Melting Moments

Ingredients
Biscuits
185g unsalted butter
60g icing sugar, sifted
45g custard powder, sifted
225g plain flour, sifted

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Line 2 trays with baking paper.
Add unsalted butter and icing sugar to bowl - 5 seconds/speed 4.
Cream the butter and sugar together - 40 seconds/speed 4.
Add custard powder and plain flour - 20 seconds/speed 1 up to 4.
Spoon out teaspoon mixture and press with a fork.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer to a air rack to cool.

Ingredients
Icing
80g icing sugar
40g unsalted butter
2tsp custard powder
1/2tsp vanilla bean paste

Method
Add all ingredients to bowl - 10 seconds/speed 4.
Once biscuits are cool, ice and cool.
Leave until icing has set and biscuits don't move. Store in the fridge covered.

Link: Custard Powder

Baked Plums with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hazelnut Crumb

Ingredients
Baked plums
8 plums, halved and stone removed
150g sugar
200ml verjuice
sprinkle of thyme
lemon zest

Method
Put the plums in a baking tray, top with sugar, verjuice, thyme and lemon zest. Bake in oven pre-heated at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes to brown up top of fruit.

Ingredients
Hazelnut Crumb
55g plain flour
55g brown sugar
55g unsalted butter
80g toasted chopped hazelnuts
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves

Method
In a bowl add plain flour, brown sugar, unsalted butter and rub together until like sand.
Add hazelnuts, ground cinnamon and ground cloves. Mix together.
Sprinkle on to lined baking and bake in oven with fruit for 10 minutes in oven and make it crunchy.

Once cooked, add plums to a bowl and top with vanilla ice cream and then sprinkle over the crumb.

Passionfruit Cake

Ingredients

300g caster sugar

1 cup water

4 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

500g butter

2 tsp vanilla bean 

1 cup passionfruit juice

2 sponge cakes

Method

Cook syrup to 115 degrees. 

In a mix master beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until stiff peaks.

Set aside.

In another bowl beat unsalted butter, vanilla bean until soft and combined. Add passionfruit juice and mix until like buttercream icing. Then add egg white mix and fold together to combine.

Cut sponge cakes in half to make 4 half rounds. Lay the first round on a plate and top with passionfruit buttercream icing. Then repeat with 3 other rounds of sponge cake. 

Decorate with edible viola flowers and passionfruit seeds.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients
1/2kg red chilli's, remove most of seeds
4 cloves garlic
1/2 stick lemon grass
2 lime leaves
ginger
400g caster sugar
120ml white wine vinegar
50ml fish sauce
baby bottle sterilising tablet
cold water
sterilising jars

Method
Blitz in blender until combined.
Put in saucepan with caster sugar, white wine vinegar and fish sauce and bring to boil over medium heat.
Sterilise jars in cold water with baby bottle sterilising tablet.
Drain jars and fill with hot sauce, filling to the top and then put seals and lids on and invert upside down so that you get a great seal.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter and Pretzel Cookies

Ingredients 
80g pretzels + approx. 24 extra 
100g butter 
160g peanut butter 
120g raw sugar 
2 eggs 
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
350g plain flour            
1½ tsp baking powder 
1 tsp bi carb soda 
1 tsp salt 
250g milk or dark choc chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays. 

Place 80g pretzels into bowl and lightly chop 3 sec / speed 4. Set aside. 

Add butter, peanut butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix 20 sec / speed 4. 

Add flour, baking powder, bi carb and salt and mix 10 sec / speed 4. Scrape down and repeat. 

Add chopped pretzel pieces and choc chips and mix 10 sec / speed 5 / Reverse. Scrape down and repeat. 

Firmly roll large golf ball sized balls of dough and space 12 on each baking tray. 

Gently press a pretzel down on each ball, pushing together and smoothing over any major cracks. 

Bake 10-12 mins or until cookies are lightly golden. 

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla Bean Paste

Ingredients 
140g rapadura sugar 
125g water 
10 vanilla beans, cut into thirds

Instructions

Sterilise a glass jar. 

Place rapadura sugar and water in TM bowl and dissolve 5 mins / 50°C / speed 2. 

Add vanilla beans and blend 20 sec / speed 9. 

Scrape down bowl and lid and repeat 20 sec / speed 9. 

Store in a sterilised jar and keep in fridge.

TIP: Make something to utilise all the little specks of yummy vanilla left behind in your bowl and hiding under the blades. e.g. custard, cookies, rice pudding, jam.

Notes

Store in fridge up to 6 months.

Honey Nougat Delight

Ingredients

Nougat 

200g milk chocolate melts 

200g peanut butter 

180g honey 

190g oats 

60g coconut, shredded 

80g walnuts, crumbled 

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Topping 

200g milk chocolate melts 

20g coconut oil 

coconut, to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Nougat 

Line a slice tin with baking paper. 

Place chocolate into bowl and grate 10 sec / speed 9. 

Scrape down and melt 4 mins / 50°C / speed 1. 

Add peanut butter and honey and melt 2 mins / 90°C / speed 1. 

Add oats, coconut, walnuts and vanilla and mix 30 sec / speed 4 / Reverse. 

Scrape mixture into prepared slice tin. 

No need to wash bowl. 

Topping 

Place chocolate and oil into bowl and grate 10 sec / speed 9. Scrape down and melt 5 mins / 50°C / speed 1. 

Pour melted chocolate on top of nougat in slice tin and sprinkle with coconut. Allow it to set in fridge for an hour.

When set, cut into bars and enjoy!

To clean bowl: 

Pour a glass of milk into bowl and mix 5 sec / speed 8. 

Heat milk 5 mins / 80°C / speed 4. 

Enjoy warm chocolate milk. No wasted chocolate!

Honey Ginger Sponge Roll

Ingredients
Sponge Cake
4 eggs (at room temp)
½ cup (110g) caster sugar, plus extra, for dusting
½ cup (75g) cornflour
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon honey, at room temperature

Honey cream filling 90g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water

Method
Pre-heat oven to 160C fan forced.
Grease and line base and sides of a 26cm x 32cm Swiss roll pan.
Sift together flours, baking powder and spices and set aside.
Separate the eggs and place into bowl.
Insert butterfly.
Place egg whites into bowl and beat with MC off 4-6 min/speed 3 or until stiff (I upped it to speed 4 for about 2 mins in addition to this recommendation).
On speed 3, add caster sugar one teaspoon at a time thru MC hole until incorporated. (this will take 4-5 minutes it will look like glossy meringue when finished.)
With Butterfly rotating on speed 1, add yolks one at a time through MC hole until incorporated.
Take off lid and remove butterfly, knock on edge to drain off mixture. I gave it a gentle stir clockwise to incorporate the flecks of flour and egg on sides of bowl.
Pour into prepared pan and spread level with spatula.
Bake on centre rack of oven for 20 minutes until risen and firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Turn out onto a tea towel lightly dusted with extra caster sugar (I put desiccated coconut too). Quickly peel off paper and trim edges. Roll up immediately in tea towel starting from short edge. Leave to cool completely.
Rinse bowl and place butter and honey inside, cream on speed 3 to 4 for about 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water thru MC hole and continue beating until mixture is smooth and creamy. Unroll cake and spread over filling. Roll up again and serve cut across into slices.

Adapted from Suzanne Gibbs recipe http://food.ninemsn.com.au/.../8338883/honey-sponge-roll

Cucumber Mint Sorbet

Ingredient
150g caster sugar
150g water
300g cucumber: peeled, diced and frozen
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 egg white
dash of gin (optional or if freezing before serving)

Method
Make a syrup with the sugar and water by placing into TM bowl and cook in bowl 5 min/80degrees/speed 2. Cool and freeze into ice cubes overnight.
When you are ready to make the sorbet, place all ingredients including the frozen syrup and cucumber into bowl and blend 2 min/speed 10. Pause and scrape down the sides.
Serve immediately or to freeze add a dash of gin to sorbet so that it doesn't freeze solid.

Tzatziki

Ingredients
1 Lebanese cucumber
1 clove garlic
200g Greek unsweetened yoghurt
1 tsp dill or mint (fresh or dried)
1.5 tsp red wine vinegar

Method
Put the cucumber in the bowl and chop on speed 5 for 5 seconds.
Transfer into the basket and drain.
Squeeze out excess liquid of cucumber.
Discard water from bowl and clean and dry bowl.
Put garlic and dill/mint in bowl and chop on speed 5 for 10 seconds or press Turbo.
Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add all of cucumber, yoghurt and red wine vinegar and mix on speed 3 for 15 seconds.
Serve straight away or refrigerate for later.

Slow Cooked Pulled Beef

Ingredients

1 brown onion, sliced

250ml chicken stock

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pinch salt *to taste

1.5kg beef bolar blade, whole

Method

Place the first 9 ingredients into the slow cooker.

Add the beef and turn until it is completely coated.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Remove beef and set aside and cover to rest and keep warm.

Skim any fat from slow cooker juices and strain remaining liquid through a sieve.

Place strained liquid into a large frypan.

Set solids aside in a small bowl.

Bring liquid to the boil and gently boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened a little and reduced by half.

Shred beef using a fork and add to sauce mixture.

Add reserved solids and stir through.

Serve hot on long, crusty rolls or with creamy mashed potato topped with meat and gravy.