quick butterscotch custard (GF, DF, TMX)

i wanted a quick dessert tonight, kids had already had icecream so i only made half the usual custard. unfortunatley (?!) they all loved it and tomorrow i'll have to make more LOL this will make a really thick custard

butterscotch custard for 2
30g brown sugar
1 egg
30g gluten free cornflour
250g soy milk (or any milk you like)
splosh of butterscotch liqueur

put all in the bowl, cook for 7 minutes 90' speed 4

i had mine with sliced banana, yum!

Creamy Chocolate & Strawberry Iceblocks

Just found this in mum's New Idea magazine and Ryan wants to make them...

Creamy chocolate:
1 cup thick vanilla custard
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup chocolate topping

Creamy strawberry:
250g punnet strawberries, stems removed
2/3 thick vanilla custard
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup Strawberry topping

mix each set of ingredients, whisking well in a food processor
pour into moulds and freeze until set.



posted by Karen at http://brazen20au.blogspot.com

Happy Boxing Day!!

I've decided to set myself a challenge to blog every day for a month :D i figure dh will be home for most of that time so I will have a little more to myself and have no excuse ;) At least once he gets over the gastro Ryan shared with him for Christmas Day i will LOL

I just had this link come through on my blog reader and had to share it - for a gluten free gingerbread house. Not something i'd have the patience for but looks great! Speaking of gluten free lollies (sweets / candy) what ones do you know of / use and where do you buy them? Here's a list of gluten free lollies we know of / buy (NOTE: please always be sure to double check labels in case these products are no longer GF):

• the We Love Coles brand of smarties - in individual packs. From Coles obviously ;p
• Mr Mallow marshmallows, available in places like the reject shop and Toys R Us
• Natural Confectionary Company - check ingredients but about 4 of the fruit flavoured jellies are GF
• Jelly Belly jellybeans (mmmm)
• Minties
• some (most?) lifesavers
• most flavours of Chupachups (this is tricky as it's hard to read the label on individual ones - check on the mixed packets)

Chocolate:

• some Cadbury - the plain, and Snack are definitely
• some toblerone - the fruit and nut is - the regular one with nougat is NOT
• most cheap chocolate is
  

I'm having a total mind blank as to more!!! I will update as more come to mind :)

I know that I find the best places to buy GF lollies are the $2 shops - the Reject Shop, GoLo etc :) and also a lot of the homebrand lollies, especially in IGA





posted by Karen on http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/

Sugared Cashews (GF, TMX)

based on this recipe


50g water
100g sugar
250g cashews
1 tbsp sugar extra
1 tspn cinnamon or other spices to taste


1. Weigh 50ml water and 100g sugar into Thermomix jug.
2. Add 250 g cashews.
3. reverse, speed 2, 100C, for 9 minutes without the measuring cup in the lid. The cashews won't be dry but they will start to disintegrate if cooked for much longer
4. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar (and the spices if used) over the cashews and distribute with only 3-4 stirs.
6. bake in an oven (around 120-150'c) for around 10-15 minutes until golden brown - when you can smell them it's time to take the out :)

Photos coming later!

off to try some savoury ones....


posted by Karen on http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/

Wicked Chocolate Dip!

Wicked Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients
200 gram bar of Toblerone **
125ml cream
Honey (optional)
Liqueur of your choice (optional)

Things to dip with
Such as….
Banana
Strawberries
Pineapple
Any type of fruit that goes well with chocolate!
Musk sticks
Liquorice sticks
Marshmallows
Wafer biscuits

Method
1. Break chocolate into pieces and add cream in 1 litre microwave jug.
2. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
3. Stir with the Tupperchef spatula until well combined and smooth.
4. Add honey & liqueur to taste.

Serving suggestions

Pour chocolate fondue into the centre receptacle of the Alfresco serving centre and arrange your choice of dipping items in the compartments around the edge
Or
Pour mixture into 600ml illusions bowl. Place 600ml bowl in 2.4ltr platter and arrange your choice of dipping items around it!

Notes
• Condensation or water from anywhere will ruin your chocolate, so never put the lid on your 1 litre microwave jug while cooking chocolate as well as making sure everything is well dried!
• ** You can use other types of chocolate if you prefer such as dark or white or other flavours, just make sure you choose a good quality brand, not cooking chocolate.
• The fondue can be flavoured with any liquor you like
• Be creative with your dipping items
• If you can bear to wait, this is even nicer once it’s slightly cooled and thicker!

Got Stale Cake? (GF, TMX)

Last Wednesday I made a double batch of gluten free chocolate patty cakes (cupcakes) being one of the few things my whole family will eat (bar me ;))

quite a few got eaten but there were still a LOT left. we took them to a friend's on thursday morning where a handful more got eaten and then I didn't get home til 7pm that night, and they sat in the back of the car for hours before getting home. Gluten free cakes don't stay fresh at the best of times so i knew no one would want these after all that.

They sat in their container waiting to be thrown out. waiting. waiting. and waiting. Eventually today i decided that surely there must be something i could do with them instead of just tossing them (and bakerella's cake pops hadn't excited me all that much when we made them last). so after a bit of googling this is what i made. it was a huge hit :D

Stale Cake 'Stuff'

stale gluten free chocolate cakes - 1 whole cake or around 15 patty cakes
600g milk
40g white rice flour
60g brown sugar
2 eggs
20g butterscotch liqueur (plus extra for soaking if you are making an adult dessert)
strawberry sauce (optional *)

place the cakes in the thermomix, and chop on speed 5 until nicely crumbled, place in a bowl. if using extra liqueur add it now and mix well

place the rest of the ingredients (except strawberry sauce) into thermomix and cook 7 minutes 90' speed 4

place a layer of cake crumbs (around 6mm) on the bottom of a round glass dish (approx 20cm across). top with a gently poured layer of custard.
repeat crumbs, top with strawberry sauce if using, then repeat custard.
repeat crumbs and custard, then top with a final thinner layer of crumbs.

you could also top with grated chocolate or sifted cocoa

leave it to sit for around half an hour (or refridgerate if you want to have it cold) and serve.

* i didn't use the sauce as 2 of my family wouldn't have eaten it then, but i think it would go wonderfully.

Butterscotch Almond Cake (GF, TMX)

based on this recipe - yes I'm fete cooking again :) so far I've made a batch of vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and this recipe. might do something else but hopefully it should be enough!

notes from the original recipe:

This cake is big (very big!) and beautiful and is, IMO, better the next day (or when cooled at least), as that gives the butterscotch flavour a chance to develop.

It's very good as a dessert cake (with a dollop of cream), also freezes well. Keeps well for a few days due to the amount of butter.

BUTTERSCOTCH ALMOND CAKE

Serves 16

140g almonds
375g softened butter, chopped
410g Gluten free SR flour
320g brown sugar (light brown sugar, not dark brown sugar)
6 eggs
55g honey
320g milk

Preheat oven to 140C. You'll need one large cake tin, or several smaller ones.

Place almonds in the tmx bowl. Make into meal by chopping for 30 seconds speed 8

Add all other ingredients and mix by starting on speed 4 and turning up to speed 5 over 30 seconds. scrape sides down and mix on speed 5 for another 5 seconds.

Pour into tins and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean (cover cake with foil if over-browning during cooking.) Check after 1 hour

Let cake cool before cutting it or turning it out.

Serve with thickened cream.

Enjoy!

Recipe is from SuperFood Ideas, August 08.

Strawberry Cake (GF, TMX)

Making a few changes from this recipe I made a delicious cake - even though I halved the sugar I still found it so sweet I'd call it a cake not a bread. Plus I"ll be tempted to put even less sugar in next time.

1 punnet (around 250g) hulled strawberries
490g gluten free plain flour *
1 tsp. bicarb soda
good pinch salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla essence
200g sugar (forgot to weigh this sorry, have guestimated)
4 eggs
200g grapeseed oil


place strawberries in thermomix bowl and chop gently on speed 4 for a few seconds. remove from bowl.

add all other ingredients and mix on speed 4 until just mixed. add strawberries and mix through on reverse speed 2-3 until mixed in without being chopped more.

bake at around 180' for 35-45 mins (i made 2 smallish loaves and mine were done in around 30-35 mins)

* I make my own using the recipe in the Gluten Free Wheat Free cookbook

Apple Tea Cake (GF, TMX)

Last week I made this cake for my parents and as i managed to snaffle a piece i will say it was delicious!!!! i did make some minor changes to the original recipe - including being gluten free. it was soooooo moist and just beautiful, and i am not a tea cake lover! Mum also raved about it - so give it a try!


Butter (60g)
Milk (200g)
Egg (1)
Vanilla Essence (half teaspoon)
Gluten free plain flour * (190g)
gluten free baking powder * 2 tspns
Raw Sugar (100g)
Pinch Salt
4-6 small - medium golden delicious apples, cored and cut into 8 pieces
Cinnamon and sugar extra

Preheat oven to moderate and grease your cake tin

Place apple in tmx bowl and chop for 10-20 seconds speed 4. remove from bowl, mix with extra cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Melt butter in tmx bowl for 2 mins, 90 degrees, speed 1.

Add milk, vanilla essence and egg. Mix for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix for 10 seconds, speed 5.

Tip half batter into tin and sprinkle half the apple mix across the cake. pour the remaining batter over and give it a gentle stir with a knife. Place the remaining apple mix evenly over the cake.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

* I make my own using the recipes in the Everyday cookbook and the Gluten free wheat free cookbook.

a special treat! (TMX, GF)

Rora loved her gluten doughnuts but hadn't had one since last December. When i heard the donut machines were available in Kmart at the moment for $25 I had to go and get one. we tried it tonight and I'm so glad we have it! The donuts are sooooo yummy and of course it won't take long to pay for it with the savings from making our own :)

I used this recipe which was very nice (maybe a tad sweet) and converted to thermomix...


Gluten Free Donuts for a Donut Machine

180g sugar or raw sugar
125g butter, cubed
180g milk
1 egg
230g gluten free flour *
1 1/2 tspns GF baking powder *
2-3 tspns ground cinnamon

grind sugar to caster sugar fineness (speed 8)

place butter in TMX bowl, melt for 1-3 mins (depending on temp of butter) at 70'c speed 1
add milk and egg and mix at speed 3 for 10 seconds or until well mixed
add flour, 100g of the sugar and baking powder and mix at speed 4 for 10 seconds or until well mixed.

Mix the other 80g of sugar with cinnamon in a bowl and set aside

use a soup spoon to pour the batter into your mini donut maker (spray well with spray oil before each batch)

as each batch is cooked toss them in cinnamon sugar and serve :)

note: this recipe made approx 32 mini donuts

* i use the TMX recipe to make my own, see the everyday book

Mandarin Success this time!

well the clementine cake might have been a disaster but this Macadamia and Mandarin Fudge sure wasn't!!! and soooo easy too... my guests loved it!

based on Chelsea's recipe here, i subbed my clementine for the limes, and added some orange essence.

150g toasted macadamia nuts
zest of one large clementine mandarin, scrubbed well
395g can condensed milk
500g white chocolate
1/2 - 1 tspn orange essence


Line a 18cm square tin with a piece of baking paper (so that the paper comes up the sides).
Place nuts in bowl and chop using turbo. set aside
Place the zest in the bowl and grate finely (10 seconds, speed 8 ). Set aside.
Place the chocolate in the bowl and grate (5 seconds, speed 8 ).
Add condensed milk to the chocolate and melt/combine (approx. 5-7 minutes, 50 degrees, speed 1). Check often and stop when fully melted. I found i had to stir with a spatula as it was a bit thick for the thermomix to stir evenly.
Add zest, essence and chopped nuts and combine (approx. 30 seconds, speed 1).
Tip into tray and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares and keep in fridge.

Crazy for Custard! (GF, TMX)

my kids (and dh) love custard! here's how we make it gluten free...

each recipe makes enough for the kids and dh to have custard for dessert with none left over, or this morning the strawberry filled 9 Tupperware snack cups, i'd assume the vanilla or chocolate would fill 8. I'm not sure about freezing it but am going to try and see how it goes. adjust the sugar to your taste.

this recipe makes quite a thick custard so if you'd rather a thin pouring custard you could either reduce the flour or increase the milk. please note that you need more flour (60g i think) if you are using regular wheat flour instead of gluten free.


if you are making it to keep you should pour it into your container/s then cover carefully with clingwrap so that the clingwrap covers the top of the custard, or today i just put the lids on while it was still quite warm. This stops the custard getting a skin on it.

Vanilla Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
40g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4



Chocolate Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
30g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
1 slightly heaped tspn cocoa
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4



Strawberry Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
40g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence
5-10 strawberries, washed and hulled

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4


i'm sure you could do a yummy banana custard too, but emelia is the only one of my lot to like bananas.

if i have spare egg yolks i will throw them in the custard and reduce the flour a bit, but the one time i made it without any flour it curdled so i always include at least a little flour to keep the consistency right.

Golden Syrup Dumplings

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm the other night i had a huge craving for these but wasn't well enough to cook. today i remembered to ask mum for the recipe, I'd made the recipe off taste a few times now and wasn't really all that keen on it. this one came out of a Ladysmith (town near Wagga) school cooking book from the 80's i think.

GOLDEN SYRUP DUMPLINGS

1 tab butter
1 cup SR flour

beat 1 egg with a little milk.
rub butter into flour, then add egg with milk to form a stiff dough. Divide into balls and drop into boiling syrup.

SYRUP

1 cup water
1 tab butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tab golden syrup.

Boil for 20 mins. Serve with boiled custard or cream

Rora's "Pink" Cake (GF, TMX)

rora wanted a "pink" cake yesterday, so lacking any cochineal or anything else to make a cake pink i decided to go with strawberries, even though the last time i attempted a strawberry cake it was awful!

well this one was NOT awful! it was divine! too much sugar for me, and next time i will add 2 punnets of strawberries, but this is a definite keeper :)

from the Lucullian Delights blog and her Ricotta and Almond cake

Strawberry, Ricotta and Almond cake (gluten free)

100 g whole almonds
1-2 punnets (around 200-400g) hulled & halved strawberries
75 g butter
3 eggs
2oog sugar (* next time i will try 150g)
125 g ricotta
100g brown rice flour
few drops of cochineal, optional :)

place almonds in bowl and chop at speed 6 until almonds become meal. (sorry i have mine already ground so can't remember how long! maybe 40-60 seconds?) remove and place in another bowl

add strawberries and chop at speed 6 for 1-5 seconds until finely chopped and slightly pureed

add chopped butter and mix for 1 minute on speed 4 90'c

add in eggs and sugar and mix on speed 4 for 5 seconds

add ricotta and brown rice flour, mix on speed 4 for 5-10 seconds or until well mixed.

pour into a lined, greased tin and bake at 180'c for 25-35 mins. serve with a dollop of fresh thick cream.


this would be lovely for dessert or a decadant afternoon tea (it is very rich, moist and sweet)

Just to make Damian jealous...

hehhehe


it was Geoff's birthday today so I decided to make him this cheesecake (and yes, that is the infamous cauliflower tagine i've been waiting for!) unfortunately violet crumbles and crunchie bars aren't gluten free (not many lollies are, surprisingly) so i had to use shaved chocolate as the decoration - next time i would use a combo of dark and white shaved.

Chocolate Cheesecake - gluten free version
as always please check ingredients to ensure brands are still gluten free

Ingredients
270g chocolate gluten free biscuits (or we used a mix of freedom chocolate ones and arnotts rice cookies)
55g butter
125g block milk chocolate (we used Cadbury
60g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or essence
750g cream cheese
5 eggs
160g sour cream
2 tbsp Dutch process cocoa mixed with a little warm water
small block of white and small block of dark chocolate
gluten free heart sprinkles

Method
Place biscuits and 40g butter into TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 7.
Press into large spring form pan and bake in 160°C oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.
In clean TM bowl chop chocolate with remaining 15g butter for 5 seconds on speed 4. Melt for 4 minutes at 37°C on speed soft.
Add sugar, essence and cream cheese and beat for 30 seconds on speed 8.
Add remaining ingredients and blend for 1 minute on speed 9.
Wrap a double layer of foil around the outside of the springform pan.
Pour cheesecake mix into spring form pan and place in a water bath in 160°C oven.
Cook for 1 hour or until set in centre.
Cool.
cover with peelings of chocolate and sprinkles sprinkled over lol



to be honest i wasn't that excited by this cheesecake, but i am not a chocolate cheesecake lover anyway! i think the honeycomb would have made it more interesting, or some baileys or other liqueur and / or berries would have made it more interesting.

it was not my day for cooking though, as i burnt the crust a little by having to go to the shop after putting it in the oven (mind you, the trip meant having to put the kids in our little car, without them all being properly restrained like they are in the big car, but g had taken that to put petrol in - usually we never need to go out when we're home alone with the kids on a weekend!!) i had only bought 250g of cream cheese and needed 3 times that!

i have made cheesecake 2-3 times in my life and have to admit i am no cheesecake chef :(

Banana, Yoghurt & Blueberry Cake

this cake was delicious! i was asked if i'd bought it ;p (thanks girls, your cheque is in the mail ;)) but it was lovely and moist like a cafe cake. it didn't rise a lot and i think that helped. it doesn't have a really strong banana flavour and the blueberries were a delicious extra touch.

next time i'll try a gluten free version (even though rory's not much interested in cake)

originally from taste, and with non-thermomix instructions there :)

125g butter or margarine
175g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas
200g plain yoghurt
200g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 - 1 punnet fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm springform pan and then line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Mix butter or margarine and sugar in thermomix until pale and creamy - i used speed 4, scraping down a few times and it took maybe a minute, probably less.

turn speed down to 2 and add eggs one at time through the lid.

Remove lid and add in yoghurt, flour and baking powder, mix on speed 4-6 for 10-20 seconds (until the flour is well mixed through).

Add (whole peeled) bananas and mix reverse speed 4 for approx 10 seconds until they stop sounding "chunky"

remove bowl from thermomix and use a spatula to mix the blueberries through. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Stand for 5-10 minutes then remove cake from pan and place it on a wire rack to cool.

just before eating sift some icing sugar over it. serve on its own or with a dollop of double thick cream

photo tomorrow :)

Lucus Cake

from a friend...

Lucus Cake

600mls thicken cream
1 packet of “morning coffee Biscuits”
I mug of water/ warm or cold
1tbl heaped of coffee
Cocoa
Flake
3 Sheets of foil
1 Packet of “white wings” Vanilla Instant Pudding

Put your 3 sheets foil down onto a tray ( make sure its long enough to put 7 biscuits across).

Mix with a mix master cream and pudding until its nice and fluffy and thick, while that is mixing dip your biscuits in the water and coffee, and place them down on foil 7across and 3 down so you should have 21 biscuits.
(that is 3 biscuits long, and 7 biscuits wide, so its a squarish shape)

Then spread half your pudding mix out on top of the biscuits.

Then repeat it all over again.

When you have the 2 layers get the sides of the foil and bring them together, to make a triangle.

Put in the fridge to set for 2 hrs.

Then with the left over coffee/ water use it for chocolate icing (however you would make your own chocolate icing), then sprinkle the top with a flake.

Friands - from Carol

Coffee choc Friands
the ingredients

250g icing sugar
100g plain flour
125g ground almonds
180g butter, melted and cooled
6 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoons hot water
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped


the fun
§ Preheat the oven to 180ºc
§ In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, almonds, butter & egg whites. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
§ Pour dissolved coffee into mixture and mix well.
§ Spoon mixture into Flexibake Pan and top each friand with chopped chocolate.
§ Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.
§ Remove from oven and let cool in Flexibake Pan

CHEF'S TIP
Gluten free flour can be used


Pistachio and Lime Friands

125g Pistachios
6 egg whites
185 g butter, melted
1 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1 tblspn lime juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind

1 preheat oven to 200c/180 fan forces. Grease your tin

2. Process nuts until finely ground

3. Place egg whites in large bowl; whisk until frothy. Stir in butter, sifted sugar and flour, juice, rind, and ground pistachios. Spoon mixture into pans.

4. Bake friands aboutt 20 mins. Stand in pan 5 mins, turn, top side up onto wire rack to cool


See they are super easy and very yummy

2 GF recipes from Skye...

thanks so much for thinking of us skye, these sound delish!

G.F peppermint slice
*125gm soft butter
*105gm gf icing sugar
*1 egg
*half tsp each peppermint and vanilla extract
*1cup g.f rice flour
*1cup g.f cornflour
*35g cocoa

Preheat oven to 180`c,cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy,add
egg,and essence,beat well
Sift flours and cocoa,fold in dry ingredients until mixture is combined.roll into balls and bake for 10mins



Sweet maple treats gluten, nut and egg free
*125g soft butter
*1tsp vanilla extract
*1/3 cup maple syrup
*270g g.f rice flour
*70g g.f cornflour

Preheat oven to 180`c,cream butter,vanilla and maple syrup until light and fluffy,sift flours,fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Roll into balls and cook for 10mins or golden brown

Lemon Curd (thermomix)

another great idea for christmas gifts.

originally posted on forumthermomix by caroline

Lemon Curd
makes 1 jar

75 g caster sugar
juice and finely grated zest of large, juicy lemon (i used 2 medium)
2 large eggs
50 g unsalted butter
i also added a small amount cornflour but not sure it was necessary

1. Put all the ingredients in the TM bowl. Mix 15 seconds on Speed 6.
2. Scrape down the sides with the spatula
3. Insert the whisk. Cook 4 minutes at 80'C on Speed 4
4. If it hasn't thickened enough, continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
5. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Tips/Hints: I got this recipe from the UK Fast and Easy Cooking book. I made a double batch, and it took an extra 3 minutes of cooking time. Great recipe if you like to really taste the lemon. If you prefer a sweeter lemon curd, use the Australian recipe

according to the google i did lemon curd is good on scones or with gingerbread :)