Thermomix comes home for the night

I am not to sure if I have blogged about Thermomix before? I'd like to call it my new toy, however,  we have had it at work for a few months now so it doesn't really seem all that new.
For those of you who are asking what the hell am I talking about, this little baby does it all and adds a 'fun' element into the kitchen not to mention speed! We have made loads of sorbet at work, blended beetroots in seconds and then heated and pureed them until the beetroot is as smooth as a baby's bottom. It makes perfect icing sugar from raw sugar in a matter of seconds and last but by no means least, it makes the BEST margaritas this side of Mexico!

The reason I brought it home was to see if it really did make good gluten free bread and also to see how it really did help me when it came to family meal time....do I really need one at home as well as work? (At $2000 a pop, this research was necessary!)

Gluten free bread, why am I making it? well I am starting to know quite a few people who need to restrict their diets, plus we are getting more and more people asking about gluten free classes at the cooking school. It was high time I got my head out of the sand and started to find a good GF bread recipe, because if you've ever eaten GF bread you'll know there are a lot of hideous ones out there.
I had heard the gluten free thermomix cookbook makes one of the best breads, so that was my mission. In true Camilla style I was at the supermarket without the recipe, bought all the wrong flours needed and forgot to get powdered milk!
Feeling a little defeated but still wanting to make it, I decided to make up my own, using the method of another bread recipe from the thermomix book and following half of a recipe from the back of the Xan...... gum packet (I can't remember how to spell it??)

 

I know it all sounds pretty terrible but I have to say the bread turned out really well. I served it with dinner on the night and it was well received, especially by Alex.
My gluten free staff member seemed to like it the next day when I took it to work and gave it to her toasted, so I think for a first time effort and without a recipe I was very impressed with my effort. Especially when it only took about 5 minutes to throw together, kneed and then left to rise in the traditional way.

With the bread rising in my warm oven, I then set out to make some tomato, basil and garlic Italian beans to go with the chicken schnitzels I had in the fridge. I chopped my onion, garlic and fresh tomatoes in the Thermomix for about 20 seconds, turned on the heat, added a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then left it for 10 minutes to make a sauce while I helped Max with his homework while trying desperately to get Alex in the bath. After ten minutes my sauce was smelling fantastic so I then added a dash of red wine vinegar, reversed the blades so when I added the fat Italian beans they wouldn't be chopped into a million pieces, then left it to cook for a further 15 minutes on 100 degrees while I started cooking the schnitzels.
 I have to tell you by this stage I was feeling very confident indeed. Not only had I made a loaf of bread that was baking in the oven while I was kicking on with dinner, I also found a chocolate cake recipe in my Thermomix booklet that insisted it's the quickest and easiest recipe EVER! Well, I just had to try it... My chicken was just about done, Nic was finally home so I popped the beans into a bowl, gave the TM a quick rinse out and began throwing all the chocolate cake ingredients in, as I wanted it to be cooking while we were having dinner (I was going for the 1950's housewife of the year effect).

Ladies and gentlemen it was achieved!!!

I pulled the bread out of the oven, served up dinner and had dessert cooking as we ate....the kids thought me a saint when I pulled the chocolate cake out of the oven and sweetly yelled 'who wants dessert?'

Oh how I love thee thermomix! I do believe I will get one for the home eventually, I just need to be at home more so I get to use it. I am dying to try the yogurt recipes, steaming fish and couscous while cooking soup.....not to mention perfect steamed puddings and risotto's.
Just before I go, I do need to say that the chocolate cake was moist, rich and superb and very quick to make.....nice one Thermomix.