Recipes

Dark Chocolate Malteser Cheesecake

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Dark Chocolate Malteser Cheesecake

  • Servings: 8-10
  • Difficulty: easy
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Malteser cheesecake, mmm, it tastes just as good as it sounds. I made this using dark chocolate Maltesers as they are my favourite but I'm sure it would be just as delicious using ordinary Maltesers too. This is the Thermomix version but it can be just as easily made with a mixer or by hand.

Credit: Theannoyedthyroid.com

Ingredients

-200g biscuits such as Digestives or Granitas

-80g unsalted butter

-90g raw sugar (or use caster sugar if not using thermomix)

-500g cream cheese

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-90g thick cream

-200g Maltesers (whichever type is your favourite!)

Directions

-Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake tin and set aside.

-Put half the Maltesers in a snap lock bag and lightly crush with a rolling pin.

-Melt butter in TM bowl, 50C, 3 mins, speed 3

-Add biscuits to TM bowl with butter and blitz for 10-15 secs until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Press the mixture into the cake tin and put into the fridge while you make the filling.

-Mill raw sugar if using for 5 secs, speed 9.

-Add cream cheese, cream and vanilla and mix for 20 secs, speed 5 until smooth.

-Add crushed Maltesers to TM bowl and mix through on reverse speed 2, 20 secs using the spatula if necessary.

-Put the mixture over the base and smooth over the top. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight if you can wait that long.

-Just before serving lightly crush the remaining Maltesers in a snap lock bag leaving a few almost whole. Sprinkle over the top of the cheesecake to decorate.

 

 

 

Hawaiian Beef Jerky

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Recently my sister in law and I tasted someone’s home made jerky and that was it, we bought a second hand dehydrator so we could make our own. The idea is to share the dehydrator but I have to admit it hasn’t left my house yet! It’s fantastic for making beef jerky which disappears at a rate of knots in our house and if any is left makes a great lunchbox filler. It also freezes well for later, or would do if it wasn’t eaten so quickly. I’ve also dried apples, pears and strawberries which are delicious snacks. The banana, oranges and mandarins didn’t go so well, will have to have another go at those sometime and try for a better batch. I’m looking forward to the summer when there will (hopefully) be an glut of tomatoes and the sun drying can start…mmm… This is the recipe for the non spicy Hawaiian Jerky made for the non chilli heads in my family.

Hawaiian Jerky

  • Servings: lots!
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

-1 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1 tsp ground ginger

-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 garlic clove, crushed

-1/4 cup pineapple juice

-1/4 cup soy sauce

-1 kg beef, sliced into 0.5cm strips (I used a “round” joint from the butcher)

Directions

-In a sealable container combine all the ingredients except the meat. Stir to mix well. Slice meat and place into marinade. Mix well so meat is covered in marinade. Cover tightly and leave for 6-12 hours in the fridge.

-Drain marinade and place the meat slices onto the dehydrator sheets in a single layer. Dehydrate at 60C (High on the Snackmaker) for 6-8 hours, turning the meat after 4 hours.

-Allow to cool and then test by bending. Jerky should crack when bent but not break and there should be no moist spots.

-Keep in an airtight container or freeze and enjoy!

 

 

Orange and Poppyseed Friands

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  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
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This is my favourite easy recipe for friands. They can be quite complicated to make but this is an easy cheats version which can be made quickly. They freeze well and make a good lunchbox snack. It was originally a Thermomix recipe from the recipe community. It works equally well with lemon and can be done without poppy seeds if you like.

Ingredients

-125g self raising flour

-180g raw sugar

-100g almonds

-110g butter

-3 eggs

-30g poppy seeds

-zest of one orange

-2 tblspns orange juice

Directions

-Preheat oven to 180C

-Spray a 12 hole friand tin with light oil spray. I don’t have a friand pan so I use a muffin pan and line with muffin cases….

-Place almonds and sugar into thermomix and blitz on speed 10 for 10-15 seconds. Set aside.

-Place orange zest in thermomix and chop on speed 9 for 10 seconds. Set aside but don’t be too worried if some stays in the bowl.

-Melt butter in TM bowl, 100 degrees for 1.30 mins, speed 2

-Add all ingredients back into thermomix bowl and combine speed 4 for 30 seconds.

-Pour into muffin cases or friand tin filling each 2/3 full.

-Bake for 15-20 mins, checking after 15 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 5 mins and then cool further on rack. Dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Eclairs

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Chocolate Eclairs

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: moderate
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I ventured into Choux pastry this week, an unknown territory to me. My mum always made delicious Eclairs when I was a child, it was a Christmas or special occasion treat so I took on the challenge of keeping up the family tradition. Choux pastry can be a little tricky but using the thermomix makes it so much easier as you always know what temperature your mixture is at so no scrambling of the eggs is needed! I found this delicious recipe on Tenina's website

Ingredients

For the Choux

-250g water

-80g butter in small pieces

-pinch salt

-200g plain flour

-1tsp baking powder

-5 eggs

For the custard filling

-500g full cream milk

-1 egg

-50g caster sugar

-pinch salt

-30g cornflour

-1 vanilla pod

For the ganache

-200g dark chocolate

-80g double cream

Directions

-Preheat oven to 200C and line two baking trays with baking paper

-Place water, butter and salt into thermomix and cook 3min,100C,speed 1

-Add flour and baking powder and combine 1.5 mins speed 4

-Remove measuring cup and allow to cool to 50C

-Set the thermomix to 2 mins, speed 5. Add eggs slowly through lid. Mix a further 1 min, speed 5

-Place choux mixture in a piping bag and using a plain nozzle pipe abut 12-16 eclairs onto the baking trays. Don’t place them too close together or they will merge.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes. DON’T open the oven while they are baking or they’ll end up as flat as pancakes! Leave to cool on tray.

-I filled mine with fresh whipped cream but you can make a creme patisserie if you prefer. Place milk, egg, caster sugar, pinch salt, cornflour and scraped out insides of one vanilla pod in the thermomix while the eclairs are cooking . Cook for 8 minutes, 90C, reverse speed 3. Allow it to cool with plastic wrap on top to avoid a skin forming.

-Fill a piping bag with cream or creme patisserie and using a long thin nozzle inject the eclair from both ends.

-For the chocolate ganache, place chocolate in the thermomix and blitz for 10secs, speed 9. Then melt for 5 mins, 37C, speed 1, add the cream and mix 20 secs, speed 2. Pour the ganache into a shallow dish and dip the top of each eclair into it then leave to set on a wire rack. See how long you can wait before giving them a taste!

 

 

 

Baguettes

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Baguettes

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy to moderate
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I’ve been experimenting with different breads lately, you just can’t beat that fresh bready smell as it comes out of the oven to make you feel like a domestic goddess. I was inspired to make baguettes after yet another Bake Off session! This is based on Paul Hollywood’s method. The recipe makes four baguettes but some of them disappeared before I could take a picture!

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour

10g salt

10g dry yeast

370ml cool water

Olive oil for greasing

Directions

Lightly oil a bowl or container with olive oil. Paul recommends using a square plastic container (2.25L)  as it helps with shaping the dough later.

Put the yeast, flour and salt (in that order) in the thermomix. Add 370 ml water. Mix for 5 seconds speed 5 and then knead for 6 minutes on interval setting. Place dough in bowl, cover and leave to prove for about an hour or until at least doubled in size. If you don’t have a thermie then this can also be made in a freestanding mixer or by hand….

Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Gently tip out the dough onto the surface. You want to try and keep as much air as possible in the dough. Divide the dough into four pieces. Shape each piece into an oblong by flattening out slightly and folding the sides into the middle. Roll into a sausage and gently roll with your hands further until about 30 cm long. I have a baguette pan and place the baguettes into it to let them rise again.  You can use a couche made of linen or cotton if you don’t have a special pan. The sides of the baguettes need to be supported or they will just spread sideways and be flat baguettes! Cover and leave to rise for another hour until doubled or until they spring back quickly when lightly prodded with a finger.

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mk 9 and place a roasting tray in the bottom of the oven to warm.

When risen slash each baguette four times on the diagonal and dust with a little flour if you like.

Pour 750ml of cold water into the roasting pan to create steam and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Nashi Pear Tea Cake

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Nashi Pear Tea Cake

  • Servings: 6-8
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This is a recipe I adapted from Not Quite Nigella. Her recipes are so tasty, well worth a look….. This cake goes down a treat in our house, never lasts very long but keeps well if it does!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg

125g melted butter

1tsp vanilla extract

400g diced nashi pear (you can use apples or pears instead, no need to peel, just core and chop!)

Brown sugar to sprinkle (about 2 tablespoons)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin.

Mix the butter, flour, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl. Press 3/4 of the mix into the tin and save the remaining quarter.

Put the chopped nashi pears on top of the mixture, spreading evenly.

Add the rest of the buttery dough mixture in pieces over the top of the nashi pears so that not all of them are covered.

Sprinkle the top with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar.

Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy hot or cold, with custard or ice cream or just on its own…… Yum!


Scotch Eggs

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IMG_1238

How to use up thirty quails eggs? After hard boiling, frying and poaching, I used up the remainder of the quails eggs by making scotch eggs. Easy, delicious and they last a few days in the fridge. Great for lunch boxes and snacks. I bake mine in the oven rather than deep frying as it’s much healthier.

Ingredients

Hard boiled eggs, chickens or quails!

Sausage meat (I buy my favourite sausages and squeeze the sausage meat out of them.)

One egg, beaten

Breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 180C. Flatten out some sausage meat in the palm of your hand and mould it round to encase the hard boiled egg (if you use wet hands then the sausage meat doesn’t stick). Roll in egg and then breadcrumbs. Repeat until all your eggs are covered.  Place on a baking tray and spray with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Eat hot or leave to cool and enjoy later.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

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Winter is definitely here in Perth.  Just the right time for a warming winter soup.  I tried this roasted pumpkin soup recipe of Mary Berry’s this week as I’m addicted to “Bake Off” at the moment! Roasting the vegetables initially concentrates the flavours. It is delicious and highly recommended!

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Ingredients

One butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed

One onion, chopped

One red pepper, chopped

Two carrots, peeled and chopped

Some chopped fresh ginger, about a tablespoon

Drizzle of honey

1-1.5L chicken stock

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 175C. Place pumpkin, onion, pepper and carrot in roasting tray and drizzle over some olive oil.  Mix well. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with ginger and drizzle with honey and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and put all the veggies into a saucepan (or thermomix). Add 1-1.5L chicken stock and some salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes (100C speed 2). Check vegetables are soft and then puree until smooth.  Season further if desired to taste. Eat with some crusty fresh bread…….

 

Quails Eggs

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I took a visit to one of our local markets yesterday and stumbled across some quails eggs.  I had to buy them as they looked amazing! The seller said to hard boil them and eat them in a salad.  They have a thick membrane under the outer shell but otherwise are similar to chickens eggs, albeit a much smaller version.  Had lots of fun trying them out in various ways, hard boiled, fried, poached……will try some mini scotch eggs later……recipe to follow…..

 

Milo Slice

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This is a quick and easy slice, ready in under 30 minutes…..

IMG_1194

Ingredients

1 cup SR flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup coconut

1/2 cup Milo

1 egg

120g butter, melted

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients. Mix in butter and egg and stir well. Press mixture into lined slice tray. Bake at 180C for 15-20 mins. Enjoy!….