The Festive Period

Well I think I am going to declare this Christmas one of the breeziest we've ever had. The children all united and decided that we wouldn't do gifts this year.....except for second hand buys and hand made. They are all becoming more conscious of their environmental impact and bees wax wraps were definitely a common theme.

Even my boss got the recycled/hand made treatment. I found a half restored plant stand in an antique shop that he definitely needed and it goes so well with the age and style of the house that is our clinic. Craig removed the rest of the old paint and sanded it. I then did the finer sanding, oiling, French polishing and waxing. It took quite a few hours but a delightful outcome.

As well as making Peanut Chilli Brittle and Coconut Ice, I made soap for gifting. This one is a tallow/olive oil/coconut oil mix with a couple of blue layers upon the natural creamy soap and flecks of silver mica on the top after I gave it a sea swell look. I'm calling this one "shore".

For our children I made them several different bags of roasted and ground Indian spice mixes for authentic curry making. They all like cooking and I think this will take their curries to a new level, thanks to my trusty Thermomix. The house smelt soooo good!

The Christmas Cake this year was made by combining to of my Grandmother Murray's recipes. It was a whopping 11" and had 10 eggs and a whole pound of butter. I did a quick family research poll and they elected to have it not iced this year but it was liberally dressed every few days with good brandy. Plenty for visitors so do call in.

Our singing group gathered at the Anglican Church this year for the community carols as it was so windy out of doors

We also did our fair share of feasting and pintrest has helped me amp my "cheese platters" to a whole new level....

But on the whole we kept Christmas feasting to a simple but special design.

This epic show stopper of a salad was a key component. It is made of lots of fresh leaf lettuce ("Forellenschluss" or speckled trout) picked from the garden with thinly sliced pear, quartered figs, Italian prosciutto and pomegranate with a pomegranate and oil dressing.

Our home grown leg of lamb was glazed with a blackberry and balsamic reduction and stuffed with pistachios, breadcrumb, onion and blackberry and thyme. The Balsamic Potatoes from Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook were a very big hit. The directions call for lots of cooking that sounds completely impossible but it just works. Fresh peas from the garden lightly steamed added the final touch to our carefully constructed menu. An elegant berry pavlova with berry curd and extra cream was the perfect light, refreshing finish.

Christmas Mass was held at 9pm on Christmas Eve and I wish I had stopped to get a photo of St Michael's from the outside as I was leaving. The stained glass windows lit from within looked stunning in the deepening twilight.

I have jumped into the modern world with Spotify and streaming replacing my huge Christmas CD collection and I have even managed to blue tooth it all to the car so it has been hours and hours of Christmas songs. I feel thoroughly drenched in festivity.

Thank you to key family members and friends for your help and good cheer, making this one of the cruisiest and fully celebrated times of joy.

All that is left is to wish you the same joy and may it last throughout the year.

Rose Hip Salve

Also at that same recent talk I gave, I demonstrated making a salve from rose hips.

You can find previous posts about salve making

  here

and 

additional notes here

This salve is ideal for the face but can of course be used anywhere.

I roughly chopped a big handful of fresh rose hips and then covered with cold pressed almond oil and gently infused over a very low heat till the oil had taken on the colour and smelled of the hips. I used my thermomix but some people use a slow cooker on low for a few hours making sure the oil doesn't get too warm as we are trying to preserve as much of the Vit C properties of the hips. The other method is to place the hips covered in oil in a jar and leave to infuse in the warmth of the sun over the month.

Strain the oil through a cloth lined sieve and extract as much as possible squeezing the pulp. 

Measure the resulting golden oil and add 10% in weight of bees wax. This is best grated and added to the oil to gently heat to dissolve. 

Once it is dissolved, you can also add a couple of drops of Vit E oil and pour into sterile jars and label.

It's best to use a container that is not clear and keep the salve in a cool place away from light. Always use a stick or clean finger and use within a few months.

If you prefer a scent, you can add a drop of essential oil but I like to keep the salve as simple as possible and enjoy the benefits of the almond oil and rose hip oil.

You can use any rose hips but I find wild rose hips in abundance around our road ways.

We also shared some rose hip cordial on the night and the recipe is found 

here

Hummus and Seed Cake - But Not Together

Our singing group meet up coincided with Valentines Day this week and with a plethora of love songs in our books I set the mood with hummus and beetroot dips. To create the heart motifs in the centres, choose a wide shallow dish, like these small fluted flans. Place an oiled cookie cutter in the middle and fill the outer being careful not to disturb the position of the cutter. Next spoon in the contrast dip and gentle slide the cutter straight up.

I kept these really simple as one of our group is multiple food intolerant and I really don't think the internet needs yet another hummus recipe but I will say that a point of difference in this batch is that I make my own tahini in the thermomix - easy peasy, Beetroot is ready now in our garden and again, there are multiple recipes you could use. This one is without dairy or cashews. The beet was roasted in the oven, cooled, peeled and wizzed with lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt and garlic. Just a simple puree really.

The Shearer will come home to a custardy carroway seed cake and I have adapted the recipe for the Thermomix and you'll find it here.

I had a little mixture left over and made a few small heart shaped cakes for my work colleagues too.

I offer love to you 

it is limitless

please spread it

X

When Life Gives You Leftovers...

This is what the other side of the market looks like.

We resumed our growers' market yesterday with a soft opening.

I returned home with a few bunches of spinach and a bunch of beetroot.

For those of you who looked at our seasonal offerings of greens, beets, herbs and eggs and scratched your heads, here's what you could have made....

Simply substitute a couple of eggs from your pasta recipe for some puree.

Simply steam your beet and puree or blanch the greens and drain and pat dry before pureeing. 

If you have a Thermomix, place the beets whole in the thermo steamer with 1500g of water and cook for 25mins, varoma temp speed 3. Then place the washed and chopped greens into the top tray and varoma for a further 8 mins speed 3.

I pureed the veg in the thermomix and added 3 eggs, a splash of olive oil and 500-600g of flour. Process at 2min on interval knead. It should look a bit breadcrumby. 

It's not an exact science when working with puree, be prepared to add a little flour to get your dough right. Let it sit. Then a couple of minutes later as the gluten works it wants to come together into a ball so gather it together and place in the fridge covered for anywhere up to an hour. I find this gives a lovely elastic and silky dough.

Next make lots of lovely shapes and styles. You can leave to thoroughly dry and it will store in an air tight jar for ages. 

My favourite is "bow ties" 

Cook in boiling water till soft but still firm then drain and toss in butter and herbs, maybe add some chorizo, broad beans, mushrooms...

OR

make a sensational spring nettle pesto...

but that's another story....

Autumn Preserves

Summer preserving is a mad time but I would have to say that autumn is the same, if not, it at least comes a close second. In the autumn my preserving comes from some cultivated crops like chillies, lemongrass and various herbs both culinary and medicinal but it also comes from foraged plants too like rosehips and hawberries and plantain and late red clover.

When I moved into my house nearly 30 years ago, there was a hook in the corner of the ceiling in the dinning room. I suspect it was from a macramé hanging of the 1980's and rather than deal with a hole I left the hook and painted it inconspicuous white. I'm so glad I did and I can't tell you how often I use it. Once I got past the "my home should look like the pages of Home Beautiful" stage and actually started to live in my home, I started drying my herbs here because the heating tends to get a bit trapped towards the ceiling here and it makes it perfect for drying. At the moment I am drying large bundles of wormwood in flower. If you can get hold of one of these old fashioned onion, shallot, garlic keeping hangers of collapsible hanging baskets do so; currently my beans are finishing off here for dried beans but I use it often for curing my soaps too. 

Here I am stripping and storing previously hung wormwood. This will be made into nesting box potpourri for the chickens and also insect repelling sachets for the linens and storage cupboards.

The jar behind contains the rose hips that I foraged the other day. Having them dried and stored means I can use them for salve making or tincturing or cordial another day when they are needed. I might even use them hot glued on a Christmas wreath!

I'm collecting seeds and podding dried beans and making dried teas. Above is the head of a Giant Russian sunflower and the purple king beans dried and ready, also a bunch of dried lemongrass that has been air drying. The lemongrass has been chopped in the Thermomix and is now ready for herbal tea blends and adding to tub teas.

The dehydrator is great for small herbs and holds the colour beautifully. I'm drying oregano, calendula, mint and parsley. These ingredients will be used when needed for meals, salve and soap making and herbal blends for bath, body and chickens! There is still so much to be gleaned and harvested.

Drying

another important preserving technique.

Upside Down Plum Cake (Conventional and Thermomix Version)

When plums are in glut this is one of my favourite cakes to make every year. The combination of sweet honey and rosewater marry perfectly with the tart plums. It is an adapted recipe from Vogue Entertaining magazine autumn 2003.

Ingredients

185g butter

400g castor sugar (or regular

sugar if you have a Thermomix)

1 tabs of honey

6 large plums eg blood plums stoned 

and sliced lengthwise into sixths

2 large eggs

2 teas rose water

185g self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 180C

Conventional Method

Put half the butter and half the sugar and honey into a saucepan and stir over a low heat till the butter melts and makes like a sauce with the sugar.

Pour this into the bottom of a 23cm/9" cake tin (preferably not a springform as it may leak during cooking)

place the cut plums on top making an outer circle and then one inside that.

Cream the remaining butter and sugar, add one egg at a time beating well then the rosewater. 

Add the flour and milk alternately and when mixed pour over the plum slices. 

Bake for about an hour till a skewer comes out clean

(pretty standard huh, that's what is good about this cake)

Let it cool for half an hour and the sides tend to shrink away from the tin but if unsure run a knife around before inverting onto a plate.

Thermomix Method

Place half the sugar in the Thermomix and process 3 seconds on speed 9.

Add half the butter and a tab of honey 

1.5 mins, 50C, speed 3

Pour this sauce over the bottom of a 23cm'9" cake tin

arrange plum slices on top as in attractive circles working from the outside in.

No need to wash the Thermomix

Place the remaining sugar in and process to castor as before 

Add the butter and blend 3 secs speed 5-6

Add the eggs, flour, milk and rosewater

Blend on speed 5-6 for 30secs

Pour on top of the plum slices.

Bake for about an hour till a skewer comes out cleanly.

Let it cool for half an hour and the sides tend to shrink away from the tin but if unsure run a knife around before inverting onto a plate.

You must use butter and nothing will substitute or you will have an inferior result, it really is king in this recipe. You could use vanilla essence instead of the rosewater but hey, you bought a bottle of it for that other recipe so you might as well use it up! If you don't have rosewater go and buy some. It's great to have in the cupboard and really turns a milk pudding into a panna cotta. This year I used ginger honey but if you are a leatherwood honey fan you'll enjoy that instead. Oh the combination possibilities!

Apple and Raspberry with Salty Cashew & Macadamia Caramel Crumble - Trad and Thermomix Versions

This was a bit of a hit last night both with the recipients and some on facebook asked for a recipe.

It is not a real recipe as such but more of a twist on a traditional apple crumble.

I am still picking Granny Smiths from the tree in the back yard and I think they are the best cooked texture for a crumble. I used raspberries from the freezer but I could just as easily used blueberries. If you are still using rhubarb from the garden, great, that will go well too.

pre-heat oven to 180C

For the crumble

5 Tabs butter

2 Tabs plain flour

5 Tabs brown sugar

1 Tabs oats optional

1 cup of salted cashew and macadamias (or use walnuts, almonds etc they all work great)

Rub the butter into the flour with fingertips till it is combined. It will be a bit more buttery that a traditional crumble mix. Add the sugar and oats chopped nuts. You should have a coarse crumby mix.

OR

Process in your food processor being careful not to over-combine.

Thermomix method - place 100g butter chopped and 50g flour and 100g brown sugar 20g oats (optional) and 150g nuts

Process on speed 4 for 4secs. Check mix and process another 2 secs if needed for coarse crumbly topping. Set aside.

For the base

6 large Granny Smith apples peeled and cored and cut into chunks

juice of one lemon

1 cup of raspberries (or blueberries or rhubarb cut into chunks)

Place the apples in a saucepan with about 80ml of water and lemon juice and cook gently till slightly softened but not collapsing or mushy. (Cook the rhubarb too if you are using it and you may want to add some sugar to taste but don't get too carried away - you want to be able to taste the rhubarb)

Thermomix method - Place apple in the thermomix with 80g of water and lemon juice

7-10min, Reverse, speed 1

In a buttered casserole/baking/pie dish

place the apple and berries

top with the crumble

Bake for about 20mins or till bubbling and slightly golden brown on top.

The butter and brown sugar cook and combine to create a caramel like flavour so you really cannot substitute and still get the same flavour. The fruit will have softened further, if you really like to bite into pieces do not pre-soften your fruit, simply place the chunks with a drizzle of juice and water straight into the baking dish. 

This should serve about 6 people or 4 if your helpings are large.

I serve with the Thermomix egg custard in the everyday cookbook but I use less flour so it's not so thick.

Ice-cream and cream are also winners.

As with any of these things and Murphy's Law, if you notice a mistake let me know so I can edit it. 

Curtain Close For 2012

As we close the door on 2012, I'd like to thank you all for sharing it with me and contributing your wisdom, comments and support. You were all particularly adorable and loving when my husband went away to work for the first six months of the year. It was your thoughtfulness and steadfastness that made it so much easier to bear.

I would have to say that was the most significant thing for me this year. It was so good to be able to SKYPE and see his face every day. He is home now and getting plenty of work here now thank goodness.

The most viewed post for 2012 remains the waffle blanket tutorial which still averages 300 page views per day! Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy knowing there are millions of people in the world getting their crochet on. Declining craft? I think NOT!

The most read post of 2012 was the review I did about "Why I Bought A Thermomix" and the second most popular is my Nan's Green Tomato Pickles

Living Better With Less continues to be a popular topic and I am so very happy that after the class groups finished in April this year we went on to form an interest group that meets on the last Thursday night of each month (and on special occasions in my kitchen!) to share and learn from each other. I'm even happier that readers in other states also decided to form their own groups and continue supporting each other too.

2012 seemed to be the year of the cordial round here;

In summer we made rhubarb cordial

In autumn rosehip cordial

in winter lemon cordial

and in spring elderflower cordial

Our most topical life post this year was "What Would You Do" and we talked very candidly and frankly about depression and suicide in the post "The Secret Of Happiness" and it was also the post that attracted a lot of comments second only to "Breaking All the Rules-Pavlova" which proves my point that you guys are with me through thick and thin!

We learned how to knit socks, make Christmas cakes, rescue echidnas and how to use pintrest.

We learned all about cutlery, clove oil and Tasmania.

We debated the environment, ditched plastic wrap, seed raising, animal husbandry and the value we place on food.

We talked our heads off about Christmas gift ideas again this year.

If you want to revisit any of these stories I suggest typing into the search box that I have over on the right in the side bar there somewhere.

Creating my cookbook was another big achievement this year and it has been a huge success this Christmas with the family and friends. If you contemplate doing one for your family I suggest you start now. It takes many, many months to get it to print stage so don't leave it to November!

There is still so much I want to do but one of my resolutions for next year is to say "no" more I'm afraid. I

have let some volunteer work go that wasn't quite fitting with my life style anymore and I am now setting my eyes towards more local community groups like National Trust and the CWA.

It's been a huge year and a fun year.

Thanks for being along for the ride.

What will we get up to next year?

What is your next focus for the new year ahead?

Thermomix Update

So you may have noticed I have been quiet of late.

I have been very, very, ill with a virus that turned into pneumonia. I am very much recovered now and in awe of modern medicine. Sadly while I was ill a friend's husband passed away and a little girl lost her Daddy. Puts it in perspective hey!

Though still in the honeymoon period of Thermomix ownership I did want to tell you how this machine really came into it's own while I was sick. The smile says it all but I will elaborate. Craig has been working some really big hard days shearing rams and big fat whethers, coming home absolutely exhausted and needing serious sustenance. I was unable to walk from the kitchen to the lounge room without becoming very breathless and weak. Many meals I have made over the past fortnight that I was able to do minimal prep work and walk away and let it do it's thing, providing Craig with a good hearty meal. 

Of note especially was the Aussie Meat Pie recipe. It is THE best and most successful pie I have made. The filling was the exact consistency and the flavour was great. I also made risotto and other curries and casseroles. The really helpful feature is that I don't need to stand over a stove stirring. It removes a lot of the hands on cooking. While I was so ill it was a God-send. 

So far, absolutely no regrets and very much in love with my Thermomix.

I have a friend who is a chef and uses the Thermomix in his kitchen. He says it replaces an apprentice for him.

So a very much recovered me wants to remind you that it is seed freedom fortnight and I hope you have found a friend to swap some seeds with and made some envelopes up for next year. If you are buying your seeds for this spring/summer, please consider heirloom seed companies and save the viable seed.  

Why I Bought Thermomix

A lot of people have asked, so I am going to try to compare and contrast for you and explain my decision to buy a Thermomix
.

I had heard people talking about Thermomix saying it weighed ingredients, mixed, chopped and cooked all in the one bowl. I was very sceptical and thought it was just a gadget. The talk persisted and I thought I would like to see this thing in action. I sold small electrical appliances for a few years and thought I pretty much knew my stuff. I went to a demonstration in a friend's home prepared to be less than impressed and ready to refute many claims. I am willing to say I had a very closed and pre-conceived mind set upon arriving.

Within the first 5 minutes my carefully constructed mask of one sceptical eyebrow arched gracefully towards my hairline receded to avid interest. We learnt that Thermomix had in fact been around in Europe since the 1960s but only in Australia since 2001.

Within the the next 15 mins I was sitting on the edge of my seat. I was totally floored when the demonstrator made icing sugar for one of the recipes. Many food processors claim to make icing sugar but the process takes a lot of turning on and off and scraping down the bowl and the result is less than a true icing sugar. The Thermomix did it in seconds and turned tiny crystals to a true powder. It can even finely chop one clove of garlic which most food processors can't do unless you use a small bowl attachment.

You can go to the site to check the stats but it is a combination of design that achieves it's amazing processing capabilities. It is not just the motor, speed, blade sharpness but also the shape and design of the bowl and blade construct working together.

The demonstrator made a whole meal for us;

fresh fruit sorbet, herb and garlic dip,
coleslaw, bread rolls, portabello mushroom risotto,
vanilla bean (real egg) custard

I don't mind telling you I was getting rather excited and with the offer of several payment plan options I nearly just plunged in right there and then but I am a cautious buyer and I like to well research my options regardless of the price.
So I checked out the copy-cat version the Thermochef, and one should not automatically assume that a copy-cat is inferior, however, usually the goal is to produce a cheaper product in competition. You usually get what you pay for and a cheaper product usually means a sacrifice on some qualities.
It is a good machine and it may well suit your needs but I will compare and contrast and explain MY choice.

1.The Motor
The first obvious and greatest difference if that the Thermomix uses a magnet reluctance motor. It goes from 1-10 with a turbo button, 500W. Speed continuously adjustable from 100rpm to 10,200rpm (boys have I got your attention now?). But there is more...it has alternative mode for dough kneading and a slow stir function of 40rpm (for when you are cooking)

Boyev Animation by Boyev (Image source)

The Thermochef uses a belt and gear drive motor which is very common in small appliances. This arguable means more wearing parts and a shorter life span. It also goes from 1-10 with a turbo button and has 550W.

2.The Built In Scales

The Thermomix has the scales directly built in under the bowl seating so that you can measure straight into the mixing  jug. The Thermochef has them beside the mixing jug. The advantage of having the scales built in means that you can add and weigh everything into the vessel. There is not a litany of washing up like measuring cups, jugs and spoons, it's all in the bowl. A small point but sometimes it is the small things that make life easier and cleaner.

3. The Cooking/Mixing Jug 

Both appliances have a stainless steel jug with a 2L max capicity. I have given some product knowledge about stainless steel before in my post about cutlery. I did notice that the interior of the Thermochef  looks very spun and less polished. Polishing the stainless steel is yet another process and an added expense but the difference to cleaning the surface is quite significant. If you were to look at the surface under a microscope you would see very many highs and lows, valleys and ridges. Food particles can grab in these areas and a polished surface makes for an easier food release. When selling cookware I always advised against scourers and excessive scratching with metal utensils.
Also note that the jug is not completely cylindrical like a blender or other food processors. It is this very design that allows food to hit, tumble and spin creating that great consistent chop so that you are not constantly stopping and scraping down bowls like old food processors.

4. The Blades

Thermomix has Solingen Steel Blades (Solingen in Germany  is the home of swords, knives and cutlery for generations) and I would imagine a high grade of stainless steel. I am sure that the Thermochef stainless steel blades are also a quality mix if stainless steel. If there is a difference in the quality of the blades it would come down to tempering (the actual manufacture of the metal for strength and durability) but I don't have any proof or stats on that.
Also note the construction difference of the blades. They are off set and kind of crooked looking compared to blades from blenders and food processors. More development has been put into the dynamics of cutting.

5. The Cooking System

Both mixers have integrated cooking. You can blend/chop/mix and then also cook within the vessel without transferring to another pot. Both machines are 1000W. The Thermomix goes from 37C to 100C but it also has a setting high than that called "Varoma" temperature which is the extra temperature needed to using the steaming stack successfully.
Some of the things you can do;
Hollandaise, Egg Custard, White Sauce,
Soups, Casseroles, Risotto,
Boiled Eggs and Steamed Vegetables and Meat.

I have made most every category and been really impressed. The best part is that I can put the ingredients in and go about cleaning up and doing other tasks. The machine does all the cooking and stirring and lets me know when it is done. It even continues to slowly stir after the timer goes off so that the bottom doesn't stick and burn.
Here is a big difference between the two machines. The Thermomix has a reverse cycle. This means that you can stir without chopping.
For instance if I want to make Beef Stroganof, I place an onion cut in half in the jug, in 10 sec it's chopped. I then add some butter and set it slowly stir on 100C so that it sautees for a couple of minutes. Then I simply add the rest of the ingredients; beef strips, wine, yoghurt/cream, spices, mushrooms. Now I set the timer to 20mins and the temperature to 100C and the blades to reverse. It stirs the whole time without further chopping. A very handy (vital?) feature.

I am a pretty good all round cook and I know most everything about scratch cooking. One thing I could never be bothered with was choux pastry but last weekend I whipped up some profiteroles to take to a friend's place for dinner. I made the choux and the creme patisserie in the Thermomix so easily.
My mashed potato is a common family joke. I would call my style more rustic and I have tried many methods (perhaps my heart just isn't really in it) but now with the Thermomix it is a crowd pleaser every time. You can cook and then mash all in the one vessel without having to touch a thing except adding the butterfly whisk and pressing a button.
It also makes fruit sorbets in seconds. It can mill grain to flour, peanuts to paste and sugar to castor or icing sugar. It will grind spices and make butter. You can make jam and mix cakes. The dough comes out silky like a professional baker achieves.
This week I had a Middle Eastern dinner party and successfully adapted my recipes to make them in the Thermomix.

When the Thermomix arrived I cleaned out a cupboard to put the accessories in (the steaming dishes) and I removed the juice extractor (it makes juice), the coffee grinder, the rice cooker and the food processor. My wonderful food processor was a Braun Multipractic and I flogged it every week for the past 20 years. I bought right that time and I'm sure I've bought right this time. This should be my last appliance buy this lifetime.

and now what you are wondering....

6. The Price

Thermomix $1939.00
Thermochef $795.00
Big difference but yes, a big difference.
So many people asked and I hope this helps you make a more informed decision and gives you some categories to base your needs on. I am not saying that the Thermochef is not a good appliance, it's just not the one I preferred to buy for my particular needs and wants. Given it's limitations I would probably choose a Braun food processor again over the Thermochef and just keeping using traditional pots and pans methods and save the money.

If you have any more questions please ask.