Thermomix gingerbread

I have made about four different batches of gingerbread in the last month, Christmas cut outs for teachers and ninja bread men for Sifu at Kung Fu.

Good gingerbread needs to be easy to work with, not get tough if the kids use it as playdough, not be too crumbly when packaged and be delicious at the end.

This is the winner hands down

Put in the Thermomix bowl:

125g butter
75 g dark brown sugar
175g golden syrup

Heat for 4 minutes at 50 degrees, speed 1

Add dry ingredients to bowl

450g plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon bicarb soda

Top with 1 egg beaten lightly with a fork in a cup
1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Mix 10 seconds on speed 6, push down sides, .mix a further 10 seconds, push down sides mix 5 seconds

Knead 30 seconds on interval setting

Turn out onto floured board. Knead lightly, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes,
Roll out on floured board or silicon mat and cut into shape

I have a great selection of cutters - look after your cutters they are so precious. If you wash them while your biscuits bake you can pop them in the cooling oven to make sure they dry out properly.

Bake 10-12 minutes until they are just starting to change colour. Take out and cool on racks.

You can decorate with edible ball bearings before they go in the oven or royal icing (1 egg white and 1 cup icing sugar) after they come out

Give to teachers, friends, neighbours and the postman

Merry Christmas everyone!

Something with seafood

That's the Australian Christmas isn't it?

We picked up Red Spot prawns this morning so I don't have a photo but I DO have a recipe

Seafood sauce:

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

1 cup whole egg mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Worcester sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 lemon, juiced

Place all ingredients in Thermomix, press turbo, scrape down sides and repeat 2-3 times.

Store in fridge until required 

Here is a stock image from our favourite seafood supplier

Fairy truffles

In Australia we have "fairy bread" at birthday parties - little triangles of fresh white bread and butter with hundreds and thousands on them. Like this:

These fairy truffles were inspired by the 4 Blades Podcast Halloween episode and the original recipe is here I needed something delicious and quick to share at book club so this is what happened.

In Australia we don't have Graham crackers so I have used milk arrowroot biscuits (as the 4 blades suggested)

I didn't read the pack so brought home:

250g White chocolate buttons

375g smooth ricotta cheese 

1pack milk arrowroot biscuits

Large jar of hundreds and thousands

There will be leftovers

Grind 50g white chocolate for 7 seconds speed 7 

I used Cadbury buttons because whenever possible I boycott Nestle - for more information about the Nestle Boycott read this.

Melt chocolate for 2 minutes at 50 degrees speed 2

Add biscuits, broken in half and ricotta

This ricotta is gorgeous - really smooth and creamy

Mix 15 seconds speed 5-6 scrape down and mix again 2 secs speed 5 - 6

Scrape out into a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.I am using this time to wash the TM blog, hang washing out and google pictures of fairy bread to put on the blog for the foreigners.

Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, place on a tray and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. I got about 20 out of this batch. That's a Chefs Toolbox slice tray - silicon is wonderful - no sticking!

Grind the rest of the chocolate for 10 seconds at speed 7

Cook for 2 minutes 50 degrees at speed 2, scrape down and cook 2 minutes 50 degrees speed 2

I went the full retro and put toothpicks in them all

Dip and twist - up to you how fussy you are - chocolate over most of the filling is good

Remember the chocolate will set around the truffle because the truffle is cold

Dip in the sprinkles, chill and serve

Oh and these bad boys are 3 Weight Watchers ProPoints each

Baileys Balls

Well I did the rum balls earlier in the week but I wanted something different - so how about Caramel Baileys Balls?

Ingredients:

1 packet milk arrowroot biscuits (250g)

40g cocoa powder

100g dessicated coconut

1 tin condensed milk

40 ml Baileys Irish Cream

Extra coconut or almond meal to roll them in 

Put biscuits in TM and grind 5 seconds speed 6

Add all other ingredients except almond meal or extra coconut

Mix 9 seconds at speed 5

Take teaspoonfuls and form into balls, roll them in the almond meal or extra coconut

That's it! Ta Da! And two Weight Watchers ProPoints each

Nut free Thermomix Rocky Road

Well I have had a hectic few weeks - I have taken lots of photos - I just need some time to go through them and plan to blog them! This week I made the annual gifts for the Kid's teachers.
Every year I have had a drama chasing around three separate supermarkets to get the ingredients for my Ultimate White Christmas so I decided this year to do Rocky Road, Shortbread Stars, Rum balls and Snickerdoodles. I send them in for the class teacher and all the incidental staff too - like the librarian and the music and sports teachers.

all wrapped and ready to deliver

The Rocky Road was inspired by someone kind I work with who sent a teeny sample of Rocky Road all the way from NSW for me during a project we were working on this year. So thanks - you know who you are.

The original recipe I based mine on called for clinkers. I have had a week trekking around Townsville and have not found them anywhere.  One shop had an empty hook labelled clinkers. Grrr. So the first batch was made with honeycomb instead.

My recipe is:

2 x 250g bags chocolate Cadbury melts

300g honeycomb (cut into 4 pieces) or 2 bags clinkers (cut in half)

180g raspberries (sweets not fruit)(cut in half)

100g baby marshmallows

Please use other brands of chocolate than Nestle - for information about the boycott click here I love that Cadbury now offers a choice of chips, buttons or bars of cooking chocolate in white, milk or dark. So I had two bags of milk melts.

Melt chocolate in TM bowl for 5 minutes temp 50 speed 1 (You can cut the sweets up while the chocolate melts)

Scrape down edges and melt for a further 1 1/2 minutes.

Change speed to reverse speed soft and add clinkers(or honeycomb) raspberries and marshmallows, in assorted handfuls. Let the machine do the mixing.

 Once combined turn into a lamington tray. I used a CT silicon mold so the turning out was a dream! If I was using a rigid tray I would definitely line it.

Spread it evenly and refrigerate to set

Turn out and cut into nice big slabs when set. I used gift bags and a bit of sparkle 

Don't forget to enlist the help of an assistant in the cleaning up!

I made a second batch today with fake clinkers (at last!) and the family is eagerly waiting to see how it comes out (the rest was earmarked for gifting and was not to be sampled on pain of death - or worse!)

It's that time of year again

Did you think I had fallen off the perch? Things have been a tad chaotic in the monkeyhouse and we have been eating lots of alfresco meals - steak and salads, many of which I have already posted.

This week I need to decide what I am making for the annual teacher gifts - here is a picture of last year's assembly line

How do other parents thank their child's teacher? I make for the class teacher, music teacher, LOTE teacher, sports teacher and the librarian

Are you a teacher? What is the nicest gift you have received?