Cherry Ripe Gelato

Cherry Ripe Gelato

One of the things I love about summer is the fruit - the berries and cherries in particular.  When I was prepping for our Festive Flavours class, I thought I'd like to do a fresh cherry sorbet... which then evolved into a cherry ripe sorbet.

The trick with sorbet  is not to be focussed on the weight of the ice.  Each sorbet needs a different amount of ice - the amount varies on the water content of the fruit, the dryness of the ice etc.  Whilst 700g is usually a good approximate amount, it's not a hard and fast rule.  The trick is just to keep adding ice, bit by bit through the MC hole, until the sorbet stops "spitting" - once it's taken on enough ice, it will churn itself and that's the magic moment when you stop.

In the end, I made cherry ripe sorbet a couple of times but decided it worked better as a gelato, using frozen cherries - the flavour is much more intense.  You can use fresh cherries but obviously need more frozen coconut milk or ice, whichever you've got handy!

Cherry Ripe Gelato

 

 

Ingredients:-

 

300g frozen, pitted, cherries

200g frozen coconut milk

50g raw sugar

80g dark chocolate (less if you don't like it quite so rich)

1 egg white

 

Method:-

 

1.  Place sugar and chocolate in TM bowl and mill for 20 seconds on speed 10.

 

2.  Add cherries and coconut milk.  Chop for 40 seconds on speed 8, using spatula to keep fruit moving through the blades if necessary.

 

3.  Insert butterfly and add egg white.  Beat for 40 seconds on speed 4, then serve. 

 

 

Tips:-

 

When you make a gelato using frozen fruit, it tends to freeze softer so that you can keep the leftovers and just go back to them and spoon them out for later servings.  If you want it to be lovely and fluffy again, spoon the leftovers into the bowl, run them through for 20 seconds on speed 8, insert the butterfly and re-whip.

 

The Christmas Countdown

From the absence of posts on the blog, you can tell it's been a tad crazy in our world since we arrived home from France.  The good news is that the craziness is coming to an end - for a few weeks over Christmas I plan to slow down and actually get some time to get some recipes blogged and up here for you all.

In the meantime though, we've been doing a countdown of Christmas inspiration on Facebook.  For those of you who are standing strong against the pull of social media, here's the list so far:-

Day 1 - Spiced Pecan Pie & Egg Nog Ice Cream

Day 2 - Calendula Salve

Day 3 - Gingerbread (best recipe ever!)

Day 4 - Boules de Neige

Day 5 - Sal's Smoked Salmon Dip

Day 6 - Guilt Free Chocolate Balls

Day 7 - Mangomisu

Day 8 - Fruity Pear Mince Tarts

Day 9 - Spiked Lemon Chicken Salad

Day 10 - Brie with Basil & Pesto Dressing

Day 11 - Irish Creme Liqueur

Day 12 - Jo's Tikka Salmon

Day 13 - Mulled Wine Sorbet

Day 14 - Lime, Elderflower & Mint Mojito Sorbet

Day 15 - Beetroot, Pomegranate & Pistachio Salad

Day 16 - Steamed Chocolate & Raspberry (or Cherry) Mudcakes



So, there's a nice mix in there of recipes that will hopefully help you planning your Christmas menu. 

If you're looking for ideas for Christmas presents, clever Helene at Super Kitchen Machine has compiled a list of the most popular Thermomix gift ideas.  If you find yourself with a little Christmas workshop production line happening send us photos - we'd love to see what your mixing up for Christmas!

Happy Mixing,
Brooke.

Bon Voyage!

Stefan the Thermomix Spatula

My trusty Thermomix Spatula, Stefan, is setting off today for 2 weeks in France.  Stefan's been waiting for this day to come - he's just a little spatula but he has big dreams.

While in Paris this week, Stefan's fortunate enough to be taking a cooking class at his favourite chef's cooking school, Alain Ducasse's Ecole de Cuisine.  He's also swindled his way into some swanky restaurants for a nice meal or two and is then setting off to Chantilly & Champagne for a few days of r&r.

If you'd like to live vicariously through Stefan's adventures, be sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (links on the sidebar).

He and his entourage will be back in early November, so until then - Bonnes Vacances!

Paleo Bread

Paleo Bread

So, the Paleo diet is big in a lot of people's worlds at the moment.  I've had a number of customers who've had remarkable improvements moving away from a grain based diet.  When I saw this recipe on Elena's pantry (one of my all time favourite Gluten Free websites) I thought I'd convert it and try it out.

It's nutty and delicious.  It stays fresh and moist for days and has a really great, breadlike, consistency.  It makes a good loaf size (don't think wonder white size, think banana bread size) but is quite dense, so you only need a little.  It slices well and stands up to being filled like a sandwich style bread.

Let me know what you think, cavepeoples!

Paleo Bread

(converted from Elena's Pantry)

Ingredients:-

300g almonds
15g coconut flour
40g linseeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
50g coconut oil
35g honey
15g apple cider vinegar

Method:-

1.  Place almonds in TM bowl and mill for 30 seconds on speed 10.
2.  Add coconut flour, linseeds, salt & baking soda.  Mix for 5 seconds on speed 5.
3.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix for 15 seconds on speed 3.

Pour into a lined, small loaf tin (mine measures 10 x 20cm) and bake on 180C for 45 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out cleanly).

What's Cooking This Week

It's been a while between menu planning posts.  We're still eating every day - my children aren't starving, I promise!

The beauty of having a fridge full of pastes and stock concentrates is that on the really busy days, I can just pull something out of the freezer, identify what type and cut of meat it is and then decide on the fly what we'll do with it later.  As long as I stock up on fruit & vegetables at the market each Sunday, we cope just fine.

That said, I don't like the fly by the seat of your pants style of cooking anywhere near as much as I like menu planning.  It feels less chaotic and generally ensures there's more variety in our meals.  It also increases my recipe repertoire because I'll make sure I'm trying at least one new recipe every week.

So, I'm making the most of school holidays and actually doing a few menu plans at once.  I tend to keep my menu plans and shopping lists and recycle them, adding a couple of changes here and there.  I store them organised by season, so when next winter comes around I can pull out this year's plans and re-use them.  It's incredibly anal I know, but I'm a fan of anything that saves time and repetition!

 

What's Cooking This Week

 

Monday:-  Last night we had the Thermomix Roadshow and I went to see Jules & Grace update us on all that's happening in the Thermomix world.  Before I left, I made Hedgehogs (from the Lunchbox booklet) and made a quick tomato sauce out of diced tomatoes, herbs, tomato paste & vegetable paste.  It was a winner apparently because there were no leftovers to be found when I got home!

 



Tuesday:-  I'm using up some leftover lamb from a roast on the weekend by making Aush.  I'm also cooking some extras today, making some Mint & Coriander chutney, Bindi Balls, Carrott & Beetroot patties, Cranberry Slice and gingerbread cookies.

Wednesday:-  We're having Quirky Cooking's Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, mashed potatoes and greens.  To follow we're having a coconut sago pudding I tried last week and just want to make a few changes to.

Thursday:-  My favourite fish dish, the Fragrant Fish Curry adapted from Jude Blereau.

Friday:-  I'm out at a demo on Friday night, so thought I'd make Annabel Langbein's Lamb, Rosemary & Apple sausage rolls as converted by Iron Chef Shellie in the afternoon for Mr WFK & my boys to enjoy with some steamed veg for dinner.

Saturday & Sunday:-  We're out celebrating on Saturday night which will be a welcome relief, given I've got a cooking class on Saturday afternoon.  On Sunday we're having some friends over so I'm making the Beef Stir Fry from In The Mix - super easy and makes a huge quantity.  It's also really delicious, which is probably the most important thing!

Whatever you're cooking this week, I hope it's delicious.  For those on school holidays, enjoy. 

Happy Mixing!

Spelt & Kefir Pancakes

Spelt & Kefir Pancakes

My favourite pancakes of all time are Bill Granger's Ricotta Hotcakes.  They serve them with lashings of honeycomb butter - it's the stuff breakfast dreams are made of.  My second favourite pancakes are the Banana and Blueberry Buttermilk pancakes which are almost as delicious. 

The problem with both of these recipes is that they don't have enough nutritional oomph in them for me to make them as a school morning breakfast.  My boys tend not to eat a lot during the day, so I need to make sure the meals either side are nutrient dense. 

Enter these spelt & kefir pancakes which are an adaption of a recipe from beautiful Brenda Fawdon at Mondo Organics.  (Brenda's class, Wholefood Breakfasts, is a fabulous grounding for delicious, nutritious breakfasts and staples.  If you're a Brisbane resident, check out Mondo's cooking class program and pop along to the next class.)

These pancakes aren't quite Bill's hotcakes but they are still entirely delicious and have the added bonus of containing a little more substance to get everyone through the day! 

Spelt & Kefir Pancakes

(adapted from a recipe by Brenda Fawdon at Mondo Organics)

 

Ingredients:-

 

140g spelt grain (or 190g buckwheat grain)*

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

45g rapadura sugar

3 eggs, separated

200g kefir cultured milk*

2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil (for frying)

 

Method:-

 

Preparation:-

 

Mill your grain for 1 minute on speed 9.  Set aside.

 

To Cook:-

 

1.  Firstly, beat your egg whites to a stiff peak.  Make sure you bowl is squeaky clean and dry.  Insert butterfly, add egg whites and whip for 2-3 minutes on speed 4 with the MC removed.  Gently pour out and set egg whites aside (or switch to your second bowl!).

 

Fold in the egg whites

2.  Add flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  Mix for 5 seconds on speed 5.

 

3.  Add milk and egg yolks.  Mix for 3 seconds on speed 5 until mixutre is just combined.

 

4.  Gently fold in egg whites, using spatula to incorporate.

 

 

 

 

5.  Heat a pan over medium heat and add a teaspoon of ghee (or your preferred oil).  Fry 1/4 cupfuls of mixture and top with banana, maple syrup and cinnamon.

 

6.  Feed the sacrifical "first pancake in the pan" to the dog who's been licking the mixture out of the dishwasher for the past 5 minutes.

 

 

Tips:-

 

Kefir grains can be purchased online or from organic supermarkets/markets.  Kefir has a wider range of good bacteria than yoghurt does, so I try to use at least a cupful of kefir a day whether it be in smoothies or baking. 

More?

If you don't have any kefir with which to culture your milk of choice, you can use buttermilk and still get that lovely light fluffy texture to them. Alternatively, use whatever milk substitute you want (rice, almond, coconut milk) but just be prepared for a flatter, denser result.

If you use buckwheat grain rather than spelt, you'll need to use 250g of liquid.  If you don't have spelt or buckwheat grain, it's fine to use equal amounts of spelt or buckwheat flour.



Broccoli & Roasted Apple Soup

Broccoli & Roasted Apple Soup

Our branch is running a competition for consultants at the moment, encouraging them to convert any recipe from delicious and upload it onto the Recipe Community.  At the November branch meeting everyone's bringing their dish along and we're all voting on the best dishes, Masterchef style.

I can't actually enter, but thought I'd get the ball rolling by converting this soup for yesterday's team meeting.  I did a dry run of it on Sunday night and used 3 large apples, which was 1 apple too many (much to Mr WFK's amazement - yes there IS such a thing as too many apples in a dish!). 

I tweaked the recipe a little yesterday and it was far better with a bit less apple and with chicken stock, rather than vegetable stock.  I think it will be a great soup served cold in summer.  Let me know what you think!

 

Broccoli & Roasted Apple Soup

(converted from delicious Sept 2011)

 

Ingredients:-

 

1 bunch sage

2 large Granny Smith apples

60g olive oil (or 30g olive oil and 30g ghee)*

5 thyme sprigs

300g broccoli

45g chicken stock concentrate

1100g water

200g feta, to serve

40g salted butter

 

Method:-

 

Preparation:-

 

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with paper.*

2.  Place the apples on the baking tray and drizzle with 30g olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and top with thyme sprigs and 1 tbs chopped sage. Bake for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender and collapsed.
 

3.  Place 1/2 the sage leaves into TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds on speed 6.  Set aside.

 

To Cook:-

 

1. Place broccoli in TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds on speed 5.

 

2.  Add oil or ghee and saute for 3 minutes at 100º on speed soft.

 

3.  Add remainder of chopped sage, roasted apples, chicken stock and water.  Cook for 20 minutes at 100º on speed 1.

 

4.  When finished, blend the soup by slowly turning the dial from soft speed to speed 10 (take about 30 seconds to do this).  Then continue to blend on speed 10 for 30 seconds.

 

Sage Butter:-

 

1.  While the soup is in it's last few minutes of cooking, melt the butter over a medium heat pan.  Add the remainder of the sage leaves (whole) and cook for 2-3 minutes until the butter begins to brown.

 

To Serve:-

 

Ladle soup into bowls, top with crumbled feta and sage butter.  Serve with hot crusty bread!

 

 

Tips:-

 

I knew I was turning the oven on to make bread to serve with the soup, so I was happy to bake the apples in the oven.  If you don't want to use your oven, you could simply quarter the apples and steam them in the Varoma over 500g of water for 15 minutes.

 

Over the past year I've done a mountain of research into Ayurvedic medicine and have incorporated a number of their philosophies into my daily cooking practices.  At the base of it, the message is "eat whole foods that are as pure as possible" so it really speaks to my philosophy about food. 

 

One of the changes I've made though is to use ghee as my oil of choice, wherever possible (we're not talking ghee that you buy at the supermarket - ghee that you've made yourself, the key being "the better the butter, the better the ghee").  There's a lot of nutritional benefits to using ghee, but like everything - you'll use whatever works best for you.  If you see ghee used in my recipes, you can just use whatever oil of choice works for you (just don't ever tell me it's margarine or I'll have to beat you a block of butter!).