Macadamia and Honey Tart

This Tart is for special occasions. However it is very easy to make, and can be made the day before required. Although the nuts are expensive, it does cut into 10 to 12 serves. It costs about $1.50 a serve.

8 sheets of Filo pastry
Rice Bran oil spray or butter(80g)

150g butter, cut into cubes
100mls. honey
40g. sugar
60g. cream

3 Tablespoons of Mandarine rind

250g. unsalted, raw Macadamia nuts
200g. slivered almonds


Set oven to 160c. ff
Prepare a 23cm. fluted flan tin, with a removable base, by spraying with oil .
Line the tin with Filo, spraying between every second sheet.
Trim edges of Filo with scissors.
Place rind of 2 mandarines into bowl and zap for 3 sec. on speed 7. set aside and wash bowl.

Into TMX bowl place, butter,sugar, honey and cream. Heat and simmer for 3 mins. by setting 8 mins., Varoma, speed 1.
Add 3 Tablespoons of the grated mandarine rind and cook for 1 min.Varoma, speed 1.
Add nuts and fold through, reverse, 1 min.

Tip nut mixture into prepared flan tin, and smooth out the nuts.
Cook for 25 mins or until the top is a nice caramel colour.

I place a baking tray on the oven floor as some syrup may run over.
During the last 10 - 15 mins of cooking the mixture will bubble. This is O.K.

Serve as is or with thick cream and a strawberry.

Store in an air tight tin in fridge. Serve at room temp.

While the Tart is still warm, remove the fluted ring, but leave the base in place.

Pear and Ginger Puddings

This is for those who like Ginger. The original recipe was for 8 individual puddings.
I made 1 large one and it will serve between 8 to 10 people. I have adapted it from a recipe on Taste.com.au. You could easily make 1/2.

4 or 5 medium sized pears, peeled ,cored and sliced, and cooked in a little water with a Tablespoon sugar. Or a 425g tin of pear halves, drained.
185g. unsalted butter, cubed.
3/4 cup of caster sugar
2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
1 Tablespoon of ginger in syrup
3 eggs
100mls. milk
280g. self-raising flour

Set oven to 200c,

Place drained pears in large oven proof dish
Into TMX bowl place butter and sugar, golden syrup and ginger, mix 25 seconds on speed 5.
Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs,mix 15 seconds on speed 5.
Add milk and mix 5 seconds on speed 5.
Add flour, mix on REVERSE, 30 seconds,speed 5, scrape down bowl and mix another 5 seconds on speed 5.

Pour over pears in dish.

For large pud. bake at 200c. for 20 mins, then lower heat to 160c. for 25 mins.
Test to see it is cooked in the center.

For small puds cook for 20 mins at 200c.

Pears could be replaced with apple or quince

Serve with cream or ice cream.
Can be frozen after cooking, reheated in microwave.

Hummus with Coriander Goop

We are having a campaign of no waste. I am using as much home grown produce as possible. We have oodles of rhubarb, parsley, coriander,lemons,garlic, silverbeet, herbs of all sorts, lettuce and of course eggs. The coriander is about to go to seed so I thought I had better harvest it. Looking through the Master Chef magazine I noticed a recipe for 'Hummus and Coriander oil'. Hate the show, saw the first episode and will not watch any more, however the magazine is good value and I have marked 6 recipes to convert. I used the basis of the coriander oil, which I call ' GOOP', and my fav. recipe for Hummus which is Abla's. We don't like cumin in Hummus but you could add it if you wish.( 1/2 teaspoon ).

Hummus

2 cups of cooked chickpeas. (could use tinned)
2 cloves of garlic
180g Tahini
80mls. lemon juice, (3 small lemons), save the rinds for the Goop.

Place all in TMX bowl and mix on speed 5/7 until a smooth paste is formed. You may need to add a little water if too thick.

You may wish to reduce the amount of garlic.


Coriander Goop

Into TMX bowl place,
150 of coriander leaves and stems, roughly chopped.
6 cloves of garlic
3 good pinches of chilli flakes
Rind of 2 lemons and 1 whole lemon, 1/4ed.
180 mls. extra virgin olive oil.

Zap until a rough paste is formed.

This makes 4 small containers of Goop, which can be frozen and later used in any recipe that calls for coriander and garlic, eg. top on pizza, pasta, soup, or in Indian patties or Felafel.

In this recipe, spread the Hummus onto a flat dish and swirl the Goop over the top.

Caramel apple pudding

Caramel apple pudding

With the temperature at about 5 degrees, it is time for nice hot puddings. This recipe, adapted for Thermomix, from one of "Taste.com.au", fits the bill nicely.

3 large golden delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced.
125g. plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g. caster sugar
100mls. milk
70g. butter, melted
1 egg

100g. raw sugar
75mls. golden syrup
150mls. hot water

cream to serve

Preheat oven to 180c.
Lightly butter a 1.25 litre baking dish
Place apples in dish
Place into TMX bowl, egg, sugar and milk and zap for 15 seconds at speed 5.
Add butter, flour and baking powder. and mix, 30 seconds speed 4.
Spread mixture over apples, wash out bowl.
Put raw sugar, golden syrup and hot water into bowl and mix 3mins, varoma temp and speed 5 until mixture boils .
Pour over pudding batter in dish.
Cook 40 - 45 mins. and until brown on top. Test with skewer to see it is cooked.

Makes 4 generous serves
.

Vegetable garden in Summer

Poached and dried apples

Poached and dried apples

Every year, we are given lots of Apples, (the birds eat most of ours). I bottle some , pulp and freeze some and dry some. I also make apple jelly. Chef Michael Ryan, from Beechworth, Victoria, has published a recipe for poaching the apples in a syrup made from the peel and cores. The TMX has made this time consuming process quite simple .

1 tablespoon of lemon juice
4 very large apples, or 5 medium sized apples.
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.

Peel and core the apples, saving the peel and cores and placing them in the TMX bowl with 1 cup of water and the caster sugar and vanilla essence. Cook for 12 mins,. 100c., and speed 1.
While the peel and cores are cooking, cut the apple into thin slices and place in a dish of water, to which the lemon juice has been added.
When the peel and cores are cooked, place towel over lid and slowly turn dial from 1 to 9, for 1 min.
Pour this mixture, with an additional cup of water , into a large pan on the stove.
Heat the mixture, and add the drained apple slices to the pan.
Gently simmer until the slices are just tender and slightly translucent.
Allow apples to cool in Syrup.
Remove and either dry in a dehydrator for 10 hours, or place slices on baking trays, lined with baking paper, and dry in an oven at 100c for 2-3 hours, or until golden and crisp.

Michael Ryan serves these with Creme Catalan. I will add them to breakfast cereal.

The remaining cooking syrup I used as a base for berry jam.

Jam Drop Biscuits

Jam Drop biscuits, with Quince paste centers

Jam Drop Biscuits

Instead of jam, I used Quince Paste in the center of each biscuit. It was less messy and held its shape.

125 softened butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups of plain flour
1/4 cup of cornflour
1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
Jam or fruit paste for filling.

Preheat oven to 180c. and prepare baking trays with baking paper.
Place butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in TMX bowl and mix for 30 seconds at speed 6.
Add flours and coconut and mix, 30 seconds at speed 6. Scrape down bowl and mix for further 10 seconds, speed 6.

Roll into small balls, ( I use a small ice cream scoop ), and place on trays.
Press a dent on the center and place a small cube of paste or a small teaspoon full of jam in the center.
Bake 15 mins. and cool on trays.

Makes 30 - 35

Roast Vegetable Bread - 2 versions

Savory Loaf, above. Sweet Rolls, without fruit, below.

Roast Vegetable Bread - 2 versions

This recipe is a composite of 2 recipes. The first person who introduced me to using cold (left over ) roast vegies was Andrew Masterson, who provided a recipe in"The Good Life Bread Book". An Earth Garden Publication. The second recipe was provided by Warren (UnConundrum), from the Forum. His recipe is called 'Sweet Potato Rolls'. The first version is a sweet bread, which can be adapted for rolls, a plait, or a fruit loaf

225g milk
100g honey
200g. cold roast sweet potato, or/ and pumpkin, and/or potato .
500g. bread flour, ( I use Laucke white mix). If you don't use a mix, then add 10g. salt.
!/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
3 teaspoons of instant yeast
170g of dried fruit of choice, optional


Place milk and honey in TMX bowl and mix
1 min., heat 50, speed 2.
Add cold roast vegies.( no skin ), and mix speed 5 for 2 mins., or until well blended.
Add flour, yeast and spices and knead 5 mins on interval.
Add fruit if using and knead for 1 min. on interval.
Either leave dough in TMX bowl or turn out into an oiled dish and cover with plastic.
Leave for about 1 hour in a warm spot, to double
When doubled, form into rolls, loaf, or plait. Spray with water and cover with plastic.
Leave to double. THIS MAY TAKE UP TO 1 HOUR.
Brush top with egg wash.
Bake in preheated oven 185c for 20 mins for rolls, 45 mins in tin and 35mins. out of tin, on its side in oven, for sweet loaf. Savory loaf, 40 mins in tin, and 15 mins out of tin on its side in oven.

Savory Version

Same as above except-

1 teaspoon of honey instead of 100g
20g. olive oil or coconut oil
no spices or fruit, but can add up to 50g. of seeds or grains or herbs.

The colour of the bread will depend on which vegies are used.