The layering process begins!

Smorgastarta Up Close and Personal!

Okey, so if you are on board with me here….this is what you are waiting for to finish off this creation. It really is impressive and a lot of fun to serve. There are a lot of ideas for decorating, I went with Swedish (sort of) but for lots of other ideas head on over to this The Kitchn post. There were mixed reactions at the most expected Grand child in history’s baby shower, some people were disappointed it wasn’t sweet, others were so taken by the idea that is was savoury, they couldn’t wait to dig in. Slicing it is the trick, so be brave, but use a serrated edge to get through all the layers and serve in thin wedges if possible. We loved the left overs more the day after the Baby Shower, and I think it was because all the flavours had melded together. Therefore, this is a perfect party food to do ahead…way ahead.

Hope you post pics over on Facebook if you do this…go on…you know you want to!

Fillings;

NEED:

4 hard boiled egg yolks

100g mayonnaise (For Foods Sake has some amazing Mayo options, and I did use a home made garlic, spring onion and lime option)

100g pickled gherkins

60g red onion

250g cream cheese

100g smoked salmon

Juice 1 lime

Murray River pink salt flakes to taste

DO:

Place egg yolks, and mayonnaise into Thermo bowl and blend 4 sec/speed 6. Add gherkins and onion and chop 3 sec/speed 4. Add remaining filling ingredients and blend 6 sec/speed 6. Remove from bowl and set aside. Clean bowl if you want a white ‘frosting’.

Frosting;

NEED:

500g sour cream

500g cream cheese

DO:

Place sour cream and cream cheese into Thermo bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 7. Insert butterfly and whip for 30 sec/speed 4. It should be fluffy and aerated. Remove from bowl and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Sliced cucumber

Sliced chicken breast fillet, ham or other cold meats of choice

Caviar

Sliced hardboiled eggs

Butter

Sliced onions

Beetroot

Stuffed olives, black olives

Parsley leaves to garnish

Cherry tomatoes to garnish

Other garnishes of choice

You must have sparkling mineral water to brush the bread layers with.

ASSEMBLY:

Remove the crusts from all the loaf, including the top, leaving only the bottom crust.

Slice the bread loaf into 3 or 4 layers horizontally.

Spread a little of the frosting onto the serving plate you will use. Stick the bottom layer of loaf onto this plate.

Brush this layer with a generous amount of mineral water. Butter it and then spread with some of the filling. Top with other meats, cheeses, vegetables of choice. Top with next layer and repeat, until all layers of bread are used. Do not overfill the layers between the sandwich as it will make it difficult to cut.

Completely brush the whole sandwich cake with mineral water. Frost it using all the frosting you have and pipe rosettes on the top like you would a cake around the outside circumference. Decorate the top with as many garnishes as you would like.

Arrange individual parsley leaves on the outside of the cake. Garnish the base with cherry tomatoes, and add any other garnishes of choice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

The mineral water helps the consistency become easier to cut and more cake like.

I am missing a few accents in the title, this Swedish sandwich cake is actually spelt, Smörgåstårta and is of course a salute to all things sandwich…and so pretty! Which is why it appealed to me in the first place. I have (as some of you know) reached the ripe old and mature age of Grandy hood…and so there has been a baby shower and as we are expecting a little girl to be welcomed into the Holder family, the baby shower had to be appropriately pretty and this fit the bill exactly! Rather than fiddle around with patching loaves together to fit the round cake that I was after, I decided to make my own bread, so this is part one of Smörgåstårta, (cue the drum roll….) The Loaf!

NEED:

60g fresh yeast

200g brewed Crio Bru liquid

200g water

3 tbsp malt powder  as found in For Foods Sake

2 tbsp honey

400g wholemeal flour

400g bakers flour

3 tbsp Crio Bru dry granules (As opposed to reserved wet granules from your morning cuppa)

Pinch salt

DO:

Place yeast, Crio Bru liquid, water, malt powder and honey into Thermo bowl and warm 2 min/37ºC/speed 1.

Add half each of the flours and all the Crio Bru granules. Blend 15 sec/speed 6.

Add remaining flour a little at a time, kneading 1 min/Interval after each addition, to a total of 4 minutes. If your machine is struggling, remove half the dough, knead 2 min/Interval. Remove from bowl, repeat with remaining dough and knead the two amounts together by hand on a Silpat mat. Wrap tightly and allow to prove.

Line the base of a 23cm spring form tin with baking paper and grease the sides.  Shape dough into a large round and place into tin to rise. Preheat oven to 220ºC. Bake 20-25 minutes or until well risen, golden and sounding hollow when tapped. Cool completely before cutting into 3-4 layers. (This will depend on how much rise you managed to achieve!!)

I actually made this loaf the day before and then filled it and frosted it on the day of serving. I would definitely do it that way again and recommend you do the same if possible. OH, and the bread would be perfectly fine as just plain old bread…I confess I ate the crusts (which are removed for  Smörgåstårta and I smothered them in fresh butter, as I hi-hoed into making the sandwich!!) 

Part two, which consists of basic method of construction, fillings, and frosting is coming soon…stay tuned.

Frying Roti

Rolled Roti with honey

You know I need to knead…and as I am developing a ‘Thai Thai Again’ advanced cooking class, I have been playing around with breads and flatbreads that may or may not be eaten in Thailand. I have to say, in traditional Thai cuisine, you will not find a lot of bread. SO: Disclaimer is thus….I have seen these served on the street with condensed milk AND sugar AND banana, and they are delicious. Full of carbs, and fat, so not for the diet conscious…but when has that ever been my mantra anyway?? Perfect for a hungry crowd with the sweet stuff or as an accompaniment to a great curry. The trick is in the pulling and folding, so go and watch a few videos with the technique. Once you get it, it is quite easy though I confess I must stick to square roti…I get the thinnest result that way. (And as mentioned…I am all about thin!!)

NEED:

500g bakers flour

200g water

35g milk

Good pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

2 tbsp sugar

1 egg

Oil and butter as needed

DO:

Place all ingredients except oil and butter into Thermo bowl and mix 15 sec/speed 6. Knead 2 min/Interval.

Leave in bowl for 20 minutes. Knead again 2 min/Interval.

Place onto oiled Silpat mat and divide into 16 pieces using your trusty SuperKitchenMachine spatula. (Don’t have one yet? Head on over to the store and order immediately!!) Roll into balls and drizzle generously with oil. Cover and rest again.

Heat a large flat pan on Induction 6 for at least 10 minutes.

Roll one ball at a time into a circle with a rolling pin. Slap the flat bread onto the mat and pull, turn, slap and pull again. It should catch on the mat and so pull the dough thinner and thinner without breaking. If it doesn’t stick, just use a very little oil on the mat and it should work. Pull it into a circle or square and then oil your hot pan. Fry each side, adding some butter once the bread has puffed up.

Remove, drizzle with honey, condensed milk, sprinkle with sugar, whatever takes your fancy…or serve with an amazing curry to mop up all those juices…

Well not toast exactly….guessing you know how to toast bread without a Thermo Mixer of any description getting involved?? BUT, this recipe has officially been banished to the ‘Never Will Be Made Again’ list as I seriously ate almost all of it…it took a few days, but plow through it I did, one slice at a time, heroically even, never even trying to stop. I toasted, I buttered, I conquered….and now I must pay for it in so many ways! (Fat clothes…where are you???) My children have an objection to fruit in bread, and so it was that I was able to have something that lasted more than a few moments, but will be remembered forever on my hips!! I love the crunchy little resistance created by the toasted Crio Bru granules…I love the sweet surprise of a dried cherry, I love that it contains our beautiful freshly harvested honey and I must add, that should you get your hands on some raw honey, you will never look back….

I digress, recipe please??

NEED:

1 sachet dried yeast

20g raw honey + 30g extra

300g water

30g Crio Bru dry granules (not pre-brewed in other words)

500g Lauke bakers flour

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

2 tsp mixed ground spices of choice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, ginger

20g butter plus some more for brushing

Generous handful dried cherries or craisins

DO:

Place yeast, 20g honey and water into Thermo bowl and warm 2 min/37º/speed 2.

Add remaining ingredients except cherries and blend 10 sec/speed 6.

Knead 2 min/Interval.

Add cherries and knead further 1 min/Interval.

Turn out onto floured bread mat and roll into tight ball. Wrap and prove. (Do I need to mention the Kleenmaid warming drawer, or is it just getting annoying??)

Cut the dough in half using your Super Kitchen  Machine Spatula and roll into two small loaf shapes. Place side by side in loaf tin. Return to warming drawer or cover and keep in draft free place.

Preheat oven to bread baking setting 220ºC.

When loaf has risen to top of the tin, place into the oven and reduce heat to 200ºC. Cook 15 minutes until golden and sounding hollow. Brush with melted butter immediately.

Try not to eat it all whilst warm and fragrant….save some for fruit toast…and slather both with more butter and raw honey to taste. Ahhh-mazing!

Hungry today…and this is what showed up! Didn’t have a lot of time to muck around with fussy food (do I ever??) and this cut straight to the chase. Filling for those kids with hollow legs on holidays, who normally will eat anything not nailed down. And yes, it beats 2 minute noodles hands down. Pretty good toasted the next day with bacon, eggs and beans…was dreaming of Holl

NEED:
70g parmesan cheese, cubed

2 cloves garlic

300g water

1 sachet dried yeast (2 tsp)

500g bakers flour

20g EVOO, plus more for drizzling

100g provolone cheese, cubed

Generous pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

DO:

Place parmesan and garlic into Thermo bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 8.

Add water, yeast, flour and 20g EVOO and blend 8 sec/speed 6. Knead 3 min/Interval. Turn out onto floured Silpat mat and wrap tightly. Allow to rise in warm place…(If you are lucky enough to have a warming drawer…use it! I confess, I am LOVING my Kleenmaid warming drawer!)

Meanwhile, place provolone (or mozzarella) into Thermo bowl and mill 5 sec/speed 8.

Preheat oven to a bread setting 220ºC and line a rectangular baking tray with paper.

Cut your dough into two pieces…you will see in the pic the amazing SuperKitchenMachine spatula. They are perfect for cutting sticky (or not) bread dough and absolutely perfect for this recipe and are currently available in the Tenina store!

But I digress…

Roll one piece of dough out to fit the size of your prepared baking tray exactly. Lay onto the paper. Sprinkle with all the provolone cheese, and lay the other piece of dough on top, tucking it in at the edges to seal. Again, rise the dough, (in the warming drawer) covered until it looks like a focaccia.

Score the dough into rectangles with the spatula, drizzle with a little EVOO, and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Serve hot, with or without the butter, which melts all over the place and makes this a truly decadent experience…

Dutch Donuts with Orange Jelly

There is not much that can make me pass up a fresh, hot donut if offered…and this recipe from a friend of mine has been raising money for schools, sporting clubs, church organisations, from their kitchen to their whole township for years. They have been known to make the dough the night before, get up whilst still dark and cook these babies, so that they can distribute to the waiting trucks and cars that line the country road outside their house, to ensure they get a serving before they are sold out…that is how good they are. Legendary stuff…and once you make them you will appreciate why. Never more for you the mundane and somewhat chemical taste of a widely popular purchased donut. Sorry, but I have now made it impossible for you to buy a donut again…these and only these are the donuts of choice forever more. (Move over Krispy Kreme, the Dutch Donuts are in town!)

NEED:

100g sugar
30g fresh yeast
2 eggs
½ tsp ground nutmeg
260g warm water
50g butter
Pinch salt
600g bakers flour
Flavorless oil for deep frying
Icing sugar to dust

DO:

Place sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.
Add yeast, eggs nutmeg, water, butter and salt and blend 1 min/37ºC/speed 4.
Add flour and mix 6 sec/speed 8. Knead 4 min/Interval. Set aside in floured Silpat mat and allow to double in size.
Roll out into large rectangle and using scone cutter, cut into rounds and set aside to double again.
Heat oil to 165-170ºC (use a thermometer for accuracy. The perfect temperature prevents the donut from absorbing fat when cooking!) before placing donuts into hot oil. When they are golden and puffed, remove quickly and place onto paper towels to cool slightly.
Dust generously with icing sugar whilst still warm.
Serve with a bowl ganache for dipping if desired…or with jam or jelly of choice.

Three Cheese Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes

I am always inspired by the produce I see when shopping…(well mostly) and often come home with amazing product or wierd and wonderful ingredients that I must then put into something that ends up on here. Some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes just yelled ‘pick me, pick me’ when I headed out for the family shopping today. Although they cost more per kilo than the ring on my finger, I did buy them, and they were worth it! Rather than smother them with something overwhelming, I kept them fresh and uncooked and they were simply delicious as a foil to the rich cheese topping for this pizza.

Dinner just as I love it; Simple, tasty, quick and painless…(take the food pic quick, before the hoardes descend!)

This amount will make 4 thin crust pizzas or 2 thick crust.

NEED:

Dough;

30g fresh yeast

20g Fini EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

300g water

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

150g rye flour

350g bakers flour

Topping;

As many mini heirloom tomatoes as needed

1-2 cloves garlic

130g Aussie Parmesan, cubed

130g Jarlsburg, cubed

200g Stracchino, sliced thinly

Snipped fresh Italian parsley

Additional EVOO to drizzle

Big Appetite

Pizza Stone….or Pizza oven…

DO:

Make dough by placing yeast, EVOO and water into Thermomix bowl and warming 2 min/37ºC/speed 2.

Add salt and flours and blend 10 sec/speed 6.

Knead 2 min/Interval. Tip out onto floured Silpat mat and roll into a tight ball. Wrap and prove about 10 minutes.

Preheat pizza stone in the hottest oven possible on a bread baking setting if available. You should at least try for around 220ºC.

Place garlic, Parmesan and Jarlsburg into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Divide dough into quarters and roll each pizza out to desired thickeness. (Thin is best on this occasion…but then thin is always best in my book!)

Bake each piece of dough approx 5-6 minutes until puffed and starting to colour around the edges particularly.

Remove from oven and cover with grated cheese mixture. Arrange sliced stracchino over the top and return to the oven for around 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

Slice tomatoes and chop parsley.

Arrange over the top of the hot cheese, drizzle with additional EVOO and serve immediately.

(Gotta say this once…YUM!) 

Parmesan Sage Shortbread

It all about the cheese in the end…please buy a great Australian Parmesan for this recipe and you won’t be sorry…seriously delish…I have eaten about 8 of them just as I am writing this post. (I WILL eat the salad, I WILL eat the salad….) A great little nibble, a bit impressive if you are having guests and if you don’t have sage growing in the garden, use any herb of choice….rosemary would be fantastic, as would parsley or basil. Of course the little sprinkle of flaky salt on the top knocks them over the edge to divine, but be careful not to be too heavy handed…you just want  a little surprise every now and again, not a full on mouthful of salt. You could also freeze these unbaked, wrapped in baking paper, thaw slightly before cutting and then proceed as directed, though baking time may need to be increased a tad! Enjoy…

NEED:

40g parmesan, cubed

Zest 2 lemons, finely grated

Few sage leaves

170g light rye flour

110g butter, cubed

Murray River pink salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh

Extra salt for garnish

DO:

Place parmesan, lemon zest and sage into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 8.

Add remaining ingredients except garnish salt and blend 10 sec/speed 6.

Tip out onto floured Silpat mat and roll into a long sausage shape. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 190ºC and line a tray with baking paper.

Slice rounds and place on tray. Sprinkle with salt, and bake 15-18 minutes until golden around the edges.

Serve with a cheese platter, or on a savoury antipasto plate.

Euro Union Subway Sandwich, with no hassle.

Before you go looking like crazy for some European recipe contest…please read the following. (Disclaimer; This is not a serious title!)

It was just that I realised that I had used Hungarian salami, which may or may not be your choice…Swiss Cheese and the bread dough was my French Baguette dough…so yes, European Union all over again. OF course the baguette recipe now features in For Food’s Sake available for sale on here. (Where have you been??)

Easy if you have a steam oven, or the fab-you-laaahs Kleenmaid Combi Steam oven…which as the lucky recipe developer I am, I now have installed in my kitchen in pride of place. If you are not that lucky, get lucky and tell them I sent you! There will be a discount involved as well! But you can duplicate (sort of) the steaming thing with a bain marie in the bottom or your oven which you then remove.

It is a great lunch box subway of sorts, ready filled for your convenience and with all the little and big kiddies back at school, how about you make smaller individual ones for lunches this week…or next…or the next for that matter. Book mark this one! However, my son did eat half of a large one as a snack the day that I made these, so be warned; they won’t last long if you have teenagers in the house.

NEED:

30g fresh yeast

330g warm water

2 tsp salt

650g bakers flour

6-8 thinly shaved slices Hungarian salami per loaf

6-8 thinly shaved slices Jarlsburg per loaf

DO:

Place yeast and water into Thermomix bowl and warm 2 min/37ºC/speed 1.

Mix 15 sec/speed 6-7.

Knead 3 min/Interval. Allow to ‘rest’ for 5-10 minutes.

Knead again 3 min/Interval.

Turn out into oiled bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap so the air will be trapped and allow to double. (This may take up to 3 hours, unless you have the Kleenmaid warming drawer in which case probably about 20 minutes rising time.)

The dough will be quite hard and dense and yet flexible.

When happy with the rise, punch down and roll into two rectangular shapes.

Lay salami and cheese across each rectangle, then fold in both long sides into towards each other. Tuck in the ends and seal all together by pinching the dough together.

Turn over so that the seam is down and you have a nice smooth top. Slash top of loaves with very sharp knife diagonally.

Place onto baking paper and allow to rise again. (Use warming drawer if you have it…and yes, I LOVE IT!!) Cover with a cloth.

Place into oven and steam 10 minutes/100ºC. Unload water tank as oven directs and change function to fan forced. Cook 15 minutes/225ºC or until golden. Loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Cool slightly before slicing.

If you want to make only one loaf, simply halve everything but the yeast. Use 20g fresh or 2 tsp granulated. I have written the filling per loaf.

For Food’s Sake

The BIG BOOK invite…its offical!

CrioBru Tortillas

CrioBru tortillas with Beef Chilli

Well kids, you have heard me raving on about a lot of stuff lately (well, longer than lately…and yes, perhaps even wittering on and on and on about stuff!!) The BIG BOOK is here…its out and about! AND my Chic Chocolate Cooking Class is also up and selling like hot cakes, because of course the BIG BOOK is available at the cooking classes…signed or unsigned…but all with 80 recipes, and the gorgeous pics to go with them all…I’m not going to lie; This book is awesome. SO pretty, and I am so excited for you to get it and then tell me all about it. I hope you love it as much as I have loved the process. Tonight is the official launch…so I am getting my hair done and polishing my thank-you speech as you read this. (The Oscar acceptance speech I never got to give will fill in nicely I’m thinking!) Wish you were all here…but in the meantime, here is a recipe that will feature in the CCCC (Chic Chocolate Cooking Class) that goes with a lovely Crio Bru Beef Chilli that features in the BIG BOOK, and just in case you don’t know what the BIG BOOK is called…features in For Food’s Sake, an excellent full colour cookbook, with beautiful pics. (Am I boring you yet?) So what are you waiting for? Get organised…book, Crio Bru, Cooking classes…Happy 2012…year of the Dragon is roaring in!

NEED:

Dough One;

50g polenta

150g bakers flour

50-100g hot brewed Crio Bru liquid

Pinch sea salt

Dough Two;

200g bakers flour

Pinch sea salt

50g oil

50-70g hot brewed Crio Bru liquid

2 heaped tbsp Crio Bru granules

DO:

To make Dough one, place polenta into Thermomix bowl and mill 1 min/speed 10. Add remaining ingredients and only about 50-60g of the water, mix 6 sec/speed 6.

Knead 1 min/Interval. (Add more water at this point if not forming sticky dough.) Turn out onto floured Silpat mat and wrap tightly. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make  Dough Two by placing all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mixing 6 sec/speed 6. Knead 1.5 min/Interval speed. Wrap tightly and allow to rest for at least 10 mintues.

Place both doughs back into Thermomix bowl and knead 2 min/Interval speed.

Roll into long sausage shape and cut into rounds which you then roll flat into large circles before placing into a hot, well oiled fry pan, Induction 7-8. Cook both sides and keep warm until use.

Use as wraps, top with Crio Bru Beef Chilli, Curry or salad, quick grilled meat strips, salad etc.

In the absence of Crio Bru in your pantry, you have two choices….get some, or use brewed coffee and grounds as per the recipe.