Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is the chocolate cake to end all chocolate cake recipes.  I received the recipe at a Tupperware party a few years ago, and it was always a little fussy to make (but oh so fudgy and overall YUM). After rave reviews from my brother in law, Phil (who kept randomly dropping into conversation memories of the couple of times I had brought this to family dinners) I decided to dust off my recipe card and try it in my Thermomix.  I hadn't made this cake in a couple of years (shame) but now that I have my super efficient kitchen machine, I will be making it a lot more often, as I am sure you will be too. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not...

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

250g butter

250g sugar ( I used rapadura but raw would also work)

50g cocoa powder

200g plain flour

1/8tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method:

Weigh sugar into TMX bowl and grind for 10 secs on speed 10 (if using rapadura grind for 20 secs).

Add butter to bowl and melt for 2 1/2 minutes, at 50 degrees, speed 2.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix on speed 5 for 20 secs.

Bake in a moderate oven (my oven is 160 but you know your oven best) for 25 minutes or until cake bounces back when touched in the middle.

Ganache Icing:

Ingredients:

200 grams dark chocolate, broken into pieces

125 ml cream

Method:

Place chocolate into TMX bowl and grate for 8 secs on speed 8.

Weigh cream into bowl and melt for 3 mins on 50 degrees, speed 2.

when cake cools a little spread generously.

Bon Apetit!

Thai Beef Massaman Curry

Ok, who doesn't like Masterchef, right? Well they had this classic Thai Beef Massaman on a few weeks ago. The contestants made a bit of a muck up of it, but Masterchef posted the real recipe on Facebook the next day. 


So could I resist making the recipe suitable for the Thermomix? Of course not! I have made it a couple of times now and it is so yummy, perfect as a take out replacement on those nights where you are just too tired to do too much. And who said the Thermomix doesn't feel like proper cooking?  This recipe has lots of steps and ingredients, but they are just done in a bit of a different way!


Feel free to experiment with spice levels. If you have kids, you may want to reduce the chilli amount. Also, you can change the meat to whatever you like but cooking times may vary. I found the "tough cut" of beef in this recipe is cheaper, more flavoursome and by the end is extremely tender! I let the curry sit for 20 minutes in the Thermoserver while the rice cooked (also in the Thermomix). This allowed to meat to rest, and the sauce to thicken.

Beef Massaman Curry

Ingredients

CURRY PASTE:
7 dried red chillies (soaked in 1/4 cup hot water for 2 hrs)
1/2 tsp white peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 1/2 cm piece cinnamon
140g shallots/onion peeled and halved
4cm length lemongrass
5 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp ground turmeric



CURRY:
80 grams peanut oil
1 med onion, halved
2x400ml cans of coconut milk
2 bay leaves
all of the prepared curry paste
1kg gravy beef or other tough cut
20 grams fish sauce
10 grams thick tamarind paste
10 grams palm/rapadura sugar
4 small red potatoes
crispy fried shallots, fresh coriander and pan roasted peanuts, to garnish.

Preparation

PASTE:

Place cinnamon stick into the Thermomix bowl and grind for 1 min on speed 9.

Add cumin seeds and peppercorns with the cinnamon to the TMX bowl and dry roast for 3 Mins on Varoma temp on speed 2.  Grind for 1 min onspeed 9.

Add chillies with their soaking liquid and all remaining paste ingredients and puree into a smooth paste on speed 6 for 30 seconds. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl and do this again. Set aside.

The paste is beautiful, vibrant and aromatic.

CURRY:

 Add onion to the Thermomix bowl and chop for 2 secs on speed 5. Weigh in oil and sauté for 10 mins, Varoma temperature on speed 1 with themeasuring cup removed until onions are caramel in colour. Set aside.

From the coconut milk, take only the thick part floating on the top. Use the remaining milk in another recipe. Add thick coconut milk to the Thermomix bowl along with all of the curry paste and bay leaves. Leave MC off and place basket on top of Thermomix bowl lid, to prevent any splatters. Cook for 5 mins on Varoma temperatureon speed 1. 

 Add beef and onion to sauce, and cook for 40 mins, 80 degrees on reverse  speed 1.

Add all remaining ingredients and cook a further 20 mins,  on 100 degrees reverse speed soft or until potatoes are tender.

Serve with fresh coriander, deep fried shallots, roasted peanuts and cooked rice if desired.

Yummy curry! (Thanks to my friend Maree Daw for the picture provided- I forgot to take one!)

Welcome

OK, I have bitten the bullet and decided to start up a blog. It will contain recipes, ideas and more all to do with the Thermomix (of course!!) I am hoping all of my customers in Esperance, Western Australia will find this blog a helpful place to look for inspiration, hints and help. If it spreads wider than that, that's great! From little things big things grow....