Chick Pea, Avocado and Lime Salad

I am trying to include more pulses in our diet; They are cheap, easy to cook if you think about it in advance and so good for you!

This salad happened on Mother’s Day, the day that I should not have been cooking, but any hoo, if I wanted to eat something yummola, it was always going to be up to me! SO, cued the BBQ, and husband…made salads, and this was just one of them…all good, well received. Thinking I would add a little char grilled chilli next time, so go ahead and give it a burl with or without the chilli….(How hot are you??)

NEED:

150g chick peas, dried

Water for soaking and steaming

Generous handful coriander leaves and roots

1 small chilli, deseeded

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

100g baby spinach leaves

3 avocadoes, peeled and cubed

2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced

2 tsp Murray River pink salt flakes

Juice 3 limes, or to taste

EVOO as desired

DO:

Soak chick peas overnight. Drain and place into steam basket. Insert into Thermo bowl, cover with water to 1L mark and cook 45 min/100ºC/speed 3. Drain and cool.

To make salad, place coriander and chilli into Thermo bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7.

Toss with all ingredients, including chick peas and allow flavours to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

The timing for cooking chick peas can vary based on how long you have had them in your pantry. They can easily be replaced with tinned chick peas.

Lime and Raspberry Flan

Seriously I cannot go past the combo of Lime and Raspberries. Be it a dessert or a drink, count me in. My darling sis has a gorgeous lime tree that is laden with fruit right now, so lucky me! I get the fruits of her hard labours….of course she gets a little in return, like a slice of this (just one!)…I believe in Fair Trade, and this is exactly how it works!

Should you be looking for more Limey, Raspberry, Citrussy recipes, you can’t go past some of the desserts in the most excellent For Food’s Sake, which I am hoping you all have a copy of…if not, WHY am I here??? (Just asking!)

NEED:

Shortcrust;
260g plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
130g cold butter cubed
1 egg yolk
60g sour cream
1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

Filling; 
Zest and juice 3 limes
200g sugar
3 eggs
130g sour cream
20g cornflour
200g frozen or fresh raspberries

DO:

Pastry;

Place flour, sugar and butter into Thermo bowl and mix 5 sec/speed 5.

Add remaining ingredients and mix 10 sec/speed 5.

Tip out onto floured Silpat mat and press into a disc.

Roll out to fit a 18-20cm flan tin with removable base. Do not trim edges. Place in
freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180ºC and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove baking beans. Trim edges neatly to
the rim of the flan tin. Reduce oven temperature to 160ºC.

Filling;

Place zest and sugar into Thermo bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add remaining ingredients except raspberries and mix 10 sec/speed 5.

Pour filling into pastry shell. Bake for 40 minutes or until custard is just wobbly in centre.

Garnish with raspberries and dust with icing sugar and cool completely before serving with ice cream or whipped
cream.

Choc Molten Pots uncookedOozing Choc Molten Puddingsssss

Oozing Choc Molten Puddingsssss

Not kidding…these have truffles in the center…so if you are on a diet, don’t read any further. You will just be tormenting yourself. Yes, just call me the devil.

You don’t have to make the truffles, but you may want to…they add such a chocolatey hit to this already amazing dessert. You will never go back to boring old chocolate cake again…at least not on my watch! In the process of doing a desserts book (you did read that correctly) I have had many many desserts that I felt were wrong for the project, but not wrong in any other way. When I say ‘wrong’ I mean, too long, too complicated, too hard to write without the benefit of pics to explain…etc. Our new little project will be up and running soon, so stay tuned for all the versions of dessert you ever wished for, in one handy location! In the meantime, be getting on with this hey?

NEED:

1 pre made batch Crio Bru Truffles (well you only need 6 actually, so that’s the upside…you also get truffles at the end of it!)

Enough butter to grease 6 small ramekins

Enough premium cocoa to dust 6 small ramekins

150g sugar

50g butter

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

4 eggs

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

50g plain flour

350g dark chocolate, melted

DO:

Preheat oven to 200ºC and butter each ramekin very well. Dust generously with cocoa. Set ramekins aside on a baking tray.

Place sugar into Thermo bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add butter and blend 10 sec/speed 4.

Add vanilla, eggs, salt and flour. Blend 10 sec/speed 5.

Add melted chocolate that has been slightly cooled. (I used microwave, but induction cooktop is excellent for melting chocolate as well. Of course it can be done in your Thermo, but it can be quite slow and you would need to do this first.)

Blend 10 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.

Divide mixture between the prepared ramekins. Push a truffle (without any nuts or other coating FYI) into the centre of each and cover with pudding batter.

Bake 10-12 minutes until still springy to  touch.

Use a knife to loosen outer edges of cake and turn upside down to serve.

Serve with cream, mascarpone or ice cream to taste. Dust with additional cocoa if desired. You can refrigerate these fully assembled, but uncooked until ready to serve. It is best to eat them hot, straight from the oven. They may take a little longer if being cooked straight from the fridge.

EVOO, Lime and Yoghurt Cake

My sister has blessed me with an enormous bag of limes…without a doubt my favourite citrus of all…and I have already done a Lime and Raspberry Tart with them today. It is Easter Sunday and we have a boating trip planned for tomorrow and boating with us has come to mean that I provide the feast. SO, tarts don’t travel well (just ask me) and so a cake was the best thing, a moist Lime Cake…and just like a pair of sensible shoes, not that attractive, but really do the job when required.

I have no butter, I made yoghurt on Friday, and so this was the natural progression. Hoping you love…hoping we love, as we skip across an azure sea tomorrow….

NEED:

240g sugar

zest 2 limes, finely grated

280g Greek yoghurt (home made if possible)

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

60g  Fini EVOO

35g fresh lime juice

2 eggs

200g flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

GARNISH:

40g icing sugar

Zest 1 lime, finely grated

DO:

Preheat oven to 180ºC and oil a loaf tin with EVOO. Set aside.

Place sugar and zest into Thermo bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add yoghurt, vanilla, EVOO, lime juice and eggs. Blend 10 sec/speed 6.

Add remaining ingredients except garnish and blend 12 sec/Interval.

Scrape into prepared tin and bake 40-45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Leave in tin for boating travel, or turn out after 10 minutes before dusting with icing sugar and garnishing with lime zest.

Serve in big chunks appropriate for sensible appetites..nothing dainty here!

A bunch of Yoghurt cake recipes were the inspiration for this…and can be found here at Smitten Kitchen, or Chocolate and Zucchini, or our very own Aussie blogger, Souvlaki for the Soul.

Choc Mint Ganache Tart

This was truly awesome…thank you dearest Tweak Editing….Chris, our editor for For Foods Sake sent me this recipe and asked for a Thermo version…well here it is…absolutely amazing, and totally easy. Be amazed. Be prepared to make it again. Go to the gym so you can eat another piece with less guilt. Or not. But a second piece you will definitely have…trust me! I have seen another version of this over at the Recipe Community from Splendiferous Thermomix, using my fave choccie product of all time (do I need to mention it by name?) Crio Bru. This is the every day, garden variety, without the Crio…she beat me to it! I swear!! (We’ll talk later Karyn!)

NEED:

Crust;

60g sugar

250g flour

130g butter, cubed

2 tbsp premium cocoa powder

1 egg yolk

A little iced water

Filling;

300g white chocolate callets

150g cream

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

2 tsp peppermint oil

Ganache;

200g Lindt Dark Mint Intense chocolate, in pieces

200g cream

DO:

To make crust, place sugar into TM bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10. Add flour and butter and blend 6 sec/speed 6.

Add remaining crust ingredients and blend 5 sec/speed 5 or until a ball is formed.

Press into 26cm pie or flan tin with removable base and place into freezer for around 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line the crust with baking paper. Using pie weights, rice or beans, blind bake 15 minutes. Remove weights and cook further 10 minutes until fragrant and crust is well cooked.

Cool.

TO make white filling place all ingredients into TM bowl and melt 5 min/50ºC/speed 1. Scrape down if necessary and stir until all callets are melted.

Pour into cold baked pie shell. Place into fridge until well set.

Place Ganache ingredients into clean, dry TM bowl and melt 5 min/50ºC/speed 2. Pour over filling and set completely before cutting into wedges to serve.

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.

Banana Tres Leches Cake

I am a sweet tooth…ask anyone. I would rather skip the entree and move straight to the dessert menu. I am always disappointed at a restaurant that only serves the standard ice cream in 3 flavors, a brownie fudge thing and possibly a lemon thing. Deeply disappointed. I often take inspiration from a fantastic dessert I eat when out…I loved going to recipe development meetings in Switzerland for many reasons, the least not being that one of the Vorwerk staff would take us out to eat and would always order every dessert on the menu and we would simply pass them around, tasting each one. Now that’s what I call living! It was the meeting of the palates…we were often short on language, but dessert crossed all borders!

This is Spanish inspired, a ‘three milk’ cake and is often made for special occasions, and after you consume it, you will realise why. Don’t be mean with the bananas, just keep them coming.  Think Swiss Restaurant Dessert Menu…go large!

NEED:

Cake;

180g sugar

110g butter

1 banana (120g)

300g flour

110g milk

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

1 tsp coconut extract

3 eggs

Tres Leches; (That would be ‘three milk’s kids!!)

150g each evaporated, condensed and coconut milks

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

Caramel Bananas;

1/2 banana per serving

200g dark brown sugar

40g butter

Dash of rum or brandy

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

Garnish; toasted shredded coconut (optional)

DO:

Prehat oven to 170ºC. Butter and flour a 16cm cake pan (with removable base if available.) Set aside.

To make cake batter, place sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add butter, and banana and blend 10 sec/speed 4.

Add remaining cake ingredients and blend 10 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl and blend 5 sec/speed 6.

Spread batter into prepared cake tin and bake 40-45 minutes until inserted skewer comes out clean.

Pierce entire cake several times through to almost the base, stopping 1 cm from the bottom of the cake. The more holes you create, the better.

To make the Tres Leches Syrup place the milks and vanilla into a clean Thermomix bowl and cook 5 min/90ºC/speed 2. Pour this hot syrup over the pierced cake slowly so that the holes absorb the liquid. Make more holes if necessary. The moisture of the dessert depends on the cake soaking up this syrup. Cool completely. If you cannot add any more, reserve remaining syrup for service.

Remove cake from tin.

To make Caramel Bananas, peel bananas and slice.

Place remaining ingredients into a flat fry pan and cook on a medium heat (Induction 6) until bubbling and blended. Add sliced bananas and just heat through.

SERVE:

Slice the cake into wedges. Top with Caramel bananas, and toasted coconut if using. Serve with additional Tres Leches Syrup and whipped cream, to really tip you over the edge….a dessert not for the faint hearted!!

Hey La La Vanilla Ice Cream (egg free)

Heilala Hamper….be in it to win it!

Well, well, well….the BOOK is out! (Have you been under a rock?) And if you don’t have a copy yet (why not?) you will notice there are quite a few Heilala vanilla recipes in there. My Hey La La of choice is usually the Vanilla Bean Paste because of its flavour richness….but, should you venture further in the Heilala vanilla range, you will notice there are a lot more products than just that Vanilla Rock Star! SO….in partnership with Heilala, I am giving away a fantastic hamper of Heilala vanilla products valued at $250…to accompany this great recipe.

To win, you must tell me which recipe from For Foods Sake you would like to make using Heilala Vanilla and add it as a comment to this story. A random winner will be drawn one week from today and announced on my Facebook page, (so if you haven’t toddled on over there, you better do so and hit the like button!)

COMPETITION IS CLOSED

NEED:

250g whole milk

500g pure cream

Pinch Murray River pink salt

150g rapadura sugar

2 tbsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

1 tsp Heilala vanilla extract

DO:

Place milk, half the cream, salt, sugar and vanilla bean paste into the Thermomix bowl and warm 6 min/80ºC/speed 3.

Cool in the bowl for at least 15 minutes. Add remaining cream and vanilla extract and blend 10 sec/speed 3.

Pour into flat container and freeze several hours until solid.

Break into chunks and place into Thermomix bowl. Blend 2 min/speed 10 with the aid of the spatula. Insert Butterfly and whip 1 min/speed 4. Serve immediately with toasted nuts of choice, Ice Magic or Vanilla Dessert Syrup.

Vanilla Dessert Syrup

NEED:

2 tbsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

200g sugar

100g water

2 tbsp white rum

DO:

Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and cook 5 min/100ºC/speed 2 with MC off. Cool before using. This will keep in the fridge in a glass jar indefinitely.

Vice Cream with Crio Beans

I saw this idea over on one of my fave blogs to read when I have a little time to relax, Not Quite Nigella. I changed it up a little because it was so totally perfect for your fave kitchen appliance and mine! I even made it as a Thermomix demo at my book launch, which incidentally WENT OFF! I hope if you were lucky enough to join me for that, you are still buzzing AND enjoying the spoils in For Foods Sake! I had a ball….If you would like a piece of the action, please go and purchase the book at the STORE.

If you would like a little Vice in your life, best make it this Vice, as it is all good for you! You could add all sorts of crunchy elements, as opposed to the macadamias, but add a little salt if you don’t use salty nuts. The salt will just elevate the flavor a little. Try Choc coated Crio beans, other nuts, chocolate chips or cacao nibs…or add orange zest and enjoy Jaffa Vice Cream…oh the possibilities.

NEED:

400g bananas, peeled and sliced, frozen

1 avocado

90g maple syrup

2 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

40g Margaret River Chocolate cocoa powder (or other premium cocoa)

Handful roasted, salted macadamias

DO:

Place bananas into Thermomix bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 10.

Add remaining ingredients except nuts and blend 10-15 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl and add nuts and blend a further 10 sec/speed 6.

Serve immediately.

Raspberry and Lime Spongey Mess

After an easy dessert? Got a sponge cake in the cupboard? (That was a joke…but you can run down to the shops right?) Most of this recipe can be quickly made and kept in the fridge for a desparate occasion…or go ahead, make a plan and make it as though you meant to…but either way? Delicious…go on, tell me all about it.

NEED:

Lime Butter;
Zest/juice 4 limes
120g sugar
160g unsalted butter , cubed
4 eggs

Berry Lime Coulis;
300g red berries of choice, fresh or frozen
65g sugar
Finely grated zest 1 lime
Juice 1 lime

Passionfruit Cream;

600g cream
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste
Pulp 2 passionfruit (grenadilla)

Assembly;
450g sponge cake, cubed
Additional raspberries to garnish

DO:

Lime Butter;

Place lime zest and sugar into mixing bowl and mill 15 sec/speed 10.

Add butter and chop 5 sec/speed 7.

Insert Butterfly and add all remaining Lime butter ingredients. Cook 10 min/80ºC/speed 4. Remove from bowl and set aside. Cool.

Make Lime Berry Coulis.

Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and cook 8 min/90°C/speed 1.

Blend 1 min/speed 6.

Strain through fine mesh sieve and refrigerate until use.

Whip chilled cream with sugar and vanilla in clean dry Thermomix bowl, with inserted butterfly 10-20 sec/speed 4.

Add passionfruit pulp and incorporate gently 4 sec/speed 4.

 Assembly;

Place cubes of sponge cake into large glass serving bowl, or several individual glasses. Drizzle with a little Berry Lime coulis. Dollop with Lime Butter and Passionfruit Cream. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used ending with cream. Garnish with raspberries. Serve chilled.