For those of you in Melbourne I can recommend a wonderful nuts/ dried fruits etc supplier in Malvern and Brunswick. They are called the Royal Nut  Company and they are a paradise! All their products are neatly labelled and stacked. They stock an amazing range of nuts in different sized packs as well  as dried veggie chips- my kids can't get enough of them, even the veggie phobic one!
They also have chocolate buttons, soup mixes, different types of seeds etc. The range is huge and more importantly the produce always tastes fresh. Anyway check out their website- theroyalnutcompany.com.au or if you are in Melbourne go and check them out in person. I highly recommend a visit!

Sorry to include a non Thermomix topic but my stovetop kettle has finally given up the ghost and as I am a particularly avid tea drinker I have been looking at the Breville automatic tea maker and kettle. They look great but seem very expensive for what they do. It has a basket which gets automatically lowered into the water to brew the tea leaves and then rises again after the brewing time. Is this appliance really a gimmick or does anyone on the forum actually own one, and if so, would they recommend this one or another electric kettle? I have to admit that they all look very much alike to me, although I would prefer one made with stainless steel rather than plastic. ( I do however realise that they do all  kark it eventually!)

Does anyone have a copy of the calendar and if so, would they be kind enough to list the recipes on it as I am deciding if it is worthwhile to get one or not. Thanks everyone and Happy new year!!!

In my pre Coeliac days this was an absolute favourite of mine. I still make it for my family though and it always gets rave reviews. Don't let the list of ingredients and the fact that part of it is done in the Thermomix and the rest not put you off. It really is worth the effort! I have adapted the recipe from the German classic  "Backen macht Freude".

YEAST DOUGH

250ml milk (full cream)
400g plain flour - I use bread/pizza flour
1 packet dried yeast (usually 7g)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 level teaspoon salt
6  tablespoons vegetable oil - I use EVOO

Method
Put the milk and yeast in the TM bowl- 8 min 37°C speed 
Add flour, sugar, salt and oil.  3 minutes then wrap dough in thermomat or let rise in the TM jug for 1 hour


TOPPING

1 1/2 kg brown onions
300g speck or bacon/ham
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 level teaspoon caraway seeds
200g Gouda cheese ( i just use whatever hard cheese I have in the fridge eg cheddar)-grated (can do this first in the TM)
4 eggs (medium size)
1 tub creme fraiche (150g)

METHOD FOR TOPPING
Peel the onions , quarter them and slice thinly - I use a mandolin for this as it is traditional to have sliced onions rather than chopped for this recipe and I prefer the texture of the sliced onions anyway.
Cut the speck/ bacon into fine cubes
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions- cook until soft - you may have to drain any excess liquid, as it is going on to the dough base you don't want it too liquid! Add the speck/bacon and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the salt, pepper and caraway seeds.
Let the mixture cool for a while and then add the grated cheese, eggs and creme fraiche and mix.

Preheat  oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced)
Take the dough out of the TM bowl or the mat and knead for a minute or 2
Roll out or stretch the dough to fit a flat baking tray (I use a Swiss roll sized tin) - roughly 2 cm thickness
Spread the onion/ cheese mixture on top of the dough and you can leave it another 30 minutes or so to rise if necessary, otherwise bake for about 35 minutes
It can be served hot or cold.
I normally cut it into 8x8cm squares.

The note in the recipe book says that it is better prepared the day before- I know everyone tells me it always tastes better the next day.

Ok, not exactly a TM recipe, a.though you can mix everything together in your Thermomix if you want to. Just a lip-smackingly good dressing for any kind of seafood, especially good drizzled over freshly shucked oysters

INGREDIENTS. (T= tablespoon, t= teaspoon)
1 t finely grated fresh Ginger
4 T rice wine vinegar
1-2 T soy sauce, I use Japanese soy such as Kikkoman brand) adjust to taste
1 t caster sugar
1T grape seed oil
2 T olive oil, I use EVOO
1 T lemon juice
1T sesame oil

Mix all the above ingredients together, as simple as that!
I'm sure there are many similar variations of this, I tend to use less oil in favour of more seasonings ie soy/sesame oil/lemon juice

I really want to do these from the full steam ahead cookbook for Xmas. I have 12 people for Xmas lunch. Can anyone suggest a steaming time for 12 puddings. I want to use the silicone cupcake molds you can buy from homeware stores. The recipe on the book is for 4 portions and it suggests adding 5 min to the cooking time if you double the recipe. What should I do for 12 ?  I have done the recipe for the standard 4 people and it works really well. It is such a festive recipe especially with the marzipan!!

Does anyone know what recipes will be in the new Asian cookbook, ie if anyone has had a sneak preview, is it worth getting when it comes out?