Grape & Basil Fruity Dream

Frruity dream

If you’ve ever been to a Thermomix demo, you’ve probably been wowed by the sorbet!  My favourite comment from a demo so far has to be ‘Oh Caroline….you had me at icing sugar’!

You can also use your Thermomix to make instant soft serve ice cream.  Instead of using ice & frozen fruit for a sorbet, a Fruity Dream is made from frozen fruit, so the texture is more creamy.  By adding the Butterfly Whisk in the last stage of the recipe, you incorporate air, which produces such a light dessert.

This fruity dream recipe is for the adults, as I’ve found kids don’t really appreciate the basil.  It may sound like an odd combination, but trust me, it’s absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:
60g raw sugar
600g frozen red grapes (seedless)
handful of basil leaves
1 egg white

Method:
1) Place sugar in TM bowl, mill 10 seconds/speed 9.
2) Add frozen fruit, chop 10 seconds/speed 8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl & chop again 10 seconds/speed 8.
3) Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg white & chop 10 seconds/speed 8.
4) Insert Butterfly Whisk. Mix 40-60 seconds/speed 4, or until a soft & smooth consistency is reached.
5) Serve immediately or store in the freezer in a container.

 Notes:
 You can use green grapes, however I prefer the colour the red grapes give to the ice cream.
IMG_4734

You can use any frozen fruits or berries to make your fruity dream!

Reheating your BBQ leftovers in the Varoma

BBQ Varoma

One of my all time pet hates is wasting food, so we all enjoy leftovers in our house.   A friend of mine only recently told me about reheating food from last night’s BBQ in the Varoma, so I gave it a go the other night.   By reheating with steam, you retain the moisture in the food & I was very impressed with the result.  Needless to say, I won’t be using my microwave anymore to reheat things like cooked sausages or hamburgers.   One of the many things I love about Thermomix, is that after 5 years, I’m still picking up new hints & tips!

I reheated a sausage, a hamburger, a few Cajun chicken tenderloins & a few pieces of turkey stuffing.  I added 500g boiling water to the TM bowl & cooked for 7 minutes/Varoma/speed 3.  If you’re reheating a larger quantity of food, you may need to increase the time by a few minutes.

I always use a sheet of baking paper on my Varoma tray – purely so there is minimal washing up.  If you would rather not use baking paper, just place the food straight onto the Varoma tray.  I add boiling water from my kettle when I use my Varoma, as this decreases the overall heating time, as the boiling water will create steam faster than cold water.  If you do add cold or warm water to your TM bowl, allow 5-10 minutes extra heating time.