News for Thermomix Switzerland and my latest Fall demo's

I was here, above the lake of Zürich, last weekend. It's a small village called Schindelegi, just 10 minutes, up the mountain, from the Richterswil exit, when driving from Zürich direction Chur. I gave a Thermomix demo to a fun group of international ladies. Menu included: Claudia's quick-rise baguettes, sun-dried tomato, cashew and capsicum dip, beetroot salad, carrot cake, pumpkin risotto and mixed berry fruity dream. I would have loved to have had a second TM to help me out for this demo.

A few of the ladies couldn't make it on Saturday, so we met at the crack of dawn on Sunday in Zürich. We were extremely minimalistic - we only made poached eggs with hollandaise, followed by a green smoothie. Less than an hour and we were done, and ready for a morning swim.

Ladies, you're all going to love your new kitchen toy! We'll get together and do Asian dumplings soon...........

FALL TM NEWS

NEWS for Thermomix buyers in Switzerland
From 1st November 2011, the 100 SFr reduction for hosting a demo will no longer apply. 

However, the hostess will receive a gift (choice of one of the following: TM cookbook, silicone cake pan, or bread pans)

BUT the good news is the Euro discount has been officially extended until December 2011. 

Thermomix (TM31) NOW 1290 SFr (plus 8% MwSt).

and 100 SFr wedding OR baby discount is still current!

Cheryl de Vallière

Phone: +41(0)78 853 89 56 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +41(0)78 853 89 56      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Email: chdv@sunrise.ch

Waffles for Sunday Brunch

This morning we enjoyed crisp hot waffles for brunch, courtesy of my daughter and her boyfriend. They whipped these up in record time in the Thermomix.

Waffles
Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
pinch of salt
370 g milk
250 g flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
60 g raw sugar
60 g butter, melted
40 ml water

Method
Whip the egg whites and salt in a clean dry Themomix bowl, with the butterfly in place, speed 4, 37 C,  4 - 5 minutes or until soft peaks form. Mix melted butter and water, add to the egg whites in the TM bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl, and mix on reverse, speed 2 for 10 - 20 seconds or until combined. Brush the hot waffle iron with oil, and pour enough mixture to almost cover the iron. Close and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown. Makes about 8 waffles.

Sweet Caramel Pumpkin bread

This is a great fall recipe that I found, via David Lebovitz's blog, on Sunny Side Up in San Diego ( sourced from Willowbirdbaking).

Before preparing the dough, steam the pumpkin in the Varoma tray (10 to 15 minutes).


This is not a Thermomix (TM) recipe.  But it worked, by simply by adding all the ingredients for the dough, into the TM bowl; set TM to closed lid and mix on the knead function for 4 minutes. Let the dough rise in the TM bowl for 35 minutes. Knead again for 1 minute in the TM. Roll out the dough, into a large rectangle, then sprinkle over melted butter, Rapadura sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg mixture. The recipe made one large loaf and baby size loaf.


Here's the recipe and more detail for the prep:


Cinnamon Caramel Pumpkin Bread


Ingredients:

Dough

30 g unsalted butter
110 g cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 pkt active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree  (prepare in advance: steam/Varoma or bake/180 C, 30- 35 min or until tender.)
60 g Rapadura or raw sugar
1 tsp salt
325 g flour

Sugar Mix

250 g rapadura or raw sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
50 g unsalted butter

Melt butter and milk in TM 60 C/ 1-2 min, mix in remaining ingredients, speed 2/ 10 s.

Preparation: 

Grease and flour a large loaf pan. Place dough ingredients into the TM bowl, set on  closed lid and knead function for 4 minutes. Leave to rise in the TM bowl or transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with gladwrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 40 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch down, then knead in the TM or by hand for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture, press sugar mixture into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Bake bread in preheated oven (180 C), 35 - 40 min. Cool for about 20 minutes, then remove from pan and drizzle with glaze.


Glaze 

50 g unsalted butter
100 g  Rapadura sugar (milled in the TM to powder sugar, speed 9, 20 sec)
20 ml milk
25 ml rum or 1 - 2 tsp vanilla

To prepare glaze:
Mill sugar for 20 s, speed 9. Add remaining ingredients, 60 C for 1 -2 min.

Small loaf

Large loaf - after 35 minutes

Large loaf

The glaze is a mixture of melted butter, sugar and rum. Since I didn't have any rum, I used my homemade vanilla extract.

Because I used Rapadura sugar, my bread looked very brown after drizzling over the glaze, but it was delicious, moist and light with a hint of burnt caramel, cinnamon and pumpkin.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

I made this cake last weekend for my daughter's birthday. The original recipe is from Nigella Lawson and has been adapted for the TM by Lou Toosey (the link is here on the UK TM site) and also here on the Aussie TM forum. The recipe is easy and fast, definitely a keeper. The cake was light and moist. We covered and filled the cake with a chocolate mousse frosting. Basically it's just a batch of  chocolate ganache (300 g cream to 400 g chocolate), allow to cool and then mixed with 150 ml of whipped cream.

Intense whole lemon slice

We had lemon slice for dessert tonight. It was very "lemony" and intense, and rather difficult to stop at just one piece. The recipe is from David Lebovitz's, original link here.

Here it is adapted it for the Thermomix:

Whole lemon slice  

Crust

2 cups (280g) flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
230g butter
1/2 vanilla bean (scrape out the seeds)

Lemon Topping

2 - 3 lemons, organic or unsprayed (I used 3 small lemons)
1 1/2 cup (300g) raw sugar
150 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tbs corn flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
90 g melted butter

Optional: powdered sugar (make extra in the Thermomix, step 5) for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a (very) large baking tray with paper.

2. Add all the ingredients for the crust into the TM bowl. Mix for a few seconds on speed 6 -7. Set on "Knead"  for 2 -3 minutes. Transfer dough to the baking tray. Spread out the dough using the back of a large metal spoon.

3. Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until deep-golden brown.

4. While the crust is cooking, cut the lemons in half, remove the seeds, then cut into quarters.

5. Whizz the sugar in the TM for 20 sec, speed 9. Transfer sugar to another bowl. Add the lemons, to the TM bowl, blend for 8 - 10 sec, speed 8. Return the sugar to the lemons in the TM bowl,  add eggs, corn flour, salt, and melted butter, and blend until almost smooth -  about 30 sec, speed 7 (a few tiny bits of lemon pieces are normal and encouraged).

6. When the crust comes out of the oven, reduce the heat of the oven to 150ºC. Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut the bars into squares or rectangles. Sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving, if desired.

Vienna Cheesecake

Vienna Cheesecake

A few days ago I made this cheesecake: it's very smooth and creamy, really delicious! I also made the ricotta cheese that goes in the cheesecake. Time needed: about 15 minutes prep time! That's it. Then throw it in the oven and let it bake for 75 minutes and go back to writing that manuscript.........
The recipe is in the Aussie Thermomix Everyday Cookbook, and also here on the Thermomix site.

 Vienna Cheesecake

Base Ingredients

200g Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

80g Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Sugar

80g Butter 

1 Egg

Filling Ingredients

4 Egg Whites

2 tbsp Cold Water

Pinch Salt

150g Sugar

Zest 1 Lemon

750g Ricotta or Quark

1 tbsp Vanilla Sugar

4 Egg Yolks

250g Milk

60g Plain Flour or Cornflour

100g Sultanas (optional)

Method

The cheese must be well drained before use. Line a sieve with paper towel or cheese cloth and drain over a bowl for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Grease a large springform tin and line with baking paper.

Place all ingredients for the Base into the TM bowl and set dial to closed lid position. Knead for 1 minute on Interval speed.

Roll out 2/3 of the dough into the base of the springform tin. 

Roll rest of the dough into a sausage shape and press against walls of the tin. This will give you an edge about 3cm high. 

Put base into fridge while preparing filling. Clean bowl thoroughly and dry.

Insert Butterfly and place egg whites, cold water and pinch of salt into TM bowl. Whip for approx. 3-5 minutes on speed 4 or until egg whites are stiff with the MC off. While whipping add 1 tbsp sugar. 

Set egg whites aside in another bowl. Rinse and dry TM bowl.

Place lemon zest into TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 8.

Insert Butterfly and add drained cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar, egg yolks, milk and flour and whisk together for approx. 40 seconds onspeed 3-4 or until light and fluffy.

Pour mixture gently onto egg whites and fold in with a balloon shaped whisk or TM spatula to retain as much air as possible.

Pour the cheese mixture onto prepared base and bake at 180C on the middle shelf of the oven for 75 minutes or until golden brown. Loosen the rim of tin after removing from oven and allow to cool down completely before removing from tin.

Here's the recipe for the cheese (it's from JulieO, Oz TM site):


I made 2 batches of ricotta for this cheesecake and added about 200 g quark to make up the required 1000 g ricotta or quark. I drained it for about 10 minutes.

Fresh and Creamy Ricotta   (makes about 350g. ricotta)

1500 g whole milk

200 g light cream 

¼-½ tsp salt (optional)

50g white vinegar 

Insert butterfly. 

Place milk and cream in TM bowl and heat about 16 mins/90°C/speed 2. MC on.  Turn off the TM as soon as the red 90° light becomes solid. (Time may vary depending on the temperature of your fridge/milk.) 

Keep the butterfly in the bowl.  

Add salt and set for 1 min/soft stir – speed 1 (no heat) while gradually pouring vinegar through hole in lid. 

After one minute you should see separation between the solids and whey.

Allow to rest for another minute or so, to ensure curd formation. 

Transfer the solids to a jelly bag or strainer lined with fine cloth. If using cheesecloth, use several dampened layers to create a finer mesh for holding the loose ricotta. 

For soft and lovely ricotta-style fresh cheese, it’s important to transfer gently at this point. It’s recommended to scoop or ladle solids from the TM to the cheesecloth, rather than dumping all once.  

Allow to drain for at least 10 minutes before using. (Drain longer for a dryer cheese.) At that point, you can serve the ricotta as a warmed dessert, or refrigerate for later use. It will keep a about 4 days in the fridge but fresher tastes better.

recipe link to TM site

Thermomix Switzerland offering great discount on Thermomixer's

Interested in buying a Thermomix in Switzerland? There are amazing discounts on Thermomixers here for the next few months. 

Regular TM price: 1650 SFr
Falling EURO to Swiss Franc DISCOUNT: 360 SFr
End Price: 1,290 SFr (or 1,190 SFr - extra 100.- reduction if give a demo, OR if you're getting married, or having a baby!)

Swiss Guarantee.

Offer is valid until 31st October 2011 (NEWS ........ this offer MAY be extended for a couple of weeks in November 2011)

Reminder, I am now a TM consultant so email or call me to make an appointment for a demo.

Cheryl de Vallière

Email: cheryl.devalliere@gmail.com

Natel: 078 853 89 56

Whole orange cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone frosting

Whole Orange Cake Batter - Thermomix recipe

1 whole organic orange cut into 8 (skin, pips and all)

225g butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups SR flour (2 cups flour & 3 tsp of baking powder)

Put the orange and butter into TM bowl for 7 to 10 seconds speed 8. (the orange is totally blitzed!). 

Add eggs, sugar and flour. 20 seconds speed 4, reverse.

Put into 20cm lined cake tin, bake 170 FF 60 mins or until cooked. 

Recipe source: Sue Purrb, Aussie Thermomix Forum. Original source: Louisa Green - Taste Forum

I made cupcakes instead of a large cake, bake for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Strawberry and Orange Frosting

180 g butter

2 cup sugar (add more sugar for a firmer frosting)

a few strips of orange peel 

250 g mascapone or cream cheese

small handful of frozen strawberries

pink food colouring (optional)

Whizz the suger and orange peel in the Thermomix, on speed 9 for about 30 - 40 sec. Add remaining ingredients and mix on speed 4 for 1 to 2 minutes. Place in fridge for 1 - 2 h before piping.

This recipe looked interesting, so the instead of making one of the usual cupcake batters last week, I whipped up a batch of orange cupcakes. It's definitely a recipe I'd make again. Non-fuss, super easy, and the cake was light and moist, with just the slightest hint of orange. 

Da Bin Lo on 1st August

We celebrated  Swiss National Day on Monday. It was a wonderful warm evening and we ate our traditional da bin lo in the garden. Our selection included squid, salmon, chicken, noodles, tofu, mushrooms, eggs and lots of vegetables. As well as the usual hot soy, ginger and shallot sauce, we enjoyed this delicious cold scallion sauce.




Ginger Scallion Sauce
(Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang & Peter Meehan)

•2½ cups thinly sliced scallions/shallots (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
•½ cup of chopped coriander (use stalks too, chop finely)
•½ cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
•1/4 cup grapeseed or raps oil
•1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
•3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar
•3/4 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
Mix together. This sauce can also be used on rice or
noodles

Help filing recipes

I have just downloaded this software to help me with filing my recipes: Aunt Annie's recipe filer. It looks great, and Aunt Annie has tons of recipes already on there (including Thermomixer recipes).




Now, I should check if there is a download for Android phones. This would definitely make my trips to the store a bit simpler.

Thermomixing during the Easter break

It's taken me a while to post these pic's. Here are a few things I made over the Easter Break. We had the bread rolls for brunch. Click on the link: Danube bread rolls, on the Opies Family Food Blog, for the recipe.

I also whizzed up some Ras El Hanout,(traditional Moroccan spice mixture) and marinated a butterflied leg of lamb. Here's the link for Janie's recipe for Ras El Hanout 

The lamb was marinated with Ras El Hanout, limes and honey.




Beetroot salad (recipe from EDC/ Aussie book)

and of course desert!

Good Friday Brunch in our garden - Hot Cross Buns (ohne crosses)

For brunch on Good Friday this year, I whipped up a batch of hot cross buns in the Thermomix. I used the recipe from the Everyday Aussie Thermomix Cookbook. The recipe is also here on chookie's blog. I left them in the rustic state, and omitted the flour paste for the crosses and the sugar syrup glaze.

It takes a few minutes to throw in all the ingredients into the Thermomix, mix and then knead on interval speed for 3 minutes. The recipe in the EDC book has 2 pkts of yeast in it, so I did the fast rise in a cold oven, and they were perfect.

They're filled with raisins, sultanas and cranberries. Loved the cranberries, I'll definitely make these again next year.

We ate them outside in the garden, enveloped by the scent of the wisteria and the lilac trees. Our buns were followed by homemade yoghurt, topped with Wannental - or more aptly, Beat's, tangy orange pumpkin, ginger confi. The Wannental  farm is our favorite place to buy locally grown, homemade jams.

I used the yoghurt recipe from the UK Thermomix site, and let it set in wide neck Thermos flask for about 5 -6 hours. The yoghurt was thick and creamy, and tastes nothing like the store bought stuff. Delicious!!

Our morning fruit smoothie and linseed (omega-3) fix by Thermomix

I try to make us all a fruit smoothie for breakfast, adding a handful of linseeds for our daily dose of omega -3 fatty acids. More on omega-3 here.

Ingredients: for 3 - 4 large glasses of juice

30 - 40 g  linseeds or about 1 large spoon per person (I usually use a mixture of brown and golden linseeds)
fruit (washed and chopped), (about 2 pieces per person or if using berries allow a large handful per person)
8 - 10 ice cubes
approximately 200 -300 g water
raw sugar (optional)

Preparation: 
Process linseeds on speed 9 for 40-50 seconds. Add fruit, ice and sugar, and blend for 30 seconds on speed 10. Add water and blend for around 30 seconds more on speed 7-8.

Linseeds promote bowel callesthetics and favor the "lean microbiota" versus the "obese microbiota" (Ley and Turnbaugh - Bacteroidetes are preferable to Firmicutes in our intestinal microflora).  If you're in Switzerland and you're looking for information on IBD, here's a great site (SWISS IBD cohort study).

But it's never to late to start being pro-active against IBD. A daily dose of raw linseeds whizzzed up in the Thermomix with seasonal fruit provides an inexpensive source of omega-3 and promotes the good bacteria.

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Sunday Brunch at Hiltl

I love Sunday brunch at Hiltl in Zurich. It's a perfect place to have a family brunch or to catch up with a special girlfriend. They are known for their outstanding selection of vegetarian dishes.
Brunch (55 SFr. ) is a discretion (all-you-can-eat), only on Sundays. 

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Spring Chinese dumplings - made easy by Thermomix

Last Saturday we got together with some friends and made a batch of chinese dumplings (jiaozi or pot-stickers). One of my work colleagues had  recently been Bärlauch picking around Kyburg, and I was lucky enough to be a recipient of a huge bag of this wonderful stuff. This was inspiration for a spontaneous jiaozi evening amongst a very international group of people (German, Taiwanese, French Swiss, Chinese American and Aussie with Chinese roots).

Bärlauch (wild garlic or Ramsons)

In Switzerland, Bärlauch grows in early spring. You can sometimes also buy it at markets and Migros or Coop. The Tien family, (Lenzburg's master dumpling makers), discovered that Bärlauch, when mixed with ground meat transform it into the most incredible heady, intense garlicky dumpling filling imaginable.

Dough Ingredients:
400 g flour
250-300 g boiling water (this can vary depending on the flour)

Preparation
Place flour and water into the TM bowl, with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 to 2 minutes on Interval speed. The dough should be moist but not wet. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rest for approx 30 minutes.


Filling Ingredients:
500 g ground meat (pork or beef) or prawns
250 g Bärlauch or wild garlic, washed and dried  (alternatives: Chinese chives, Bok Choy, Wom Bok)
50 g spring onions (cut in 3 cm pieces)
15 g ginger
30 g light soy sauce
40 g sesame oil
50 g white wine or sherry
5 to 10 g salt
white pepper

Pork-Bärlauch filling

Filling Preparation: Place half of the Bärlauch into the TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 6. Repeat with second batch, remove and set aside. Add spring onions to the TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds on speed 6. Add all ingredients to the TM bowl and mix on REVERSE speed for 30 to 60 seconds.

To make the dumplings: Cut dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining pieces covered with a damp tea towel. Take the dough and form a sausage shape about 25 to 30 cm long. Cut it into approximately 2 cm pieces. Take one piece and flatten it with your palm, then roll into a circular shape. Repeat with all pieces. 

Place a spoon of filling on the middle of the dough circle. Fold dough over and seal with small pleats.

Cooking the dumplings:

Pot-stickers:

To make pot-stickers, heat a fry pan and add about 1/2 to 1 Tbs of sunflower or raps oil. Arrange dumplings as shown, leaving only very small gaps.  

Add about 180 ml water, cover and allow to cook for about 5 -8 minutes on medium heat. 

Turn out onto a plate, (as you would with Rösti), when the underside of the dumplings are golden brown.

Boiled Dumplings:

Place the dumplings in a large pot of boiling water. When the water returns to the boil, add a small cup of cold water. Stir gently and repeat this procedure 2 more times (you will have added 3 cups of cold water in total).

Steamed dumplings:

Place dumplings onto the varoma tray, fill TM bowl with 900 g water, steam at Varoma temp, speed 1 for 15 minutes.

Sauce:
I usually make a mixture of these ingredients (no measuring involved, just taste):
Chinese vinegar
Soy sauce
pinch of sugar
Chopped chilies
Sesame oil
Coriander

SERVE and ENJOY!


(Tien-Ko recipe)