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