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!

Fig Walnut and Olive Ciabatta

I have been planning this loaf for a while, had a fail and this is the new and improved version. It is in fact a ciabatta loaf with the optional addition of toasted walnuts, Kalamata olives and dried figs. Similar to Turkish bread, Ciabatta requires a sponge starter, which of course always adds extra flavour, the lazy baker’s sourdough flavour without all the work! With a little forethought, you can be buttering some of this in the next 24 hours!

NEED:

Sponge:

100g warm water

180g bakers flour

1/2 tsp dried yeast

Loaf:

40g milk

1/2 tsp dried yeast

150g warm water

20g EVOO

320g bakers flour

2 tsp sea salt

100g dried Turkish figs

100g toasted walnuts

100g pitted Kalamata olives

DO:

Make sponge by placing water and yeast into Thermomix bowl and mixing for 2 minutes at 37C on speed soft.

Add flour and knead for 2 minutes at Interval speed. Place into small bowl, cover tightly with plastic and leave at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

To make bread;

Place milk, yeast, warm water and EVOO into Thermomix bowl and warm for 1.5 minutes at 37C on speed soft.

Add sponge, flour and salt and knead for 4 minutes at Interval speed.

Place into oiled bowl or wrap in Silpat mat and allow to prove for at least 2 hours or until doubled. (This will very much vary on room temperature, I had the luxury of time plus a cold day today and I left it for around 4 hours before finishing the loaf.)

To finish the loaf, heat a pizza stone in a 220C oven.

Place figs into Thermomix and chop for 1 second on speed 5. Add olives and walnuts and return the dough to the Thermomix bowl. Knead for 1-2 minutes on Interval speed or until extras are combined. Turn dough out onto oiled baking paper and form into a loose round (or shape of choice). Place into Varoma dish and set aside.

Place 1L of water into Thermomix bowl and heat for 10 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2. Set Varoma into position and steam bread (on baking paper) for 10 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2.

Transfer loaf, still on the paper to pizza stone and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on wire rack. (Spray with water sprayer for a crustier crust.)

You know I love a good bread recipe, and never short on food ideas, I am happy to say that I found a couple of fellow bloggers on the same wave length for these ones; Pink Parsley did an excellent recipe adapted from the now extinct Gourmet Magazine and added Jalepeno Mustard…terrific idea! But my first discovery of like minded plan was by cruising Tastespotting, a site that should you happen across, you will immediately gain 3 kilos and lose all sense of time…well maybe I exaggerate, 2 kilos max. Pennies on a Platter showed up on Tastespotting with these beauties and so the deed was done. They say there are no new stories in the world, and similarly, no new recipes, and sorry folks, have to agree, though I couldn’t resist adding a sweet version of course. What else is there if not adding chocolate to bread? Well theres always lime…so I’m giving you (and me!) a day off the chocolate, and defaulting to my other sweet fave. Enjoy!

NEED:

1 batch Pretzel Dough divided in half

1 recipe Lime Butter (Lemon Butter using lime zest and juice…)

100g tasty or aged cheese cubed

200g chorizo sausage

DO:

Make pretzel dough and allow to prove.

Make Lime Butter and refrigerate.

(I pre made the Lime Butter a day ahead and therefore it was completely cold, which helps.)

Preheat oven to 220C and line 2 baking trays with paper and set aside.

Place cheese into clean, dry, Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 10. Set aside.

Place Chorizo into Thermomix bowl and chop or mince for 8-10 seconds on speed 8.

Roll half dough out into large rectangle and spread first with cheese, then chorizo. Carefully roll over onto itself along long side of rectangle to make a large sausage shape, tucking the dough underneath itself and pinching together to close. Cut into pieces and lay onto prepared tray. Brush with mixture of  50g Baking soda (bicarb) that has been dissolved in a little water before baking for approximately 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.

To make Lime Butter Pretzels, repeat rolling out process with remaining dough, spread with cold Lime Butter, roll, cut into bite sized pieces and place on prepared tray. Brush with Bicarb mixture before baking at same temperature. These will cook a little quicker, so check them at around 8 minutes. Dollop with additional Lime Butter as they cool. Serve immediately.

After a weekend of eating, I have almost decided this blog (and bloggess) needs to go on a diet, (or at least stay away from Tastespotting!) and yet I can’t help but notice the first three letters of diet are die! AND I made another tart with pineapple and passionfruit that, yes, will undoubtedly show up on here soon. So what do you think readers? Are you ready for a few weeks of spartan? It’s just not as much fun dreaming up a bowl of lentils, that’s all….comments please!

Yes, The Full Willy! As in Willy’s Wonky Chocolate…its a long story, but after watching the amazing Willy on SBS and being totally charmed by the romance of it all, I happened to visit my sister and found that her husband had gone ahead and ordered some of Willy’s amazing chocolate and whats more, he GAVE me some, bless his cotton socks! They cost a little more than the average chocolate bar (well a lot more actually) and in an effort to honour such a gift (and chocolate perfection) I pondered again and again what I should do with such a precious commodity! I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy factory and couldn’t quite decide between good and gooder…but here we go. A combo of several faves of mine, brioche, almonds and of course, good old Willies Wonky chocolate.

NEED:
1 batch Brioche dough

1 beaten egg for glaze

100g Willys 100% cacao bar (or unsweetened dark chocolate in the absence of excellence!)

150g caster sugar

150g almonds

150g clotted cream

2tsp vanilla essence

1tsp almond essence (optional)

DO:
Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside. Make brioche as directed and rise overnight. Bring dough to room temperature before using as follows;

Roll dough out to large rectangular shape.

Spread filling on as evenly as possible. Fold half dough lengthways into centre of rectangle. Bring other half in to meet it in center. Fold those ‘pockets’ in on top of one another to make a long layered length of dough.

Cut across into equal widths (see pic) and place onto prepared trays. Brush with egg wash. Place into cold oven (to facilitate another rise) and bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown at 200-220C. Cool slightly before eating…though to burn ones tongue on molten chocolate inside fragrant brioche is akin to sadistic pleasure…not that I know about all that stuff!

To make filling;

To make filling place chocolate (in chunks) into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9. Add sugar and almonds and mill a further 20 seconds until the fat is actually starting to be released from the cacao and almonds and the mixture starts to form a rough dough.

Add cream and essences and mix a further 10 seconds on speed 7. Spread this on dough and proceed as directed above.

So Willy, here’s hoping this meets your high standards! Amazing story, amazing chocolate,and now amazing Chocolate Brioche (at least I like to think so…thanks Stu!)

Sweet Butter glazed rolls

I had a lovely family dinner at mine on the weekend, enjoyed trying a few new things, something that I don’t often do in the family setting. I never cook the same thing twice at work, but at  home we have our tried and true faves. As you know I love making bread, there is something so satisfying about a risen dough that defies the telling! The dough is quite pliable, but tight, as opposed to soft for these, so enjoy, make it a family project. I think the dough could stand a child or two using it like play dough, and such yummy results!

NEED:

2tsp dry yeast
55g water
70g sugar
55g butter
1tsp salt
220g buttermilk or milk
1 egg

680g bakers flour
Melted butter to brush rolls

DO:

Place yeast, water, sugar, butter, salt and milk into Thermomix bowl and warm for 2 minutes at 37ºC on speed 2.

Add egg and flour and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6.

With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 2 minutes on Interval speed.

Turn out onto floured ThermoMat and bring dough together into tight ball. Wrap and prove until doubled.

Form into rolls and place on paper lined tray. Brush with melted butter and allow to double again before baking in 200ºC oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Serve warm.

If bread is the staff of life, then this is a great way to live! Enjoy!

Go crackers!

Now that could seem a little tasteless, if they weren’t so darn tasty! Full of linseed, a little Chia to chia you up, no soy, but plenty of phyto estrogens going on…and we all know how good they can taste! Crackers with no wheat as well, which as you all know is my new mantra, (well for this week!!)

I was craving bread-like, crunch-like, something to dip into dip-like…so, like… made these!

NEED:
2 cloves garlic
50g Parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin and cayenne
120g polenta
120g linseed
200g rye flour
20g Chia seeds
2 tsp granulated yeast
1 tbsp sugar
50g EVOO
1 tbs sea salt
200g warm water

DO:
Preheat oven to 175oC.
Place garlic, Parmesan, and dry spices into Thermomix bowl and mill for 8 seconds on speed 9. Set aside.
Place all remaining ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix for 7 seconds on speed 7.
With dial set to closed lid position, knead on Interval speed for 1-2 minutes until sticky dough is formed.
Tip dough out onto floured Silicone Mat and bring together by hand. Divide into four and working one piece at a time, roll as thinly as possible between 2 layers of baking paper.
Sprinkle with topping and roll into dough with paper.
Lay on baking tray and score with pizza cutter into whatever shapes you desire.
Bake for 10 minutes and then remove until all crackers are cooked. Break apart and mound onto one tray. Leave in 70o oven until fully crispy! (About 30 minutes)
Wrap in foil and keep in the fridge for total crispy-ness to remain…but I bet they will be gone the moment any dip gets near them!

Golden Brioche

Eat Me Eat Me

The Love Affair I have with bread apparently should stop or at least slow down. According to an Ion Cleanse I had this last week anyway. Not sure I am completely convinced, but I have stopped eating all gluten for a week, and I must say, I have more energy, so that can’t be all bad. We”ll see if it helped when I go for another Ion Cleanse this week coming…(how’s that for sucked in??)

This recipe for ‘Pain Brioche’ I have developed over a couple of tries (tough, but someone had to do it!) and after half a brioche conversation with chef Martin James from Wai restaurant in Queenstown at his Master Class, this is the excellent result, if I say so myself. Brioche is traditionally tough to make and a real labour of love, but in the Thermomix, cold butter and all, an absolute snap….and on a side note, I have devoted an entire category to ‘Bread for Life’ (see right drop down column) because, as noted before somewhere on here, I have added substantial amounts of bread musings to this blog in recent times.

Golden Pain Brioche

NEED:
120g butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
130g milk
360g bakers flour
1 tsp salt
Egg wash for glazing

DO:
Weigh and cube butter, place on plate in freezer.
Place eggs, yeast, sugar and milk into Thermomix and blend for 5 seconds on speed 5. Warm for 3 minutes at 37ºC on speed 1.
Add flour and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 4 minutes at Interval speed. Through hole in lid, add cubed butter a little at a time. The finished dough will be sticky and glossy, but quite malleable. Scrape out onto buttered Silicone Mat and with buttered hands, knead into a smooth ball. Do not be tempted to add flour.
Place into glass bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge over night (or for at least 12 hours) to rise slowly.
Punch down and place into bread or brioche tin. Allow to rise in a 40ºC oven for as long as it takes to double. (It may take a couple of hours as the dough has to ‘wake up’ after being in the fridge.)
Brush with egg wash before baking for 15-20 minutes in 200ºC oven until sounding hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from tin and place back in the turned off oven after baking just to dry crust a little.

Serve immediately, and honestly, try not to eat the entire thing in one sitting, as it is excellent when grilled the next day and served with sliced peaches and mascarpone, drizzled with real maple syrup…sorry, must stop drooling and get to the gym.

Parmesan Pretzels

Pretzel-in-a-basket

Told you I was stuck on bread and ice cream! Just can’t think past that at the moment…work recipes are sucking my brains out through my taste buds I fear, but all to good result. Those big buttery pretzels you buy in a popular chain right now are so overpriced, that my Scottish heritage came to the fore and I just had to see what could be done about it. A lot, it would seem! After a less successful attempt, I tried again and frankly these were literally gone in minutes…(office staff, you know who you are)! Now I have to try again, just so the family can taste them…and how about trying cinnamon sugar, maple icing, lemon glaze, fruit into the dough, olives into the dough, pepperoni and cream cheese into the dough….oh heaven…should I stop now? So many options, so few occasions to eat pretzels!

NEED:
2 teaspoons yeast granules
290-300 grams cold milk
20 grams olive oil
80 grams sugar
550 grams bakers flour
good pinch salt
100 grams bicarb soda
Bowl of hot water
extra sea salt and melted butter for topping and/or cinnamon sugar, grated parmesan etc.

DO:
Place yeast, milk, oil and 1 tsp of the sugar into Thermomix bowl and blend for a few seconds on speed 5. Warm through for 3 minutes on 37oC on speed 2.
Add remaining sugar, flour and salt and mix for 10 seconds on speed 7.
With dial set to closed lid position, knead at Interval setting for 2-3 minutes. If the dough is dry or wet at this point add additional water or flour as needed! (You need a firm dough for pretzels.)
Wrap in oiled bread mat and set in warm place to double.
Meanwhile, pre heat oven to 220oC and if you have a pizza stone, heat in oven at the same time.
Place bicarb soda into hot water and dissolve with fork.
Divide dough into a bakers dozen (13…really!) and then form pretzels by rolling long ‘snakes’ out of each piece. Holding each end of the dough, hit the bread mat a few times to lengthen and even out the dough. Make large pretzel shape, push joins together and then dip into cooled bicarb water before placing directly onto heated pizza stone, (or paper lined baking tray). Cook for about 8 minutes until golden brown, remove and cool slightly before brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with toppings of choice.
You’ll never buy one of those delicious, yet over priced pretzels again, and alongside the whole Seinfeld crew, you’ll be telling everyone that ‘these pretzels are making me thirsty’!