Char Sui Pork Bun, De-Constructed!

WARNING: Long ingredient list…but don’t be put off!

You could call this ‘De-constructed Pork Buns or Pot Stickers’…almost. As you know (if you read this blog regularly), I am into anything that is easy and quick, can be adapted to feed 1000′s, and naturally, gotta be tasty. Pork Buns officially fill most of the said requirements, but these are easier and quicker still! And yes, I did the Char Sui Pork myself…see note below.

NEED:

Water Dough Pastry;

50g rice

150g bakers flour

50-100g boiling water

pinch salt

Oil Dough Pastry;

200g bakers flour

pinch salt

50g oil

50-70g hot water

Dressing;

1 dried chilli

2-3 cloves garlic

2cm piece peeled ginger

1-2 tbsp sugar

50g soy sauce

20g Chinese black vinegar

Juice 1 lemon

Remaining Filling;

600g Char Sui Pork, sliced

1/4 Chinese cabbage, shredded

A few sliced spring onions (shallots)

Bean shoots to taste

Crispy fried shallots to taste

500g cubed and roasted sweet potato

Roasted peanuts to taste (optional)

Few sprigs coriander

DO:

To make hot water dough, place rice into Thermomix bowl and mill for 1.5 minutes on speed 10. Add remaining ingredients and only about 50-60g of the water, mix for 6 seconds on speed 6.

With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed. (Add more water at this point if not forming sticky dough.) Turn out onto Silpat mat and wrap tightly. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the oil dough by placing all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mixing for 6 seconds on speed 6. With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1.5 minutes on Interval speed. Wrap tightly and allow to rest for at least 10 mintues.

Place both doughs back into Thermomix bowl and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 2 minutes on 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. Add a ‘slosh’ of  water and cover the pan immediately so that the wrap is steamed. When the water has almost evaporated, remove lid and when golden, turn and brown the other side. Set aside, but keep warm until service.

To make Dressing, place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend together for 15 seconds on speed 6. Set aside.

Assemble wraps as you would any other, salad, sweet potato, dressing, pork, garnishes and more dressing…don’t forget anything now! Is there something you would like me to ‘de-construct’ to make it simpler? Let me know…perhaps that should be my new alter ego…Recipe Doctor.com, or De-Constructs R Us! (Only in my spare time of course!)

Char Sui Pork

Make the Char Sui marinade by placing to taste honey, sugar, oyster sauce, five spice powder, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese wine, chilli, garlic and ginger into Thermomix bowl and mixing until blended. Heat for 4 minutes at 60C on speed 1 to form a syrup. Marinate up to 2 kg of pork fillet slices for several hours. (I marinated for around 24 hours) Cook under a very hot grill until charred and fragrant. Slice as needed.

Creamy Asparagus Soup with extras!

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone…but I am working on a little project on the side…only in my spare time of course! With wintery mornings being the go down under, (particularly in Perth it would appear) I thought a heart warming soup would therefore go a long way just now. And it won’t hurt to add it to the file on my work desktop labelled ‘Souper Bowl’. But you didn’t hear it from me folks.

With apologies for the ‘dismal-night time-old camera-not lit-yes I took the pic’ photo…the recipe will make up for it! Promise!

NEED:

50g EVOO

150-200g cauliflower

Juice 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1 leek chopped and cleaned extremely well

2 bunches asparagus topped and tailed (reserve tops)

700g stock (I used chicken)

150g cream

EVOO to drizzle

Stracchino cheese to taste, sliced

DO:

Place EVOO, cauliflower, lemon juice and seasoning into Thermomix bowl and blend for 2 minutes on speed 8, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl periodically. Set aside.

Without cleaning bowl, add leek and chop for 3-4 seconds on speed 7. Saute for 2 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Add asparagus and stock to Thermomix bowl. Meanwhile, place asparagus tops into Varoma dish. Set Varoma into position and with dial set to closed lid position, cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.5.

Add cream to Thermomix bowl and puree for 15 seconds on speed 8-9. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with Cauliflower cream, asparagus tips, Stracchino  slices and additional EVOO.

It goes without saying that a loaf of crusty bread is the perfect partner…so hit the Bread section on here and choose away.

Buttering the Dough

Oven Ready Scrolls

Ready to Eat

I am hoping that although a pedestrian recipe, this will appease those who seem to call the office regarding said Cheesey Mite Scrolls…and whilst I am all for Vegemite (used to eat it by the spoonful in my wasted youth) on this occasion I omitted it. BUT please, use your noggin and add Vegemite at will, in great dollops if desired, simply spread on dough prior to proceeding with the remaining instructions, (possibly omitting the pepper).

OH, and By. The. Way.  I have a new camera, thus the not so pedestrian pics…and so many of them. My DH is trigger happy. Hopefully this means my own book is closer than ever to being realised, if I can just get my head around another learning curve…am I too old for all this and dear readers…will you buy it? Let me know.

CHEESEY SCROLLS

NEED:

510g bakers flour

2tsp dried yeast

40g EVOO

good pinch sea salt

300g warm water (tepid)

40g melted butter

300g mixed cubed cheeses of choice (I used Dutch Leydon, Vintage Cheddar and Grana Padano ~ or good Parmesan)

Generous amount of cracked black pepper

DO:

Make dough by placing flour, yeast, EVOO, salt and water into Thermomix bowl and mixing for 6 seconds on speed 6. With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 2 minutes on Interval speed. Wrap tightly in Silpat mat and allow to prove until doubled.

Meanwhile place all cheeses into Thermomix bowl and mill for 7-8 seconds on speed 8.

When dough has risen, preheat oven to 220C.

Use a little of the melted butter to prepare a rectangular baking dish.

Roll dough into a large rectangle and brush with more butter.

Spread almost all of the cheese on the dough being sure to cover all the edges. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Roll into large sausage shape and then cut through using pastry scraper. Turn filling side up and arrange in baking dish next to each other so there are no gaps.

Drizzle with remaining butter, top with remaining cheese and cook for 20 minutes or until golden. (Do I need to say it?) SERVE HOT!

We have been on a bit of a pizza kick at work. I am happy to say I have never been off my pizza kick. Always loved it, always will. I have a fantastic pizza stone that is unrivalled. It is ceramic with tunnels running from front to back and seems to produce a superior product. (Or maybe I’m just a damn fine pizza cook!) Anyhoo, I don’t have any recipes for pizza up here…a grave error, (Recipe? Bread dough, slap on a sauce, topping and cheese and we’re done, right?) and of course, when it comes to this site, the first pizza I come up with is for dessert. Not traditional, but certainly worth the effort. Enjoy!

NEED:

Starter;

1tsp sugar

1tsp granulated yeast

160g bakers flour

220g cold water

pinch sea salt

Base;

1 egg

250g buttermilk or milk

30g butter

400g bakers flour

olive oil

DO:

Place all starter ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 7. Scrape into non plastic bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave overnight at room temperature. (Cool is fine!)

The next day, place all of starter and remaining ingredients (except oil) into Thermomix bowl and mix together for 6 seconds on speed 6. The dough will appear sticky. With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 2 minutes at Interval speed.

Turn out onto oiled Silpat mat and knead into tight ball by hand. Place into oiled glass bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap so it is airtight. Allow to double, again, a slow rise in a cooler temperature will give you a nicer crumb in the finished base.

Gently tip dough out onto baking paper or Silpat mat and divide into 3 equal pieces. Push each piece into desired shape with finger tips so as to dimple the top of the dough. Do not roll out or stretch out…allow the elasticity in the dough to work for you.

Top with variety of toppings. Bake by sliding pizza straight onto preheated pizza stone and cook until golden and bubbly. (Raspberry, lime option will have a lot of caramelised sauce) Serve immediately with lashings of mascarpone cream cheese or double cream or possibly ice cream.

I did two on this occasion (see below) photographed both and in a flu induced haze, deleted them both off my SD card before saving them, thus the singular pic. Did a cheesecake cherry topping at work…and luckily took that pic at work, so all safe and sound on my desktop, so have included that in the trio. All three were delicious and did not last long.

Topping One;

Press a few raspberries into the base, add thinly sliced lime. Drizzle with grapeseed oil and sprinkle the whole thing generously with organic raw sugar. When eating the lime slices can be removed, tho I quite enjoyed the crunchy caramelised skins.

Topping Two;

Sprinkle base with cranberries and dark mini chocolate nibs. Be quite liberal. Drizzle entire pizza with organic maple syrup.

Topping Three;

Cherry Sauce NEED:
60g sugar
670g jar morello pitted cherries
30g cornflour

DO:

Place sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 10.
Insert basket into Thermomix bowl and pour whole jar of cherries in. Remove basket (with cherries) and set aside.
Add cornflour to Thermomix bowl and cook for 4-5 minutes at 100ºC on speed 4. Set aside.

Lemon Cheesecake NEED:
80g sugar
Zest and juice 1 lemon
2 eggs
500g cream cheese

DO:
Place sugar and zest into Thermomix bowl and mill together for 10 seconds on speed 10.
Add remaining ingredients and blend together for 10 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.

ASSEMBLE:

Divide dough into two portions and roll out each separately on a piece of baking paper.

Place first pizza onto pizza stone and bake for approximately 7-8 minutes or until starting to brown slightly. The pizza may puff up as there are no toppings, but this is not a problem.

Remove from oven and generously spread half of the cheesecake mixture onto the pizza.

Drizzle with half of the cherry sauce, top with a few of the reserved cherries and return to the oven for 3-4 minutes or until lemon cheesecake topping has set. Serve immediately and make a second one….cos you’re going to need it!

Seeded Cheesey Scone Ring

Not sexy in any way, more of a mumsy recipe, but warm and homey like a pair of fluffy slippers. Cold weather has hit the western part of Australia, and so comfort food is on the menu in most homes, including mine…and of course, I am the penultimate mumsy, so this recipe suits me and my slippers perfectly. We enjoyed this tonight alongside another family fave, Bacon and Corn Chowder that has been remixed for Thermomix. (I can get through winter, I can get through winter…) And just a note to my American friends, a scone is not a scone…but a biscuit…and a biscuit is a cookie…and a cookie is…well, still a cookie, but lets not get too confused!

NEED:

Handful fresh sage leaves, foliage only

60g Parmesan cheese cubed

80g aged cheddar cubed

160g cream

90g soda water

350g SR flour

30g sunflower seeds

DO:

Preheat oven to 180C and line a flat baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.

Place sage leaves and cheeses into Thermomix bowl and mill together for 7 seconds on speed 7. Set aside.

Place remaining ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix together for 10 seconds on speed 4 until dough forms. Add 70g of the grated cheese mixture into the bowl and mix a further 5 seconds on speed 4. Tip mixture out onto Silpat mat and push together with your hands to form a disc. Roll out gently and cut rounds out using the MC as a cutter. Place on prepared tray, slightly overlapping each round on the the next scone to form a ring. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

SERVE:

…what else? Lashings of butter, preferably home made…and of course soup or chowder of choice.

Beef Kofta with Rosemary Sprigs

Well today was the big day…I had a photo shoot for an ad that will appear in the all new Master Chef Magazine in my kitchen…exciting! I did dream all night long about styling the dish I had planned for a side bar pic, but still sporting a flu (will it ever end??)! I woke up feverish and not in the mood at all to pretend I was in Master Chef and producing the winning dish! SO, we had it for dinner, and no, sadly, it won’t appear in the mag spread! But then, it doesn’t need to, cos it’s on here, right?

NEED:

Salad;

Wraps, pitas, or flat bread of choice per serving

400g Heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved

Fresh parsley

Rainbow chard leaves

Sliced red onion

Crumbled feta

Greek Yogurt and EVOO to taste

Additional sprouts and herbs to taste

Kofta;

2tsp fennel seeds

2 sprigs rosemary (foliage only)

Handful Italian parsley

Handful mint leaves

2-3 spring onions/shallots

500-550g cubed beef fillet

1tsp cumin

100g dried breadcrumbs

40g raw honey

100g feta

1 egg

pinch Celtic sea salt

DO:

To make kofta, place fennel seeds and rosemary foliage into Thermomix bowl and mill for 8 seconds on speed 10. Add remaining herbs and spring onions and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add remaining ingredients and mince together for 30 seconds on Reverse + speed 8. Use the spatula if necessary to help you incorporate the ingredients together. Turn off the reverse button a couple of times just to untangle the mixture from the blades.

Heat a grill or fry pan to smoking with just a drizzle of oil. With damp hands, form ‘rissoles’ and flatten slightly. Cook until well done and turn.

Meanwhile, prepare each wrap by flame grilling on the actual flame of a gas burner until you have a char grilled look with burnt edges….or to taste. Place onto each serving plate and dress with salad, feta, yoghurt, EVOO etc.

Top each prepared plate with 2-3 Koftas. Serve immediately with additional yoghurt to taste.

Almond Rosemary Crackers

A boring title methinks…but I have been studying good blogging habits and to my horror found I have comitted the cardinal recipe blogging sin; not naming my post correctly…being silly, in other words! This means all you search engine recipe junkies cannot find my recipes because, ‘Going Crackers’ does not come up in google when ‘Crackers’ is the search term!

So in an effort to help more readers find my recipes, I have taken the Oath of Truthful Titles, (yes that would be OTT)…no more crazy lady rants…well in the title at least.

I am sitting at present in Alice Springs airport waiting for my flight home to Perth after a whirlwind trip to cook with Cyndi O’Meara. What a beautiful place this is and I must say, unexpectedly so from my perspective. I think I thought I was flying into a flat desert, but quite the contrary. Stunning scenery and iconic Australian landscape that needs further investigation with the family…but I digress.

This recipe is one I whipped up last weekend in a cooking frenzy to feed my family in my absence (do they appreciate it?? NO!)

It is adapted from a recipe on Elana’s Pantry, a fantastic Gluten Free site that I frequent, though there are ingredients used that are unavailable in Australia. As usual, I knew there was an easier Thermomix version and so this; fantastic Almond and Rosemary crackers. I must say I have gone down this path before, but always added flour to make more of a shortbread. I now have a whole gamut of other ideas based on this method, so hold on to your Thermomixes…here we go!

Almond and Rosemary Crackers

NEED:

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, foliage only

270g blanched almonds

Celtic Sea salt to taste

1tbsp EVOO

1 egg

DO:

Preheat oven to 150°C.

Place rosemary, almonds and salt into Thermomix bowl and mill for 5 seconds on speed 8.

Add EVOO and egg and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6 to form a dough.

Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper as thinly as possible and score with a pizza cutter into desired shapes. Sprinkle with additional salt grains if desired and press into the dough with a piece of baking paper.

Bake for 15 minutes until crisp. To complete ‘crisping’ process, break crackers apart and turn over and return to turned off oven to dry out.

Serve with cheese platter.

TASTE:

Add different herbs of choice according to what you have growing in your garden. Other good matches would be basil, oregano, paprika, or add garlic and 40g of good Parmesan to the nut mix before milling together.

So there you have it kids, not as boring as one may think…and all as I sit in an airport, gotta love it…

Leek and Four Cheeses Flan

Well it is a bit of a cop out, Thermomix consultants received this recipe earlier in the month, but I am off to Darwin and Alice with Cyndi O’Meara come Sunday morning, I have the flu (will not get sick, will not get sick) and of course life stops for  no one…so here you go; Yummy, seasonal and easy…and churned out in a bumper week of recipe development…did I mention I love my job??

Leek and Four Cheese Tart

NEED:

Pastry;

75g Parmesan

150g roasted and salted macadamia nuts

210g plain flour

1 egg yolk

Sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste

1tsp mustard powder

65g ice cold water

Filling;

2 leeks cleaned and roughly chopped

30g butter

Sprig fresh thyme, foliage only

50g white wine

300g cream

300g mixed soft cheeses of choice (we recommend taleggio, feta and gruyere)

3 eggs and 1 egg white

DO:

Preheat oven to 200ºC.

Make pastry by placing Parmesan into Thermomix bowl and milling for 20 seconds on speed 8. Add macadamias and mill for 8 seconds on speed 8.

Add remaining pastry ingredients and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4 or until a crumbly mixture forms.

Tip out onto floured Silpat Mat and bring together with hands to form a disc shape.

Roll out and line 24cm deep dish flan tin with removable base. Place into freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Blind bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 170ºC.

To make filling, place leeks, butter and thyme into Thermomix bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 6.

Scrape down sides of bowl and sauté for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Add wine and cook a further 2 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Cool. Once cooled spread over cooked pastry base and set aside.

Place cheeses into Thermomix bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 4. Add cream and cook for 5 minutes at 100ºC on speed soft or until cheeses have melted and blended with cream.

Insert Butterfly and add eggs and white and beat for 2 minutes on speed 3.

Add seasoning to taste and pour over leek mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning the heat down if necessary to prevent browning. The centre should still be somewhat wobbly as it will continue to cook when removed from the oven.

Serve warm or cold with a fresh salad.

For an extra little tweak, try adding some halved cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach or asparagus after the leek mixture underneath the custard.

SO kids, I’ll try and get something fresh and unseen up here next week…in the meantime I have plans that involve a swimming pool, new bathers and heaps of lotion…Northern Sun, here I come!

Chocolate Butter Tart with Walnuts

What else is there…really? If you want a decadent dessert, they usually include those three, and of course, add a few toasted nuts and chocolate and you really have the whole dessert ‘thang’ going on! I know this is a bit of recurring theme on this site, but just as there are no new stories, there are no new recipes…its just the method and ratio’s that differ. So go for a run, and if you still feel like eating this, go ahead and make it, but only eat a small, small sliver…and at your own risk!

Caramel Nutty Tart

NEED:

Pastry;

60g sugar

pinch salt

35g walnut halves

85g blanched almonds

230g plain flour

100g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

DO:

Place sugar and salt into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 10.

Toast nuts in 200C oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant and cool.

Add nuts to Thermomix bowl and mill for a further 3 seconds on speed 8.

Add remaining ingredients except the egg and mix for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add egg and mix for a few seconds on speed 7 or until a pastry forms.

Tip out onto floured Silpat mat and push together into a tight disc. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out and lining a 23cm flan tin with removable base with pastry. Prick bottom with fork and place into freezer for at least 30 minutes. Bake in preheated 170C oven for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool.

NEED:

Filling;

1 cup mixed walnuts and pecans, toasted (as above) and roughly chopped

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup syrup (golden, maple or corn)

1/4 cup water

130g unsalted butter

50g cream

50g mascarpone cream cheese or creme fraiche

DO:

Place sugar, water and syrup into saucepan and on a low heat dissolve sugar, stirring occasionally. Brush down sides of saucepan with wet pastry brush to remove crystals as they form.

Once the mixture is a clear syrup, increase heat to induction 6-7 (steady simmer) and cook without stirring until the syrup becomes a deep yet clear amber colour. (approximately 8-10 minutes) Continue to brush sides of pan with wet pastry brush as needed. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients except nuts. Stir vigorously to incorporate. Cool.

Stir through nuts and pour mixture into pastry shell. Refrigerate until set and completely cold.

NEED:

Chocolate Glaze;

100g dark chocolate (70% or higher)

120g cream

DO:

Place chocolate into Thermomix bowl and mill for 8 seconds on speed 10.

Add cream and melt together for 2-3 minutes at 60C on speed 3.

Pour over the top of the cold tart, spreading to just the edges of the filling, leaving the top of the pastry rim bare.

Set completely in fridge before cutting to serve, in, as I said, THIN slivers!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Well after a flying visit to the South West, I came home to a day off…heaven wouldn’t you think? Except I spent half of it waiting in a doctors surgery for kid #5 to see doctor, and the other half waiting at dental surgeon for kid #3 to see dentist! Them’s the breaks with a bunch ‘o’ kids! So having made this earlier, and half written this blog post, it seemed the easiest thing to put up…but not without trying it again…which I happily did…all for the sake of the blog! The things I sacrifice for you guys…really…

Salted Caramel Brownies

NEED:

300g rapadura sugar

70g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tsp sea salt plus extra for topping

4 large eggs

1 large yolk

60g cacao powder

150g SR flour

100g each macadamia and pecan or pistachio kernels

Extra nuts for topping

DO:

Preheat oven to 180C and line a 23cm square pan with baking paper that comes up over the edges for easy removal.

Place sugar, butter and vanilla into Thermomix bowl and chop together for 5 seconds on speed 6. Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2.

Add salt and incorporate for 30 seconds on speed 4.

Add eggs, yolk and cacao to Thermomix bowl and mix for 15 seconds on speed 5.

Scrape down sides of bowl and add flour and nuts and mix for 3 seconds on speed 5.

Spread into prepared pan, stud with additional nuts, sprinkle generously with additional sea salt and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and bang on bench quite firmly to prevent rise from continuing. Return to oven for a further 10 minutes or until just wobbly in centre.

Allow to cool slightly in tin before cutting into enormous pieces and wolfing down immediately!