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Monday, July 2, 2012

Macadamia and Lemon Cookies

Have just made these delicious cookies.....now my cookies never seem to be great because - well who know's why - I always blame my oven....but these cookies have actually turned out great - i'm pumped and everyone loves them.....we've eaten far too many today already....

The recipe is from the new Devil of a Cookbook - I have altered it slightly.  I know macadamias are expensive but a treat sometimes is worth the expense.

100g raw macadamias 
60g sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (avoid as much white pith as you can)
170g Self Raising Flour
120g butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line baking tray with mat or baking paper
Place macadamias in bowl and chop for 15 seconds on speed 4/5 - you want some texture, so not too long. (SET ASIDE)
Place sugar, zest and 1 Tbs of flour into bowl and mill for 10 seconds, speed 9 (I didn't bother to clean my bowl)
Insert butterfly and add butter, beat for 1 minute, speed 3
Add egg and beat for a further minute on speed 3
Remove butterfly and add flour and reserved macadamias and mix for 30 seconds on speed 3 or until well combined (I did push it all down half way through)
Form into small balls and place onto tray at least 5cm apart, bake in oven for 10 minutes or until firm on the bottom.....

Mine didn't go golden on the top, whether it is because of my oven or the recipe - but they taste DIVINE....definitely a must.  Next time might try with some other flavours too!

* Recipe taken and slightly adapted from "Devil of a cookbook"

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Chicken Noodle Soup - Asian style

I got this recipe from a friend who is always trying recipes that her kids will love!  She said this was a winner, I've made it - it's delicious and thought i'd convert it to a Thermomix Recipe....it's very simple.


  • 2 Tbsp dried Shitake mushrooms (I mill mind first - see how on my blog Here)
  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil or 20g butter
  • 1 onion peeled and halved 
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2cm nob of ginger
  • 2 carrots sliced thinly
  • 800g water
  • 2 Tbsp chicken stock paste (see Quirky cooking recipe Here) - it's at the bottom of the soup reicpe
  • Half a bag of egg noodles (cooked and drained first)
  • 200g Broccoli 
  • 250g sliced chicken
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • Sesame oil to taste
Place garlic, ginger, onion in Thermomix, chop speed 7 for 3 seconds 
Add oil/butter and saute on 100 degrees, speed 1 for 3 minutes
Add carrots, chicken, water, stock, mushrooms to bowl and cook on 100 degrees, speed 1, reverse for 12 minutes 
Add broccoli, noodles, soy sauce, rice vinegar and cook on 100 degrees, speed 1 for a further 5 minutes. 
Add sesame oil, stir gently and serve. 

Hope this is also a winner in your household, kids and all!
Enjoy

I am wondering if i could get away with not cooking the noodles first.....just putting them into the soup raw....perhaps i'll try that next time??!!! 

Vanilla Custard

If you've been to one of my demo's you may have tasted this lovely vanilla custard......It's the basic custard recipe with a tsp of vanilla bean paste!  It is just delicious and the specks of vanilla bean are stunning!
I buy my vanilla bean paste from Gaganis bros - it is 320grams worth, so it's pretty expensive but it lasts a long time.  If you don't go to Gaganis then you can get the small tub from most supermarkets in the cake decorating section....it's about $10 for 65g.

90g raw sugar
30g cornflour
2 eggs or 3 for a richer custard
700g milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Put sugar and cornflour in Thermomix, mill on speed 9 for 10 seconds.
Add eggs, milk and vanilla bean paste - 90 degrees, 7 minutes on speed 4.

As easy as that.  It is a runny pouring custard - nice with puddings or just on it's own or even with sliced banana it's good.  If you want it thicker just reduce the qty of milk.

Enjoy!