STEAMOVENCOOKING with Tenina

Yep! I’m a Daring Baker and this is my first entry…
MY MISSION; (And I chose to accept it…)

1. The dough used for the eclairs must be a pâte à choux from the recipe given below.
2. Keep one chocolate element in the challenge. The recipe below is for a chocolate glaze and a chocolate pastry cream. You choose which chocolate element you want to keep. Then feel free to mix and match flavors to the base recipe.
3. Everything else is fair game. Enjoy!

So the recipe below is from a book by Dorie Greenspan as required by the competition…the only difference being that the method used was {of course} changed by my ownership of the Thermomix!

NEED:
½ cup (125g) whole milk
½ cup (125g) water
1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature

DO:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Place water, salt, sugar and butter in TM bowl and cook for 10 minutes at 100 degrees on Speed 2.
Add the flour and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes.
Once cool, add eggs to the mix by dropping one egg at a time onto rotating blades for 30-40 seconds each on speed 5.
Spoon mixture into piping bag with large nozzle and pipe into rounds (or eclairs) on a baking paper lined tray.
Place into oven and cook for approx 20-25 minutes.
Leave to cool in oven. When cool, pierce with another pastry nozzle and fill with pastry creme.

Now the recipe for the Creme Pattiserie below…which I altered by again using the Thermomix, but also by using white chocolate in place of dark.

Chocolate Pastry Cream
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

NEED:
2 cups (500g) whole milk
4 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75g) sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, (Once again I used white!)
2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

DO:
Place sugar and chocolate in Thermomix bowl and pulverize for 20 seconds on speed 9.
Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add remaining ingredients except butter and cook for 10 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 4.
Pour into ceramic bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap down onto the top of the custard.
Cool completely in fridge.
Spoon into piping back with sharp tipped nozzle and use to fill profiteroles.

SERVE:
To put together, melt additional white chocolate and some cream either in Thermomix bowl (speed 2, 60 degrees for around 3-4 minutes) or in Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then stir until melted.
Use as ‘glue’ to stick profiteroles together onto a plate in a little tower…(or a big one). Add strawberries as shown. Then EAT IMMEDIATELY because if the kids beat you, there will not be one to even taste!! (And they taste so much better fresh…and how else are you going to work on that roll? That profiteroll???)

So there we have it…my first Daring Bakers Challenge. I am honored to join them and hope this will be a lot of fun for my adoring public in the months to come! Keep me posted.

(more…)

Yeah I know, but it got your attention right???? I visited a whole food supermarket this week and amongst other goodies I bought a medley of beautiful peppercorns, some coriander (cilantro) and of course I am still working with those lemons from last week…I can almost see the bottom of the bowl I put them in! Oh and of course I had an avocado that needed eating..perfectly ripe and a beautiful green. So here is my herb-ey, pepper-ey, take on Guacomol-ey.

NEED:
1 large avocado
2 teaspoons of multi colored peppercorns crushed (I used mortar and pestle)
handful coriander/Italian parsley
1 small chilli de-seeded (or not depending on taste)
generous pinch sea salt
rind and juice of lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/4 red onion
4-5 chives
1 tomato
3 tablespoons Greek style yoghurt (or sour cream)

DO:
Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl.
Gradually increase speed to 8-9 for around 30 seconds.
Taste and season as needed.

SERVE:
On a beautiful dish with fresh corn chips. We used the left overs on Chicken fajitas. And of course we did NOT have the dish below…but if only !

OH YUM…yes this was worth every calorie and so quick and homey on a cold winter night at our house. I had to fend the kids off with a camera bag to get the photo before they devoured it and unfortunately for my waist line (and seemingly shrinking jeans) I had another helping! YIKES this Thermomix has a lot to answer for…so here goes, an easy winters dessert. I used bottled sour cherries, as fresh ones are in short supply, but fresh would work beautifully in the summer time.

NEED:
220 grams sugar (make into icing sugar in TM)
110 grams unsalted butter melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
750 ml jar pitted sour cherries, drained
250 grams Greek style plain yoghurt
200 grams SR flour

DO:
Prepare deep pie dish by spraying with cooking oil.
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
Process sugar into icing sugar and set aside.
Insert butterfly attachment into Thermomix bowl.
Beat all eggs and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
Add add dry ingredients and yoghurt.
Beat on Speed 3 until blended.
Through top with blade turning, add melted butter in a drizzle.
Beat mix until light and fluffy, (about 30 seconds).
Pour batter into prepared pie plate.
Gently place cherries on top of batter.
Cook for approximately 30 minutes then turn heat down to 150.
Cook a further 30 minutes.

SERVE:
Dust with icing sugar and serve whilst warm with (you guessed it!!) a dollop of fresh whipped cream!

My lovely sister in law Cati brought me a whole box of beautiful lemons the other day…LOVE lemons, they rate highly on my list for sweet and savory recipes and there isn’t a week when I don’t use a lemon in my cooking. But sometimes I have to pay for the darn things! OUCH! Anyway, thought I would give you a great top ten list of my fave lemon recipes.

Number ONE;
Lemon Chess Pie This is the most delightful citrus tart ever, and does not need to be limited to lemons. I have made it many times with limes, so go with the flow…and Chess it up a bit this weekend!
Number TWO;
Citrus Chilli Dressing. This is a wonderful salad dressing for any salad, but particularly tasty with the Chicken salad in the link. It is beautiful with steamed pork loin (or grilled for that matter) and can always be relied on for a bit of a sensation at a dinner party.
Number THREE;
Citrus Sour Cream Pound Cake. Bit flashy this one! You will love the lemon dessert syrup to accompany more than just this cake. Particularly wonderful when warm, fragrant and classy…go buy that bundt pan right now if you don’t have one…go on, what are you waiting for?
Number FOUR;
Spring Vegies with Feta Marinated Feta is such an easy ‘tizzy up’ for beautiful fresh steamed veggies, that I have served this at a dinner party to great acclaim. The recipe will also serve as a salad dressing, a nice addition to an antipasto platter and it looks so pretty that you may start bottling it and giving it away!
Number FIVE;
Steamed Lemon Dumplings. Now if you are cold, looking for a carb overload, or just want something homey and like Nanna used to make, here it is! These are SO easy it is sinful, cheap to make and so delicious that they will become a family favorite in no time!
Number SIX;
Seafood Eatfood What plate of fresh seafood is complete without a wedge of lemon…plus an amazing dressing containing lemon. Knock yourself out, you will NEVER eat seafood again, without reminiscing about the day you ate this!
Number SEVEN;
Lemon Meringue Pie No list of Lemon recipes would be complete without a Lemon Meringue Pie included…so here it is. Melt in the mouth!
Number EIGHT;
No Stir Risotto
This is my famous no-stir risotto recipe, that has heaps of lemon juice and zest in it…and for all you Thermophiles out there, I am in the process of adapting this for the Thermomix, so sit tight and I will keep you posted!
Number NINE;
Gremolata
This is quite possibly my favorite flavor burst to add to almost any savory dish…well I did say ‘almost’! Try it with all types of meat, grilled, roasted or fried, as a sprinkle on a rice or pasta dish or in a general way, whenever you need extra flavor or color to spruce something up.
NOW, last but certainly not least…where is the lemon butter recipe I hear you scream! I think Lemon butter is an all time favorite in my family and since the arrival of the Thermomix in our house, we have been on Lemon Butter overload! My recipe works well in the Thermomix, but can be done on the Induction as well…and was developed for Induction originally.
If using the Thermomix, simply put all ingredients into the bowl, use the butterfly attachment and cook on 80 for around 7 or 8 minutes.
NEED:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
200 grams unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar per lemon (as a general rule)
1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks
pinch salt

DO:
Melt half the butter on Induction 5.
Add sugar and slowly stir until grainy-ness has gone.
Add juice and zest, then salt.
Add eggs and stir until blended, mix must not be too hot or eggs will cook and leave stringy bits…UGH!
As mix thickens, bring to the boil on Induction 7 or 8, stirring constantly.
Add remaining butter and when melted remove from heat, strain if necessary and chill.
OR;
Throw all ingredients in the Thermomix bowl, turn heat to 70, speed to 4 (with butterfly) and cook for 8-12 minutes…cool and enjoy, (and enjoy and enjoy!)
I fold cooled lemon butter through whipped cream and fresh sponge cake cubes for an awesome, but easy dessert. Try using it in individual pastry cases for a quick morning tea. Decorate with a beautiful fresh berry and dust with icing sugar for some oohs and ahhs. I use my sour cream pastry which is almost like a shortcrust biscuit, gosh get me off here…I’m going to go make some! Or add more lemon juice by hand and drizzle the sauce over ice-cream, or over any fruit dessert to add a nice tang. Or try your own lemon danish’sss (what is the plural for ‘Danish’…danes?) with again some frozen or fresh berries, a dollop of lemon butter in the centre of a butter puff pastry square, brush with egg and bake in a hot oven. What a great way to start any day! Hope these lemony ideas inspire you…I think I am just getting started…now where’s my zester?

Haven’t done a steam oven recipe for a while and this was unbelievable! There are fresh early strawberries around at the moment, so they are a perfect pair…with the obligatory dollop of fresh whipped cream, naturally! This was better the next day, stone cold, rather than steamy warm, but either way it is truly decadent and well worth using a bain marie to get the same result, if you don’t possess a steam oven!

NEED:
200 grams each butter and dark chocolate melts
150 grams ground almond meal (or blanched almonds and whiz them up yourself in…you guessed it, the Thermomix!)
200 grams SR flour
4 eggs
dash of vanilla essence
Large pie dish

DO:
Put butter and chocolate into Thermomix bowl and process on speed 9 for 15 seconds or until chopped.
Set timer for 5 minutes, temperature for 37 and then melt chocolate on the stirring function.
(OR; Melt butter and chocolate together in MW on high for 2 minutes, stir until all melted and then transfer to Thermomix bowl.)
Insert butterfly attachment and then add eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
Add flour and almond meal, then vanilla and continue beating on speed 4 until blended and aerated.
Spread into pie plate.
Process in steam oven for 1&1/2 hours or until set in centre.
Alternatively use individual moulds. Steaming should take a lot less time if you do this.
Remove and cool.

SERVE:
With fresh sliced strawberries, whipped cream and a dusting of either cocoa or icing sugar.

USED:
 

The most amazing rolls you have ever tasted can be sourced right here, right now. Thanks to my friend Megan (who also cooks at Kleenmaid) I have the secret recipe, which of course is now no secret…and even if you have never tried making bread before, this is a great way to begin a journey with yeast, as it is hard to go wrong. You can use the dough for sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls or my personal fave, Sticky Toffee Pecan Rolls (recipe to follow in a later post!) I had family over the other night and we ate the entire batch as dinner rolls, without a crumb in sight…and they were loudly proclaimed THE best rolls ever tasted…Thanks Megan!

 

NEED:

Step 1
¼ cup warm water
4 teaspoons Yeast granules

Step 2
4 cups warm water
¾ cup powdered milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
7 cups plain flour

Step 3
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Baking soda
1 tsp salt

DO:

Step 1
Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl, place somewhere warm and wait for the yeast to activate.

Step 2
While the yeast is activating, combine all ingredients from step 2 in a large mixing bowl. Mix together until smooth. Add yeast mixture to the large bowl and I cup of plain flour. Beat together until stretchy. 

Leave to rise until the mixture is double in size.

Step 3
Poke down the dough then add ingredients from step 3. Combine until a soft dough is formed (you may need to add more flour). Once the dough is ready turn onto a floured bench and kneed the dough, the dough is now ready to use. 

Store unused dough in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. (Wrap tightly in plastic to prevent it taking over your fridge.)

When baking rolls – shape rolls, buns, as desired leave on baking trays to rise then bake in 180 – 200 degrees oven for about 15 – 20 min.

I went on a mission to find pork ribs at my local butcher wholesaler. (There is a great one near me!) They were twice the price as the beef ribs, so guess what? This recipe is for beef ribs, and I must say, that although I only got one, they were well worth the effort. In fact tonight I repeated the marinade with pork fillets and it was even more delicious…no bones to contend with, but I didn’t bake them first, straight on the Crossfire. Timing is everything, so don’t rush these. The longer you can marinade the better.

NEED:
4 kilos beef ribs
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
1 large oven bag
Fresh mint to taste

DO:
Place all ribs into oven bag.
In small bowl, mix all remaining ingredients.
Pour into bag, tie and lay flat in fridge, turning occasionally for up to 48 hours.
(I did mine for 30 hours and they were melt in the mouth fantastic!)
Bake in oven bag for a few hours on low heat. (Around 140 degrees Celcius)
Alternatively you could steam them in the Steam Oven for around 1 & 1/2 hours in the bag of marinade as well.
When ready to serve, grill on heated Crossfire for about 5 minutes with lid down.
Sprinkle with chopped mint and serve immediately, but not before tasting one yourself!

So I taste this amazing dip in the States right? But it’s from Costco…and they don’t do a recipe blog, so once again, I’m trying to put stuff together to repeat the taste….Lucky for me I have the Thermomix, the food processor of the Gods….so should be easy yeah?  (Channeling Jamie Oliver right here!) Here is my ode to Artichoke Spinach Dip…without a sniff of Costco in sight!

NEED:
150 grams each sour cream and good whole egg mayonnaise (or make your own!)
200 grams feta cheese
100 grams parmesan cheese
1 jar (320 grams) marinated artichoke hearts
5 large cloves of garlic peeled
250 grams frozen spinach, thawed and drained (Pat dry with paper towel and squeeze excess moisture out before adding)
additional grated parmesan cheese to taste (Thermomix Speed 8 for 3 seconds)
(No salt is required in this recipe as the cheeses have plenty!)

DO:
Drain artichokes and prepare garlic.
Add all ingredients except spinach to Thermomix bowl.
Blend on Speed 8 for approx 30 seconds or until creamy in texture.
Add well drained spinach and pulse for 10 seconds until blended.
Taste and add salt if necessary.
Refrigerate until needed.
Place dip into heatproof bowl.
Sprinkle with grated parmesan and cook in hot oven until bubbly.

SERVE:
With Pita crisps, crostini, water crackers, fresh vegetables or corn chips of choice. Or you can be a bit pukkah (Jamie again!) and put the dip into a bread basket like I did…Wrap completely in foil leaving the top open to toast the parmesan. Wrap the lid in foil also to heat it up and cook in hot oven for approximately 20 minutes. Eat the basket as the dip goes down…I served this tonight for a big family dinner and there was not a crumb left…but then, they are a bunch of hungry horrors at the best of times!

I had a great dessert at lunch the other day and decided to try and replicate it, and if I say so myself…mine is better. (No-one else would say it, so I had to!) I had intended on a rhubarb clafoutis after reading a great recipe for Cherry Clafouti on Foodbuzz, but this idea took over after the lunch! I have had a lot of good feedback about Rhubarb Mousse, so I know rhubarb is on your radars…Love the tangy-ness, the tart-ness, the color, and paired with Raspberry, YUMM-O!

It is a rhubarb, crumble with a cheesecake-y centre…so unsure of exactly what I was making I began with flavor and color in mind, added raspberries for both…and voila! You can see the results and give the recipe a go. Please tell me what results you get….BUT ONLY IF THEY’RE GOOD! Hahahahaha.

NEED:
Base: 1 pkg gingernut biscuits
125 grams butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup quick oats
Filling: 1 kilo chopped fresh rhubarb stalks
350 grams frozen raspberries thawed (Fresh are impossible to get where I live, but use them if you can!)
5 tablespoons raw sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
500 grams creamed ricotta cheese
5 large eggs
150 grams sour cream (not light)
2 teaspoons vanilla

DO:
Steam rhubarb with raw sugar in steam oven for 25 minutes.
Cool completely.
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius.
Spray 10 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray.
Make base by processing all ingredients except oats in Thermomix Speed 8 until blended.
Turn blade in reverse and add oats, using stirring function until oats are mixed through.
Push 3/4 of base mix into prepared pan with the back of a spoon, making sure mix is packed down firmly.
Reserve remaining base mix for topping and set aside in seperate bowl.
Bake the base in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until fragrant.
Without cleaning Thermomix bowl, blend all filling ingredients except fruit until smooth and creamy.
Mix raspberries with steamed rhubarb gently so as not to break the fruit up too much.
Pour cheesecake mix onto base.
Gently put fruit on top of cheese filling and try to distribute evenly throughout cake.
Place crumble (base) mix on top.
Bake in oven for around 75 minutes or until middle is set when you shake it.
Chill completely.

SERVE:
Slice and serve with fresh cream (I used King Island Cream…THE best in Australia!) Of course the addition of cream totally kills the low-fat properties of the ricotta….but you could argue that it halves the fat content that you would have if the recipe called for cream cheese…AND a dollop of cream to serve!  Female logic…you can’t beat it.