Blood Plum & Ginger Galettes with Date & Walnut Paste, Candied Orange Zest and Honey Orange Drizzle

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A few weeks back I finally got to making these sweet little galettes I’ve had brewing in my head for a while! I was recently reading an article from the Gottman Institute (if you haven’t checked them out, you must do so! They share such fabulous stuff!) talking of how cooking for some can be a productive form of self expression and communication! It was like this total lightbulb moment for me as creative expression through food is absolutely my outlet and way to express myself! In fact, what some may view as slaving away in the kitchen is my kind of stress relief and almost a way to express all my feelings!!  Isn’t it amazing how we’re all so different!

So anyhow, finally getting these pretty galettes out of my system was super fulfilling! They were initially inspired by some gorgeous black blood plums at the local farmers markets! You could replace with any type of plum or any stone fruit for that matter. All stone fruits go so so beautifully with ginger! It’s definitely a favourite combo of mine! Peach & Ginger Crumble is a firm favourite in my home, especially as my 6 yer old son just loves anything ginger!

With the pastry, if you’re in a hurry, you can skip the 30 minute chilling of the pastry. It’s not ideal as the pastry is better off having some time for the glutens to relax which helps it not to shrink in the oven, (and also gives a better texture on the pastry) but with a rustic tart like these, they’re pretty forgiving, unlike in a tart case where if it shrinks and there’s no sides on your tart, you’re in trouble! 🤪

You’ll also notice I use spelt flour again in this pastry! In my kitchen, the only flour you’ll find is spelt. I replace all plain flour for spelt. It’s a more ancient variety of wheat and has been less tampered with making it easier to digest. Some folks that have intolerance’s to wheat can often eat spelt and feel ok. So it’s my go to! 

The date & walnut paste is SO SO good! It’s a fairly firm paste, so rolling into a ball and then flattening in your hand is the easiest way to use it. When I tasted it, I immediately envisioned a delicious bliss ball right there! You could use all almonds or all walnuts in the paste but the combo of the two I think is just delicious, and the roasted almonds really make it! Yum! 

I couldn’t decide whether to call these Galettes or Crostata’s! Basically one is French and the other Italian –  meaning a free-form or rustic tart! I opted for French Galette’s but both sound really as delicious as each other in my head so go ahead and call them whatever your heart desires! 😅

But whatever you do, make sure to jump into your kitchen and get some of these little beauties in the oven before the end of the summer stone fruit season! YUM YUM YUM!

Gabrielle xx

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Blood Plum & Ginger Galettes with Date & Walnut Paste, Candied Orange Zest and Honey Orange Drizzle

Fruity, zesty galettes enveloped in delicous buttery golden pastry! 

  • Author: Gabrielle - Kitch'n Thyme
  • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

8-10 Blood or Yellow Plums, seeds removed, cut into eighths

20g Crystallised Ginger, sliced, extra for topping

Raw Sugar, for scattering

Vanilla Icecream, to serve

Spelt Shortcrust Pastry:

60g Organic Raw Sugar

250g Organic White Spelt Flour

100g Organic Butter 

2 Organic Egg Yolks, plus 1 beaten Egg for eggwash

2 Tbsp Iced Water

Date & Walnut Paste:

40g Walnuts

20g Roasted Almonds

60g Dried Dates 

40g Crystallised Ginger  

Candied Orange Zest:

1/4 Orange, zested

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Water

Instructions

  1. To make the pastry, place the sugar into the Thermomix and mill 10 Seconds/Speed 9. Add the flour & butter and process for 10 Seconds/Speed 6 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, and water and knead 10-20 seconds or until the dough just comes together.
  2. Using the Thermomat or a lightly floured surface bring the dough together to form a ball. Flatten and wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
  3. Take a rack out of the oven and place an oven Thermomat on it. (If you don’t have a Thermomat, line a large baking tray with baking paper). Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  4. Portion the chilled dough into 4 equal picese and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to be 2-3mm thick or about 15cm in diameter. Place into an oven Thermomat or line a baking tray with baking paper and place on the tray.
  5. To make the paste, place the nuts, dates & ginger into the Thermomix and process together 10 Seconds. Speed 8. Divide the paste into 4, roll each piece into a rough ball shape and flatten out with the palm of your hand and place in the middle of the pastry round, leaving a 3cm border of pastry. (Use your fingers to further flatten and neaten if necessary).
  6. Arrange the plums nicely on top of the paste and top with a few pieces of the ginger to finish. 
  7. Gently lift the pastry up over the plums, pleating as you go. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg and scatter raw sugar all over the galettes & bake until golden (20-25 minutes).
  8. To make the candied orange zest, remove zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. If there’s any white pith, remove it using a paring knife, then cut into a fine julienne using a very sharp knife.
  9. Place the honey, water and orange peel into the Thermomix and cook 5 Mins/100°/Speed 2.
  10. Take the candied orange zest out of the syrup and set aside. Pour the syrup into a little serving bowl or jug.
  11. Top the galettes with the candied orange zest, a drizzle of orange syrup and serve warm with vanilla icecream. 

Notes

  • You can substitute the plums for nectarines, peaches or apricots!
  • The paste can be made with all almonds or all walnuts, but the mix of the 2 nuts is very delicious especially as the almonds are roasted!

Superfood Rocky Road

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Super delicious, fluffy, nutty, chocolatey mess!

Well how about that with a healthy spin on it? One of the things this Rocky Road is enriched with is Maca powder that has vitamins, energy boosting properties, benefits for the skin, helps to increase energy, and helps with womens & mens health & reproductive health. 

Another great superfood is chia seeds. Being high in nutrients, antioxidants, protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, I love to throw them into treats when I can!

Then my Healthy Honey Marshmallows are filled with Blue Spirulina & Pink Dragonfruit Powder! How wonderful! Natural colouring at it’s best! No numbers needed! More on the colours in my marshmallows post! 

I often use 70% Organic Dark Chocolate for Rocky Road but in this one I use Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets. It’s partly tempered already so it makes it easier to get a good smooth, shiny crack on the chocolate! I temper the chocolate by using the seeding method where you fully melt 75% of the desired amount of tempered chocolate to 50ºC and then you add the last 25% in to bring the temperature back down to 31-32ºC, without having to get messy and spread it out over marble to bring the temp down!

Alternatively, you can make your own raw chocolate with Cacao Butter, but it will have a low melt temperature, so just keep it in the fridge or freezer.

I love freeze-dried berries! In this one I’ve used freeze-dried strawberries in the rocky road and freeze-dried raspberries on the top with a sprinkling of rose petals for some added beauty!

The raspberries and strawberries help to cut through the sweet of the chocolate and give a nice tart effect!  

YUM!!!!….But I must go now and wrap some Christmas presents! Enjoy guys! Gabrielle x

Superfood Rocky Road
Yields 12
Delicious Rocky Road that will have you running back for seconds!!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 400g Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets (or other brand of dark chocolate)
  2. 200g HealthyHoneyMarshmallows
  3. 100g Mixed Nuts (I used roasted Almonds & Macadamias)
  4. 20g Cranberries (unsweetend)
  5. 2 tsp Maca Powder
  6. 10g Chia Seeds
  7. 35g Toasted Coconut Chips
  8. 10g Freeze-dried Strawberries
  9. 10g Freeze-dried Raspberries, for sprinkling on top
  10. Dried Rose Petals, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. Place 300g of the chocolate into the Thermomix and melt 7 Minutes/50º/Speed 2/MC off.
  2. Scrape down the sides and add the remaining 100g of chocolate and mix 5 Mins/no temp/Speed 2/MC off.
  3. Scrape down the sides and stir a further 3 Mins/no temp/Speed 1. Your chocolate should now be tempered and around 31º-32ºC. (You can test with a thermometer to check, however if you are going to store in the fridge or freezer you don't need to worry too much as melting won't be a big problem anyway!)
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix gently 1-3 Sec/Speed 2/Reverse.
  5. Place into a baking paper lined square cake tin, sprinkle with some freeze-dried raspberries and rose petals and place into the fridge to set. Cut into 12 squares or smaller squares and serve.
Notes
  1. Here is my healthy Marshmallows recipe.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Yoghurt – Thick Greek Style

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I really love super thick Greek Style yoghurt! I much prefer really thick tangy yoghurt that doesn’t have any sweeteners added to it! I’ve been making yoghurt since I was a little kid with my mum (however lots of soy yoghurt back then) and I love it!


But last year I figured out how to get that super luscious thick yoghurt (almost Greek yoghurt type thickness but without straining off the whey) at home using a very simple method! My sister in law saw gourmet farmer using an esky for his yoghurt, and how well it worked! This is loosely based on his method, however tailored to using the Thermomix which gives the ability to get really accurate temperatures easily!

In the recipe when you’re heating up the milk I say to keep the milk at 90ºC for a longer time. The reason being, if you hold the milk at a stable temperature for longer it will make the yoghurt thicker by driving out the oxygen and helping in the fermentation process along with helping the proteins to hydrate well and bind as much water as possible. As this isn’t a strained Greek Yoghurt, there will still be some whey that gathers with the yoghurt remaining in the jar when you scoop your spoon of yoghurt into a bowl. You can either leave it in, (it will make the yoghurt a bit more watery) or you can just spoon it out to use in another recipe or dispose of it.


Once you have heated the milk it is important to cool the milk quickly. This helps to produce a thicker curd also. You can cool the milk quicker by filling a bowl with cold water, adding some ice cubes and setting the bowl of heated milk on top.

I’ve learnt that sometimes a less is more approach works best when it comes to the culture, which is why I only use 1-2 Tbsp of yoghurt as a starter. I like to use Jalna Greek Yoghurt for my starter, it always produces a really beautiful yoghurt.

If your family uses a lot of yoghurt, you can double this recipe very easily. Just increase the time of heating the milk and make sure once the 2L of milk reaches 90ºC to hold it at that temperature for at lease another 10 minutes. (Should take around 30-40 mins) and use 2 x 1L glass jars. They should fit side by side in your 10L esky quite easily.

For different flavoured yoghurts you can add vanilla beans or bean paste or for fruit flavours rather than adding fresh fruit that will water down the yoghurt, add fruit compotes or homemade refined sugar free jams. 

It’s really quite easy to make beautiful yoghurt at home! I hope you enjoy!

Greek Style Yoghurt
Beautiful thick, almost Greek Style yoghurt without the need to strain! Sugar and milk powder free!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
40 min
Total Time
24 hr
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
40 min
Total Time
24 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1 Litre Non-homogenised Organic Milk
  2. 1-2 Tbsp Greek Style Yoghurt (with live cultures - I like Jalna)
Equipment
  1. 1 Thermomix or a Pot & Thermometer
  2. 2 Medium Stainless Steel Bowls
  3. 1 Thermometer
  4. 1L Glass Jar
Instructions
  1. Take the starter culture out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.
  2. Place the milk into the Thermomix and heat 20 Mins/90º/Speed 3. You will notice that the milk will reach 90º at around the 10 minute mark, but hold it at that temperature for the full 20 minutes. (Read why in the notes above the recipe)
  3. Fill a medium bowl with water and some ice cubes and place another bowl on top to make an ice bath. Pour the warmed milk into the bowl on top and let sit to cool to 38º - 40ºC. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Be careful that it doesn't drop below 35º. This should take about 20 minutes. It's important to reduce the heat quickly to produce a nice thick curd. (Alternatively, you can keep pouring the milk back into the Thermomix to check the temperature, but I find it easier to just use a Thermometer.)
  4. While the milk is cooling, place 2 Litres of water into the Thermomix and heat 3 Mins/45º/Speed 3. Pour the warmed water into a small 10L esky. Repeat this process. Depending on the height of the jars you use to set your yoghurt, you will need 3-4L of water.
  5. Remove a cup of the cooled milk into a cup or bowl, and stir or whisk in the starter so its smooth and there are no lumps.
  6. Pour this mixture back into the bowl of cooled milk and stir to combine briefly before pouring into a 1L glass jar. Secure the lid and place the jar into your esky filled with water. The water should be surrounding the jar but not covering the lid.
  7. Leave the jar in the water for 12-24 hours to incubate and ferment. Depending on how tart you like your yoghurt will determine how you long you leave the yoghurt to ferment. Around the 12-14 hours mark you will have a really lovely mildly tart yoghurt. Around this time is when I like to take mine out and place straight into the fridge to set firm.
  8. Once completely cooled, your yoghurt is ready to eat!
  9. And don't forget to save a couple of Tbsp for your next batch of yoghurt!
Notes
  1. Try not to disturb the yoghurt in the first 6 hours when the yoghurt is incubating as this can interfere with the yoghurt setting properly.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Lemon & Blueberry Pancakes

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These Lemon & Blueberry Pancakes are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!! 

Seriously they are SOOOO easy and SO delicious!!! I’ve been wanting to share this delicious recipe with you for quite sometime! Upon developing this recipe, I was absolutely stoked with how light and fluffy they are! I doubt you will be disappointed!

You can substitute the couple of Tbsp of raw sugar with honey or coconut sugar, it may just change the batter to be slightly off white in colour, but the taste it still just as delicious! 

Spelt flour can also be substituted for plain flour. As I’ve said in previous posts I use spelt flour in my kitchen as a straight swap for plain all purpose flour as it’s a more ancient form of wheat which has been less hybridised and is easier on the digestive system. In some cases those with wheat intolerances can tolerate spelt with it’s lower gluten content. It has a slightly nutty flavour and is a little more wholesome tasting!

You can basically use any berries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries etc.

Topped with my delicious Cashew Macadamia Cream and a drizzle of maple syrup there’s not much not to love! 

We make these probably once a fortnight and they are a real hit in our home! I hope you enjoy them too! 

Lemon & Blueberry Pancakes
Yields 6
Delectable fluffy, moist berry popping pancakes! Perfect for your weekend breakfast!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 60g Organic Butter
  2. 200ml Almond Milk
  3. 1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract
  4. 1 Organic Egg
  5. 1/2 Lemon, zested
  6. 150g White Spelt Flour
  7. 40g Raw Sugar
  8. 2 tsp Baking Powder (Aluminimum Free)
  9. 125g Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
  10. 60g extra butter
Cashew Macadamia Cream
  1. 75g Cashews
  2. 75g Macadamias
  3. 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
  4. 50g Maple Syrup
  5. 150g Almond Milk
Instructions
  1. Place the butter into the Thermomix and melt 2 Mins/50º/Speed 1.5.
  2. Add the almond milk, vanilla, egg & lemon and mix 10 Sec/Speed 3.
  3. Add the flour, sugar & baking powder and mix 5-10 Sec/Speed 5.
  4. Melt 10g butter in a non stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Pour slightly less than 1/2 cup batter in pan, and if necessary, using the back of a spoon, spread to a 12cm round.
  5. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface. Scatter over approx 10 blueberries. Using a spatula or egg flip, flip and cook for a further 30 seconds or until golden underneath. Transfer to an oven tray and keep warm in the oven. Wipe pan clean. Repeat with remaining butter, batter and blueberries.
  6. Serve the pancakes with a dollop of cashew macadamia cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. Alternatively, top with your favourite fruits and yoghurt, figs in vanilla syrup or a simple squeeze of lemon juice and maple! Yum!
Cashew Macadamia Cream
  1. Place all the ingredients into the Thermomix and blend 1 Min/Speed 9. Can be served at room temperature or chilled.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Pumpkin, Thyme & Goat’s Cheese Mini Quiches

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These little quiches are the perfect thing to put into lunch boxes! Protein, veggies, and a little carb, they are an excellent source of protein, fat and carbohydrates.
They make for the perfect adult or childs lunchbox, party or barbecue or gathering where you need to take a plate! They also make the perfect go-to in the fridge for busy mums! And even better they freeze well.

I use wholemeal and white spelt flours in these, however you can use plain wheat flours interchangeably with spelt.

I like to use spelt in my kitchen as it’s a more ancient form of wheat and is less modified and processed and is easier to digest.

A recipe testers for The 4 Blades Magazine says “They looked really nice and we all loved the flavours of the filling. They make a nice tasty summer meal to have on their own or with a salad.” Tina

You can substitute the filling around with ingredients in your fridge. If you don’t have pumpkin you could use sweet potato and any choice of herbs you like.

The egg mixture is the same as the other savoury tart recipes. It works a treat for so many things!

Enjoy!

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Roast Pumpkin, Thyme & Goat’s Cheese Mini Quiches

These delicious quiches make the perfect addition to a lunchbox for kids and adults!

  • Author: Kitch'n Thyme - Gabrielle Tobin

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 100g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
  • 100g White Spelt Flour
  • 100g Organic Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
  • 40g Water

Filling

  • 400g Butternut or Jap Pumpkin, peeled and cubed into 1-2cm pieces
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • few sprigs thyme leaves
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 4 Med Brown Onions, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar or White Wine
  • 1 Tbsp Rapadura Sugar
  • 100g Baby Spinach
  • 100g Goats Cheese of Feta
  • 4 Organic Eggs
  • 60g Sour Cream or Coconut Cream
  • 60g Milk or Almond Milk
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic Salt
  • 1/2 Bunch Onion Chives, finely chopped
  • few sprigs Italian parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

Pastry

  1. To make the pastry place the flours, butter and salt into the Thermomix and process 10 Sec/Speed 6 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the water and knead 10-20 Sec.
  3. Transfer the dough to a sheet of clingfilm, press the dough together, cover in clingfilm, flatten into a disc and place into the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease the muffin tin and set aside.
  5. Roll out the dough to approx 2mm thick, and using a 9cm round pastry cutter, cut 14 rounds from the pastry. Press the pastry rounds into a non stick muffin tin sprayed with oil. Place into the freezer for 15 minutes to firm.
  6. Cut 14 very small baking paper rounds to one the pastry base, before topping with baking beads and blind baking for 15 minutes.
  7. Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the baking beads, Set aside in the tins until you are ready to proceed with the filling.

Filling

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Place the pumpkin, salt, thyme and olive oil onto the tray and toss together. Spread the pumpkin out evenly over the tray and roast for 15 minutes or until just tender.
  3. To make the caramelised onions, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat and add the onions.
  4. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until very well browned. The thinner the onions are sliced the batter the caramelisation you will get. Add the vinegar and sugar right at the end and stir to combine.
  5. Push the onions over to one side of the pan and dd the baby spinach, stirring until just wilted. It should retain it’s vibrant green colour! Take off the heat and set aside.
  6. Place the eggs, sour cream, milk, salt, chives and parsley into the Thermomix bowl and mix 10 Sec/Speed 4.
  7. To assemble, scatter the onions evenly over the base of the quiches, follow with the cooked pumpkin, spinach and goat’s cheese.
  8. Pour the egg mix over to complete the fillings Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set and golden brown. Cool for a few minutes in the tray before cooling completely on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

Notes

  • You can substitute spelt flour for regular wheat flour.
  • You can substitute pumpkin for sweet potato or any other favourite vegetable you have!
  • You can also substitute the herbs according to your likes as well.

Gluten Free Crepes

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These crepes are SOOOOOOOO easy!! You will love this recipe! I used to make these when I worked at the health retreat and I used them for lots of different applications! I’ve tweaked the recipe over time and I think they are perfect now!

You can make the batter the night before and quickly whip up fresh crepes in the morning and use whichever filling you desire! Of course there are so many sweet options but think about mushrooms, spinach and feta, or chicken mushroom and spinach for breakfast! An ideal way to send the family off for the day wiht a nutritious breakfast!

For a gluten free crepe, these are really good! You wouldn’t know they were gluten free. The flour blend I use does a good job of making a smooth, slightly elastic crepe (for want of a better word! Don’t worry though you won’t think you’re chewing on a rubber band!😆)

Just try them and enjoy!

Gluten Free Crepes
Yields 16
Perfect rendition of a traditional french crepe that will please the harshest gluten free critic!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 40g Organic Butter
  2. 4 Organic Eggs
  3. 80g Tapioca Flour
  4. 50g Potato Starch
  5. 50g White Sorghum Flour
  6. 1 Tbsp Honey
  7. 450ml Almond Milk
  8. Extra butter for brushing
Instructions
  1. Place the butter into the Thermomix and melt 1-2 Mins/50º/Speed 3.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix 30 Sec/Speed 6.
  3. Pour the batter into a jug or bowl and leave to rest for 30 mins- overnight. (The resting time helps the gluten free flours to swell and the batter to become a little easier to work with, but if time doesn't permit you can rest for just 10 minutes and still get a great result.)
  4. Heat a shallow non stick pan or crepe pan over a medium heat. Brush the pan out with a small amount of melted butter or coconut oil just to coat the pan.
  5. Pour in enough batter to lightly cover the base of pan and swirl to cover thinly. (Using a cup measure helps you pour a similar amount into the pan each time...you'll be amazed how little batter you need!)
  6. Cook the crepe for about 1 minute each side or until lightly golden.
  7. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
  8. Continue cooking the crepes until the batter is finished, brushing with a little melted butter or coconut oil as needed.
  9. Serve the crepes, with any topping you desire. In the picture I filled them with my homemade nutella and sliced banana, creme fraiche and raspberries!
Notes
  1. These can be used for savoury dishes too!! As an example you can make perfect breakfast savoury crepes or crepe stacks with these and they work brilliantly!
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Cranberry & Pistachio Cheesecake Bites w Gingernut Crumb

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These little morsels are the perfect introduction to Christmas desserts! Still light and simple yet the perfect thing to take along to a family gathering!

Spiced with cinnamon and allspice (pimento) and orange, and with added interest of cranberries and pistachios, then rolled in a ginger nut crumb, they taste everything Christmas!

You could change the flavours around or add other nuts in reference to your tastes!

Cranberry & Pistachio Cheesecake Bites w Gingernut Crumb
Yields 20
Spiced zesty little bites of creamy Christmas goodness!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Gingernut Biscuit Crumb
  1. 160g Rapadura Sugar
  2. 150g Organic Butter, cubed
  3. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  4. 1 Organic Egg
  5. 2 tsp Ground Ginger
  6. 1/4 tsp Bicarb
  7. 185g Wholemeal or White Spelt Flour
Cheesecake Balls
  1. 250g Cream Cheese
  2. Zest of 1/4 Orange
  3. 1/4 tsp Allspice (Pimento)
  4. 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  5. 50g Maple Syrup
  6. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  7. 100ml Double Cream or 100ml Softly Whipped Pure Cream
  8. 20g Cranberries
  9. 20g Pistachios
Instructions
  1. Gingernut Crumb: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
  2. To make the ginger nut crumb place the sugar, butter, vanilla and egg into the Thermomix and mis 30 Sec/Speed 4.5.
  3. Add the ginger, bicarb, and spelt and mix 10 Sec/Speed 5.
  4. Smooth out the mix onto a prepared baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until dark golden brown in colour. Leave to cool completely on the tray. The ginger nut slab should be slightly crisp to the touch.
  5. Once cooled, process 3 Sec/Speed 6. Pour into a bowl and set aside for rolling the balls in.
Cheesecake Balls
  1. Place the cranberries and pistachios into the Thermomix and chop 3 Sec/Speed 7. Set aside.
  2. Without cleaning the bowl, place the cream cheese, orange zest, maple, spices and vanilla into the Thermomix and mix 5 Sec/Speed 5. Add the cream and mix another 10 Sec/Speed 5.
  3. Add the reserved cranberries and pistachios and mix 5 Sec/Speed 3/Reverse.
  4. Place into a bowl in the fridge to firm for 30 minutes. Roll Tbsp amounts into balls and coat in the ginger nut crumb. Place back in the fridge to firm before serving!
Notes
  1. Use any leftover crumbs to top Christmas morning pancakes or Pavlovas!
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Chocolate, Lavender, Blueberry Tart

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fullsizerender
I love pastry and desserts! This stunning tart is dairy free and can easily be gluten free too but I make a beautiful spelt shortcrust for this one!

The delicious chocolate filling has lavender infused into it and is completely vegan and dairy free. You can eat a slice of this and feel almost guilt free!

With some sweet little meringues, fresh berries & hazelnut & cacao bliss balls on top along with some dairy free ganache piped on top, what’s not to love!

It looks more complex than what it really is, let me assure you. To keep it simple, I would suggest making the meringues, the bliss balls, the lavender infused coconut milk and even the pastry shell the day before. This will make it really quite straightforward on the day of serving to put all the elements together.

I took this to a luncheon when I first created it and it was literally gone in less than 5 seconds! I could barely get the platter down on the table! That’s a good sign!

Now just imagine this one looking pretty and festive in all its berry adornment on your Christmas table!!

I hope this one truly satisfies you!

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Chocolate, Lavender, Blueberry Tart

With almost a nutella like filling, this delectably dairy free chocolate berry lavender tart will suit any gathering or festive celebration perfectly!

  • Author: Kitch'n Thyme - Gabrielle Tobin

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 100g Rapadura Sugar
  • 1/2 Lemon, rind
  • 150g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
  • 150g Unbleached Spelt Flour
  • 150g Organic Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Chocolate Lavender Filling

  • 160g Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Culinary Dried Lavender Flowers
  • 120g Hazelnuts, roasted
  • 160g Coconut Oil
  • 240g Maple Syrup
  • 100g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • pinch salt

Meringues

  • 130g Eggwhites (approx 3 eggs)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 250g Raw Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Hazelnut & Cacao Bliss Balls

  • 140g Roasted Hazelnuts
  • 80g Coconut Oil
  • 80g Coconut Milk
  • 80g Maple Syrup
  • 50g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 4 Medjool Dates, seeds removed
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • pinch salt
  • 200g Almond Meal
  • 125g Fresh Raspberries
  • 125g Fresh Blueberries
  • Fresh Edible Violets
  • Culinary Dried Lavender Flowers

Instructions

Shortcrust Pastry

  1. Place the sugar and the lemon rind into the Thermomix bowl. Mill 10 sec/Speed 9. Add the flour and butter and process for 10 sec/speed 6 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and vanilla and knead 10-20 seconds or until the dough just comes together.
  2. Using the Thermomat or a lightly floured surface bring the dough together to form a ball. Flatten & wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 mins to rest. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  3. Roll pastry, using a rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface, to be 3mm thick. and press into a large round tart shell.
  4. Place back into the fridge for a 30 minutes to chill.
  5. Place a small piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill the case with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before taking the pie weights out of the case. Set aside until ready to use.

Chocolate Lavender Filling

  1. Place the coconut milk and lavender into the mixing bowl of the Thermomix and heat 5 Mins/50°/Speed 2. If you have time you can place in the fridge and leave in the fridge overnight to really absorb the lavender flavours. Strain the coconut milk and discard the lavender then set aside.
  2. If you need to roast the nuts, place onto a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes on 180°C. Let cool before using your hands to rub the nuts together to get rid of the skins.
  3. Place the hazelnuts into the Thermomix and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients along with the reserved lavender coconut milk and cook 2 Mins/50°/Speed 3.
  5. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell, (reserving 4 Tbsp to pipe on the top) and set in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meringues

  1. Preheat the oven to 35ºC to 40ºC. (You are just dehydrating, so you want the temperature really low so they keep their colour!)
  2. To make the meringues, place the raw sugar into the Thermomix and mill 20 Sec/Speed 9. Set aside.
  3. Clean and thoroughly dry the mixing bowl before placing the butterfly whisk into the Thermomix. Add the egg whites, pinch of salt and whip 2 Mins/Speed 3. Add the sugar gradually and whip 5 Mins/37º/Speed 3 or until your mixture forms stiff peaks and the sugar is fully dissolved!
  4. With a plain round piping nozzle pipe onto your baking trays lined with baking paper.
  5. Place them into the oven to dry for approximately 3-4 hours. (Depending on your oven, you may wish to leave the oven door slightly ajar. Keep an eye on your meringues as you don’t want the to lose their beautiful white colour.) You can then leave them in the oven overnight to completely dry out.

Hazelnut & Cacao Bliss Balls

  1. Place 80g hazelnuts into the Thermomix and chop 15-20 Sec/Speed 4. Set aside in a shallow bowl for rolling.
  2. Place the remaining 60g of the hazelnuts into the Thermomix and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  3. Add the oil, milk, maple, cacao powder, vanilla, salt and dates and cook 2 Mins/50°/Speed 3.
  4. Add the almond meal and process 10 Sec/Speed 4-5/Reverse.
  5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill. Once chilled the mixture will be much easier to roll.
  6. Take small spoonfuls of the chilled mixture and roll into balls. Finish by rolling in the hazelnut crumbs and refrigerate until firm.
  7. Assembly: To assemble the tart, place the bliss balls on the tart and arrange the raspberries & blueberries over the tart. Using a star shaped piping nozzle delicately pipe the leftover ganache filling in the spaces over the tart. Place a couple of little dried lavender flowers on the piped ganache. Delicately top with the meringues and some fresh violets and your tart is finally complete!

Notes

  • It looks more complex than what it really is, let me assure you. To keep it simple, I would suggest making the meringues, the bliss balls, the steeped coconut lavender milk and even the pastry shell the day before. This will make it really quite straightforward on the day of serving to put all the elements together.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10

Watercress, Pickled Golden Beetroot & Fennel, Hazelnut & Pomegranate Salad w Balsamic Reduction

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img_1283Imagine this gorgeous salad as part of a beautiful Christmas banquet. Adding so much colour, and fresh and light crunch this salad is one that pleases the eye and the palette! 

I’ve been getting such a gorgeous steady supply of these beautiful golden yellow coloured beetroots and I really love them! I love them because they are different, but they also have a slightly more subtle light flavour so they are perfect for a salad like this!

For this salad, I haven’t peeled the beets, as they washed up really nicely, but you could do that if you preferred. 

If you haven’t got roasted hazelnuts in the pantry just roast them for 10 minutes at 180ºC, or until golden in colour. The skins should begin to just fall on when rubbed gently.

There are a number of different ways to extract pomegranate seeds. I like to slice the top off, slice down the ridges, give a good tap and break the segments apart, letting all the seeds just pop out. Perhaps I should do a video on it sometime! 

The balsamic reduction is really straightforward to make in the Thermomix. Super easy! You just combine 500g balsamic & 50g honey into the Thermomix and cook 25-30 Mins/Varoma/Speed 3, with the simmering basket on top. 

img_1435

Watercress, Pickled Golden Beetroot & Fennel, Hazelnut & Pomegranate Salad w Balsamic Reduction
Serves 6
A delicious, punchy, fresh & crisp salad adaptable to any banquet celebration or for a quick lunch with friends!
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Pickled Fennel & Beetroot
  1. 125ml Rice Wine Vinegar
  2. 125ml Water
  3. 1 Tbsp Honey
  4. 1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
  5. 1/4 tsp Coriander Seeds
  6. 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
  7. 1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
  8. 1 Star Anise
  9. 2 Pieces Orange Peel
Salad
  1. 1 Large Bunch Watercress
  2. 2 Medium Golden Beetroots
  3. 1 Medium Bulb Fennel
  4. 1/2 Pomegranate Seeds
  5. 50g Roasted Hazelnuts, halved
  6. 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  7. Black Salt
  8. Micro Watercress
  9. Micro Radish
  10. 2 Tbsp Balsamic Reduction
Instructions
  1. Place the pickling ingredients into the thermomix and heat 10 Mins/100º/Speed 1.
  2. Finely slice the fennel on a mandolin and place into a small bowl.
  3. Finely slice the golden beetroot on a mandolin and place into another small bowl.
  4. Pour the pickling liquid over the fennel to cover and leave for 10 minutes. Strain the pickling liquid over the beetroot to cover and leave that to pickle for 10 minutes.
  5. Once the fennel and beetroot is pickled, set them aside for plating.
  6. Place the watercress on a large platter and arrange slices of the pickled beetroot nicely around the plate. Place handfuls of the pickled fennel around the platter. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds & roasted hazelnuts.
  7. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with black salt.
  8. Top the salad with some delicate sprigs of the micro herbs and drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
  9. Serve immediately.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/
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