Thermomix test run

Got my Thermomix on Thursday and have given it an absolute rogering!
It's pretty impressive, so far the kill list is:

- Mango sorbet
- Mushroom risotto
- Strawberry ice cream
- Vanilla sugar
- Lemon butter
- Fresh juices
- Almond milk
- Yoghurt
- Beef ragu
- Mayonnaise
- Kiwi sorbet
- Strawberry sorbet
- Bran rolls
- Tzatziki
- Chilli con carne
- Peach blini
- probably forgot something...

So most of the above are standard recipes from the book provided, except for a few experiments thrown in for good measure, ragu, almond milk...
Pretty keen now to start really pushing the limits, was considering making camembert cheese, however i think the issue here is that there is no way to disable the 'stirring' motion while the heating element is activated.
So it wouldnt really give the curds a chance to set...

Also with the ragu, the flavour was close to usual, however the texture suffered. Even on low speed with a reverse rotation (so the blades cant cut) the meat was almost paste... So that needs little tweaking.
You could only simmer for an hour max too, where my ragu usually sits for 3-4.
The workaround here is just to set it for another hour, and so on... I think after 4 hours my ragu would have looked like a mayonnaise... Which may not be a bad thing...?

Café de Olla

Popped in to the Town of Vincent Cappuccino Festival on the weekend and it reminded me how much I love spiced Mexican Coffee, Café de Olla i think...

That Little Mexican Place had a stand set up with some on the go, served piping hot, oversized styrofoam cup, in the blazing sun.
Probably the complete opposite to what I should have been enjoying but such a great drink.

To make this at home, here is my tip, and probably nothing like how its meant to be made...

Long Black Style Spiced Mexican Coffee for two...

To saucepan add; 1/2 litre cold water, 3 or 4 cloves, smashed up stick of cinnamon and a heaped tablespoon of palm sugar (or a decent brown sugar...), slowly bring to boil, then simmer for 5 -10mins.

Pour into desired drinking vessel and float a syrupy double ristretto over the top.
Drink immediately, then pour another. etc.

Thermomix

Had a demo of this last night, been umming and arrring for a couple of years about just purchasing one, I think I'm sold.

In that couple of years I have punished a breville food processor into complete failure, followed by a sunbeam cafe series unit, which is about to throw the towel in. And just quietly, there would be no cafe stupid enough to use this 'cafe series' pile of shit, and if there is let me know so I can avoid the place.

Anyway the Thermomix does more stuff too, so i loose my food processor, blender, juicer, scales...
The rep attempted to make me believe I could also part with my kettle, knives, stovetop... etc.
I guess she's one of those people that dont enjoy cooking and buy this thing for convenience.

So there are different avenues to thermomix:
- The rep (convenience, bench space, whatever)
- The gadget guy
- The nutritionist (make my own everything... no e numbers...)
- The foodie

I think i'm a cross between gadgettry and foodie, I'll use my thermomix for convenient stir-less risotto, but then again I will also make my risotto on the stove top when I feel like a little romance. (ladies?)
I'll use my thermomix for sorbet, as I have no other decent option.
I'll use it for custard, hollandaise etc, but I may also go old school here.

I like the idea of a balance.

It's the same reason I opt for a manual espresso machine in my kitchen, I want to source the beans, tweak the grind, pull the shot, etc. I dont want to push a button and get the exact same result each time.

Anyway, time for some pro's / con's:
Pro - sorbet in 1 min
Pro - turn raw sugar into caster and or icing, pretty cool shit.
Con - Expensive ~ 1900ish
Pro - Knead dough pretty well
Con - Tries to walk itself off the bench top while kneading dough
Pro - Stir-less risotto
Con - I think getting the rice aldente may be a challenge, I may be wrong but last night is was almost congee...
Pro - Digital scales
Con - Digital scales
Con - Only 2 litre capacity
Pro - easy to clean, not many parts

Also, the creme anglaise we had last night was tidy, however the reason the rep added corn flour baffles me... It started coagulating in the bowl as it cooled, so I'd be keen to try a traditional creme without the starch and see the results.

I also couldnt help but think about the possibilities of sous vide in the thermomix...? It can sit at a specific temperature anywhere between 30ish and 100 degrees, however it can only be adjusted in 10 degree increments, so this could be a challenge with the 62degree hen egg...
Worth a shot any way, interesting little experiment.

So I've seen enough, It will retrofit my current food processor nicely, looks pretty sharp and it will enable me to make all sorts of random emulsions. Cheaper then a pacojet i suppose...

Classes / training for the hobbyist...

Doesn’t really seem to be a lot out there...

Unless you want to be part of a room full of 20+ food idiots who's only input is...
"I'd cut my finger off if I did that"
or
"Yummy"
or
"Ohhh that’s fancy"
or
"Can you do that in the microwave?"

So obviously you can self teach, and most do, but what about butchery for example? That is a craft and something that needs to be taught correctly. Where do I go if I want to know how to properly butcher a pig with minimal waste? Or bone out a lamb shoulder properly, or whip up some sausages that keep an honest shape and don’t explode / crumble / taste like shit?

I've tried a few, spoken to some friendly butchers, etc. Now I'm going to give Vince Garreffa's class a go. If anyone can cater to this requirement its Vince. I worship the man.

It's just frustrating that most (all that I've been to), have to treat every participant as a complete novice, this is rubbish as you may as well keep your 200 bucks or whatever the hell you paid and go home to watch Jamie Oliver shove some lemons and a fennel bulb up some dead animal's ass.

Lookin forward to it Vince.

Best Pho in Perth

I dont know, but I'm working on it.

So far I have ruled out Dao Vien in the city, why? It went like this...
me - "Hello"
waitress - "Hello Sir"
me - "Yeah Hi, can I have Beef Pho please?"
waitress - "No"
me - "Why not?"
waitress - "We dont have it"
me - "It's the Vietnamese national dish, plus its painted on your window"
waitress - "We have laksa...?"
me - "f**k me."

So I've moved on from there, next cab off the rank was Viet Hoa (in the bridge), very good. 8/10
I'll base this on the following point system:
Appearance - maximum of 2 points - 2
Taste - maximum of 6 points - 4
Service - maximum of 1 point - 1
Keeping it real - maximum of 1 point - 1

The 'keeping it real' grading is difficult for one who hasnt been to Vietnam, like I, however if it contains tendon and beef balls (could be testicles, could be force meat, dont care), i think we're close.

Most recent was Lido, just up the road from Viet Hoa, also pretty good, 7/10
Only difference here was the lack of the roast chilli accompaniment, plus not enough fresh mint. Plenty of balls though.

Oh, by the way, Pho Dzung is Melbourne is currently leading the pack, but unfortunately disqualified as this is a Perth specific search, great yardstick tho (pun intended)

Not a great piccy...