Thyme flower ice cream - glace aux fleurs de thym

From this link

Thyme flower ice cream - glace aux fleurs de thym

Part 1

8oz whole milk

8oz cream

10 yolks (yes, ten, I don't eat ice cream on a diet)

160g sugar

about 10 sprigs of thyme flowers, rinsed and dried thoroughly

salt to taste

In a medium pot over low heat, bring the milk, cream, and half the amount of sugar to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the rest of the sugar and the yolks until well blended. When the milk/cream/sugar mixture comes to a simmer, pour about half a cup's worth into the sugar/yolk, whisk again to incorporate, then pour the mixture from the bowl into the pot. Stir to blend and bring the mixture back to a simmer, stirring continuously. This last bit shouldn't take more than a minute. Remove the pot from the heat immediately. Add the thyme flowers into a clean, large bowl and pour the hot ice cream base over it. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt (more or less as you like it). Cover and let stand until completely cooled.

Part 2

16oz cream (superb quality raw cream if you could find it)

When the custard base is ready, pour the second amount of cream (16oz, cold and direct from the fridge) over it, stir to mix. Cover and let rest in the fridge until it's cold before churning.

Strain the ice cream base into the bowl of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer's directions. This recipe makes just over 1qt of ice cream.

P.S. Just before the ice cream finishes churning, I like to add a big pinch of fleur de sel, I like the crunch and the burst of flavor when you bite into a flake, and I love salt. This is, however, entirely optional.

Pumpkin Soup

Translated from this link:

Ingredients:
400g Hokaido - Pumpkin
2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (shelled)
1 onion
800 ml vegetable broth
2 cup cream
Salt, pepper

Thus, the first at the annoying thing, once the pumpkin is halved and then quartered ausgehölt and peeled. The peeling is really difficult if one of you has a tip - always so forth. After the pumpkin is cut into pieces.
1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds in the TM and 3 minutes to 100 ° level 2 roast. Coarsely chop onion and admit it. 3 min 100 ° Stage 2 stew. Pumpkin admit everything to level 6 just a little crush, and then 5 minutes to 100 ° Level 2 stew. Broth and pour a cup of cream. 30 min 90 - 100 ° at level 2 simmer. Then durchpürieren. Level 8-9!
Gradually with salt, pepper, who likes can still add a little ginger.

Now serving, which is really important!
The remaining cream semi-solid beat. Pumpkin seed kernels in a little toast. Fill in soup plates, a EL whipped cream on top set, with some pumpkin seeds and a few drops of oil on top / over them. And tataaaaa - is ready for all the world's best pumpkin soup which is also "I - like - no - pumpkin people" really tasty!

Pork and Apple Pie

From this link

Ingredients

* 500g lean pork shoulder, diced into 1cm cubes
* 375g minced belly of pork
* 85g smokedstreaky Bacon, finely sliced
* 2 blades mace
* 12 sage leaves, finely sliced
* 3 Bramley Apples
* 2 tbsp caster sugar
* 1 Egg, beaten

For the pastry ( or simply use the T-mix puff pastry recipe)

* 260g lard
* 1 tsp Salt
* 750g plain flour
* 1 Egg

Method
1. Starting with the pastry, pour 300ml water into a stainless steel saucepan, add the lard and salt and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. When the lard has completely melted, add the flour and mix it in thoroughly.

2. Turn the warm dough out onto a clean surface, make a well in the centre and break in the egg. Knead the egg into the dough by pulling in the sides of the pastry over the eggy surface, pushing down, turning and repeating. It will incorporate quite quickly so continue kneading until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.

3. Remove a quarter of the dough, pat it into a disc and set aside to cool. Form the remaining dough into a large disc, place that into the bottom of a 24cm spring form tin and slowly and carefully work the pastry up the sides of the pan with your finger tips, making sure there are no holes or gaps. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Place the pork, bacon, mace and sage into a large bowl, season with a good pinches each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix together until it's well combined.

5. Place half the meat filling into the pastry shell but don't pack it in too tightly. Peel, core and cut the Bramley apples into 5mm slices. Put into a bowl, sprinkle over the sugar then layer half the apple on top of the meat. Repeat with the remaining meat and apple slices, leaving a small gap to slot the lid into.

6. Roll out the remaining pastry into a 25cm disc, drape it over the top of the filling, dampen the pastry edges and pinch together to seal well all around.

7. Make a hole in the centre of the pie, brush the top with some of the egg and put onto a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180°C/fan160°/gas 4 and cook for a further 45 minutes. If the pie begins to colour too much, cover it with foil.

8. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before removing the springform ring. Brush the sides of the pie with a little more beaten egg and return to the oven for 10 minutes more. Cool slightly before serving warm or cold, with a sharp chutney or piccalilli.

Venison Pie

Venison Pie Recipe

This is a recipe for a rich venison pie which combines the deep rich taste of venison with red wine and redcurrant jelly. Scottish game, such as Deer have often been managed in great estates in the Scottish Highlands. They were used as targets for the rich to shoot at, as much as the poor to try to steal!

Venison Pie

Ingredients:
2lb Venison Shoulder
2 oz flour
5fl oz red wine
5 fl oz red wine vinegar
10fl oz stock (venison)
2 sliced onions
1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tabelspoon redcurrant jelly
12 oz puff pastry
pinch of all spice
pinch of mace
seasoning (salt & pepper)

Method:

Tenderise your meat by mallet or rolling pin. In a bowl mix the mace, flour and all spice and season well.Remove any fat or gristle from the meat (there shouldn't be much if indeed any) then cube and dust with the prepared flour.

Place in a pan along with the wine, vinegar and just enough stock to cover the meat. Simmer this gently for approx 1 hour. Remove from heat and add the onions and parsley. Place back on heat, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Pre heat the oven to 450F AFTER carrying out the second paragraph.

Remove from heat again and allow to cool. Skim off any fat (there shouldn't be that much). Place in a pie dish, add the jelly and the remaining stock. Roll out the pastry and cover the pie. Make a steam hole in the middle and bake for about 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve with a potato dish of your choice.

As with all recipes which involve cooking and baking a sensible approach must be taken especially when dealing with warm or hot (temperature) ingredients. If you are unable to take due care, please do not attempt to make any of these recipes. All recipes are tried at your own risk.

Paul Granger's Chicken Pie

Recipe from here.

The chicken pie is nice, it's a recipe from Bill Granger originally, but now I just sort of do it without reading the recipe. Here goes:

Make some rough puff pastry with the thermomix. I usually just make enough for a pie top, but you can make an enclosed pie if you prefer.

Shake some chicken cut into chunks with flour spiced with cayenne, S&P
Fry quickly on both sides until just brown (raw in centre still) and remove
Fry some sliced leeks in the oil
Add white wine, deglaze
Add some chicken stock or water and 2 tsp dried tarragon
Add some frozen peas
Add about 1/2 cup cream or sour cream until you get the right thickness of sauce
Add the chicken back and cook for a couple of minutes
Put pastry on while filling is still hot, wash with beaten egg and cook for 45 mins at 190 C

Thoughts

I haven't given exact amounts because you can make it any size you want. Every time it turns out slightly differently, so don't get hung up on exact measures. Last night's effort was really good, the TMX made the best pastry I have ever cooked. Ever!

Unsalted butter is best for the pastry, Australian unsalted butter is no good, the wrong consistency or something. Lurpak, the Danish butter, seems the best bet. The rare times I have seen French unsalted butter in Cairns it is rancid when bought - yuk.

I use dried tarragon because the stuff they sell in supermarkets is fake. It's either Russian tarragon, which is easier to grow, but tasteless; or 'Mexican' tarragon with bright yellow flowers, which has an appallingly overwhelming aniseed taste. So dried seems best. Chicken and tarragon is a match made in heaven. The fakeness of tarragon is a pet hate of mine, so don't get me started...

Frozen peas are nicer then fresh peas, unless you grow them yourself and cook as soon as you have picked them. Otherwise they're mealy and horrible. I don't buy frozen veges as a rule, peas are the exception.

I don't think we make enough pies these days. They have a proud heritage, and they are so nice when done with good ingredients.

I have to confess I also made mashed potato to go with it, in the TMX, and I'm eyeing off the leftovers today.