apple, quartered (no need to peel)
5 large free range eggs
50g macadamia oil (or grapeseed, or other light oil)
1 tbspn lemon juice (or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
pinch of fine sea salt
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
50g raw honey (optional)

100g Sultanas

Grind almonds on Speed 8 for 10 seconds
Add the pecans and grind on Speed 5 for 6 seconds:
Remove the ground nuts to a bowl and set aside.
Place remaining ingredients (except sultanas) in bowl and mix on Speed 6 for 10 seconds:
Scrape down sides and add the ground nuts back in to the bowl, with 100g sultanas, and mix on Speed 6 for  10 seconds - Reverse

Pour into the lined tin and bake at 160 degrees for an hour or so, until risen and browned
Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before removing carefully from the tin. 


My kids ate it hot straight away, with butter on top and have now declared they want it every day!  It was a big hit and will be making it again for sure.  

Friday, September 9, 2011

Best Ever Chocolate Custard

6 squares of dark chocolate
60g raw sugar
30g cornflour
1 Tbsp cocoa 
700g milk
2 eggs


Place chocolate, sugar, cornflour and cocoa into bowl - 20 seconds - Speed 9 
Add milk and eggs - 7 minutes - 90 degrees - Speed 4 
Serve immediately on it's own or with fresh fruit 


I often double the recipe, enough then for the next day (My kids quite like it cold) 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Yoghurt



This is one of the many reasons i decided to get a thermomix......
Yoghurt is not cheap and to be able to make your own so easily and cheaply was a big plus for our family.

Place 800g Full Cream Milk and 40g of Milk powder in TM bowl - Speed 5 for 5 seconds to combine
Set timer for 20 minutes - 80 degrees - speed 3
Let the yoghurt then cool down to 37 degrees (takes about 30 minutes) The thermomix 37 degree light will light up when it has reached this temperature
It is important not to let the yoghurt cool any lower. Set a kitchen timer if you need to so you don't forget about it.
Once it has cooled to 37 degrees add 3 Tbsp of ready made yoghurt and mix on Speed 4 for 4 seconds
Set timer for 20 minutes - 37 degrees - speed 2
Once time is up, pour into thermos or i've also heard your thermoserver works wonderfully (I have my old easyo thermos that I use)
Let sit for 5 hours minimum on the bench - be careful not to move it around

Place in fridge and enjoy once cooled.



(recipe taken and slightly adapted from Thermomix EDC) 

Bill Grangers Breakfast Scones - Thermomix style


    This is half - we ate the other half before i took the photo

  • 250 g  plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 tablespoon caster  sugar (Raw Sugar - 5 seconds - speed 9)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • 100 g  cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 125g cream
  • 85 g blueberries, frozen or fresh, tossed in a little flour (I used Raspberries)
  • 1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon milk, for glazing

  • Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into tmx - Speed 4 for 4 seconds. 
  • Add butter cubes - Closed lid position and Turbo 5 times (There will still be lumps of butter. 
  • Add eggs and cream and mix on Speed 5 for 5 seconds 
  • Tip out onto floured board and gently kneed in blueberries 
  • Form into a 12cm round and place in lined cake tin
  • Cut into 8 wedges and brush with egg and milk mixture
  • Bake in 200 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through

    Bolognaise Sauce

    Thought i'd experiment and see the capacity limit for making bolognaise.....i succeeded at 600g of mince.

    Recipe is as follows.....
    2 onions quartered
    2 cloves garlic
    2 carrot roughly chopped
    80 grams Celery
    50 grams pancetta (bacon)
    20 grams oil
    600 grams beef minced in tmx (I used topside)
    50 grams red wine
    500 grams tomato puree
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    salt and pepper to taste
    1 Tbsp of mixed herbs
    Place onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bacon into the mixing bowl chop 5 sec - speed 5 add oil and saute 3 min - 100 degrees - Speed 1
    Add meat and cook 5 min - 100 degrees - reverse - speed soft, then add red and wine and cook 5 min - 100 degrees - Reverse - Speed soft.
    Add remaining ingredients and cook 10-15 min - 100 degrees - Reverse - Speed soft, leave the MC in lid in a inclined position to prevent sauce 'spitting.
    Once my bolognaise was cooked i emptied into my thermoserver, rinsed my jug and filled with 1.2 litres of hot water - 5 minutes - 100 degrees - Speed 1
    Once it was boiling I added 400grams of spaghetti and cooked for 10 minutes - 100 degrees -Reverse - Speed 1 - MC in inclined position or completely off if bubbling over with excess water
    Drain and serve with sauce
    Then of course grate your cheese - Cubed Tasty Cheese -Speed 7 - 5 Seconds
    The thermomix had no problems coping with this amount of mince - 600g is a pretty big portion to feed many large families.....
    400g of spaghetti went a long way too - i think i could have probalby pushed it to be closer to 500g, will expriment again another time with a larger portion of spaghetti


    (recipe taken and slightly adapted from Thermomix EDC) 

    Butter Chicken


    This is a bit more fiddly than the normal everyday cookbook butter chicken but well worth the effort!!!
    500g skinless boneless chicken, cut into 2-3cm pieces
    100g tikka paste
    40g butter or ghee
    2 onions peeled and quartered
    2 fresh green chillies, tops removed
    20g ginger, sliced along the lines on the skin into 2mm “coins”
    10g fresh coriander
    10g fresh garlic cloves, peeled
    2 tsp ground cumin
    2 tsp ground coriander
    ½ tsp tumeric
    1 tsp salt
    100g water
    70g tomato puree
    500g cream

    Marinate the chicken in the tikka paste, stirring well so it is all evenly coated.
    Heat the ghee 1 minute - Varoma - Speed 1.
    Add onions, chillies, ginger, fresh coriander and garlic. 10 seconds - Speed 5.
    Scrape down the sides and lid of the TM bowl with the spatula. Cook 5 minutes - Varoma - Speed 2 - Measuring Cup OFF.
    Avoiding the blade unit, add dry spices and salt. Cook 3 minutes Varoma - Speed 2 - Measuring Cup ON.
    Add the water. Cook 5 minutes - Varoma - Speed 1.
    Add chicken, tomato puree and cream. Cook 15 minutes/100C/Speed Spoon/Reverse
    I have shortened the cooking time. The chicken was too dry first time (the recipe says 20 mins) I would check after 10 mins and then put on again for a further 5 mins if it needs a bit more cooking. I know you can't have raw chicken - but dry chicken is not enjoyable and easy to eat (especially for kids) It does continue cooking a while longer when it is sitting in that hot liquid anyway......

    (recipe taken and slightly adapted from Thermomix Indian Cookbook) 

    Tikka Paste


    This is what you marinate your chicken in ready for Thermomix Indian Butter Chicken.....
    I made a single batch of this and it will do me at least 5 serves of butter chicken - maybe more......Keep in fridge for up to 6 weeks or it's great to keep frozen in 100g portions......

    40g coriander seeds
    40g cumin seeds
    10g dried red chillies
    50g fresh coriander, washed thoroughly and left to dry on a towel
    100g garlic cloves, peeled
    100g ginger, sliced in 2mm coins along the lines on the skin
    220g olive oil
    100g water
    100g lemon juice
    1 heaped tsp ground tumeric
    30g salt
    50g dried onions – available in Indian grocery stores
    140g tomato puree
    Weigh coriander seeds, cumin and dired red chillies into TM bowl. Heat 5 minutes - Varoma - Speed 1
    Grind 1 minute - Speed 8.
    Add fresh coriander, garlic, ginger and olive oil to TM bowl. Blend 1 minute - Speed 10. Scrape down the lid and sides of the TM bowl with the spatula.
    Add remaining ingredients. Cook 40-60 minutes - 80C - Speed 2. When the paste is cooked, a lovely red sheen of oil should be starting to show on the surface. Keep in clean jars in fridge - top up with a little more olive oil after each use, will help keep it fresh.
    The smell of this is amazing....It's also great for marinades for grilling or frying chicken or other meats! GET CREATIVE!!


    (recipe taken and slightly adapted from Thermomix Indian Cookbook) 

    Basic Bread Rolls


    A recipe i do all the time for my kids lunch boxes or Weekend Lunch......

    520g bakers flour

    2tsp yeast

    300ml lukewarm water

    1 tsp salt

    20g oil

    Combine all ingredients in tm bowl - combine on Speed 6 for 20 seconds

    Interval Speed for 1 minute 30 seconds

    Form into mushroom shape for prooving and wrap in thermomat - leave for 30 mins minimum

    Form into rolls - makes about 12 - Let rise again for 30 mins or even overnight in fridge covered

    Bake in hot oven - 200 degrees for 15-25 mins or until golden. I coat mine in egg wash or milk if i want them crusty.

    Hot Chocolate


    25g chocolate per person - I use Cadbury Gold

    300g milk per preson - Skim or Full Cream is fine

    Place chocolate in tm bowl Speed 9 - 15 seconds

    Add Milk Speed 2 for 3 minutes - 80 degrees (longer time if more than 2 serves)

    To froth your milk - Speed 9 - 20 seconds

    ENJOY!

    I'll post photos when I make one next!

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    Tuesday, September 6, 2011

    Spreadable Butter

    Insert the butterfly and measure in 600g cream
    Speed 4 until it separates into butter and buttermilk. Takes from 1-3 minutes - it will start to bump around a bit - leave it for 10 seconds or so once it starts bumping.
    Drain butterrmilk by pouring it through the strainer/rice basket into a container. Use the spatula to squeeze as much out as you can. Buttermilk is great for baking scones, pancakes etc.

    Remove the butterfly from the bowl and add 500g icy cold water over the butter. Mix it onSpeed 4for a 6 seconds to rinse it. Strain the water off into the sink, pouring through the strainer/rice basket Do this twice. If you leave any buttermilk in the butter, it will turn sour more quickly.
    Give the butter a good squeeze to get rid of any remaining water. I use my hands - it's kind of fun :-)
    Place butter into tmx bowl and add 50g water and 100g rice bran oil or grape seed oil (flavourless)
    Also add a little salt if you like. I add a bit less than a teaspoon of salt to this amount of butter
    Insert the butterfly, and whip the butter, oil, water and salt on Speed 4 for about 20 seconds, or until well combined. Pour into a container and keep in the fridge.








    Shiitake Mushrooms

    To add extra flavour into my risotto's and caseroles I often add dried shiitake mushrooms.


    Empty packet of mushrooms into TM bowl (please remember to discard the sachet of freshness that is often in packaging)

    Speed 6 - 20 seconds

    Keep in an airtight container and use as needed

    Use 1 Tbsp in a full serve of risotto or caseroles to add an extra mushroom flavour boost



    Orange Juice

    Now a favourite in our household....I never used to buy juice on a weekly basis because it was too expensive.

    Now we enjoy juice regularly and Orange is one of our favourites.

    ORANGE JUICE

    5 Oranges

    1 tray of ice

    500g Water

    Place peeled oranges and Ice in TM bowl on speed 8 for 20 seconds

    Add 500g Water - speed 5 for 2 minutes.

    Pour and enjoy! MAKES just over 1 litre of juice


    No pulp thrown away, no waste and you're eating all the goodness an orange can give you!

    Variation - you can add sugar if you like - do this first - about 50g - speed 9 for 10 seconds.

    C.A.D.A. - with less dates than previous recipe


    CADA


    This is not in the everyday cookbook but a favourite of mine, I eat it every day (1 batch lasts m
    e 4 serves)

    100g dates
    100g almonds
    1 green apple quartered (leave the core in or out) 
    3 Tbsp dried coconut


    Place all ingredients into tmx bowl and set on closed lid position and hit turbo button 3-4 times (to your desired texture) I like mine chunky.
    Have with your yoghurt for breakfast! VERY HEALTHY and YUM!
    I also had a handful of Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Cranberries and sometimes even Dried Apricots!