Thermo

In January I crossed to the other side and joined the cult of the thermomix.

I'd hesitated for a long time.  Spending money doesn't usually hold me back, but the price hit a sweet spot which found some never seen before spending hesitation.

I've got a kichenaid, I've got a magimix, a bamix, a slowcooker.  What would a thermomix do that I couldn't already.

I went to two demos. I went to another night involving thermo cooking.  Then somehow I became convinced.

And I love it.

The weekend it arrived I cooked so much my back ached and my legs cramped. That was a great way to go - by the end of the weekend I was confident I knew how to drive the machine and I haven't looked back.

Why do I love it.  The precision - cooking by measurement using the inbuilt scales leads to much better results.

Also, it's so neat.  I'm a messy cook. But the whole one bowl thing means I have to clean as I go (a bit). 

It's quick, magic for midweek meals.

It encourages you to use fresh ingredients, more herbs and we are certainly buying a lot less.  Probably paid for the machine in the amount I have saved on dips.

But most of all, I've mastered yeast cookery by using the thermomix

In another post I'll take you through what I have cooked. 

Naplan eating

So, this week was Naplan week. 

Lots of strategizing on our house to keep anxiety down and enthusiasm up.

So Tuesday after the first big day, there was a need for a food reward. I'm very good at food rewards.

So off down the road we went to the revamped Brougham Arms.  We've been loving the broughie for years now, there's something magical about having a pub at the end of your street, let alone a pub with good meals and a tote. 

In the past year the food at the broughie has gone up a notch or two with the great cooking of Greg Egan. 

 Between Easter and Anzac Day big reno's took place and now the fit out matches the standard of the food.

Not everyone in our house has enthusiastically embraced the refit, the games room with its playstation consoles has gone.  The other problem, the place is so popular you now have to book, very demoralizing to have to plan ahead! 

Or you could take a leaf out of one of the most well dined blokes in Bendigo who has been finding the excuse for a few Saturday lunches at the Brougie. 

The food is great, restaurant quality but still some pub favourites if you are dining with the unadventurous.

In Tuesday night we even had a dessert.  The clever waitress popped a menu down in front of us and we were hooked 

The Mess to share it was. Like you say there and thought of your favourite dessert ingredients and put them together: pudding, salted caramel, berries, ice cream, sorbet.  

It was delicious, we'll be making more reservations 

Herman the German

You might have seen cryptic mentions in you Facebook feed regarding some German named Herman.  It seemed to start in the kitchens of earth mothers in the northern suburbs but clearly has moved further afield, our Herman came from the thriving metropolis of Donald. 

To avoid sounding culturally inappropriate I should swiftly refer to the full title, Herman the German friendship cake.

It starts from a starter (a very good place to start).  A friend who has the starter gives it to you (and another friend) as a sign of friendship while keeping a share for themselves.  Over the next 10 days you keep the starter alive by not putting it in the fridge, not putting a lid on it and stirring it well every day for 10 days.  

Oh and by keeping it away from places where ants might find it (which is what happened to our first friendship gift).

As long as it keeps bubbling away (and no ants), it's still a go-er.

On a couple of the days, you feed the starter with a cup of flour and a cup of sugar.  

After 10 days you divide your Herman into 4: one to keep, two to give to friends and one to turn into your friendship cake.

And so you can bake your German Herman cake - adding the usual cake ingredients including chunks of apple.  It's essentially a sourdough German teacake.

The kids loved the process.  The cake smelt decicious.  Licking the bowl was a tad odd, left a yeasty taste that I would love in a craft beer but it was strange on the end of my wooden spoon.

However, in what some may see as a metaphor for me and friendship, my Herman fell apart.  Still tasted good, a fun activity despite the end result for us. 

Buns of goodness

I have a fanatical urge to avoid things that become too popular.  This isn't a recent thing, no lately hippy thing.

It's the thing that has seen me never read a Bryce Courtney book.  I never saw Titanic on the big screen. 

I think I might be softening though.  I'm watching Game of Thrones. Previously that would have fallen into the "if I'm not an early adopter I'm not there" category.

And now I've made cinnamon rolls in my thermomix.  In my defence, there's only so much time you can spend on Pinterest without thinking "gee, I wonder what those cinnamon buns are like". 

Have you got any idea how hard it is too choose a recipe when there seems to be a million different cinnamon bun recipes pinned? Given my recent fledging mastery of yeast cookery I went for a yeast version.  I also improvised and used the gewurzhaus Christmas spice instead of just cinnamon.  

The process involved a yeast dough mixed and kneaded in the thermomix.  It then was left to prove for an hour before rolled out and a butter, brown sugar, spice mix spread over it.  Then roll lengthways and slice.  Into a baking tin and left to prove for half an hour (may have had a little nana nap at this stage). Then bake for 15 minutes.  

When they come out of the oven you pour over the icing.  I baulked at going the whole American icing with cream cheese version. Instead it was icing sugar, milk and a little maple syrup.

Were they the perfect Sunday afternoon tea? Yes.  Were they delicious? Yes. Did they make you feel a little bit sugar overdosed and a lot guilty? Definitely.

They sort of reminded me of Gillies scrolls from school lunch orders in the 70's.  I can see they are an easy thing to take to others needing comfort food treats.  

When word came through from my mate in Portland USA to send some over, they look better than the ones there, I was pretty chuffed.  I'd already thought adding some bacon to the mix could have upped the hipster rating.  I think I might play around with them a bit more.

They were fun, they were yum.  But I don't think they are really worthy of so many blogs and pins. 

On food

Back in October 2013, I started to write a few columns for the Bendigo Weekly about the local food scene.

Other than the ability, honed from 20 years of family law affidavit writing, to string a few sentences together I think my qualification for the gig was being a frequent flyer in many local restaurants.

What was going to be a once a month or so thing has morphed into a weekly column about food, focusing on local producers and restaurants.  Even with that, I still have many, many words tumbling around in my head about food, and so this blog.

First though, you may like to recapture some of my Weekly columns:

I kicked off with a general round up of a few things happening locally

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/local-food-industry-insider


then highlighted the fabulous local business b and b

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/herb-heroes

from there, it was some hints for Christmas

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/time-to-grab-a-gift

local food for the summer holidays

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/travel-tricks

a local twist on Mexican

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/wahaca-s-magic

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/back-to-mexico

looking forward to the Bendigo part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/weekend-wonder

survived the summer heat with local gelato from Favourite Flavours

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/food-fossckers

summer salads

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/beat-the-heat

then, rookie mistake, I stupidly shared how good the food was at my local.  Not claiming it is just because of my word, but I now struggle to get a table

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/at-the-local

tomato time

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/tomato-time-in-the-kitchen

the wonderful holy goats cheese

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/cheese-please

then mussels came to the Bendigo Community Farmers Market

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/mussel-mania

the Mad hatters picnic

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/mad-hatters-unite

Michel's biscuits

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/call-me-crackers

Hot Cross Buns deserved 2 columns

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/fruity-goodness-time

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/perfect-buns

then it was time for Anzac biscuits

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/to-dunk-or-not-to-dunk

Followed by using local produce for a weeknight pasta

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/meal-appeal-pasta

and then this week - Mother's Day

http://www.bendigoweekly.com.au/news/books-for-your-mum