Recipe Book Tweaking and Reviews!

[cookie1]

Beef Stew with Buttermilk Dumplings

Book: Budget Busters

Comment

We found the stew fairly basic, but I felt that was fine as you can use this recipe to build on. The dumplings were really lovely. I especially liked the fact that you could make them and leave them in the Varoma until you were ready to cook them. I always thought dumplings had to be cooked immediately.
I put other vegetables between the dumplings and the meal was complete.

[~Narelle~]

I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews.  This is a great thread for a newbie as a place to start.  I have been through and written a list of things to try once our TMX arrives.

[brazen20au]

Recipe Name: Potato Curry
Book Name: A Taste of Vegetarian, p 76
Tweaking details: Very very mild curry (so you might want more spices if you're not into mild*)
If you are someone who doesn't read the full recipe before starting you are likely to totally miss the instructions to put the beans in the varoma and cook while the other vegies cook, as it comes after the cooking instructions. (sigh, and when i added 5 mins to the cooking time to cook my spinach the other vegies disintegrated )
one thing i find very annoying in most thermomix recipes is when they say 'cubed' but no indication of size. in this case i did approx 2cm cubes which were perfect (until i added cooking time)
Review: the nigella seeds were yummy but the curry was a bit boring* for me and the messup with the cooking instructions frustrating.
Score: (out of 5*) 2.5

* I think i was meant to add 2 tablespoons of curry powder and added 2 teaspoons

[brazen20au]

Recipe Name: Rice Pudding
Book Name: Everyday Cookbook
Tweaking details: added a few sprinkles of nutmeg
had to turn the speed up to 3/3.5 at the end to mix the eggs, sugar etc through
served with banana and maple syrup (if you're going to serve with syrup you could lower the sugar to 50 or 40g)
Review: DELICIOUS!!!!  will definitely do this again!
Score: (out of 5*) 4

PS: it often helps when cooking to TURN THE BLOODY HEAT ON!!! 

[Thermomixer]

PS: it often helps when cooking to TURN THE BLOODY HEAT ON!!! 

Good luck with demonstrating 

[brazen20au]

yeah thanks for that thermomixer 

[brazen20au]

Recipe Name: Chicken & Cashews
Book Name: Not sure - Everyday Cookbook? (it's one of the Varoma demo ones)
Tweaking details: needed just a tad more tamari and sesame oil and maybe a little ginger
Review: DELICIOUS!!!!  will definitely do this again! soooo fresh and health and quick too
Score: (out of 5*) 4

[I Love Bimby!]

Hi Brazen - yes it is out of the EDC.
Though I have found that it doesn't freeze that well (or should I say isn't that nice re-heated after freezing).

[brazen20au]

no, i can't imagine it freezing all that well

[I Love Bimby!]

Disgusting actually. I ended up throwing it out.

[Amanda]

My daughter made the buttermilk scones from the Everyday book - they were fantastic, perfectly light and delicious!
Wouldn't change a thing.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Recipe Name:  Gnocchi

Book Name: Everyday cookbook

Tweaking Details
I didn't change this recipe at all. I did add the optional egg. I also cooked my potatoes in a saucepan on the hotplates, and then followed the TMX instructions.
Review
Very tasty, as good as any gnocchi I have made before. I found it great to be able to  do all the mixing and kneading in the bowl. One thing I did discover though was that the machine will not knead if the temperature in the bowl is over 60 degrees. Therefore I had to let the mixture cool a bit before I could knead it.
Score  4 out of 5

How cooked are your potatoes Cookie??  Are they still very firm or falling apart easily?  I seem to always end up with "glue" gnocci when I follow the EDC recipe and steam the potatoes in the varoma.  I am guessing they are overcooked or overprocessed.
Chelsea 

[Thermomixer]

Nico Moretti agrees with you Chelsea - they don't work with that recipe.

You need to keep them as dry as possible, so best to cook them whole with skins on.  Have been meaning to try doing gnocchi somehow in the TMX.  Worry that it may always end in glue.

[cookie1]

The first lot of gnocchi I made I cooked the potatoes on the stove. The second in the Varoma and they were fine, the next lot were pumpkin gnocchi and I had to add quite a bit of flour (these were cooked in the varoma too) but I put it down to the pumpkin being watery-maybe it was the potatoes too.

[alioop]

Recipe Name: Anzac Biscuits
Book Name: Everyday Cooking p. 127
Tweaking Details:  The coobook uses Golden Syrup in the recipe whereas my 'ol favourite' has a combo of honey and treacle. (not sure why it makes such a big difference to the taste as I believe that GS and Treacle are both from cane sugar!) I like the latter flavour better and the family devour them!  My old recipe (think it was from a Woman's mag) has 200g butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tblsp treacle, 1tsp bicarb dissolved in 1/3 cup boiled water, 2 cups plain flour,2 cups rolled oats, 1 or 2 cups of castor sugar (adjust to taste), 1.5 cups coconut.  Similar method - melting butter and honey/treacle, adding bicarb and water, then dry ingredients.  This makes a bit more mix than in the book I think, so I was carefull to only mix until combined as the blades did have to work hard.  Bake in 150 degree oven for approx 20 min (softish/chewy) or longer for crunchy.  Gives a fairly flat shape when cooled also.  You could probably just substitute the Golden Syrup in the recipe book for a honey/treacle combo to your taste.  You can also grind up a multitude of different healthy nuts/seeds beforehand to add to the mix and hey 'hide' really well! 
Review: always a winner and not just for Anzac Day
Score: 4/5 (with treacle and honey)