Sundried Tomato and Mushroom Quiche

From the book 'Quiches' by Hachette Petits Pratiques

Ingredients

Pate Brisée Dough/Pastry (or you can buy it if you cant be bothered making it but it is so much better homemade)

250g button mushrooms/champignons de Paris

3 white onions (sml) or a handful of spring oignons or even shallots

2 tbspns olive oil

90g of sundried tomatoes (roughly)

250ml sour cream/creme fraiche

3 eggs

90g grated cheese (could be emmental, gruyere, tasty...i use emmental in general)

salt, pepper to taste

Note - These are two different recipes as thats what I use but if you have your own recipe then use that or buy it if you find it easier..

Pâte Brisée Thermomix Recipe

150g flour (Type 55)

75g butter cubed

1/2 tsp of salt

50g luke warm water

Method

Put all of the ingredients in the bowl and knead for 30 secondes, knead function.

Mix for 10 secondes, reverse, speed 2 to facilitate the removal of the dough from the bowl.

On a clean teatowel turn the bowl upside down and turn the blade element from the underside of the bowl and without touching the pastry dough use the teatowel to form into a ball.  Your pastry is ready to go.  Best to roll out between two pieces of baking paper until you have the size your after, take off the top piece of baking paper but leave the second piece underneath and place the whole thing into your dish.  Just for info, if you dont use hte baking paper you DO NOT NEED to grease the dish prior to putting in the pastry as it will not stick due to the butter etc already in the pastry.

Pâte Brisée Non Thermomix Version

250 g de farine T55
125g butter cubed
1 egg yolk
60ml of water
1 large pinch of salt

Method

Put the flour in a bowl (preferably sift it into the bowl rather than just putting it in)

Add the cubes of butter into the bowl of flour and mix either with your fingers to break it down and create crumbs like you do for a crumble.

Mix together the water, egg yolk and salt.  Pour this mixture into a well made in the centre of the flour and butter mix.  Work the mixture together to create a ball.  Stop mixing as soon as it forms a ball.. 

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling it out.

Preparation

Preheat the oven at 180°C (Th 6).  Roll out the puff pastry and put into a quiche or pie dish and pick the bottom of the pastry with a fork.

Prepare and slice the mushrooms (best to brush off any dirt etc rather than rinse).  Peel and chop the oignons.  Heat the oil in a frypan and sauté the oignons for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until all liquid has evaporated.  Add the chopped sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and leave to the side.

In a bowl, mix together the cream and eggs until well mixed.  Season.

Put the mushroom, sundried tomato mix on the base of the dish, cover with the grated cheese and finally pour the egg/cream mixture over the top.  Trim the edges of the pastry or fold them over if necessary and trim any excess baking paper if used then bake in the oven for 30 to 34 mins until golden.  You can serve it hot or cold.

Note for Thermomix Users - Other than the pastry the only thing I do in the thermomix is chop seperately the onions and sundried tomatoes and mix together the egg and cream mixture.  The cooking of the filling ingredients I always do in the frypan as its quicker...yes one thing that is actually quicker than in good old Thermie !!

Photos to come....

Weekend Away

Had a great weekend at a gite (holiday house/country house) in Bourgogne (large wine region of France for those of you who dont know) to spend some times with good friends we dont see that often..

We were lucky and had great weather all weekend and even got some free cooking lessons from the lovely Gina...mexican food yum yum!! Only problem is that the weekend always goes way too fast but we do enjoy our weekend catchups a couple of times a year!

This was the bbq area with a french style chimney type bbq (not in photo) but we ended up moving the tables and eating in the lovely sunshine.   They also had horses in the fields behind which is what the boys were climbing up to look at!

The grange on the other side of the garden and courtyard, closed off to guests but the kids still tried to get in there haha!



The lovely Gina who I met on the weekend (a friend of a close friend of mine) showed us how to make Chicken Mole, Sopes, Gorditas and explained how to make chillis sauces and salsas...

Here is the chicken mole.....was lovely and tasty...cant wait to get all the recipes and have a mexican night at home!

However due to our last minute weekend away I didnt get around to starting the barley sprouts for the malt as I wouldnt have had the time before leaving so that will be this week and I need to post of few recipes such as the mushroom meatball one and some different quiches which are very yummy.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend wherever you may have been :)

Slowly does it.....

Well after several months of not being active on my blog at all and life just generally taking over I now have more 'me' time and will make an active effort to post regularly...not every day...but at least once or twice a week depending on whats going on around me.

Still crazy about Thermie but have been more just coasting along cooking what others have converted and posted rather than attacking the mile high tower of cookbooks and converting some yummy favs...

This week I did some mushroom meatballs (a hubby fav) in thermie converted from a recipe mum gave me when I left home years ago and still have the little notebook with teddy bears on it full of home style recipes which was my base for my cooking adventures..  anyway there are a few ways to cook them in the thermie and Im still playing as to the best way...will post soon..

Due to health problems I am not totally dairy free but have to cut down mainly 'cow' or bovine dairy products...I can still however use goats and sheeps milk products but mix them up with soy, rice and nut milks...im testing different recipes out with them too...I find its not too much the taste that differs but textures especially in cakes and batters etc.  Thankfully I have a great guide with Quirky Cookings blog who is the queen of anything 'x' free!

Will also be trying out making yoghurt with sheeps milk..see how that goes...dont like goats milk much as even milder brands have that aftertaste I really dont like..

My other test Im trying out next week is to make dry malt and or malt extract with sprouting barley grains...hoping the cooler weather is not going to cause problems with sprouting the grains..

We are now in Autumn here in France and the weather wasnt that great this summer and alot of the 'oldies' keep saying its going to be a hard winter which I am not looking forward to although lots of yummy stuff to bake... however they also said it would be a heat wave summer and I have to tell you it was far from any heat wave!! 

Plan on getting out there more and do more foodie stuff now that I have a few kid free days... life is no longer on hold 24/7...and have to admit I am loving that...like a breath of fresh air (wouldn't be without them though)!

Said I would be back the beginning of September and well not quite the beginning but at least september...  to be continued.....

Conversion Disaster!

Well last night I decided to just wing it with a conversion of an asian chicken recipe..honey ginger type stir fry and well I overdid it on the ginger and chilli...WOW it was hot, even hubby who loves it spicy said it was nice but quite spicy lol!! 

The other thing is that as I put a whole lot of diced chicken in with the ginger and chilli and it pretty much minced.  I have come to the conclusion that reverse or not you really need to either add the meat in last or have a fair amount of liquid to get good results....will post the recipe once redone more to my liking and tweaked a little to balance out the spice factor...saying that the base flavour was nice...we had it with the rice, had planned noodles but didnt realise they were over their use by date so they went to the dogs! 

Needless to say the kids didnt touch it...they took a mouthful and had their tongues hanging out asking for water!!  I had to have a little laugh then got them something else to eat!

Still havent finalised my menu plan..think its going to end up being a half week menu plan and ill also do the one for next week so im ahead!! The TO DO list is getting a little out of control!  Getting there though!

Finally back after a crazy couple of months...

Ok so its a Monday and life is just as crazy as always but decided like for many other things in my life if I dont get it done its just not going to get done so am back blogging and trying out new recipes...also have 6 new Thermomix books recently added to my collection (some still on their way) so lots of inspiring photos and recipes to get me motivated. 

I have decided to do as some others do and only do one conversion a week and one leftovers meal in my menu plans as otherwise with everything going on it just gets too out of control.  As my kids eat at home most of the time for lunch I also have to include lunches in my menu planning.

I have decided to break it down like this, for this week anyway and see how it goes....but knowing me it will change slightly..

1 beef
1 pasta
2 chicken
1 fish
1 lamb
2 leftover
6 vegetarian (for diners as we have our meat element at lunch except for hubby)

So that covers my 7 lunches and 7 diners and I also need to make bread, brioche, make sure there is choc nut spread, certain drinks like cordials etc and breakfasts on the weekends.  When we are home which isnt that often of late, we like to have pancakes or similar for at least one of the days of the weekend or what my family calls a 'big breakfast'.

 

I will post my menu plan a little later on today...after a busy weekend im having a slow day today ...

Sunday Breakfast...

Usually on the weekend we make some form of pancakes or some form of 'big breakfast' as we call it!  This past sunday I decided to make pancakes but wanted some form of change so this is what I ended up with..

Apple and Cinnamon Pancakes

1 basic pancake mixture
2 apples cored and quartered
2 tbspns brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

You just use your standard pancake mix..mine is as follows..

Pancake mix for 4

320g flour (either self raison or plain with a raising agent..i just added a tsp of bicarb soda)
640g milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Normally I put the flour and salt in the thermomix and turbo a couple of times to mix it through, then add the eggs and mix on speed 3 or so for a couple of seconds to mix through and finally i add the milk in two or three lots and mix after each addition until you have a smooth mixture.  Let sit for 30 minutes or so then cook as usual.

For this recipe though I put two apples, cored and quartered but with skin on (i used organic so I leave the skin) into the bowl and chopped on speed 4 to 5 for about 5 seconds or until finely chopped.  If you dont like 'bits' you could mix until a puree.  I then added  the cinnamon and brown sugar followed by the flour, salt and egg and mixed for a few seconds on speed 4 to mix well.  Finally add the milk in 2 or 3 lots until you have a smooth mixture.

Ideally you should let it sit for about 30 minutes but I didnt have any time so cooked it straight away and it was still fine.

You could serve it with whatever you like, either a little butter, maple syrup, cream, icecream, custard..whatever takes your fancy.  It was a nice change to standard pancakes..

Back on Track!

Ok I finally sorted everything out with Vorwerk France and we are back on track!  Its been a busy couple of weeks with sick kids, running around and a bit of handy work around the house and getting decorating supplies so the Thermomix and cooking has taken a bit of a back seat these past few weeks but as of next week will be back to it and posting!! 

It is also warming up over here which means a garden to tidy up, alot of cleaning and putting out outdoor furniture etc. which has kept me very busy. 

On a positive note we are having fantastic weather over here!!  Hopefully spring has finally arrived which means summer is not far away..loving that!

I do apologise for my blogging absence...to be continued!!

Where to Start..

Well I was very pleased to receive my Thermomix back today only to find that it was even more damaged than when it left...and certain parts were not put back correctly...I am beyond disappointed, sad, angry...and all this after I was upset in the first place to have it sent away to specialist 'technicians'..unbelievable and pathetic.   I dont even know what else to say I am just so angry and disappointed...awaiting a response from Vorwerk France.

To be continued!

Really Frustrating.....

Ok so for the moment Ive been almost a week without my Thermomix and I'm dying.  There are so many recipes I'm dying to try and convert but no I am stuck waiting in pure frustration for my Thermomix to come back.  I feel like without my little kitchen helper everything is just so much more involved and longer so I find myself unmotivated and just cooking the bare minimum and basic meals like spaghetti bol or chicken schnitzel and mash, soup etc etc.  I miss making my bread and bits and pieces..also grinding up fresh spices to use in recipes, drinks for the kids, butter and the list goes on..its amazing how much you use the Thermomix once you have it and probably dont realise exactly how much until he is gone!!  Hopefully I will have some news this week as to where they are at with my Thermomix and I am hoping by the end of the week he will be back home but that is probably unlikely!

The huge advantage in owning a Thermomix is that you can cook delish meals and dont have to worry about it and go off and get other stuff done but without it you spend so much time staying in the kitchen, watching everything and stirring, making sure it doesnt burn etc etc....bottom line I am definately feeling the void and I am hating the extra washing up!

No Thermomix for a Couple of Weeks!

I will be posting now and then but not Thermomix conversions for the next couple of weeks as I have to send my whole Thermomix back to the factory for them to test it as I have a crack across the plastic covering of the buttons and dials and a lid that has a white mark and worn plastic which I wanted replaced under warranty.   All will be done, its just I have to go without my Thermomix for a little while which doesnt make me a happy chappy!  It seems silly to send the whole unit but apparently it was the only way and how it works in France!  Problems arent that common with the Thermomix but like anything they can happen and unfortunately they happened to me!

So Far, So Good!

For the moment Im sticking to my menu plan but it generally doesnt take much to put me off, especially if Im out of the house and then dont have the time or energy to cook what was planned but anyway today's lunch (and hubby's dinner) was Poulet Sauce Normande or Chicken with a Normandy Sauce and decided to do a potato mash or puree with it and just mix in the zest of one lemon and a few finely chopped chives not forgetting to also season as usual.

Chicken with Normandy Sauce

and potato mash with lemon zest and chives

For 4 people

Ingredients

40-50g butter

4 chicken breast fillet pieces (680g) I used 5 as they were quite small

60g of white cooking wine (dry white)

20g cognac

250g button mushrooms known as champignons de paris over here, sliced

250ml of creme fraiche or sour cream in oz

1 tablespoon of fresh chives

1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsely

250ml of chicken stock (or whatever stock you have)

a tablespoon of cornflour mixed with a little water to make a paste if you find the sauce isnt thick enough for your liking

Preparation

Put herbs in bowl and chop for a few seconds on speed 4 or turbo about twice (I forgot to do this so just finely chopped them by hand).  Mix into the cream in a seperate bowl and set aside (keep in fridge until needed).

Prepare the chicken breast fillets and place them on the varoma tray lined with a piece of moistened baking paper.  Season each breast with a little salt and pepper and cover with lid ready to cook.

Put the butter and the sliced mushrooms in the bowl (doesnt need to be exact, I actually added more mushrooms) and cook for 5 mins, 100°, speed soft or 1, and on reverse so you dont mush up the mushrooms.

Put the wine, cognac into the bowl with 250ml stock and put the lid and varoma in place and cook on varoma temp, for 12 mins, speed 1, reverse.  Check the chicken after this time also as mine were slightly frozen or very cold at least so may have extended cooking time..but I found the extra time was almost perfect maybe just a minute less.

Remove the varoma temporarily to add the cream and herbs and cook for a further 7 mins on varoma, speed 1, reverse always.  Dont forget to reput the varoma and chicken back on top before restarting the cooking time.

Chicken should be cooked but double check its cooked to your liking, I think it could have even gone one minute less but was fine.

If not reduced enough or not as thick as you like just add some cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken.  I added a tablespoon with a little water to make a paste then added and mixed it around with a spoon and didnt need to cook any further as it thickened straight away and was just how I like it.

While this is cooking I prepared the mash potato which I did on the stove and usually add cream and a little cubed butter, mash it all up and then added the zest of one lemon and a handful of finely chopped chives (I cut them up with kitchen scissors) and mix it through.  You could do it in the thermomix beforehand but I find its quicker to make it while the thermomix is cooking the chicken...if only I had another thermomix hihi or at least another bowl!

Serve with the mashed potatoes and I cut the chicken breast cut in thick slices crossways layed on the mash and covered in sauce...mmm bon appetit!

The recipe was converted roughly from a recipe from a cookbook I have in french called Vite Fait Vite Pret by Marabout.

Quiet Sunday...

Today was a lazy sunday... I just made a loaf of bread and finally found a recipe for a 'choc hazelnut' spread that my hubby would eat and converted it for the Thermomix..will post a little later on..

Also finalised my menu plan for the week which I use mainly as a guide...and here it is:

Breakfast is fairly standard and generally homemade bread toasted with vegemite or nutella with some beverage or another except on weekends where we usually have pancakes or something similar.

Monday

lunch - chicken with normandy sauce and rice or puree
dinner - pumpkin soup

Tuesday

lunch - baked stuffed potato with some form of bolognaise
dinner - zucchini and feta croquettes

Wednesday

lunch - spicy beef sausages with puree and sauce
dinner - left overs

Thursday

lunch - greek style leg lamb with opi2kenopi's marinade and roast veg
dinner - green veg curry

Friday

lunch - minced lamb sticks with yoghurt sauce and probably rice
dinner - tom kha gai (thai chicken soup)

Saturday

lunch - chive potato patties, piece of steak and echalotte sauce
dinner - potato, pumpkin and honey soup

Sunday

lunch - herbed chicken schnitzel and a vegie puree
dinner - creamed mushrooms and soft boiled eggs with toast fingers


Voila....and heres to a great start to a new week!

And for dinner.....

Corn and Zucchini Fritters with Salsa

Ingredients

50g butter
125ml milk
110g flour
2 eggs
210g creamed corn (as I didnt have creamed corn I used corn kernels and mixed up finely and added a little milk)
2 medium zucchini (240g)
vegetable oil for frying

Salsa

3 medium egg or roma tomatoes chopped (i used normal tomatoes)
2 medium avocados (500g) chopped coursely
1 small red onion (100g), chopped coursely (i used half a normal one)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander

Preparation

Prepare salsa (mix all the ingredients together).

Peel and cut in rough chunks the zucchini and chop for a few seconds on speed 5.  Set aside.

Prepare 'creamed corn' if you dont have any..I added in a can of corn kernels (350-400g) minus the liquid and mixed it for 5-10 seconds on speed 5 (or until its chopped up finely and a little creamy).  Add a little milk and mix again on speed 5 for 5-10 seconds.  Set aside (I just added it to the same bowl as the zucchini).

Put butter in bowl and melt for 1 - 2 mins at 50°, speed 2 to melt the butter.  Add the milk, flour and egg and mix to combine until smooth (a few seconds on speed 4 to 5 or a few turbo bursts).

Add the prepared zucchini and corn and remix for a few seconds on speed 4 to combine.

Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry heaped tablespoons of the mixture until finished.

Serve on a plate with heaped tablespoons of the salsa mixture and some homemade lime yoghurt.

Lime Yoghurt

250g greek yoghurt
The zest and juice of one lime

Zest one lime into yoghurt and then add juice.  Mix to combine. 

You can do this in the thermomix but I find it easier for once to do it quickly with a zester and mix all in a small bowl.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Bon appetit!

• converted from two books for the most part..from a WW minibook I got in Dubai 'Fishcakes & Crispybakes' and a Marabout one in French 'Recettes Vite Pretes' which seems to be the French conversion of WW Books!

Cinnamon Buns..Delish!!

Today I tried out a recipe for cinnamon buns that has been converted for the Thermomix..they were devine...here is the the link for the recipe posted by the lovely JulieO!

http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3256.0

Ok so here are a few photos of the different steps and the finished product!

After the mix of ingredients and first rise, I flattened out the dough and generously pasted with melted butter, ready to be covered in the yummy cinnamon sugar..

Here is the dough covered in the sugar mix..

and rolled up ready to be cut, rebuttered and placed either on a prepared oven tray or greased dish, tin, whatever you have handy...

the buns cut up and buttered ready to be cooked..

and the final result all cooked and yummy and drizzled with icing...absolutely delish!  The first I cooked 6 buns in a deep glass oven dish but any would do and the rest I cooked on oven trays.. 

mmmmm was very much enjoyed by the family and some friends later that afternoon..will definately be making again and freezing the majority before the second rise. 



Need Some Time

Blogging is new to me, I read so many others for recipes etc and decided to create my own but need a little time to get myself organised and find my way around posting and photos etc..a little patience and ill be off blogging like a pro!