Menu for Hope - win 2 tickets to a Cooking Class - Prize Code AP18

See the earlier post about Menu for Hope for more information.






As part of the program, I have organized for 2 tickets to an evening class of the winner's choice (subject to availability) for Tony Tan's Unlimited Cuisine Company at 28a Lansell Rd, Toorak, Victoria; to be taken during 2009.

The program for 2009 has not been set yet, but there will be plenty of choice regarding dates and type of cuisine. You can check out what was on the menu at this site.

The class may be one with Tony Tan featuring Asian, Indian, Spanish or Australian cuisine; or with one of the guest chefs, who have included Chui Lee Luk, Dan Hunter, Ben Shewry, Andrew McConnell, Justin North, Brent Savage and Philippe Mouchel during 2008.

A full meal with accompanying wines is part of the experience and is always entertaining and informative.

Check out his website at http://tonytan.com.au

If you are interested then please donate NOW. There are loads of prizes to be won.


Donation Instructions:
1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from the local list at Tomatom.com or at Chez Pim's Menu for Hope list and her main website.

2. Go to the donation site at FirstGiving(TM) (http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5) and make a donation.

3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.

For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for AP18 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xAP18, 3xEU02

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Iced Christmas Pudding in Thermomix

This is a recipe that didn't make it into the Thermomix in Australia Competition for December. The person who sent in the recipe says that it is based on a Delia Smith recipe from her Christmas book. It is so simple to make, but the taste and presentation make a statement.

Iced Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

150 g mixed candied peel or glace fruit(cherries, apricots, pineapple,…)
100 g raisins and/or muscatels
1 cup rum or sweet sherry (eg. Pedro Ximenez)
4 egg yolks
110 g caster sugar (made in Thermomix)
60 g creamed coconut (the firm kind in a block), roughly chopped
400 g cream (35%)
200 g Greek yoghurt

You will need a 1.5 litre pudding basin

Method:

Place the candied peel and glace fruit in the TM bowl and set the machine to Closed Lid. Hit Turbo button twice to roughly chop the fruit. Add the raisins/muscatels and rum/sherry and warm through for 10 minutes at 50°C on Reverse + speed 1. Set aside, covered and allow to marinate overnight.

Next day, place the egg yolks and sugar in the TM bowl and cream for 5 minutes on speed 4. Add the creamed coconut and chop for 10 seconds on speed 5. Add the cream and cook for 8 minutes at 80°C on speed 4.

Allow to cool to 37°C in the bowl before adding the yoghurt. Mix for 20 seconds on speed 4. Add half of the marinated fruits and rum/sherry mixture and mix for 10 seconds on Reverse + speed 3 before pouring into the pudding basin. Cover with plastic wrap and once cool place in freezer.

When it has just about set, this may take 7 hours, stir thoroughly to distribute fruits and break up any ice crystals. Return to freezer overnight.

To serve, dip the bowl briefly in hot water, then slide a knife around the edge. Turn upside down onto a serving plate and cover with the remaining marinated fruit mixture.

The ice cream is soft texture and any not served immediately should be returned to the freezer and taken out for second helpings.

Menu for Hope V - see tomatom.com

Ed Charles at tomatom.com is the regional host for this very worthy project. By joining in you can help in a small way to help end hunger in the third world and win prizes at the same time.

After raising nearly $100,000 last year food blogger Pim Tchamuanvivit has again chosen to support the UN World Food Programme school lunch program in Lesotho.

How can you help?

All you need to do is buy a US$10 raffle ticket for prizes at First Giving or arrange for a prize to be donated and blog about it or ask the help of a friendly blogger to blog about it . You can read more here about the program and prizes here at Ed Charles site.

Carmy’s Soufflé of Panettone with Zabaglione

This is another of Ann Miller's recipes that didn't make it to the Thermomix in Australia Christmas Therm-off final. It uses up some of that Panettone that was given to you by an Italian friend, but you didn’t know what to do with it

Carmy’s Soufflé of Panettone with Zabaglione

Ingredients:

Soufflé:
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
60 g panettone without crusts, roughly chopped up
200 g whole milk
4 drops orange blossom water or lemon essence
10 g honey
30 g candied orange or peel
20 g sultanas or raisins
20 g cornflour
butter and sugar for moulds

Zabaglione:
4 egg yolks
80 g sugar
100 g sweet wine or marsala

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place the Butterfly over the blades in a very clean TM bowl. Mount the egg whites and cream of tartar for 3 minutes at 37°C on speed 3.

Set machine for 1 minute at 37°C on speed 3 and slowly add sugar through the lid. When the meringue has mounted remove and set aside in a bowl.

Pour into the TM bowl, the panettone, milk, orange blossom water (or lemon essence), honey, raisins, candied orange, egg yolks and cornflour and cook for 5-6 minutes at 80°C on speed 4.

Allow to cool before adding one quarter of the meringue and mixing for 20 seconds on reverse + speed 3. Add the panettone mixture to the remaining meringue and gently combine with a folding action.

Grease moulds with butter and sprinkle with sugar before three-quarter filling the moulds. Place in a baking tray and pour in boiling water to come half way up the moulds. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in oven before you take them out.

For the zabaglione:

Position the Butterfly in the TM bowl, add the egg yolks with the sugar and beat for 4 minutes at 37°C on speed 3. Add the sweet wine and continue cooking for 7 minutes at 70°C on speed 3.

Serve by ladling some zabaglione onto a plate then unmould the soufflés and place in centre of zabaglione.

Cheat's Christmas Puddings

This is a recipe developed for the Thermomix in Australia Monthly Recipe Competition for December. Another of her recipes made it to the final Therm-off and so I have been given permission to publish the other recipes that were sent in for the competition.

This recipe is handy when you have some friends arriving unexpectedly and there is some old fruit cake sitting in the pantry.

Cheat’s Christmas Puddings

Ingredients:

250 g fruit cake, broken into chunks
75 g milk
2 eggs
50 g Pedro Ximenez sherry or brandy
1000 g water

Method:

Place all ingredients into TM bowl and mix for 2 minutes on Reverse + speed 3, or until the cake pieces have dissolved into the mixture.

Place the mixture into well greased dariole moulds and place into the Varoma.

Place the water into the TM bowl and position Varoma on lid. Steam puddings for 30 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2.

Allow puddings to rest for 10 minutes before unmoulding. Pour a drizzle of sherry or brandy over pudding and then serve with Thermomix custard.

Thermomix Chicken Livers with Dukkah

This recipe has evolved from a dish that I was served at a restaurant in Castlemaine (Victoria), called The Globe, many years ago. The meal was memorable for the antics of the owner/waiters and the chicken livers that I had as an appetiser while thinking about what to have for the main part of the meal.

The chicken livers had been cooked perfectly and the sauce/seasoning accompanying them made them even more delicious. I asked the waiter to let the chef know that they were superb. As the waiter returned to the kitchen with the plate I could hear him call out to the chef - "Alright on the livers". Glad I'm not a chef relying on feedback.

You don't need a Thermomix to make the dukkah, nor do you need one to cook the livers, but since I have one I used it to do both.

The combination of chicken livers and dukkah is great and I have made a dip along the lines of chicken liver pate with finely milled dukkah.

There is a recipe for a terrine of chicken livers pressed with dukkah in Greg & Lucy Malouf's book "Arabesque"

It would be good to try a lightly cooked egg with the livers and dukkah too.

Chicken Livers with Dukkah

Dukkah - adapted from "Everyday Cooking for Every Family"

Ingredients:

100g white sesame seeds
70g hazelnuts
40g coriander seeds
25g cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp za'atar or dried thyme

Method:

Place the sesame seeds, hazelnuts, coriander and cumin seeds into the TM bowl and dry roast for 10 minutes at 100°C on speed 1.

Remove lid and allow to cool. Once the mixture has cooled, replace lid and set dial to closed lid position and pulse 2 or 3 times with Turbo button to produce a coarse powder - as seen in picture.

Keep in airtight container and refrigerate what you don't use.

Chicken livers

Ingredients:

250ml oil, olive or vegetable
500g chicken livers, trimmed of veins and cut into roughly 5cm pieces
100ml port, sweet sherry, marsala or Madeira

Method:

Place oil into TM bowl and heat for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Position butterfly on blades and carefully add chicken livers to the TM bowl. Cook for 4 minutes at Varoma temperature on reverse + speed soft. Check after 2 minutes - you may need to move some of the livers around to ensure even cooking.

Once the livers have changed colour on the outside they should be OK. It is best not to overcook them, they should be pink inside. Drain the livers using the basket and place onto absorbent paper on a plate that fits in the Varoma. Place plate in Varoma and set aside.

Quickly rinse TM bowl and put Madeira (or other) into TM bowl, position lid and Varoma and reduce the port for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 3.

Place livers on warmed plate, cover with the reduced sauce and then sprinkle with dukkah.

Therm-off - Thermomix Recipe Competition

Tenina at Thermomix Australia has organized a monthly competition for Thermomix Recipes.

Each month Thermomix users are asked to send in recipes that they have created or adapted for the Thermomix.

From all the recipes sent in to TMX Australia, two are to be chosen each month and TMX users are asked to think about trying out the recipes and then voting.

This month, the recipes are from two of the bloggers from this site. Dani from The Kitchen Playground has a great Broad Bean and Feta Bruschetta (that's pronounced brew-sket-a [for Karen] - not brewshetter) and that is pitted against kedgeree.

All recipes will be considered for inclusion in new Thermomix Cookbooks - and the entrants will receive a copy of the new book if their recipe makes it into the books.

It is a great concept from a number of perspectives. Firstly, it encourages TMX users to record their recipes for others. It helps spread the word and increase usage of the Thermomix. The recipes presented can be "road-tested" by more than one person, under varying vonditions, so any errors or omissions or ambiguities can be sored out.

There are loads of ideas that are currently being utilized by Thermomix users that they should be sharing, but have felt that they have not previously had any avenue (despite the A Little Bit of Thermomix Magic blog that Karen started!!).

Well, thanks to Tenina you now can make use of all that knowledge to help your fellow users.

Please check out the Thermomix Australia recipe blog and think about trying the dishes - we need your help, so that TMX Oz can help you.

Back to Blogging

Well much of my energy has been spent lately on the Forum Thermomix Website. So, I have neglected this blog. But you will be able to see that the Thermomix has not been idle.

I have posted pictures of the dishes and have drafts of the recipes, which I will slowly add. If anybody has any burning desire to see a particular recipe, then please leave a comment.

Congratulations to Alina, who won the copy of Jane Lawson's "yoshoku" in the Contribute to the Forum and Win competition.

Thermomix Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

This is a Thermomix adaptation of a recipe by Anthony Lui, part-owner and chef at Melbourne's famous Flower Drum restaurant.

The recipe appears in a book that was designed to provide better options for childrens' lunches. It was written by a Melbourne woman and also includes recipes by Philippe Mouchel of the brasserie by Philippe Mouchel. There are many simple recipes that are appealing also to adults, so you will get some of these served up in the coming months.

The recipe has some Chinese rice wine and sesame oil added. You may omit these and the results will still be good.

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

500g chicken breast, cut into 2cm chunks
2 tsp potato flour or cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp water
1 litre chicken stock
1 can (420g) creamed corn
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tbsp potato flour mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 beaten egg

Method:

Place chicken, flour, salt and water into TMX bowl. Hit Turbo 3 times to chop the chicken and mix the meat with marinade. You may need to chop it more, but don’t make mince out of it. Look after each pulse on the Turbo. Remove and keep aside.

Place the chicken stock in TMX bowl and heat for 5 minutes at 100°C on speed 1. Add marinated chicken and cook for 3 minutes at 90°C on reverse + speed 1.

Add creamed corn, sesame oil and salt and cook for 5 minutes at 90°C on reverse + speed 1. Once the blade is turning then pour in the thickening through the opening in the lid and continue cooking until mixture thickens.

Once thickened, slowly pour in the beaten egg through the lid and stir until there are soft strands through the soup. It only takes a few seconds. Stop the TMX and serve.

Thermomix Varoma Blue Cheese Bavarois

Thermomix Varoma Liver and Apple

Thermomix Varoma Steamed Dim Sum with hot and sour cucumber salad

Thermomix Varoma Steamed Mango Puddings

Thermomix Varoma Turnip Cake

Thermomix Ratatouille

Thermomix Onion Jam

This recipe has finally been posted here

Thermomix Curried Parsnip Soup

Thermomix Parsnip Puff

Thermomix Varoma Pears in Sherry

Thermomix Mushroom Crostini

Thermomix Asparagus and Crab Soup

Thermomix Varoma Tomatoes with Asian Flavours

Thermomix Varoma Stuffed Chicken Legs

Thermomix Varoma Pears with Ginger

Thermomix Letcho

Thermomix Truffled Chicken Rolls