Jamming time!

No recipes, just a photo today. I am waiting for more detailed facts and information on water bathing before I post any recipe...

I made (from left to right): Spiced Plum & Port Jam, Mixed Berry Jam (rated very highly by family and friends), and Pineapple Jam (also rated high by friends - my family didn't like the idea much except for me - I eat it. A. Lot!).

Please excuse the lack of artistic labels - I just needed to have them labelled before I forget so a quick basic slap-on labels were required.

Catch you next time!

Cheers!

First excellent bread recipe!

Adapted from the Portuguese Rolls - Isi's easy recipe from the Thermomix Forum.

Those pictures are actually mine! The sliced ones were the first loaves I made and the rolls the next day. All came out just perfect and kids could not get enough of them!

So I thought I'd save the recipe by putting it down here!

Remember it's all based with use of Thermomix, so don't sue me if your bread collapsed when you don't have the wonder machine... heh!

Recipe:

500g flour - I used Bakers' flour
2 tsp dry yeast (or I used a satchel from packet)
300ml lukewarm water
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tablespoon honey

How-to:

1. Put salt at bottom of bowl, then flour on top.
2. Put yeast on top of flour.
3. Combine water and honey in a cup before pouring on top of the dry mixture in bowl.
4. Have it mixed at 5 mins with 'wheat' button on.
5. Allow the dough to rest inside the bowl for 45 mins.
6. Mix again in bowl for a min with 'wheat' button.
7. Pour dough out of bowl onto a mat for knealing.
8. Kneal the dough to flat it out - this is when you should decide if its in roll or as loaf.
9. Pick a corner and rolls it to end - like a rolled log.
10. Place all rolled up dough on a cooking tray - I used silicon mat and baking paper with same success on a baking tray. So it's personal preference but do put dough on either in a tray anyway.
11. Rest the dough covered for 20 mins.
12. Score the top of dough with sharp knife (cut so some gas can get out, etc).
13. Paint the dough with a mixture of water and oil.
14. Turn the oven on to 210 degree C and wait till it warms up.
15. Sprinkle rolls with bit of flour before putting it in oven.
16. Bake between 20 and 30 mins at 200 degree C, with a oven-safe container filled with hot water.

I've noticed that larger loaves do well if its 25 mins without fan. I turned oven on with fan on as well while it warms up then when I put rolls in, I turn the fan off and allow the heat to cook rather than dry-heat it...

I've tried with both flour on top and ones without (step 15), both tasted the same and cooked the same so it's another personal preference I think.

So bake as many as you can and enjoy them!!

From: http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=2729.0

Cheers!

Yummiest Cottage Pie!

I created this tonite after trawling online for a recipe on Cottage Pie. I guess we know that Shepherds Pie has lamb while Cottage Pie has beef, right?

Anyhow, we just loved it - I did some tweaking in the recipe which came from numerous sources online.

From Food Box
2 small onions, finely chopped
6 small carrots, chopped
4 med potatoes, peeled and cut
1 large orange sweet potato, peeled and cut
handful of mushrooms, chopped

From Pantry
1 beef stock cube in 1 cup hot water
Olive oil
salt & pepper
1 small satchel of tomato paste
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of oregano

From Fridge
500g beef mince (ground beef)
1 teaspoon of garlic 
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of Djion mustard
Butter
Milk
cheese (I used parmesan)
Frozen peas (I used about a cup)


To create
Potatoes and sweet potato in pot and bring to boil.
Heat oil in pan and saute in onion, carrot, mushrooms and garlic till all are soft.
Add mince and brown it.
Pour in stock, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, cinnamon, and oregano.
Stir and add frozen peas, salt and pepper to taste.
Stir until all are combined.
Leave it simmer until the potato mash is done.
Mash both potatoes in until all blended.
Add warmed milk (I used less than 1/4 cup) and beat till smooth.
Add dollops of butter (to taste) and djion mustard.
Stir to combine.
Spray olive oil in casserole dish.
Pour in the mince mix and level it.
Put potato mash on top, do section by section so all are covered evenly.
Sprinkle cheese on top and add a couple of butter dollops.
Bake for half hour (30 mins) at 200 degrees C.
Serve and eat!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I know... I know... it has nothing to do with FIG and such. But I did use organic cocoa powder - does this count? heh...

Found this recipe when choc cookie craving hit me big time other night and I went ahead and scoff 3 cookies straight away - OOOHhhhhhh GORGEOUS!!!! Seriously! It has to be the most delicious, chocolaty and chewy cookies I've ever made!

From pantry
2 cups Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 cups All-purpose Flour
¾ cups Cocoa
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoons Salt
Powdered Sugar (for Dusting) (optional)

From fridge
1-¼ cup Butter, Room Temperature (I estimated this to be a full butter block - 250g)

To create
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture and mix thoroughly.
Drop batter by teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes, do NOT over bake!

An optional step - sprinkle each cookie with powdered sugar. (this I didn't do as I thought it was rich enough anyway.)

Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. They will flatten out a lot after cooling.

Go on and try this recipe!!! I will be making another batch next week... hehe

I got this recipe from: Chewy Chocolate Cookies - Tasty Kitchen

Hide them from others and enjoy!

Carrot & Macadamia Cake

I baked this cake a few times and each time it's so delicious. Just watch it to ensure it doesn't burn!

From pantry

1 cup wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup sultanas 

2 eggs
1/2 cup macadamia oil
 

From Food box

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot, firmly packed

To create

Sift together into a bowl the wholemeal flour, cinnamon and baking soda.
Add the chopped macadamias, raw sugar, sultanas and grated carrot.
Lightly beat together the eggs with the macadamia oil and then add it to the cake mixture.
Stir all ingredients together and pour into a well greased or lined cake tin.
Bake for 45 minutes at 180'C.
Depending on the moisture content of the carrot, it may take longer than 45 minutes. Simply cover with foil and cook further 10-20 minutes (skewer will come out clean when ready).
Serve by simply dusting with icing sugar or a cream cheese frosting.

YUUUMMMMYYYY!! 

From Lorne Valley Macadamia Farm

Roots Bake

I also served this along with Garden Brunch Bake with steaks/snags for the BBQ lunch with friends, and by the end of lunch, all were gone except for a couple of snags!

From Food Box

2 large potatoes

2 med parsnips

2 med swedes

1 med white sweet potato/kumera

From fridge

200ml single cream (I used leftover buttermilk from butter making other day)

105ml milk

75g grated cheddar cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and pecorino cheese)

2 garlic cloves (being lazy, I just used the minced garlic in jar - organic Jensen's, of course)

From pantry

butter/olive oil for greasing

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg (I used half teaspoon powdered nutmeg)

sea salt and black pepper

To create

Peel all the vegies, and cut them into thin slices (I got the V-Slicer so it was a job done quicker). Place the sliced vegies into a steamer and steam till soft, approx 5 - 10 minutes and let it cool.

Meanwhile, put cream (buttermilk) and cream in a heavy pan, add garlic and bring to boil over a medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand to room temperature for about 10 minutes (this is to allow the flavour of garlic to infuse into the cream mixture).

Preheat oven to 180 degrees/160 degrees fan-forced. Have the shallow baking dish greased with butter or oil. Arrange the steamed sliced vegies in layers in the dish, sprinkle each layer with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Pour in the cream mixture in the dish and press down the vegies into the liquid.

Cover the dish with baking paper and bake for 45 minutes.

Then remove the baking paper from dish and sprinkle cheese over the vegies in an even layer.

Return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for a further 20-30 minutes, or until the vegies are tender and the topping is golden brown.

Yum!

I tweaked this recipe from: the Organic Cookbook by Ysanne Spevack (Lorenz Books: 2006)

Garden Brunch Bake

I baked this yesterday for an informal BBQ lunch with friends and it went very well with both adults and kids!

From Food Box

1 cup leek, diced

6 cups fresh Kale and English Spinach, chopped

2 cups fresh Broccoli, finely chopped (I used hand food processor for this)

1 teaspoon/clove of garlic

1 whole tomato, diced (I used hand food processor for this)

From pantry

2 teaspoons of oil

5 whole eggs

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used plain flour here as I've ran out of wholewheat flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 dash pepper

From fridge

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

To create

Have the oven preheated to 180 degrees or 160 degrees for fan-forced, and get the serving pan/tray lined with baking paper and spray all over with cooking oil.

Heat the oil in large frying pan over medium heat, add leeks and cook until translucent. Then add the chopped green vegies and put in some water if it looks dry. Cook for 3-4 minutes (it can be covered or just keep stirring like I did) until vegies are bright green and limpy enough. Add garlic and stir through then remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat 5 eggs then whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Stir in tomato and cooked vegies.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake for thirty minutes, or until the centre is set. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yum! 

I got this recipe from:  Garden Brunch Bake - Tasty Kitchen