MAKING IT SIMPLE IN 2010

Welcome back to a New Year of Thermomixing! Breaking News!! The marketing team at Thermomix Australia have decided to simplify the blog somewhat, as well as take the pressure off our beleaguered recipe developer! (So many recipes, so little time...but she loves it!)
This year our recipes will all come from the vault! Yes, we have a recipe vault, isn't that fantastic? Mostly untested, hundreds and hundreds of recipes sit on our data base, hoping to see the light of day eventually, and to simplify, we shall trot a few out each month, test them, format them and get them out to you.
Some of the recipes are anonymous, not deliberately so, but by accident of record keeping, so please if your Great Aunt Mildred's secret recipe that she left you in her will ends up on here without a credit, let us know!
Monthly Mouthful will alter as well, in that the winning recipe each month will have the option to win an accessories pack (Butterfly, MC and spatula) or the Thermomix cook book of your choice, of which there will be an ever increasing number to choose from...(she says hopefully!) Those who vote (comment) regularly on the Monthly Mouthful will also get a look in by going in to a draw quarterly for a yet to be determined (but awesome) prize. This may change again further into the year as there are many additional surprises afoot.
Whilst on the topic of Monthly Mouthful, the clear winners for December were Glace Choc Dream and Wicked Celebration Fruit Salad...and as our young Thermomixer has cleaned up on Monthly Mouthful for quite a few months in 2009, I have made a judges decision and the book will go to Catherine Day for her Wicked Celebration Fruit Salad. Congratulations.
Without further ado (and in no particular order as will become apparent)...let's get on with the opening of the vault!

DIM SUM
Wrapper Ingredients
20g oil
170g bakers flour
130g Tapioca starch
Pinch sea salt
170g boiling water
Wrapper Method
Place oil, flour, starch and salt into TM bowl and mix together for 5 seconds on speed 6.
Add boiling water through hole in lid and combine for 10 seconds on speed 6.
With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 30 seconds on Interval speed. Allow dough to rest, wrapped in floured ThermoMat, for at least 10 minutes.
Roll out into to almost fill size of ThermoMat (approximately) and cut circles of dough using MC as cutter.

Filling Ingredients
2 leeks, washed and chopped in chunks
2 eschalots peeled
2-3 cloves garlic
Piece of peeled ginger to taste
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp cornflour
15g sesame oil
250g pork mince
Mushrooms or bamboo shoots to taste (optional)

Filling Method
Place leeks, eschalots, garlic and ginger into TM bowl and chop for 2 seconds on speed 7.
Add remaining ingredients and mix for 5 seconds on speed 4.

Assemble Dim Sum by rolling each cut round of dough a little thinner with a rolling pin. Spoon approximately 1 tsp of filling into the centre of each round. Bring edges together and pinch dough to seal in a little ‘purse’. Place each dumpling on its own square of baking paper and place into Varoma dish and tray, so that they do not touch each other.
Place 1 litre of boiling water into TM bowl and set Varoma into position. Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 3. Serve whilst hot with a dipping sauce of choice.

For something completely different if not a little seasonally late! A traditional Christmas treat from Greece, please enjoy;

Kourabiedes

Ingredients
100g almonds
330g unsalted butter
60g icing sugar (plus approx 400-500g additional for dusting)
25g ouzo
1 egg yolk
100g cornstarch
500g plain flour
Method
Preheat fan forced oven to 180ºC. Line 2 large baking trays with paper and set aside.
Place almonds into TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9. Set aside.
Place butter, icing sugar, ouzo and egg yolk into TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 7.
Add almonds and cornstarch and approximately half the flour. Mix for 15 seconds on speed 7.
Add remaining flour and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 30 seconds on Interval speed or until dough comes together. Use spatula if necessary to assist in bringing the dough together. It should hold its shape when you squeeze it in the palm of your hand. Do not over mix.
Roll into half moon shapes and space evenly on the prepared trays. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Whilst still warm dredge with icing sugar. Cool, and repeat with another coating of icing sugar.

NOW to more serious business...Monthly Mouthful for January twenty ten!
At this time of year our minds and hips turn to healthy options and I don't know about you, but easy breakfasts were always a challenge until the arrival of Thermomix in my kitchen...so YOUR challenge is this;

Looking at the recipe below, send us your version of a quick instant breakfast that can replace all those nasty boxed cereal options that are widely advertised as 'healthy'. This recipe appears in A Taste of Vegetarian and is a favorite of our good friend Cyndi O'Meara. It was devised by her colleague in health Fleur Whellingan and truly answers all our criteria of quick, healthy and delicious! Go on, let your taste buds do the inventing and get it into recipes@thermomix.com.au before January 22nd. I can hardly wait to start my engine...(testing that is)!

CADA

Ingredients
Handful each;
Coconut
Almonds
Pitted dates
1 apple quartered

Method
With dial set to closed lid position press Turbo button 2 or 3 times for 1 second each.
Serve with fresh yoghurt, and additional sliced fruit as desired.