Why is There Air?

Something Fishy in Surrey

May 19th, 2012 . Posted in Fish, Main dishes, Thermomix Recipes | No Comments »
Tags: butterfly whisk, mashed potatoes, Thermomix

A cold, rainy - and foggy - winter in Surrey

A cold, rainy - and foggy - spring in Surrey

The ambient light in the bedroom awakens me and my brain begins to surface. Date? 16^th of May. Light? Hmmm, it looks grey out there. Temperature? Brrrrrrr!

What? Something doesn’t compute.

It’s spring in England but it’s so cold and rainy that we’ve still got the heat on. As the date increases, I keep hoping the temperature will increase, too, but this morning there was even a bit of frost L To my mind we should be having bright sunshine and barbecue weather! Instead, it rains every day yet we’re officially in drought. Go figure.

Our Thermomix fish pies are baking in the oven

So, what to eat in this kind of weather? Salads don’t keep me warm enough. I need something to stick to my ribs! ThermoHubby John came to the rescue once again with the perfect idea: fish pie.

Fish pie is a traditional dish with loads of steps but Thermomix makes it fast and easy to make. Chopping herbs is a snap, mashed potatoes are an exciting breeze, and the parsley sauce makes itself while you set the table or help the kids with homework. Then just pop the results into your oven and quicker than quick dinner is on the table. As a matter of fact, most fish pie recipes state a total prep + cooking time of 2 to 3 hours, but with Thermomix we made ours in under an hour, start to finish!

Drop herbs on running blades to chop in just seconds

Madame Thermomix’s Fish Pie
Makes one large pie or four individual pies. Can be frozen once assembled, then just thaw completely and bake in the oven as usual. Thanks to “Fast and Easy Cooking,” the 300-recipe cookbook included with every Thermomix TM31 purchased from UK Thermomix, for the Parsley sauce (page 43) and mashed potato (page 146) recipes.

Steam the potatoes in the internal steaming basket

Ingredients

For the parsley sauce:
A handful of flat-leaf parsley
40 g butter, in 3 or 4 lumps
50 g plain flour
400 g milk
salt and pepper to taste

For the mashed potatoes:
500 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
500 g water
½ tsp salt for the water
75 g milk
25 g butter
salt and pepper to taste

Insert butterfly whisk, add butter and milk...

For the filling:
400 g mixed fish chunks
a few knobs of butter
optional: 50 g frozen peas

Method

Make the parsley sauce:

Drop parsley on the blades of your Thermomix running at Speed 6. Turn off, scrape out and reserve.
Add all the other sauce ingredients to your Thermomix bowl and cook 90° C/6 minutes/Speed 4.
Add reserved parsley and mix 10 seconds/Speed 2. If using, add frozen peas and stir into sauce with spatula. Reserve the cooked sauce in the TM bowl, in a ThermoServer or in a jug.

...and whoosh! Mashed potatoes in 2 to 4 seconds!

Make the mashed potato:

Self-clean and rinse your Thermomix bowl, or use your second bowl if you have one. Place the cubed potatoes in the internal steaming basket. Weigh the water into the Thermomix bowl, add the salt and insert the internal steaming basket. Cook Varoma setting/15 minutes/Speed Spoon. (While the potatoes are cooking, start assembling your pie(s) as below.)
Check the potatoes with the tip of a knife. If necessary, cook a few minutes longer until tender and fully cooked. Do not attempt to mash undercooked potatoes, as they will turn to glue. Drain the potatoes, reserving the steaming water.
Insert the butterfly whisk and add the milk or cream and the seasonings along with the cooked potatoes. Mix 2 to 4 seconds/Speed 4, depending on the desired consistency. (Whoosh! You’ve got mashed potatoes! Madame Thermomix gets really excited about making mashed potatoes in her Thermomix. It’s so, so fast and easy!)

Assemble your Fish Pie while the potatoes are cooking

Assemble your fish pie(s):

Preheat the oven to 200° C/400° F. Generously butter your pie dish(es). Divide the fish evenly between four small pie dishes or place it all in one large pie dish.
Pour over the parsley sauce, season with salt and pepper, and top with mashed potato. Decorate the mashed potato with a fork to make ridges. These will brown and crisp up nicely, giving the topping a lovely texture. Optional: Top with a knob of butter.

Grooves in the topping make it nice and crispy

Now bake your fish pie(s) for 35-40 minutes, until the top is crisp and brown and the sauce is bubbling through. Serve at once.

The beauty of fish pie is that you can modify the filling ingredients as you wish. For instance, The Hairy Bikers add prawns to their fish pie, while James Martin uses a mixture of haddock and salmon. Not everyone appreciates this combination, but Madame Thermomix happens to like cheese with fish so you can also add some cheese to your parsley sauce, or to your mashed potatoes, or just – also?? – top your fish pies with some grated cheese for a golden, crispy crust. I’d better stop there because just writing about cheese-topped fish pie is making me terribly hungry!

Gorgeous Thermomix Fish Pie is ready in just an hour

Enjoy your Thermomix Fish Pie!

Bon appétit !

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Spice is Nice

May 7th, 2012 . Posted in Main dishes, Poultry, Thermomix Recipes | 5 Comments »
Tags: 3-dimensional stirring, 3D stirring, Thermomix, Thermomix curry recipe, UK Thermomix

Thermomix Chicken in Yoghurt is fast, easy and delicious

As an American of Polish and Irish descent, I never had curry when growing up. It wasn’t in my parents’ learned or acquired food culture. There were no Indian restaurants in my home town or the surrounding area. I enjoyed my first curry in my friend Virginie’s flat in Paris when I was in my early 20’s. She is of Mauritian and Irish descent, so it was a fiery dish indeed of chicken and potatoes.

Many other times in Paris I tasted curries from Vietnamese restaurant menus and appreciated their somewhat sweet and spicy flavour. But it wasn’t until I met ThermoHubby John and we moved here to England that I truly became aware of the incredible variety of Indian foods and spice combinations. Mild, medium or hot; sweet, sour or bitter; wet, dry or buttery; the choice is as endless as the number of regions and cooks.

John’s grandmother lived for a while in India in a British military family, so his mother used to make them curries from time to time. Thanks to being accustomed to curries at an early age and to part of our cookbook collection, John now makes a mean curry. But his curries are mostly dry curries, with delicious taste but not much sauce. I have developed a taste for saucy curries, and I am absolutely over the moon with this fast and easy Thermomix curry recipe.

Save time chopping and cooking

Super fast chopping in Thermomix makes for quick curries

Making a curry “by hand” requires lots of chopping – and time – plus a lot of cooking time to meld the flavours into a homogenous, distinctive ensemble. With Thermomix and this recipe – reproduced from “Fast and Easy Indian Cooking,” a comprehensive and varied collection of recipes by Independent Thermomix Demonstrator Rosie Laljee and UK Thermomix Director Janie Turner– anyone can easily make good quality Indian food at home. Thermomix saves so much time, not only in chopping but also in cooking. The Thermomix bowl is a closed container and therefore not only keeps the heat inside, but the thermostatically controlled temperatures ensure even, steady cooking to an extent not achievable on a hob or stovetop. The unique stirring action of the Thermomix blade decreases cooking times by getting all the ingredients in turn to come into contact with the heating plate. I call it “3-dimensional stirring” and it really makes Indian cooking achievable at home.

Fresh ground spices in the Thermomix make for the tastiest curries

Thermomix’s Reverse Blade Function makes it possible to cook and stir this dish without blending the chicken into a mush, too. You start with pieces of chicken and you end up with pieces of chicken. This works with other meats in stews and curries as well as things like Bolognese sauce, and also with my fave Thermomix risotto.

Faster than reheating a ready meal

Now think about this: your basic Indian ready meal usually requires 45 minutes in a pre-heated oven, and it takes a good ten minutes to pre-heat most ovens. We’re talking about close to an hour to end up with a reheated, industrially-produced meal that will undoubtedly have additives and preservatives to increase shelf life. In contrast, this incredibly tasty recipe, made in the Thermomix with wonderful fresh ingredients and no additives, requires just 33 minutes (and 10 seconds) to prepare. To my mind, it’s a no-brainer. Fast and easy cooking with Thermomix wins hands down!

Steam some rice in your Thermomix before cooking your curry

Madame Thermomix’s tips:

For the absolute freshest, tastiest curry, start by grinding your own fresh spices in a dry Thermomix bowl. You’ll probably need at least twice the volume of whole spices to get the required amount of ground spices, so grind up a bit more than you need, reserve the amount needed here, and keep the rest in a sterilised jar for your next recipe.
Steam some basmati rice in your Thermomix to serve with your curry while you’re cutting up your chicken and getting your ingredients ready. It only takes 20 minutes to get perfect rice every time!
It’s fast and easy to peel garlic in the Thermomix so once you’ve ground your spices, go straight into peeling the garlic.
This recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken, but I used a traditional cut of chicken on the bone which I got at my local ethnic food store. They assured me that this is what they used at home. It was less expensive than what I could have purchased at the supermarket and the bones lent added taste to the finished dish. Thermomix cooked the chicken so perfectly, it fell off the bones, too. Do proceed with caution, however, as bones are a choking hazard.

Thermomix Chicken in Yoghurt
I have to agree with Janie Turner when she says that “this recipe on its own justifies buying ‘Fast and Easy Indian Cooking’. It is simple, fast, healthy and it tastes wonderful. Serves 4 with rice or bread and a vegetable or two. To serve 8 just double the amount of chicken.” (Yes, this is one saucy curry, so there’s plenty of sauce for four people or even eight!)

A lovely sheen of oil on the surface means your Thermomix curry is perfectly cooked

Ingredients
10 g garlic cloves, peeled
40 g oil
150 g onions, peeled and quartered
2 fresh green chillies, tops removed
20 g ginger, sliced along the lines on the skin into 2 mm “coins”
10 g fresh coriander (dhania)
2 tsp ground cumin (jeera)
2 tsp ground coriander (dhania)
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
1 tsp salt
100 g water
500 g skinless boneless chicken, cut into 2 to 3 cm pieces
70 g tomato purée
500 g greek-style yoghurt

Method

Peel garlic in your Thermomix if desired, set aside. Heat the oil 1 minute/Varoma setting/Speed 1. Add onions, chillies, ginger, fresh coriander and garlic. Mince 10 seconds/Speed 5.
Scrape down the sides and lid of the Thermomix bowl with the spatula. Cook 5 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 2/Measuring Cup OFF (to let excess steam escape and yield a better sauté).
Add dry spices and salt. Cook 3 minutes Varoma setting/Speed 2/Measuring Cup ON.
Add the water. Cook 5 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 1.
Add chicken, tomato purée and yoghurt. Cook 20 minutes/100° C/Speed Spoon/Reverse Blade Direction. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Janie Turner’s tip: When it is perfectly cooked, there will be a lovely sheen of oil on the surface.

That’s it! It couldn’t be faster or easier to make your own curry with Thermomix.

Bon appétit !

Making Thermomix Chicken in Yoghurt is faster than reheating a ready-made one!

Supplement your Thermomix cookbook collection and jazz up your meals with “Fast and Easy Indian Cooking,” available for £19.95 from UK Thermomix.

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A Learning Process

May 5th, 2012 . Posted in Thermomix Recipes | 2 Comments »

Like life – and even like cooking with Thermomix – blogging is a learning process. I checked my blog yesterday only to find a message saying “Error establishing a database connection.” Whatever could that mean, I asked myself. It will most likely sort itself out.
Ha, ha, ha, it didn’t, so this morning I trawled through my CPanel administrative thingy and learned how to repair a database. Bingo! Back in business.
Apologies to my Aussie readers who were not able to read or search my blog yesterday and this morning!

Happy Thermomix cooking from Madame Thermomix!

Flat and Sassy

April 28th, 2012 . Posted in Baked goods, Bread, Thermomix Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tags: Morocco, tagine, Thermomix

Tasty Khobz or Moroccan bread is easy to make in the Thermomix

We’re dining tonight with our friends Yvonne and Steve and Yvonne is treating us to a Moroccan meal. My Mom taught me to “ring the doorbell with my elbows” (meaning that my hands were full with something I brought to my hosts) so I offered to make some Moroccan bread to accompany our meal.

A quick search around the Internet yielded lots of recipes and some interesting information. According to About.com, “During a traditional Moroccan meal, khobz often replaces utensils such as forks or spoons as it is used to scoop up meat, vegetables, sauce, salads, dips and more.” My recipe search then led me to a lovely website called Cooking with Alia: The Flavors of Morocco and this authentic recipe for Moroccan bread. I can just imagine scooping up a big mouthful of a fragrant tagine with some of it! The original recipe calls for 30 minutes of hand kneading, but I knew that my trusty friend Thermomix could do the same job in a much shorter time

Bubbling activated yeast in my Thermomix bowl

Moroccan Flat Bread (Khobz)
Recipe from Cooking with Alia. Adapted for Thermomix by Madame Thermomix. Give yourself a few extra minutes to let the yeast fully develop and you’ll be delighted with the results! Makes 2 flat crusty loaves.

Ingredients
250 g water
1 ½ tsp (1 packet) dry yeast or 20 g fresh yeast
1 ½ tsp sugar
500 g strong white bread flour
1 tsp anise seeds
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 ½ tsp salt

Delicious ingredients for the Khobz dough

Method

Activate the yeast: weigh the water into the TM bowl; add yeast and sugar and gently warm 37° C/5 minutes/Speed Spoon. Your yeast mixture will be lovely and bubbly. Leave for another five minutes to fully develop for even more flavour. (Tip: if you’re really pressed for time you can skip this step and simply add all ingredients and proceed as per Step 2.)
Weigh in the flour using Thermomix’s built-in weighing scales, add the other ingredients, and mix the dough 20 seconds/Speed 3 or until it comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Now knead the dough 2 minutes/Kneading function. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and use your Thermomix spatula to cut it into two equal portions (or more, such as for individual loaves or other shapes). Shape into round, flat loaves and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Prick each loaf a few times with a fork. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 200° C/400° F oven for 25 – 35 minutes or until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Carefully remove the Thermomix blade from the Khobz dough

Again according to About.com, “Different types of flour can be used to make khobz. Exactly what goes into each loaf, and how large or small it is shaped, is a matter of personal preference. White, semolina, wheat, rye, bran and barley are some of the flours that might be used, while anise and cumin seeds are just two additions that could be added for extra flavor.” If you use a denser, dryer type of flour such as wholemeal, increase the water to 280 g and knead for 3 minutes.

Bon appétit !

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Divide the Khobz dough into two using your handy Thermomix spatula

My two loaves of Khobz are shaped and ready to rise

The Khobz has risen and is ready to bake

My Khobz has baked up lovely and golden brown

Enjoy your Khobz made in the Thermomix with loves, couscous stews or tagines

Enjoy your Khobz made in the Thermomix with olives, couscous stews or tagines

It’s Party Time

April 15th, 2012 . Posted in Apéritifs and snacks, Fish, Gluten free, Holiday recipes, Thermomix Recipes, Thermomix Tips and Tricks, Varoma Steamer | 5 Comments »
Tags: buckwheat flour, built-in weighing scales, Diamond Jubilee, New Zealand wine, street party, Thermomix

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated on 5 June 2012

On 6 February 1952, a 25 year old woman was given the huge responsibility of looking after lots and lots of people. In a world where women traditionally took a back seat to men, my feminist side says this was a momentous event and a huge step forward for women. 60 Years later, on June 5^th, 2012, lots and lots of people will be allowed to have parties to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in the United Kingdom. Some might say this is a bit frivolous, but never fear, there are more dignified and meaningful festivities planned in honour of one of the longest-reigning monarchs in Europe. In an odd nod to Britain’s least favourite neighbours – yes, I mean the French – lots and lots of people will be given not one, but two days off to celebrate, making it a 4-day weekend or “pont.” The extra day off forms a bridge (or “pont” in French) between the weekend and the actual holiday which falls on a Tuesday.

The British Monarchy has its own Facebook page

Now if I was going to be truly cynical, I’d speculate that these four days of Diamond Jubilee celebrations will be as good an excuse to get drunk and rowdy as any, and that the £19 billion that bank holidays purportedly cost the UK will be spent cleaning up four days of improper behaviour. However, this is a cooking blog, not a political one, so I shall refrain

And in an unexpectedly modern move, the Royal Household has created a special website. The official website of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee even has social media links right at the top so you can’t miss them. Can you believe it? The British Monarchy has a Facebook page, a Twitter profile, its own YouTube channel, and a Flickr photostream. It’s a far cry from the days when news took weeks to reach Buckingham Palace on horseback.

Madame Thermomix's Smoked Salmon Rillettes served with Blinis and a fantastic New Zealand white wine

So how can I make my mark and participate in the festivities? I shall contribute a very special recipe or two that I shall be making in my trusty Thermomix to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee at our own street party.

« Les rillettes de saumon de la grand-mère d’Aurélie » are a wonderfully tasty concoction fit for a queen. The original recipe comes from a French grandmother, and I have been making them for about six years now, ever since my friend Coralie gave me the recipe which she published in her personal blog. Coralie now writes the delightful and informative London: Tea Time in Wonderland where you can always find hundreds of ideas for what to do in the capital – and what to eat when you’re there!

Salmon Rillettes (Pâté of Fresh and Smoked Salmon)
Makes 30 canapés or serves 6 generously as a starter. Can be doubled or even tripled for a big party!

Luscious ingredients for Salmon Rillettes

Ingredients
400 g fresh salmon
150 g crème fraîche
1 bunch fresh dill, stalks removed
2 slices of smoked salmon
75 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
juice of 1 lemon
30 g salmon eggs (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Method

Put a bowl into the refrigerator to chill. Put the fresh salmon onto the tray of your Varoma steamer. Fill the Thermomix bowl with 1 litre of water (1,000 g on Thermomix’s built-in weighing scales), put the lid on the bowl, place the Varoma on the lid, and steam your salmon fillets on Varoma setting/15 minutes/Speed 2 or until the fish is just cooked through. Carefully remove the Varoma lid and place it upside down on your worktop to catch the drips and put the Varoma on the lid. Let the salmon cool on the Varoma tray while you continue the recipe.
Empty the Thermomix bowl, rinse it in cold water and cool it down completely. Insert butterfly whisk. Weigh in the crème fraîche and whip 3 minutes/Speed 4 or until it’s nice and thick and forms peaks. Scrape the whipped crème fraîche into your cold bowl, cover with cling film/plastic wrap and return to the fridge. There’s no need to wash your TM bowl as all the ingredients are ending up combined in the end
Drop a generous handful of dill leaves on the running blades of your Thermomix at Speed 6; turn off immediately. Remove the skin and all the bones from the now cooled steamed salmon and add to the Thermomix bowl. Add the smoked salmon, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix 20 seconds/Speed 7 or until you have a chunky paste. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again a few seconds on Speed 4. If you’re doubling or tripling the recipe you’ll need to churn your mixture with the Thermomix spatula to ensure that all the ingredients reach the blade.
Get your bowl of whipped crème fraîche from the refrigerator and stir the fish mixture into it. If using, stir in the optional salmon eggs with the spatula. Refrigerate until serving time. May be made up to two days in advance (the flavours will meld together beautifully). Serve by rounded teaspoonfuls on aperitif spoons, garnished with a sprig of fresh dill, or serve in pots to spread on blinis for a more substantial treat.

Doves Farm naturally gluten free Buckwheat Flour

There are zillions of recipes on the web for Blinis, a traditional Russian yeast pancake made from naturally gluten-free buckwheat flour. In perfect Russian grammar, blini is both the singular and the plural (one blini, two blini) but those of us who don’t speak Russian usually add an S and say “pass me a whole plate of those gorgeous blinis, please!” The recipe below is easy to make, especially when you have a Thermomix to cut down on the number of processes – and on the washing up, too!

Blinis
Recipe by olive magazine, adapted for Thermomix by Madame Thermomix. Makes approximately 30 blinis.

Ingredients
175 g milk
1/3 tsp dried yeast
5 g butter
1 egg, separated
70 g buckwheat flour
70 g plain flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
butter or oil for frying

Method

Place milk, yeast, butter and egg yolk in Thermomix bowl. Warm at 37° C/3 minutes/Speed 2. Add the dry ingredients and mix 20 seconds/Speed 4. Scrape the sides of the Thermomix bowl and whisk a few more seconds until you have a smooth batter. Reserve.
Insert butterfly whisk into your second Thermomix bowl (or thoroughly wash and dry your bowl) to whisk the egg white to stiff peaks, 37° C/up to 3 minutes/Speed 4. Continue whisking once you see the top go firm, as the bottom of the egg white will be softer. Use the Thermomix spatula to gently fold the whisked egg white into the blini batter, keeping as much volume as possible.
Heat some clarified butter or oil in a frying pan and drop in dessertspoons/tablespoons of the batter. Cook until the surface starts to bubble, then flip over and cook the other side. Serve with your Smoked Salmon Rillettes, garnished with a sprig of dill and a drizzle of lemon juice.

Making Salmon Rillettes in the Thermomix is fast and easy

Here’s how I made a triple batch of Salmon Rillettes for an 8-course New Zealand Wine Tasting Dinner at Tongham Village Hall. It was a huge quantity and didn’t all hold in the Thermomix bowl so I resorted to mixing the final ingredients by hand in a big bowl. Of course, Thermomix makes cooking for large numbers fast and easy!

Clockwise from top left:

Steam your salmon fillets in the Varoma steamer
Whip the crème fraîche (I reserved it in one of my Thermomix bowls while I used another for the next steps)
Mix together the smoked salmon, chopped dill and butter
Churn with the Thermomix spatula (the only spatula you should ever use when your Thermomix is running because its shield prevents it from being chewed up in the blade)
The smoked salmon, dill and butter are now a chunky paste
Oh dear, look at all the beautiful paste that’s still in the bottom of my bowl!
Thermomix Tips and Tricks: Spin the blades for a couple of seconds at Speed 5 to flick all that beautiful stuff out to the sides of the bowl where you can easily remove it. No waste with Thermomix!
My big bowl with the steamed salmon, bones and skin removed
A close-up of the final ingredients in my big bowl: flaked steamed salmon; whipped crème fraîche; smoked salmon, butter and dill paste

And here’s the finished article, plated up in aluminum barquettes with some of the 400-odd blinis I made to feed over 60 hungry wine enthusiasts!

Blinis are the perfect accompaniment to Madame Thermomix's Smoked Salmon Rillettes

Bon appétit !

Steamy Accompaniments

April 11th, 2012 . Posted in Thermomix Recipes | 2 Comments »
Tags: Internal Steamer Basket, Rice, Thermomix

Add a litre of water to your Thermomix

Madame Thermomix has been getting very steamy very often lately. Don’t worry – this is simply because Thermomix makes it so fast and easy to eat healthy steamed food!

One of my favourite things to steam in the Thermomix is rice. It’s so very simple even a man can make it come out right every time Just weigh the rice into Thermomix’s internal steamer basket, give it a quick wash and wet, and then “Bob’s your uncle” which means voilà ! Perfectly steamed rice in 20 minutes with no effort, while you do something else. You can make as little as a single serving of rice, or up to 400 g uncooked rice – that’s nearly a pound – yielding up to eight servings. Once again, Thermomix does the job for small or large numbers!

Thermomix Rice
from Fast and Easy Cooking, the 300-recipe cookbook included with every Thermomix TM31 purchased from UK Thermomix.

Ingredients

White, Thai Jasmine or Basmati Rice	Brown Rice	Wild Rice
up to 400 g rice	up to 400 g rice	up to 350 g rice
1 tsp salt	1 tsp salt	1 tsp salt
1 litre/1000 g water (use only 800 g if cooking 150 g rice or less)	1.25 litre/1250 g water	1.25 litre/1250 g water
Cooking time: 20 minutes	Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes	Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes

Weigh in rice and add salt, then wash and wet rice 5 seconds/Speed 5

Method

Weigh or add water to Thermomix bowl. Insert internal steamer basket and weigh in rice. Top with salt. Wash and wet rice 5 seconds/Speed 5. This is a very important step without which you’ll end up with a brick of hard, uncooked rice
Steam your white rice 20 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 2 ½ (or for other types of rice use the above timings), making sure your Measuring Cup sits on the TM lid with open end up. As explained in one of my Thermomix Tips and Tricks, turn the speed UP to Speed 4 if your liquid bubbles onto the lid.
Use the handy hook on your Thermomix spatula to carefully remove the internal steamer basket and enjoy perfectly steamed rice.

Bon appétit !

Steam white rice for 20 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 2 1/2, Measuring Cup open end UP

Counter-intuitively, turn speed UP to stop liquids boiling over

Et voila ! Perfectly steamed rice

Now use the handy hook on your Thermomix spatula to remove the internal steamer basket without burning yourself

Wholesome Chocolate

April 7th, 2012 . Posted in Baked goods, Chocolate!, Kid friendly, Thermomix Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tags: Chocolate, Thermomix

Chocolate Chip Scones are the ultimate in chocolate decadence

It’s Easter, and chocolate is everywhere – in Easter eggs, biscuits, bars, drinks and boxes of chocolates to bring to your host for Easter dinner. I wanted something different, though: something wholesome; something lighter than a ganache-filled chocolate yet still decadently chocolaty; something to go with a nice cup of tea; and something that the nieces and nephews could help me make – in my trusty Thermomix, of course!

Whilst reading this week’s edition of The Week, I came across the perfect idea: Rose Carrarini’s Chocolate Scones. Ms. Carrarini runs The Rose Bakery in Paris, France, and has been serving up typically English baked goods to the French for the past ten years. She is now the monthly baking columnist for The Financial Times. And if these delicious, wholesome chocolate scones are a suggestion of things to come, I’ll make sure ThermoHubby John brings home the FT every time her column comes out!

Turn the TM bowl upside down on a floured surface and release the blades to allow the dough to drop out.

The Rose Bakery’s Chocolate Scones
Adapted for Thermomix by Madame Thermomix from a recipe published in The Financial Times and reprinted in The Week. According to the recipe notes this makes 6 to 8 decadently thick scones depending on the cutter, but I made two dozen thinner ones. According to Carranini, “These special scones are really good served with clotted cream and marmalade, but are also great served warm with a little butter. Always serve scones warm.” We enjoyed them plain and golly, were they good!

Ingredients
130 g whole milk
1 medium egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
275 g plain flour
½ tsp salt
1 level Tbsp baking powder
25 g cocoa powder
70 g sugar
75 g butter, cut into cubes
180 g chocolate chips (optional, but you’d be silly not to use them!)
1 extra egg for glaze
a little sugar to top (optional)

The entire Thermomix is a sensitive weighing machine which gives rise to all sorts of weighing possibilities

Method

Preheat oven to 190° C (no fan). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicone sheet. Add milk, egg and vanilla extract to your Thermomix bowl and mix 3 seconds/Speed 4.
Weigh in flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and butter. Knead 20 seconds/Dough (Interval) Setting.
Scrape down the sides of the TM bowl with the spatula and knead again 10 seconds/Dough Setting. Don’t be tempted to knead or mix your dough any more; scone dough should only be just mixed.
Turn the TM bowl upside down on a floured surface and release the blades to allow the dough to drop out. Pull dough carefully off the blades. If using, weigh out 180 g of chocolate chips and pour over the dough. Pat the chips gently into the dough and form a circle about 4 cm/1.5 inches thick. Cut the dough into triangular pieces or cut rounds with a biscuit cutter. (I made a rectangle and cut my scones roughly into squares, just to be different I suppose!) Arrange scones of your baking tray.
Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt and brush on the tops of the scones. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked inside (and the chocolate chips are all gooey). I did not like the look of the egg wash on my scones so I topped them with a bit of granulated sugar, but icing sugar – made in the Thermomix, of course! – would do just as well. Serve warm with a glass of milk, a cup of tea or a coffee and enjoy.

Don't be tempted to overmix your scone dough; it should just hold together

Put the chocolate chips on top of the dough

Gently pat the chocolate chips into the scone dough

Cut your scones into triangle shapes, use a cutter to cut out rounds, or even cut them into rectangles

Place cut scones on your baking sheet and brush with beaten egg

Bake your chocolate scones 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked in the centre

Enjoy your chocolate scones warm, with butter or marmalade and clotted cream, or just plain

Look how wholesome and enticing these chocolate scones are!

All gone! Must have been good

Bon appétit !

Of Mice and Mousse

April 3rd, 2012 . Posted in Cheese, Thermomix Recipes, Vegetables | 6 Comments »
Tags: New Zealand wine, Ritz Crackers, Sancerre, Thermomix

A beautiful white goat from Chavignol near Sancerre. Photo copyright Emmanuel Lattes

Goats’ cheese is one of life’s little marvels. Just like goats, goats’ cheese comes in all shapes and sizes, and in flavours from mild to incredibly strong. Young goats’ cheese is often mild and soft, while mature goats’ cheese can be harder and stronger in taste. It’s amazing how Mother Nature works, because in the Cher and Loire departments of France they not only produce some of the best Sauvignon Blanc wines in the world (Sancerre and Menetou-Salon are but two examples), they also raise goats and produce brilliant goats’ cheese. And I can tell you from my vast experience in the matter that the two go beautifully together!

Beetroot, or beets as they are known in the U.S., is/are one of my favourite root vegetables. The earthy flavour creates a connection with the ground it was grown in. My Mom used to grow beets in our vegetable garden, and when they were harvested towards the end of the summer we would always eat them hot at dinner time. It was only relatively recently that I ate them cold in a salad and delighted in this new taste sensation.

A Beetroot and Cheddar Stack on a Ritz is one of ThermoHubby John's favourite taste combos

One of ThermoHubby John’s favourite taste combinations is cold cooked beetroot with mature cheddar cheese. We often serve it in slices as a canapé, either as a flavour duo or with both slices served on a Ritz Cracker for an added buttery flavour

Madame Thermomix's Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse and Beetroot Purée

You may recall that we organise wine tasting dinners to raise funds for the renovation of Tongham Village Hall. Well, this time I needed a great flavour combination to go with goat’s cheese to enhance a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I don’t know how he does it, but John’s palate came up with beetroot, and our dish became shots of Thyme-infused Goats’ Cheese Mousse with Beetroot Purée. Both of the components could easily be done in my trusty Thermomix, with great results.

Beets or Beetroot

As its name implies, beetroot is a root vegetable. It is red and hard when raw, and it retains a decided firmness even when cooked. So when I was experimenting with my purée, even after about three minutes blending in the Thermomix at Speed 10, my beetroot purée had a certain graininess about it. I needed some expert advice, so I turned to Twitter – the only place I know of where little old me can have direct access to top chefs. Lo and behold, my Tweet was answered by the one and only Simon Hulstone (@Hulstone) who advised me to add some cooked rice to the beetroot to make it nice and smooth.

That brilliant suggestion and John’s addition of a pinch of Szechuan Pepper to the mixture resulted in a smooth and deliciously earthy purée which perfectly offset not only the thyme and goats cheese flavours in the mousse but also the minerally taste of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse

As expected, Thermomix played a big role in producing this dish. Without Thermomix, I would have had several pots and pans and appliances to wash up, I would have had to sieve the purée and lose some in the process, everything would have taken quite a bit longer, and it wouldn’t have been of the same high quality. So thank you, Thermomix!

Madame Thermomix’s Shots of Thyme-Infused Goats’ Cheese Mousse and Beetroot Purée
Makes 16 shots or verrines as an amuse-bouche, or 4 starter-sized servings.

Goats Cheese Mousse whipped up in the Thermomix with the Butterfly Whisk

Ingredients for the Mousse
100 ml double cream
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
150 g French mild goats’ cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Infuse double cream with thyme 5 minutes/90° C/Speed 2; pour into shallow dish and cool completely. Chill in fridge at least 30 minutes.
Mix the goats’ cheese 20 seconds/speed 5. Scrape sides of TM bowl and insert butterfly whisk. With blades running at Speed 4, pour infused cream through hole in lid and continue whisking about 2 minutes or until peaks start to form and just lightly hold.
Put into piping bag and set in fridge. Tip: Stand your piping bag upright in a tall glass to fill and place upright in the door of the fridge to chill.

Pipe the beetroot purée into the bottom of the shot glass

Ingredients for the Beetroot Purée
4 x cooked peeled beetroot (one 250 g package)
50 g cooked rice (steamed in your internal steamer basket, of course!)
Dash of ground Szechuan pepper
¼ tsp salt

Method

Put all ingredients into the TM bowl and chop 10 seconds/Speed 5. Scrape sides of bowl and lid with spatula, then purée 5 minutes/Speed 10 or until you have a smooth, silky purée.

To assemble, layer beetroot purée on the bottom of your shot glasses or martini glasses and goats cheese mousse on top. I used a squeeze bottle with a small tip for the beetroot purée and a piping bag for the mousse for a steady hand and tidy results! Sprinkle with a touch of ground Szechuan pepper and serve with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

Bon appétit !

Stand your piping bag in a tall glass to fill it with ease before setting in the fridge door

I made about 60 shots of beetroot purée and goats cheese mousse but was so busy I forgot to take a photo when they were done

Pipe the goats cheese mousse on top of the beetroot purée. This mousse is a bit runny because I didn't let it set long enough.

A rather large serving of Madame Thermomix's Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse and Beetroot Purée. Bon appétit !

Saucy and Delicious

March 24th, 2012 . Posted in Cheese, Main dishes, Sauces, Thermomix Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »
Tags: Le Bistro du Lac, Thermomix

Madame Thermomix's Spinach and Feta Filo Triangles

The other night I made one of the dishes from my French restaurant in America called Le Bistro du Lac, situated across from Sebago Lake in the small town of Raymond, Maine. We served these Spinach and Feta Filo Triangles with a simple tomato sauce and I used to make them in large batches and freeze them in individual portions. They’re easy to make and really delicious with a refreshing glass of Rose Wine. And the Thermomix Tomato Sauce is devilishly simple!

Madame Thermomix’s Spinach and Feta Filo Triangles with Thermomix Tomato Sauce
Thermomix Tomato Sauce 1 is from Fast and Easy Cooking, the 300-page cookbook included with every Thermomix TM31 purchased from UK Thermomix.

Ingredients
For the Triangles:
200 g baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
1 shallot, peeled
200 g feta cheese
salt and pepper
a pack of filo pastry sheets
melted butter or olive oil for brushing

Devilishly Simple Thermomix Tomato Sauce

For the Tomato Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
400 g tinned or fresh tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of chilli flakes = pepperoncini flakes
small handful of oregano, parsley or basil

Method

Make the triangles:

Put the spinach leaves into a microwaveable bowl and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 1 minute to wilt in their own moisture.
Chop shallot by dropping it on running blades at Speed 5. Add feta cheese, salt, pepper and spinach and briefly turbo pulse to mix.
Lay out two sheets of filo pastry and cut into long strips. Place a spoonful of spinach mixture in one corner of each strip and fold diagonally several times to form a triangular-shaped parcel. Repeat until all the spinach mixture is used up.
Brush each parcel with melted butter or olive oil and bake in a preheated 200° C oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Bake until golden brown

While the triangles are baking, make the Tomato Sauce:

Peel garlic 4 seconds/Reverse Blade Direction/Speed 4 ¼ ; remove skins. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and chop roughly, 4 to 5 seconds/Speed 5.
Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Cook 5 minutes/100° C/Speed 1.
Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and mix 2 Seconds/Speed 4.
Cook 15 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed Spoon/Reverse Blade Direction/Measuring cup at an angle so the steam can escape but the sauce won’t spit. (Tip: If the sauce spits anyway, remove measuring cup and place internal steamer basket on lid. This works a treat.)
If the sauce is too liquid, cook a few minutes more. Add the herbs and the last Tbsp of olive oil. Mix 5 seconds/Speed 1.

Serve filo triangles on heated plates with some Tomato Sauce and a few fresh herbs.

Assemble your spinach and feta filo triangles: Lay out two sheets of filo pastry and cut into long strips. (Mine look a bit scruffy here because the sheets broke in the package on the way home from the store!) Place a spoonful of spinach mixture in one corner of each strip and fold diagonally several times to form a triangular-shaped parcel. Repeat until all the spinach mixture is used up. Brush each parcel with melted butter or olive oil and bake in a preheated 200° C oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Bon appétit !

Steamy Endings

March 18th, 2012 . Posted in Desserts, Excellent Delicacies, Thermomix Recipes, Varoma Steamer | 4 Comments »
Tags: The Pudding Club, Thermomix

Bananas and caramel make a gorgeous steamed pudding

After cooking an all-in-one meal in my Varoma steamer in Steamy Dinners, I decided it was time to investigate the Varoma’s possibilities in terms of desserts. I am American and ThermoHubby John is English, and I am always delighted to discover new culinary delights in my adopted homeland – much to the dismay of my hips. Traditional English steamed puddings are a particular favourite, but they always seemed quite a bother to prepare.

That is, until Thermomix and Varoma came along. Making a steamed pudding is now a matter of minutes and can be accomplished with hardly any effort. Fast and easy, as they say at UK Thermomix. Because the method is so simple, Thermomix also unleashes your creativity to indulge in new and exotic flavour combinations, starting with whatever you have to hand.

So without further ado, let’s cook!

Madame Thermomix’s Steamed Pudding
Based on a traditional recipe from The Pudding Club Book as blogged in Kitchen Delights and adapted for Thermomix first by ThermoHubby in his Tongham Tasters’ Wine Blog after delighting me with it as part of my annual 8-course Valentine’s dinner – after all, there are 8 letters in “I Love You”!

Ingredients
Thinly peeled zest of one lemon and one lime (this is ThermoHubby’s addition and it really lifts the flavour of the pudding)
120 g sugar
120 g butter
120 g plain flour
2 eggs
Suggested flavourings:
Golden Syrup or Karo Dark Corn Syrup
Orange Marmalade
Banana slices and Caramel
… use your imagination!
To serve:
Juice of half a lemon
Cream or Thermomix Custard

Method

Place lemon and lime zest in Thermomix bowl and weigh in sugar. I use unrefined Demerara sugar but granulated or caster sugar will do. Grind 20 seconds/Speed 8.
Weigh in butter, mix 5 seconds/Speed 5. Insert Butterfly whisk. Cream for 3 minutes/Speed 4 or until light and creamy.
Add eggs and weigh in flour. Whisk 1 minute/Speed 4. That’s it! You’re now ready to fill and steam your moulds.
Butter one large pudding bowl or up to 6 individual Dariol moulds and place a generous teaspoon of flavouring in the bottom such as Golden Syrup. Fill moulds no more than 2/3 full with batter. Place in the bottom of the Varoma steamer and steam 25 minutes over about a litre of water.
Turn puddings out onto individual plates (careful, they’re hot!). Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over and top with a bit more Golden Syrup, Marmalade or whatever other flavouring you’ve used and enjoy with a glass of sweet wine, a cup of tea or coffee, or why not a glass of Champagne.

Bon appétit !

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