1. Preheat oven to 190° C.

2. Weigh all the ingredients into the Thermomix bowl and process on speed 9 for 30 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl, and process again on speed 9 for another 20 seconds.

- 170g raw hazelnuts (no need to remove skins)
- 60g dates
- 40g organic cocoa powder
- 60g Rapadura
- 4 large eggs
- 50g coconut oil
- 30g macadamia oil or light olive oil
- 60g coconut cream
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3. Pour into a greased or lined 7" x 11" (18cm x 28cm) rectangular oven dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

4. To serve, you can dust with cocoa or powdered Rapadura if you like.

Quick Caramel Custard

Serves 6

This is nice over sliced bananas in a baked pie crust (chilled) - or on its' own too (hot or cold).

Ingredients:
- 100g dark brown sugar (or Rapadura with a tablespoon of molasses)
- 30g butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 500g milk or milk substitute (I use rice-almond milk)
- 40g plain flour (I use plain spelt flour)

Method:
Chuck it all in, cook for 7 mins, 90 degrees, speed 4.
Yum! Also nice with crushed up ginger bikkies in it!

Members' comments
rubyslippers - I was looking for something quick, warm and tasty tonight. This really hit the spot.

ILB - Thanks Jo. Made this tonight but used 25g of cornflour instead of the plain flour. Yummy!  DD crushed up her freshly baked choc chip biscuit through it and is devouring it.  This is currently Miss 4's favourite!, we prefer the consistency with the cornflour.

Suesthermy - We had this for dessert tonight over a sliced banana - delicious.  Maybe add some brandy or banana liqueur for something really special next time. Thanks.

Chookie - Jo,  made this today for DH's birthday lunch.  Served over sliced banana,  very nice and easy.  Love recipes when I have every thing to hand.  Think it would churn into a nice ice-cream. Thanks.

CarolineJ - Made this tonight, and served it on top of shortbread biscuits and sliced banana.  The kids loved it and DH proclaimed it was like ecstacy!!

barnbuyer - Tastes great, so simple.

cookie1 - We had this last night and it was wonderful. DH's friend was so impressed with the dessert that he is thinking he perhaps needs a TMX.

JD - Put me on the list of people who love this one Jo - it's not too sweet either.  Thanks for posting it, I think it is my favourite custard now.

snoozie - Thanks again... had this with tinned pears. Yummy.

VHJ - I'm not a caramel or butterscotch fan but this was very nice. My family loved it over sliced banana.

RoxyS - I've made this twice now and both times it has been a hit with all the teenagers & my DH. Even my fussy 5 yr old likes it. Thanks Quirkycooking.

bluesed - I made it yesterday just to try it. And it is a very nice alternative to vanilla custard and very easy to cook. I did replace the flour with 15g cornflour so I can serve for celiacos.

rubyslippers - I have now tried this with real eggs, and I was very surprised the difference it made to the texture and taste.  I enjoyed it but this children liked it better the other way.  I also added one teaspoon of LSA which gave it a mild nutty taste which I enjoyed.

willmac - Oh My, this is sooooooo good and soooooooo easy to make. Thanks for sharing.

KerrynN - It got a definite thumbs up from everyone. I only had brown sugar rather than dark brown, and would probably use a bit less vanilla next time but it was a nice change from the standard vanilla. Thanks for another good recipe Jo!

Delightful Den - It is really good Jo and a nice change from the regular custard. I served it over some sliced banana.

Woerd - It is really good Jo and a nice change from the regular custard. I served it over some sliced banana.

GF - This is great!  It's for after dinner tonight. Really quick and so easy - and everyone loves the taste!  Thank you very much for putting it up!!

Nikkit - I tried this and it was great! Plus better than the other caramel custard recipe I have. Thanks!

Thermobudgie - This is such a yummy treat and my children's favourite dessert. I was wondering if anyone had turned it into icecream? Would it work as is or would I have to add some cream?

JD - I'm just making a batch of this custard to see if it works for ice-cream Thermobudgie - I have added 1/4 cup Butterscotch Schnapps to it though to try to make it easier to spoon from frozen.  Will let you know tomorrow how it turned out.

Update - The beauty of having an ice-cream maker is that I have made this recipe into ice-cream and had my first soft serve cone within 3.5 hours.  It is really lovely and with the addition of Butterscotch Schnapps, tomorrow will tell if it had the desired effect of making it spoonable from the freezer. 

Update - Unfortunately the alcohol didn't have the desired affect but it does give it a nice flavour so I will continue to add some to this recipe anytime I make it for ice-cream.

ElleG - We made the custard yesterday, and it was divine. Probably the best custard I have eaten. Thanks Jo for another great recipe.

Tasty - Made this tonight to go with some ripe bananas that needed to be eaten up. I tasted it and realised something is not quite right and then realised I had forgotten to put in the butter - bugger! It was still nice and smooth though.

belfie - Tried this tonight with some substitutions -
25g cornflour
orgran egg replacer for the 2 eggs
soymilk
Tasted great & the whole family could have it - yum!  Must admit I didn't notice the lack of egg too much either, which was pleasant (I tried a choc-banana custard the other day using banana for both flavour & as the egg replacer and it wasn't nearly as good.)
Thanks!
(fructose friendly, dairy-free, egg-free, nut free)

ETC - Yum!!!!!!!!!!  Was perfect!

Natalia - Hi, I received my long awaited tmx last week and this was the second recipe that I tried.  YUM!  The kids loved it too.  Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Coops - Made this last night and had it with sliced banana, perfect warm winter dessert and a new fav here. Thanks for sharing this.

Brumington - We had this as our dessert today and it was lovely.  We had nothing to put with it but, to be honest, I thought it was nice enough on its own.  I do think it would be lovely with banana though!  I have some left in the fridge begging to be eaten but I might give the ice-cream a go.  We had to use 15g of cornflour because I had no flour in the house (I know, what sort of TMX household has no flour?!).

DJ - Made this tonight, might try cornflour next time, do I use same amount. Plus had to cook 1 extra minute 90 speed 4. Thanks for a new pudding.

Kulsha - I use the same amount of cornflour (40g), and it comes out really nice and thick, you won't need the extra minute.

csrobinson - Made this tonight for dessert and it was delicious but a little too sweet for me so next time I will try less sugar. Thanks for a great recipe.

KylieH87 - AH-MAZING. I found it a little bit sweet. Can the amount of sugar be reduced?

JD - Sugar can always be reduced Kylie, most of our members reduce sugar in almost everything they make.

TwoBoyNaTMX - Just made this tonight, made it a bit more naughty by sprinkling brown sugar on top.

Uni - just made some for Eve for afternoon tea. It's yum. I used cornflour, only had 350 grams of milk. I added about 50 grams  of cream and the rest I made up with water and cooked it for 2 extra minutes.  Eggs are a bit of put off for me lately, must try egg  replacer.

Serves 4

- 700g steak (eg. rump or round) cut in thin slices, across the grain
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper

OR instead of salt and pepper, add some fajita seasoning http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=2742.0

- homemade tortillas http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=1756.0

Toppings:
- onion & capsicum strips (about half a TMX bowl full)
- guacamole
- sour cream
- chopped tomatoes
- shredded lettuce
- salsa sauce

Mince garlic on speed 9 for 3 seconds. Add salt, pepper & lime juice, mix on speed 3 to combine.  Add steak strips, mix on reverse speed 1-2 until well coated.  Remove to dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

Cook (or reheat) tortillas.

Saute the onion and capsicum strips in about 30g olive oil, in the Thermomix on 100 degrees, for 15 minutes, reverse, speed 1-2.

Meanwhile, lightly oil large frypan and place on high heat.  When it's hot enough for a drop of water to 'dance' on the surface, add the fajita meat.  Cook quickly until browned, remove to warm dish (or put it in your Thermoserver to keep warm).

Spread a tortilla with guacamole, add a few slices of meat (only 3 or 4 or the tortilla will be too full), and top with sauteed onion and capsicum, some sour cream (or 'dairy free sour cream', which is what I use), salsa, or whatever toppings you prefer.  Roll up, and fold up a flap at the bottom to catch the drips - fajitas are notoriously messy, but they're worth the mess!

Here's a basic recipe for Fajita Seasoning from http://www.bigoven.com/158541-Fajita-Seasoning-recipe.html. 

I add this to my fajita marinade, which changes depending on whether I'm using chicken or beef.  I'll post the marinade recipes in the sauces & marinades section.

1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin ground
1/2 teaspoon Oregano dried, crushed
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Red pepper ground
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper ground
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Onion powder

Breudher is a rich, buttery yeast cake (or maybe more of a sweet bread?) baked in a fluted mould which I love to cook for New Year's Day. I first heard of Breudher in a lovely old cookbook I bought second hand somewhere, named 'Love and A Wooden Spoon.' I completely agree with the author, Charmaine Solomon, on her thoughts about New Year's Eve...

"On New Year's Eve I really like being at home in the quiet of my kitchen, up to the wrists in flour. I just have this feeling that it's a good way to start the year, doing something as basic and comforting as making bread. As I knead and mix and bake I get to thinking that in spite of the gloomy headlines and the unpredictability of life in general, nothing is going to happen that, with God's help, I can't handle."  

[Except these days I don't have to be up to my wrists in flour, because Thermy does the hard work for me!!!]

This is my version of Charmaine Solomon's recipe... it makes plenty so you can share some with friends - two large, three medium-sized or four small cakes. Bake in a baba mould, or kugelhupf pan, or tube pan, or if all else fails, loaf tins or deep cake tins. Serve it with slices of cheese and fruit, for a delicious New Year's Eve supper, or for brunch on New Year's Day.

[Note: grind 250g spelt grain first in dry bowl to make wholemeal flour, and set aside for later.]

1. Mix in Thermomix for 2 mins, 80°, speed 4:
- 130g rice/almond milk

- 3 tsp Rapadura or 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 90g butter


2. Add:

- 360g cool water
- 1 T dry yeast
Mix at speed 4 until yeast is dissolved.


3. Add, beating until smooth on speed 6:
- 200g white spelt flour
- 250g wholemeal spelt flour


4. Add and mix on speed 6 until a soft dough forms:
- 450g spelt flour (plain/wholemeal/mixture)

5. Knead on interval setting for 2 mins. If there is too much dough for the bowl, remove half and knead in two lots. If the dough is too soft the motor will begin to labour and you will need to add some more flour through hole in top of lid as it mixes.

6. Place dough into greased bowl and turn dough over so top is greased. Cover with plastic wrap, leave to rise until doubled in size. Clean out Thermomix bowl.

7. While dough is rising, mill for 10 secs on speed 9 :
- 120g Rapadura

8. Fit butterfly attachment, and add:
- 300g soft butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds, until light and fluffy. Remove butterfly.

9. When dough is ready, punch down and add to creamed mixture in small pieces with Thermomix running at speed 6. Beat until all dough is incorporated, assisting with spatula. (If it seems a bit much for the speed, use interval speed.)

10. Remove half of mixture to a bowl. To the half of the mixture left in Thermomix, add:
- 2 extra large eggs (or three small), beating on speed 6 until incorporated. Remove to large bowl. Repeat with other half of mixture (4 eggs in all) then add to mixture in large bowl.

11. Stir in by hand with wooden spoon:
- 1 1/2 cups sultanas

12. Generously butter cake tins. Put mixture into tins, but don't fill more than half full, as they rise a lot!!
Place tins into cold oven and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Turn oven on to 170° C (350° F) and cook for 30 minutes or so, until golden-brown on top and a skewer in the middles comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 mins, then turn out on wire rack and cool a bit more before cutting.

I've finally gotten around to posting my Thermomix version of Mexican Quinoa! It makes a full 2 litres, so halve it if you don't want that much.  (The toasting at the start helps remove the bitter saponins on the outside of the grain - if you don't have time for this method, just rinse it really well and start at step 2.  Cook for 30 mins.)

1. Weigh quinoa in to Thermomix bowl and cook without oil for 10 mins, Varoma temperature, reverse, speed 1:
- 370g quinoa
Remove from bowl and set aside.

2. Add veges to bowl and chop on speed 5, 4 seconds:
- 1 small onion, halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, quartered (opt.)

3. Add oil and cook for 2 mins, 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 30g extra virgin olive oil

4. Add toasted quinoa, stir for 1 minute on speed 1, until well coated in oil.

5. Add puree and stock, and cook for 25 - 30 mins at 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1, or until liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is tender:
- 500g tomato puree (or 100g tomato paste concentrate + 400g water)
- 750g chicken or vege stock (or water + 2 tablespoons vege stock concentrate)
- some semi-dried tomato strips (optional for extra flavour)
 
(If it's still a bit soupy, that's okay - it will soak up the liquid as it sits - you can pour it into your Thermoserver and cover it for a few minutes to absorb liquids.)

Serve with spelt or corn tortillas and salad for a complete meal, or as a side dish with Mexican food.

This is a recipe I developed that I make now and then for a treat - they're wheat free, dairy free and naturally sweetened, and really yummy - just ask the kids

For the chocolate chips, I use Rapadura sweetened dark chocolate chips, but you could use your home-made chocolate cut into small bits to avoid the soy lecithin which is probably in them!  (I just saw these chocolate chips for sale in a co-op store and couldn't resist them!)

I make the almond butter first, then add the other ingredients. You could use any nuts, and you could also add some chopped pecans or walnuts if you like - yum! (Note: if you use other nuts, you may need less oil to make the butter - macadamia nuts may not need any oil at all.)

This recipe makes a lot, so you could half it, or just roll some of it up in plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer until you 'need' some cookies. You just have to thaw the dough out for 10 minutes or so, then you can slice it into rounds, place on a baking tray and pop them in the oven. It's great to have some in the freezer when visitors drop by!

(Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius)

1. First, make your nut butter (or you can use a bought one)...
Grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds, then scrape down sides with spatula:
- 250g almonds

2. Add and mix on speed 9 for 10 seconds:
- 50g good quality oil (sunflower/macadamia/grapeseed)
Scrape down sides of bowl again.

3. Add and mix on speed 6 for 30 seconds:
- 150g Rapadura
- 180g raw honey
- 3 medium eggs
- 230g light olive oil (or other good quality oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

4. Add and mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds (using spatula to help mix):
- 500g plain spelt flour (can be a mixture of wholemeal and white, and may need more or less than 500g - you should be able to roll the dough into balls)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp baking soda

5. Turn dough out into a large bowl, add a little more flour if needed. (I do this in a bowl as the Thermomix is a bit too full at this stage, and the heavy dough slows down the blades.) Add choc chips and mix in with spoon:
- 1 cup mini dark choc chips, Rapadura sweetened (or malt sweetened) *

6. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased or papered baking trays and bake in oven at 175 degrees celcius for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. (Or you can roll dough into balls and flatten with a fork.)


 7. Cool on the trays for crispier cookies, or remove to a rack while warm for softer cookies. Or just eat them all while they're warm, and lick the chocolate off your fingers!

(If you do cook the whole batch at once, store them in the freezer so they don't go stale.)

* Note about Rapadura sweetened choc chips - I bought these at a co-op store in Cairns (Qld) so I know they're available, but I'm not sure where else to get them. I know in the USA you can get malt sweetened choc chips, but I haven't been able to find them here. If anyone has links to sites where you can order either of these, please let us all know in the comments!

Here's my recipe for choc hazelnut spread - it's 'mostly' dairy free, as I use my rice-almond milk, and ghee, and dairy free chocolate.  I also cut down the amount of chocolate and add cocoa, so it's cheaper - it's really delicious!  If you can't have ghee, maybe you could use coconut oil instead - I haven't tried that yet.

1. Grind in Thermomix on speed 9 for 10 seconds:
- 90g Rapadura

2. Add and grind on speed 9 for 10 seconds:
- 60g hazelnuts (toasted or raw - tastes more 'nutty' if toasted)

3. Then add and grind again for 10 seconds:
- 50g good quality, dairy free dark chocolate (70-85% cocoa organic chocolate, or my recipe), broken into pieces

4. Add remaining ingredients and heat for 6 minutes, 60 degrees, speed 3:
- 20g good quality cocoa
- 100g rice/almond milk
- 70g ghee (see note below)

5. Place in a sterilized jar and keep in fridge for up to 21 days (not that it will last that long!!!)

(Note: to make your own ghee, just cook butter for 7-10 mins at 60 degrees, speed 1; cool, scrape off milk solids and discard, and carefully scoop ghee into another container, discarding any milk solids at the bottom of the container.)