Iced Chocolate Scrolls

Often what I cook and bake is dictated by what is in my pantry, fridge and fruit bowl. I find having a Thermomix really helps me to make the most of what I have on hand and reduces food wastage. If you have a bunch of bananas looking a little overripe, it’s so easy to whip up a loaf of banana bread, or muffins, or chop them up and freeze them in ziplock bag ready for smoothies.

This morning I was looking at a huge pot of vanilla yoghurt which I made a few days ago. I tried a different recipe and whilst it’s nice, it just wasn’t as good as my usual recipe and it seemed to make twice as much. The first thing that came to mind using bulk yoghurt was scrolls. Have you seen this fantastic dough recipe using just yoghurt and Self Raising Flour? Yes, you heard me correctly….JUST 400g thick greek style yoghurt and 420g self raising flour. Mix them together to make a workable dough. No need to prove the dough. Couldn’t be easier. If you have a Thermomix, easier still. Mix on about speed 5 until the dough comes together. Add a bit of extra flour if you need to so it’s not too sticky. It takes about 15 seconds.

Having vanilla yoghurt meant that my scrolls needed to be sweet rather than savoury, so I grabbed a block of dark chocolate and milled it for about 8 seconds, speed 9.

To make the scrolls, roll the dough into a large rectangle on your Thermomat (fab non-stick silicon mat which takes the mess out of dough and pastry making), sprinkle on the chocolate and press into the dough. Roll dough into a log and then slice it into 3cm rounds. Into the oven they go for about 20 mins 180C on a lined baking tray.

To finish them off I mixed a little icing sugar and water together to make runny icing and drizzled it over the warm scrolls. Then I had to taste test a few before breakfast this morning. For quality control, ok??

I declare them delicious!

 

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Caramel slice and Condensed Milk

I have had my Thermomix for over a year now and I am still amazed at the things I can do with it. This week I my fellow consultants have enlightened me and shared a few fabulous recipes. The first being Condensed Milk.

What to say about condensed milk? I love this stuff. So much so that I have been known to eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar. My husband also has an affinity with it from his days in the Army Reserve when they would get a tube of condensed milk in their ration packs. And who wouldn’t love it? Condensed milk is simply cow’s milk from which the water has been evaporated. It is most commonly found in the form of sweetened condensed milk which can last for years, unrefrigerated and unopened. Condensed milk has been around since the 1800’s and was used by soldiers in the American Civil War. By the late 1860’s, condensed milk was a major product and is now used widely around the world.

Did you know you can make your own condensed milk very easily in the thermomix? Here is the recipe I used – Condensed Milk.  It only takes 6 minutes and the amount equals that of the can you buy from Woolies. The taste and consistency are exactly the same and you can make it for a fraction of the price!

For a marriage made in heaven, my condensed milk recipe met up with a recipe for Caramel Slice. This recipe comes from another consultant from my Team (thanks Catherine!) and can be found here on the Recipe Community. It is decadently delicious as only caramel slice can be. The base is what I love about it. It has coconut in it which gives it a lovely chewy texture. Be sure to bake the caramel until golden brown so it sets properly. The dark chocolate on top adds a richness to the slice. In fact, it proved to be a little rich for my son and the neighbour’s kids. Kid 2 wasn’t keen and Neighbour age 7 declared, “Well, I wouldn’t put it in my Top 5, but it is still ok”!! They always turn up with wide eyes when they smell something baking and have now become rather discerning!

Personally, I wasn’t at all deterred by its richness. I also took it to work and it was promptly polished off! Definitely in my Top 5!

Rocky Roadkill

A word of warning – this blog post comes under the heading “Kitchen Disasters” rather than “Recipes you’ll Love”. Not a great one to break the long drought of blog posts lately, but one that might possibly show you that I am far from domestic goddess today.

The festive season is upon us and saying it has been a busy week or two would be a huge understatement. It’s Friday afternoon, the kids have come home and are behaving quietly in their rooms,  and in an attempt to bring on the weekend I thought I would embark on a bit of festive cooking.

“Bring a plate of something sweet”, the invitation to Year Three Parents drinks said, so I thought Rocky Road would be a good one to make. Everyone loves a bit of Rocky Road right?

I followed the recipe but found myself getting deeper and deeper into a mess with each step!

First up was roughly chop marshmallows. No problem. Thermie can do that and it’ll be really quick and easy. Well, if you want a huge single lump of sticky marshmallow, it was great. Meanwhile I have the coconut and slivered almonds in the oven toasting. My next brain wave was to coat the marshmallow in the coconut to make it separate into bits now that I had rechopped it by hand. Good idea in theory, but I had it everywhere. All over my hands, stuck on the board, the knife and still pretty much sticking together in one big lump.

Press on Kylie, it’ll be ok! Next step, add the toasted nuts and chopped Turkish Delight and set aside until needed. In go the nuts, in goes the Turkish Delight. Now melt the chocolate. I set the Thermomix to work on the chocolate without a problem and turned back to my nutty, turkish, marshmallow mixture. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere, the hot nuts have now melted the marshmallow and the turkish delight and it is a bowl of sweet, gooey slop.

Chocolate melted. Pour that into the mixture and it further melts the mess and we have Rocky Road!

This is what it should look like…

 

… and what it actually looks like.

Here we have Rocky Roadkill.  NOT going to Year Three Drinks tomorrow night. Suddenly I’m not feeling so festive anymore. I’ve lost my Christmas mojo. I’m sure it will return…it MUST! I have too many gifts and offerings to make over the coming weeks. I will post again when I have success.

A note to you all, don’t let your hot nuts touch the marshmallow. That’s my tip for today!

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• Rocky road bars (4theloveoffood365.com)
• Zamama’s Rocky Road (zamamabakes.com)
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Brilliant ‘No Knead’ Bread

I caught up on the Finals week of Masterchef Australia 2013 last night.

Six episodes straight culminating in the Grand Finale. It was nail-biting drama. The angst, the sweat, the tears (theirs and mine!) I’ve been a Masterchef fan for many years but this year just didn’t capture me as much as the last few seasons. I watched a few early episodes, then our T-box gave up for a bit so we missed a huge chunk in the middle, but came back to watch the Finals week.

One thing I did enjoy this year was Matt Preston’s segment in the Masterclasses. Gary and George gave a great performance, upholding their legendary chef status, while dear old Matt presented us with the “Cheat’s Way” of cooking a variety of easily achievable meals. I liked it! Quick, simple and easy cooking producing delectable gourmet results. A perfect fit for those of us ‘non-chefs’ out there, who work, have kids and a million other things that prevent us from spending as much time as we would like in the kitchen.

So during the last Masterclass, Matt made bread with homemade butter and raspberry jam. The bread looked amazing so I decided to give it a go this morning.

Just four simple ingredients. Mix, leave, bake, eat. It couldn’t be easier, but I’m always a bit skeptical about things that appear easy on TV.

So I got a big bowl, mixed together a tablespoon of sea salt flakes, a kilo of Baker’s Flour, a tablespoon of dried yeast and 950ml of lukewarm water. Cover it with cling wrap and place in the fridge. Leave overnight, or in my case, leave while I went to work for the day. (I guess it depends when you begin!) Anyway, roughly 6-8 hours more or less.

When I came home from work, it looked like this.

Whoopie! Looking good! So I preheated my oven to 220C while allowing the dough to get to room temperature. Prepared 2 baking trays with baking paper and heavily floured them as the dough is very wet. Dollop half the mixture on one tray for a big loaf and I made rolls with the second half of the dough. You can’t mould this dough. Just drop it in lumps on the tray as best you can. You know, in true non-chef’ style.

They took about 45 minutes to an hour to bake. Give them a knock on the base to check if they are cooked through. If they sounds hollow, you are done.

And here they are.

I was pretty thrilled. They looked just like Matt’s and tasted unbelievable! The middle was soft and had lots of air bubbles which I love. The crust was crisp and chewy all at once.

I have renamed it ‘Brilliant Bread’. Nothing better than fresh, warm bread with butter. I polished off two rolls before you could say “no carbs after lunchtime”. Oh well. Just between you and me, it was so worth it!

I think everybody should have a go at making this bread. It was so easy, so delicious and so gourmet!

Related articles

• Breaking Bread: Basic Breads (shreyagoswami7.wordpress.com)
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Delicious Chicken Soup with Homemade Chicken Stock Paste

Right. That’s it! I’m just going to give you the link right now…

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/creamy-chicken-brown-rice-soup/45823

Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup. With homemade chicken stock paste. Say no more.

Well, actually I will say some more. This soup is DELICIOUS! I’ve just consumed a bowl of this hearty awesomeness for the second night running and I am trying very hard not to eat my husband’s share (he’s doing such a great job with the kids at cubs that I’d better leave him some for when he comes home starving!).

I have had this recipe sitting in my folder for a while and I kept glancing at the fact that I had to make chicken stock paste first before making the soup. When I turn to making soup, it usually means I am in a hurry and it just seemed all too hard to wait for stock.

Well, silly, silly me! The stock paste was a cinch, made a good amount for use in lots of other dishes, and was so worthwhile.

This soup is creamy, but without cream. To begin, you mill brown rice and almonds and add this to the soup at a later stage. It creates a gorgeous creaminess to the soup, full of goodness. It tastes just like a delicious, old-fashioned soup that your Nanna would make. It is super tasty, filling and only has good things in it. I’m amazed that a few simple ingredients can create such a depth of flavour.

The perfect remedy for my cold. Sniff, sniff!

The recipe is from the fab Jo at Quirky Cooking, a much loved blog. Lots of great recipes to be found there.

So, just wanted to share my yummy dinner with you and encourage you to make it!

Tomorrow I’m taking a jar of the chicken stock paste and the recipe to work for my colleague. Got to share the love!

Herb and Garlic Pull Apart Bread

There really is nothing better than making your own bread. It smells delicious when you pull it out of the oven and it’s hard to resist letting it cool down before having a piece.

I’ve just made the Herb and Garlic Pull Apart Bread from the Everyday Cookbook. What a fantastic recipe! It is nice to eat at anytime really but how perfect to take to a picnic, or to a BBQ with friends.

Like most doughs made in the Thermomix, it took only 2 minutes and then I wrapped it up in my Thermomat to rise. Thanks to the gorgeous warm winter weather we are having, it rose beautifully in 30 mins and was ready to prepare for baking.

I only had garlic and parsley on hand today, so chopped those up in the Thermomix and rather than making my own butter from scratch, I cheated. I chopped up half a block of unsalted butter and blended it with the garlic and herbs until it was spreadable. I also added a little sea salt to the butter mixture.

The dough gets rolled out into a rectangle, spread with the herb butter and cut into 3-4cm strips. The strips are then concertinered up and placed into a greased cake tin side by side. Bake for 40 mins and you have a large scrumptious loaf ready to share!

The bread itself is soft and perfectly golden on the crust.

I think having basil in your herb mixture would be an excellent addition, as the recipe states.

It’s a great one to share with a neighbour as I have just done – share the Thermie love!

Here’s the recipe for Herb and Garlic Pull Apart Bread

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Thermomix Broccoli Soup

I just love the ease of a quick lunch using the Thermomix.

Today I made Broccoli Soup which was adapted from a Donna Hay recipe. I had it in the pot in 2 minutes, cooking for 15 and then it was done! Lunch ready!

In fact, it was so quick I had time to upload it to the Recipe Community. Here is the link: Broccoli Soup

I was going to take a photo but I had eaten it all before I remembered!! Oops!

I hope you enjoy this super quick soup.

Porcini Salt

I found this blog called “What Caroline Cooked” and today’s post was about Porcini Salt. Sounds like a tasty little bit of seasoning to have on hand. I will have to try it!

Short and sweet today – just a link for your reading pleasure if you are curious about Porcini Salt!

Hey Dahl! A Recipe and Book Review

I made Dahl today. A piece of pumpkin was looking at me and my new Thermomix cookbook was just asking me to roadtest something, so with little more than a wave of my magic wand I made Red Lentil, Pumpkin and Coconut Dahl in the Thermomix in about 20 minutes.

Don’t you just love a new cookbook? Although I always suffer from too many things to cook and not enough hours in the day (and not enough freezer space to hold it all!)

Louise Fulton Keats, granddaughter of aussie cooking legend Margaret Fulton, has brought out a Thermomix Cookbook, “Thermomix Cooking for your Baby and Toddler”. If the mention of ‘baby’ and ‘toddler’ is causing you to lose interest at this point, hang in there! This book is full of fantastic, simple and delicious family meals.

Louise has produced not only a cookbook, but also a comprehensive guide to feeding your baby and toddler, easing through the the puree stage to finger food and beyond. It is jam packed with sensible ideas, nutrient guides, cooking to preserve nutrients, allergy information, sample meal planners and tips for fussy eaters. Combine that with fabulous recipes and glorious foodie pictures, I declare it a must for all new parents.

Not only new parents will benefit from this book. It is also very good for the aged who need modified diets and the majority of recipes are based on delicious family meals, such as Chicken and Pumpkin Cous Cous, Parmesan Crusted Lamb Cutlets, Roast Capsicum and Tomato Soup, Apple and Cinnamon Porridge, as well as pizza, ice cream, felafel, dips, meatballs, stews, muffins and even playdough. It has a very wide appeal. Great for anyone really!

So today, I made the Red Lentil, Pumpkin and Coconut Dahl. It was very easy, mild for the kids, creamy, full of pumpkin and cauliflower and made enough to feed an army. I made some rice to go with it and packaged it up for weekday lunches with some coriander on top. Ideal to freeze and pull out when a quick meal is needed. A lovely nutrient-dense dish which contains protein and fibre. I added a little more spice than stated in the recipe and also felt it needed some salt.

Here is the Recipe:

Red Lentil, Pumpkin and Coconut Dahl

1 brown onion, peeled and quartered

1-2cm cube fresh ginger, peeled

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tblsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

250g red lentils

270g coconut milk

450g water

350g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

200g cauliflower, broken into small pieces

150g fresh or frozen peas

2 tblsps lemon juice

1-2 tblsps fresh coriander, chopped

cooked rice to serve

Method:

Place onion, ginger and carrot into mixing bowl and chop 5 secs, sp 5. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add oil and cook 3 min/100C/Reverse/sp 2

Add cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook 1 min/100C/sp1

Add lentils, coconut milk, water, pumpkin and cauliflower and cook 20 mins/100C/Reverse/sp1, or until lentils and vegetables are tender.

Add peas and cook 2 mins/100C/Reverse/sp1

Add lemon juice and coriander and mix 5-10 secs/Reverse/sp1.

Serve with rice

The book is available from the Thermomix website

Here is Louise Fulton Keats website

Aussie Meat Pies

Tonight I tried the Aussie Meat Pies from the new Everyday Cookbook.

They turned out rather well despite it being a rushed effort, squeezed in before soccer training. We were counting the minutes until they were ready, kid 1 wolfed one down and out the door we went!

You have to make one quantity of shortcrust pastry and one quantity of rough puff pastry, then the filling.

All elements were easy and both pastries easy to work with.

For the filling, I used rump steak. I must say I found the meat was still a tad chewy, but ok. The sauce is quite rich. Like I mentioned, Kid 1 was keen to eat a second one had we had time, so on that front they were a winner. Kid 2 tasted it (double win…don’t ask!)
I must say I prefer the sauce to be milder, more casserole-like,(if that makes any sense!). I’m not really seeing how soy sauce enhances the flavour. I’d like to see more veggies in the base, a dash of red wine, some beef stock…I’ll have to try something out.
Let me know if you’ve got a fail safe beef pie recipe.

On another note, the pastry was great! That was my first attempt at rough puff pastry and it was light and flaky. They came out of the muffin tins easily and held shape well.

Wait, wait…kid 2 is going back for more! Yes! They must be good!!

Here’s a link to the recipe: Aussie Meat Pies