{lemon tart or tart au citron in hermie}

Last week I was supposed to go to mum's for a family dinner with my sisters. When it's a big gathering I love to offer to make dessert because it's a chance to make something different. I was going to make a lemon tart. However, I fell sick with the flu and never made it past buying the ingredients.

That being said, we had some lovely friends over for dinner this weekend and because I had the ingredients on hand, I gave the lemon tart another chance. Also, it happens to be one of Mr S's favourites and in his words "it's satisfying with just one big piece and I don't have to keep having more". These are big words for someone who doesn't normally eat sweet treats!

This tart is tangy and refreshing. I love the fact it uses the lemon juice as well as the zest and it is actually very easy to make. When you go to a cafe or restaurant next time, you'll look at the lemon tart in a different way because you'll think how expensive a slice of dessert is when it is sooo easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. On that note, Enjoy!

Sweet Short Crust Pastry
340 grams plain flour
pinch of salt
150 grams unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes
90 grams caster sugar (or icing sugar)
2 eggs

1. Place flour, salt & butter into TM bowl. Mix 5secs/ speed 5 until mixed together and it resembles a bread crumb like mixture.
2. Add sugar and mix 3secs/ speed 5.
3. Add eggs and mix 3secs/ speed 5. Then, knead 30sec/ closed lid position/ knead button.
4. 'Pour' mixture out onto baking paper or ThermoMat and bring together to form a ball. Wrap in glad wrap and put into the fridge for about 1hr to rest. Have a rest and a cup of tea :-)
5. Pre-heat oven to 190C and roll out pastry to line a 23cm round fluted tart tin. I find rolling the pastry out between 2 pieces of baking paper the easiest. Trim the edges and rest in the fridge for another 10mins.

Lemon Filling
Zest of 3 lemons
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
250 grams caster sugar
200 grams thick cream
200 grams lemon juice

1. Place lemon zest in TM bowl. Zest for 20secs/ speed 10. Scrape down sides of bowl and zest another 10 secs if required. Set aside for later.
2. Put eggs, egg yolks and sugar into TM bowl. Mix 5secs/ speed 5. 
3. Add cream, lemon juice and zest to TM bowl and mix a further 5secs/ speed 5.

Putting it together
1. Line the pastry shell with a piece of baking paper and blind bake using baking beads/rice/cous cous for 10 mins. Remove the beads and bake for a further 5 mins.
2. Reduce temperature to 150C and pour lemon filling into tart pan (there may be some left over) and bake for 35-40mins until filling is set.
3. Rest and cool before serving. Serve as is or with double thickened cream.

Serves 8-10

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: With the offcuts of pastry and extra lemon filling, I make a small extra tart just for Mr S :-)

{banana cake in hermie}

This morning when I looked over at our fruit bowl, it looked a little sad with two nearly black bananas and a half de-zested lemon. I'm not one to waste food and thought that I should either freeze the bananas in portions for later, or make a cake. I love cake for afternoon tea and snacks so definitely chose the latter.

The recipe I have chosen to convert and tweak for the Thermomix (aka Hermie) is not an old family recipe but one from Donna Hay. I can't actually find the one that my mum used to make when we were children and ever since losing it, have been trying to find one that is just as moist, easy and tasty to make. Looking in "Off the Shelf" by Donna Hay, I think I have found it. The official taste test by Miss I and Mr S have passed so I think this one is here to stay.

P.S. bananas are a very versatile ingredient. You can freeze them to make 'ice-cream', they are a great addition to a morning smoothie, great as fritters and they make a tasty, moist cake. Enjoy!

210 grams raw sugar
60 grams brown sugar
200 grams bananas (about 2 large ones), peeled, broken into pieces
125 grams butter, cut into 1.5cm cubes (can be straight from the fridge)
3 eggs
150 grams sour cream (or yoghurt or cream)
270 grams wholemeal self raising flour (you can use normal if you prefer)

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Line a 22cm square cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place raw sugar in TM bowl and mill 20secs/ speed10. Scrape down sides.
3. Add brown sugar, bananas, butter, eggs and sour cream into TM bowl. Mix 5secs/ speed6.
4. Add flour and mix 3secs/ speed5. Pour into prepared cake tin & bake 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Serve as is with a warm cup of tea. If you want icing, a beautiful cream cheese or simple vanilla buttercream would work well.

                   

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: If you want to make it a bit naughty, then add some chocolate chips at step 4; about 150-200grams will do. This cake also freezes well so an easy snack for school/work lunches. Slice and freeze in portions to save time in the morning.

{3-ingredient coconut ice-cream in hermie}

There are so many ice-cream flavours around that I can't even imagine some of them when I hear what a friend has recently tried. Having said that, one of my favourite ice-cream flavours is coconut. However, this is a flavour that is rarely sold in the shops in Australia and I'm sure that if it was, it would be full of additives and numbers that I don't want to be putting into my body. I have found it once in an Asian Grocer, however it was very watery and a granita-like consistency that was very hard to scoop when frozen solid.

So, when I received Adam Liaw's latest recipe book for Christmas, "Asian After Work", I was pleasantly surprised to find the simplest coconut ice-cream recipe in there. I had to give it a go and took it to a friend BBQ for dessert. It was a great hit! Here it is "Thermomix" converted. Enjoy xx

100 grams raw sugar

420 grams coconut milk (1 400ml can)

300 grams thickened cream (about 1 300ml carton)

1. Place sugar into dry TM bowl and mill 10secs/ speed 10.

2. Add coconut milk and cream to bowl and cook 6mins/ 90C/ speed 2 until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warmed through.

3. Pour into a freezer proof container and chill in the freezer for about 5 hours.

4. After 5 hours, pour mixture back into TM bowl and churn 10secs/ speed 6. Then, 2-3 times/ 2 secs/ closed lid position. Re-freeze for about another 5 hours or even better overnight.

5. Serve as is, with a banana fritter or with some sweet tropical fruits like Rambutan & Pineapple (as above).

Makes about 700ml.

Tips: If you don't have thickened cream, you can use pouring cream. However, you may need to repeat step 4 again (which will add time to the freezing length).

{easy apple crumble in hermie}

As you would know from previous posts, we are a dessert family. The other night, I had made dinner and when it was cooked realised just how small it was going to be and I didn't want hungry tummies afterwards. As I hadn't actually planned any dessert (for once), I quickly scrummaged around the kitchen to see what I had and came up with a super easy apple crumble that can be made with a few simple ingredients and not much effort. I'm almost embarrassed to call it a Mei original recipe... it is that simple.

Apple Filling:
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed ~3cm (about 400 grams)
500mls water for cooking
sprinkle of ground cinnamon to taste

Crumble:
1/2 C plain flour
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C castor sugar
4 tablespoons butter

ice-cream or cream for serving

1. Preheat oven to 190C.
2. Place apple in TM basket. Add water to TM bowl and cook 12mins/ varoma/ speed 3.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add all crumble ingredients and 'rub' together until it forms a sand like texture.
4. Spoon apple into a 4 Cup capacity pie dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top to taste.
5. Spread the crumble over the top.

6. Put in oven to bake for 20-25mins or until golden.
7. Serve immediately with ice-cream or cream.

Serves 4

Bon Appetit xx

Notes: This crumble is quite a fine crumble. If you would like to make it coarser, I would try replacing half the flour with some roughly milled oats and/or some roughly chopped walnuts. Also, as I'm in a hurry and there's 12 minutes for the apple to cook, I make the crumble manually. If you wanted to wait, I'm sure you could make it in the Thermomix using the turbo button a few times. 

** update 19th March 2014 ** 
Please find below, the "complete" Thermomix Version.

Crumble
100 grams butter, cut into 2cm cubes
80 grams plain flour
60 grams brown sugar
60 grams castor sugar

Apple filling
500 grams water
2-3 largish granny smith apples

1. Pre-heat oven to 190C. Place all crumble ingredients into TM bowl. Mix 2-3times/ 1sec/ closed lid position/ Turbo. Set aside for later.
2. Place water into TM bowl. Heat 5mins/ 100C/ speed1.
3. Meanwhile, peel and core the apples. Cut into 2-3cm cubes and place in TM basket. When water is finished, place TM basket into TM bowl and steam apples 10mins/ Varoma/ speed3.
4. When steamed through, pour apples into baking dish and top with reserved crumble. Bake in oven 20-25mins.

{self-saucing chocolate pudding in hermie}

So, I've made the sticky date pudding to death now and the family is wanting something else. Firstly, chocolate comes to mind. Who doesn't like chocolate? I've been looking through my recipe books and have come across one such recipe that ticks all the boxes. 
Easy? Yes. 
Quick? Yes. 
Chocolate? Yes. 
Yummy? Yes...

The recipe is from the "Australian Gourmet Traveller - Chocolate" book and I have tweaked and converted it to be made in the Thermomix. It's a great recipe that can be made with standard pantry and fridge ingredients. I don't find it too chocolately and for those chocoholics out there, you could make it richer by adding pieces of chocolate throughout the mixture before baking in the oven.

80 grams butter, softened
150 grams self raising flour
15 grams cocoa + 15 grams cocoa
70 grams raw caster sugar
125 grams milk
1 egg
100 grams brown sugar
300 grams hot water

extra butter to grease ovenproof dish
pouring cream to serve

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Place brown sugar and 1 lot of cocoa in TM bowl. Mix closed lid position/ 2-3 times turbo button. Place aside for later.
3. Mill sugar 3 secs/ speed 9.
4. Add flour and other lot of cocoa. Mix closed lid position/ 2-3 times turbo button.
5. Add egg, butter and milk. Mix 5 secs/ speed 5.
6. Spoon into dish. Sprinkle over reserved sugar and cocoa mixture.
7. Gradually pour over the hot water , over the back of a spoon, onto pudding.
8. Cook in oven for 40 minutes or until sponge top is cooked.
9. Serve immediately with a good amount of cream.

Serves 4-6 depending on how greedy you are :-)

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: If you want to make this a mocha pudding, add a double shot of coffee at step 7 to infuse the chocolate sauce.

{chocolate ice-cream in hermie}

I love chocolate in all forms especially ice-cream. The one below just a variation on the yummy everyday vanilla ice-cream recipe. It's a great dessert after any main meal and it's not too sweet due to the high cocoa content in the chocolate used. I also like to serve it wedged between 2 choc chip biscuits for more chocolatey goodness.

100 grams dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (I used 70% Lindt)

1. Put chocolate in TM bowl and grate 10sec / speed 9.

2. Follow recipe from everyday vanilla ice-cream. Alternatively, if you want chocolate flakes throughout the ice-cream, reserve 1/3 of the grated chocolate and proceed. Add chocolate flakes at step 3 when you do the final churn of ice cream in the Thermomix.

Makes 600 ml (approximately)

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: This is quite a hard yet creamy ice-cream due to the addition of chocolate. So that it is easy to scoop out, I leave it out on the bench before we eat dinner or do a quick blast in the microwave for 15 seconds.

{homemade baby food in hermie}

Apple & Blueberry Puree

I have 2 beautiful daughters who are 6 1/2 months and 3 1/2 years old. With Miss A, we have just delved into the world of baby food again and using a Thermomix second time round has made it just that much easier. With Miss I, I used a pot, stick mixer or fork which work well but there's just more to clean up. Also, I find that if I make Miss A's food before our own dinner, the cleanup is even more efficient.

Below, I've listed a small sample of fruit and vegetables that can be used in combinations to make up a large variety of baby foods  for bubs. Make sure you progress trying new foods according to what your baby can handle eating and keep an eye out for any signs of allergies when trying new foods.

Fresh (raw)

This is great for 'on the go'. All you need is a portable bowl, and a fork to mash. No need to heat up.

avocado

mango

banana

apricots

peaches

pawpaw

strawberries

blueberries

Cooked (and then frozen for reserves)

I usually pair the vegetables together for different flavour combinations. For the fruit, I usually combine these with one of the dried fruits to be used in addition to porridge or weet-bix as a breakfast.

Apple

Pear

Pumpkin

Sweet Potato

Potato

Peas

Corn

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Carrot

Eggplant

Spinach (frozen ones available in handy segments)

Sweet Potato, Pea & Spinach Chunky Puree

Dried

Dried fruit is quite sweet from the natural sugars in them already so I only use a couple of pieces (max) in combination with something less sweet such as apple or pear. Also, I stay clear of dried fruit that has sulphites added as a preservative. I personally get extremely itchy from this and if you search hard enough, you can find preservative free fruit. In Adelaide, you can find the Sultanas and Prunes in Coles supermarkets and the Mango and Apricot at either Goodies & Grains in the Central Market or the Queen Street Grocer.

Sultanas

Mango

Apricot

Prunes

Snacks:
With Miss I, I used other rice biscuit snacks however, they do have sugar and salt added. At such a young age, I'm trying to stay away from these unnecessary additions to Miss A's diet so, below are a couple of things I have found that have the same 'dissolve' in the mouth feel that are 100% additive free. I have also listed below some dairy options so your little one gets their calcium intake. Note, a lot of dairy products have an addition of 'natural colouring' which may be annato or 160b. This has been linked to head banging in children and I personally avoid it just in case. You can read more about it here.

Corn Puffs

Rice Puffs

Hard Cheese, easily grated and added to avocado

Yoghurt

Bon Appetit little Bubbies xx

{everyday vanilla ice-cream}

In my household, we like to eat dessert. Sometimes it is just fruit and most of the time, it is a great tool to get my 3.5yr old little one to eat their main meal! One of our favourites is ice cream. My issue with supermarket ice cream is that there are so many unnecessary additives and ingredients added that I feel bad eating them let alone feed them to my children. For example, why does colouring need to be added to vanilla ice cream when the natural colour is how it should be (see above picture). Now with the Thermomix, I can make my own without adding the 'nasties' and I don't have to spend an extra $200-$400 for an ice cream maker...

2 egg yolks
500 full-fat pouring cream (I use Bulla to support an Australian owned company)
150g castor sugar (I find this a bit sweet so would probably add 120-130g)
1 vanilla bean, halved & insides scraped
pinch of sea salt

1. Place all ingredients into bowl. Cook 6min / 80C / speed 4.
2. Remove vanilla bean and pour mixture into container with cover. Put in freezer for 5-6 hours until set wobbly.
3. Remove from freezer and cut into ice cube size pieces (if required. Mine was still a bit watery). Put in mixing bowl and blend 20sec / speed 9 then 10 sec / speed 4. 
4. Pour back into container and freeze overnight before serving.

Bon appetit xx

Makes about 600ml or 8 portions.

Stay tuned... i'm thinking my next batches will be chocolate and pistachio :)

This recipe is based on the "Everyday Cookbook" by Thermomix with some tweaks here and there.